TOUR 1 — Bridges of Vancouver Harbour: Dinner Cruise

Following the Closing Ceremonies, an evening of dining, sight-seeing and engineering celebration awaits aboard a specially chartered luxury yacht! Socialize with your fellow Symposium delegates on the open air deck as we cruise around the magnificent Vancouver Harbour, enjoying views of the downtown urban skyline, the North Shore Mountains, and the gateway to the Pacific Ocean. We will be visiting and gathering information about some of Vancouver's important bridges. Within the Burrard Inlet, we will see the Ironworker's Memorial Crossing at the Second Narrows, and the Lion's Gate Suspension Bridge at the First Narrows. After sailing around scenic Stanley Park, we travel to False Creek to see the art deco Burrard Bridge, Granville Street truss bridge and the Granville Island Market, as well as the Cambie Street concrete bridge.  There will be plenty of noteworthy building structures on display along the shoreline as well! Tour guests will enjoy a delicious meal complimented by lively story-telling by engineers involved in some of these projects. And, of course, stunning scenery!

The tour includes:

• 3 hour evening harbour cruise departing from and returning to the Westin Bayshore
• Dinner meal including 2 alcoholic beverages
• Cash bar available

TOUR 2 — Bridges of the Fraser River: Paddle-Wheeler Boat Tour

After a light breakfast provided at our meeting point in the Westin Bayshore Hotel, our group will walk to the nearby Burrard transit station and then travel by the fully automated SkyTrain rapid transit line to the Quay in nearby New Westminster. There we will board the M.V. Native, an authentic 100-passenger paddle-wheeler, for a boating adventure on the mighty Fraser, British Columbia's longest river! We will cruise by the following bridges:

• Alex Fraser (1986, Cable-Stayed)
• Pattullo (1937, Steel Trussed Through-Arch)
• SkyTrain SkyBridge (1990, Cable-Stayed)
• Port Mann (2012, Cable-Stayed; See article in Feb 2017 issue of Structural Engineering International.)
• Golden Ears (2009, Extradosed)

Engineers involved in the design of the modern bridges on our tour will be on hand to provide technical background and share anecdotes from the design and construction challenges that were encountered. We will be further entertained with live narration of facts and fiction about the Fraser and its history, and will encounter all the activity of a busy working river as well as the ever-present sights and sounds of marine wildlife such as seals, ospreys, great blue heron, eagles, salmon and sturgeon. The lush Coast Mountain Range provides a breathtaking backdrop to our day on the water.

The tour includes:

• Light breakfast at Westin
• Return transportation ticket to/from the docks at New Westminster Quay via SkyTrain rapid transit
• 5-hour guided boat tour including buffet lunch
• Cash bar available

TOUR 3 — Whistler & Sea-to-Sky Adventure

A two-day tour to explore recent engineering projects and the incredible scenery along the Sea-to-Sky Highway on route to Whistler, host city of the 2010 Olympic Alpine activities. The group will be accompanied by local designers to share their insight on these structures. Planned stops and activities will include:

• Sea-to-Sky Highway roadway, bridge, and retaining structures along one of the world’s most scenic drives.
• Sea-to-Sky Gondola ride: near the town of Squamish, offering spectacular views of Howe Sound and surrounding coastal forests and mountain ranges
• Whistler Peak-to-Peak Gondola ride: the world’s longest unsupported gondola span stretching 3 km between the peaks of Blackcomb and Whistler Mountains, travelling 436m above the forested glacial valley below.

• Group dinner on Sunday night in Whistler Village.
• Free time to explore the shops, restaurants, and nightlife of Whistler Village, at the base of Whistler and Blackcomb mountains.

• Audain Art Museum in Whistler: an architecturally stunning structure spanning across Fitzsimmons Creek, the museum houses notable art of British Columbia, from the traditional works of the province’s First Peoples through to its contemporary masters. See article in Feb 2017 issue of Structural Engineering International.
• Olympic Ski Jump, at the Whistler Olympic Park in the Callaghan Valley.

The tour price includes return chartered bus transportation from the Westin Bayshore Hotel & Conference Center, admission fees to the listed attractions, and private hotel accommodation (single or double occupancy; 1 king bed) at the 3.5-star Crystal Lodge in the heart of Whistler Village on Sunday September 24, 2017. With the exception of the Sunday night group BBQ dinner, guests will be responsible for their own food costs.

Note that the return time to the Westin Hotel on Monday September 25, 2017 is approximate and could be subject to traffic or other delays. It is recommended that participants book accommodation in Vancouver for Monday September 25 with onward travel occurring the following day.