Locals check out Vancouver's artificial beach
Locals and tourists alike checked out Picnurbia, a pop-up, artificial beach put up by the city and design firm Loose Affiliates on Robson Street on Wednesday. Children shrieked and laughed as they rolled around on the yellow turf and raced each other down the undulating platform. Others kicked off their shoes, lounged on their backs below the white umbrellas or enjoyed their lunches on the benches. 'It's nice to have something a little more artistic in the city,' said Bobbie Charette as she munched on a taco picked up from a nearby food truck. 'It's almost European in a way because it's not the norm and it's interactive and opened to everybody.'
Bobbie Charette, left, and Josie Hoi picnic as children play during the lunch hour at the Picnurbia installation in Robson Square in Vancouver, Aug. 10, 2011. Picnurbia, a pop up picnic zone between Robson Square and the Vancouver Art Gallery, has bright yellow artificial turf, grassy hills, beach umbrellas and built-in benches.Jeff Vinnick/The Globe and Mail
Marcel Graf plays with his 15-month-old son, Leon, at the Picnurbia installation in Robson Square in Vancouver, Aug. 10, 2011. Picnurbia, a pop up picnic zone between Robson Square and the Vancouver Art Gallery, has bright yellow artificial turf, grassy hills, beach umbrellas and built-in benches.Jeff Vinnick/The Globe and Mail
People relax among the undulating hills of the Picnurbia installation in Robson Square in Vancouver, Aug. 10, 2011. Picnurbia, a pop up picnic zone between Robson Square and the Vancouver Art Gallery, has bright yellow artificial turf, grassy hills, beach umbrellas and built-in benches.Jeff Vinnick/The Globe and Mail