The Gallery Café

I am often at the Vancouver Art Gallery so I probably take this place for granted, it never even occurred to me to talk about it. It's such a perfect place to lunch though - location, location, location -- in the heart of downtown on Robson. They have an excellent selection of paninis, salads and desserts.In the summer time, you can sit out there in the patio with the flowers, music in the background and lazily people watch as you sip your sauvignon blanc and graze on your salad Niçoise or sip your cappuccino while indulging on some tiramasu.

It's a very pleasant place to be in the summer (if you can manage to find a table outside -- it gets very busy on beautiful summer days).

http://www.thegallerycafe.ca/cafe.asp

Picnic at the Beach by the Vancouver Art Gallery

A Day at the Beach?

Not exactly at the day in the sand with ocean breeze blowing... this is in front of the Vancouver Art Gallery on Robson. It's called "Picnurbia" -- they encourage people to ... yes, picnic on yellow artificial turf. It has built in benches and yes, people actually are there picnicking and sunning as if they are at the beach.

(I was in Paris one summer, and they actually did bring the beach right in the city. They trucked in sand in open spaces and set up beach volleyball courts for people, they set beach lounge chairs all over the place and there were all sorts of beach activities and festivities. It was more authentic than yellow artificial turf. Oh, well, Vancouver is trying.)

The Colour of My Dreams at The Vancouver Art Gallery

Surrealists are an interesting bunch! We wonder what the heck are they thinking (sex, desire) in creating what they create. The Vancouver Art Gallery has an excellent exhibition right now. If you are able to make it to their free tours (with entrance fee) on the exhibition - attend it, you will get so much more. It may not explain everything, but it will give you a glimpse of their artist minds. 

FYI: Tuesdays after 5pm admission by donation.

Dali's Lobster Phone: Dalí created this object with the specific intention of aligning the lobster's genitalia with the end of the phone into which one would speak, thus aligning the speaker's mouth with the lobster's genitalia. These were an example of sexual references through art, but represented through food items. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lobster_Telephone