And here is a card of the Empress Hotel. The location is great and the hotel is beautiful, although many of the rooms are small. It would have been even nicer if there had been a tram when I was there. Still, it's a very walkable city.
Here's another card showing trams in Victoria.
Although there are no longer any trams in Victoria, there has been talk of bringing them back. BC Transit is looking at trams along with Light Rail Transit and Bus Rapid Transit as possible alternatives. In their words: "they each have their advantages and enthusiasts." For updates on their plans, check the BC Transit website.
Here are the backs of the cards in the same order.
Dear Dad:
Just a note you should have come too. Of course I'll be home when you get this but that's O.K. Having a swell time. May won't get out and hold the boat steady. Bye Now Love Sis (?)
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Fabulous, I really love old postcards too!
ReplyDeleteGreat postcards. The colors in the top one are so crisp - wonderful! Victoria looks like a fun city. I wonder if there are regulations or just national pride that led to the number of "made in Canada" items.
ReplyDeleteAnother nice card that would be improved with some context, the fact that the hotel is on the waterfront is part of what makes it spectacular and ties it to a specific place. The view we see could place it in Iowa, although the British flag flying over head makes that a bit unlikely... Scholars of regional/vernacular building practices might be able to determine the location of a building by the use of a certain dormer design, material, etc. though, even without more context (or that handy label that says 'Victoria').
ReplyDeleteThese days the use of Google Maps enables the location to be determined precisely; Victoria, British Columbia is easy to find as is the Empress Hotel - an impressive building.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful postcards. I like the one of the Empress hotel very much; the colours are really nice.
ReplyDeleteNice post! The streetcar in the top postcard barely made it in the frame!
ReplyDeleteOh, if only we could look on lots of labels today and see Made in USA let we used to. Remember when WallyWorld used to have the slogan Made in the USA? Not going to get on that soapbox.
Thanks for sharing the great postcards!
My sister and I stayed at that hotel about 6 years ago. It still looks the same. A beautiful place. We went there after Bush got elected the second time. We were considering moving to Canada. We thought this country was done for. Oh how right we were. (sorry to get political!) It really is a great city. I feel like you do about shopping but I happily shopped there. We shopped for houses, also, and found out it was hard to get a loan. I guess they knew what they were doing. They're in much better shape than we are.
ReplyDeleteSome of our favorite places where we have visited many times; had high tea once at the Empress....lovely to see these old photos. Last time in Vancouver & Victoria was about 10 years ago...
ReplyDeleteI think she may of been having a "swell" (not "sweet") time in 1945.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Judy! You're absolutely right. I changed it.
ReplyDeleteI luv Victoria! I've had the privilege of visiting several times. I used to go to sleep at night looking at the lights of Victoria from my bedroom window. My last ferry crossing, however, was a bit absurd. Pre-TSA pat downs, but they sure gave me and my honey the fifth-degree when we got there. We weren't married at the time and since he's considerably younger, I guess they thought we made a suspicious couple. Harumph! Anyway, some of Roger's Chocolates eased the insult:)
ReplyDeleteWell, Tricia, over the decades I have looked across at Port Angeles from Victoria! Your lights look great from here at night and the Olympic mountains looks fabulous during the day. These vintage postcards are wonderful... I'm so glad that I found this site belonging to Christine. To everyone... this is a beautiful city.
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