Twisted Tour Guide: Vancouver British Columbia

Avoid The Tourist Herds.

What could be more uninspiring than seeing the identical attractions that everyone else has for decades?

This Twisted Tour Guide escorts you to the places locals don't want to talk about anymore...the same places people once couldn't stop talking about. Long after the screaming headlines and sensationalism has subsided, these bizarre, infamous and obscure historical sites remain hidden awaiting rediscovery.

Each visitation site in this guide is accompanied by a story. Many of the narratives defy believability, yet they are true.

The photography from each profile showcases the precise location where each event occurred. The scenes can seem ordinary, weird and/or sometimes very revealing towards clarifying the background behind events. If you're seeking an alternative to conventional tourism, this Twisted Tour Guide is ideal. Each directory accommodates the restless traveler and even resident looking for something unique and different.

Historic and Frequently Flawed Personalities:
Heavyweight Champion Jack Johnson, Henry Ceperley, Mobster Joe Celona, Police Chief Mulligan, Remorseful Killer Joe Gordon, Actor Errol Flynn, Fred Siebolt Hofman and Hitman Serge Robin,

Architecture With A Distinctive Past:
Marine Building, Hastings Mill Store, Lions Gate Bridge, Stanley Park Seawall, Stanley Park Totem Poles, Green Door Restaurant, Fairacres Mansion, Oakalla Institute, Overlynn Mansion, Sam Kee Building, Alexander Street Brothels, Hycroft Mansion and Henry Abbot Home,

Hospitality and Hauntings
Kelly O'Bryan's, Old Spaghetti Factory, Waterfront Station, 24 Water Street Building, Penthouse Nightclub, The Landing, Vancouver Rowing Club Grounds, Orpheum Theatre, Vogue Theatre, Fairmont Hotel, UBC Former Library and University Ghost Hitchhiker

Legacies and Notorious Events
Great Fire of 1886, Hiram Scurry Family, SS Beaver Shipwreck, Anti-Asian March, IWW Labor Confrontations, Oakalla Prison Escapes, Komagata Maru, 1918 General Strike, President Warren Harding's Speaking Tour, Ku Klux Klan Headquarters, Battle of Ballantyne Pier, Bloody Sunday Riots, Zoot Suit Riots, SS Green Hill Explosion, 1971 Smoke-In and Riot, Russian Mob versus Hells Angels, APEC 1997 Protests, Castaway Shoes and Feet and 2009 Gang Wars,

Historical Scandals:
Deadman's Island, Market Alley, Shanghai Alley, Historic Chinatown, Hogan's Alley, Ironworkers Memorial Bridge, Professional Football and Hockey Riots, BC Penitentiary Riots, William Bennett, Fantasy Gardens Theme Park, Liberal Love Birds, Bingo-Gate, Vancouver Stock Exchange, PacificCats, Casino Gate, E-Pirate Currency, Corporate House Scandal and BridgeMark Financial.

Infamous Killings and Murder
Customs Officer William Hopkinson, Scottish Nursemaid Janet Smith, Stanley Park Babes in the Woods, Danny Brent, Policeman Gordon Sinclair, Pauls Family Triple Killing, Esther Castellani, Kosberg Family Hatchet Murders, Louis Wise, Unsolved Cold Cases, Kristen Gurholt, Playboy Playmate Dorothy Stratten, Serial Killer Robert Pickton, Jimmy and Lily Ming, Sergey Filonov, Wanda Watson, Gladys Wakabayshi, Roger Daggitt, Sheila Henry, Jillian Fuller, Chantel Gillade, Craig Abrahams, Tara Singh Hayer, Ripudaman Singh Malik, Bindy Johal. Richard Chacon, Surrey Six, Gangster Raymond Chao, Ricky Scarpino, Oakridge Mall Execution, Willene Chong and Vladimir Shevalev.

Auteur

Visual Artist, Writer and Photographer Marques Vickers is a California native presently living in the San Francisco Bay Area and Seattle, Washington regions.

He was born in 1957 and raised in Vallejo, California. He is a 1979 Business Administration graduate from Azusa Pacific University in the Los Angeles area. Following graduation, he became the Public Relations and ultimately Executive Director of the Burbank Chamber of Commerce between 1979-84. He subsequently became the Vice President of Sales for AsTRA Tours and Travel in Westwood between 1984-86.

Following a one-year residence in Dijon, France where he studied at the University of Bourgogne, he began Marquis Enterprises in 1987. His company operations have included sports apparel exporting, travel and tour operations, wine brokering, publishing, rare book and collectibles reselling. He has established numerous e-commerce, barter exchange and art websites including MarquesV.com, ArtsInAmerica.com, InsiderSeriesBooks.com, DiscountVintages.com and WineScalper.com.

Between 2005-2009, he relocated to the Languedoc region of southern France. He concentrated on his painting and sculptural work while restoring two 19th century stone village residences. His figurative painting, photography and sculptural works have been sold and exhibited internationally since 1986. He re-established his Pacific Coast residence in 2009 and has focused his creative productivity on writing and photography.

His published works span a diverse variety of subjects including true crime, international travel, California wines, architecture, history, Southern France, Pacific Coast attractions, fiction, auctions, fine art marketing, poetry, fiction and photojournalism.

He has two daughters, Charline and Caroline who presently reside in Europe.