Without It's Distinctive Yellow 'M',

this abandon barge looks nothing out of the ordinary,

but back in 1986 the barge was ground breaking, it was built for Expo '86 which was the biggest event Vancouver, British Columbia, had ever produced, held to celebrate the city's centennial, this world's fair is often credited as launching Vancouver into a major tourist destination and while several stadiums and other buildings built for the event have served the city's civic life well enough in the years since the SkyTrain and BC Place, for example, one rusting relic sits forlornly in a nearby inlet, despite ongoing attempts to save it,

the "McBarge," as it has been lovingly nicknamed, was built as either the world's first or second floating McDonald's (another was in St. Louis, and accounts differ), officially named the Friendship 500, its construction was part of a strategic attempt by McDonald's to appeal to class-conscious Yuppie consumers who began increasingly rejecting chain restaurants during the 1980s, the reportedly $8 million construction (one of five McDonald's on the Expo site) featured a futuristic exterior and an interior with wooden floors, potted plants, wine-colored accents, and panoramic views of the Expo grounds, the sad part is that today it sits empty and forgotten, 

but all is not lost for this iconic barge, developer Howard Meakin and his wife Kathy bought the boat in early 2010, and have submitted a proposal to the Mission, British Columbia, city council for a waterfront development that would use a refurbished McBarge as the centerpiece, the plan is to create a destination restaurant complex called Sturgeon's on the River, complete with several restaurants, a marina, and a seaplane terminal, according to discussions on the Sturgeon's on the Fraser Facebook group (formerly called “Save the McBarge”), the plan has local support, but is currently mired in bureaucratic red tape, hopefully the red tape will be cut and the McBarge will be frying again.