I love many things about Vancouver, but one of the greatest surprises was the stunning Art Deco(ish) masterpiece of the Marine Building at 355 Burrard St. I visited it every day of my trip, and always found something new and interesting to look at.

There is a lot of great information floating around on the internet about the history of the Marine Building. Here are the basics: opened in 1930, the top is described alternately as “cake-like” and “Mayan-ish,” and it is loaded to the gills with charming sea-creature imagery.

Be sure to walk around the entire perimeter of the building, then cut through the lobby to see even more Enchantment Under the Sea-themed decor. I’ll meet you there at sea-turtle-past-lobster!

The beauty of the Marine Building is its exquisite detail. I’m looking forward to returning to Vancouver for many reasons, and among them is the opportunity to see Merle,* my favourite octopus doorman at 355 Burrard. According to Wikipedia, there used to be an observation deck, but the 25-cent admission charge proved to be too much during the Depression and it closed.

Merle!

*Merle is not this octopus’ real name. I’m not even sure he has a name. That said, doesn’t he look like a Merle?

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