Mark V: Our Newest SkyTrain Model

An important part of our life in downtown New Westminster is access to the SkyTrain.  We actually discovered and chose this city after arriving to live in British Columbia.  A primary reason we are here was SkyTrain access.  We explored the area from the city of Vancouver on the original Expo Line.  In 1996, it was the only existing line of a now much-expanded system.  The driverless cars had been operating since Vancouver's World Fair of a decade earlier.  So much about our area has changed, but the fact SkyTrains run through the middle of our downtown continues to make our lives easier.  

This morning after a short walk to the other end of downtown, I boarded a train from New Westminster Station to return to Columbia, less than a kilometer away.  Our building has direct access to the underground Columbia Station at the foot of our building.

Transit Improves Life in the City

Translink is the name of the consolidated transit system for the metro-Vancouver area.  Two lines of its driverless SkyTrain share tracks through a short tunnel in downtown New Westminster, BC. One stop is directly at the base of our buildings. We can take the elevator to our underground parking and exit right into the Columbia Station at the basement level.

The system connects to surrounding communities, the airport, and downtown Vancouver. A train passes by our apartment in each direction every three minutes during the day.

 

We frequently go by SkyTrain rather than driving.  For example, the hassle of driving and the cost of parking means I never drive Kimchi, our EV, into downtown Vancouver.  The train is stress free!

Jay and I now have senior discount cards at an annual cost of  CA $45/year.  We find ourselves onboard more than ever, even though the cost was never a prohibiting factor.  For a little exercise, it's easy to walk to the other end of our waterfront park and take the train to return home.  

In the photo above, taken today, we were about to return from the New Westminster Station from the other end of downtown. We live at the next station along that empty track.  The train heading to the Waterfront was going west and would be at Vancouver harbor in about 35 minutes.

Seeing Our Doctor is Easy

Our family doctor works three days a week in the clinic across the street. It's now easy to book online for a telephone or physical visit with him.  We got back a few months ago, so today I had an appointment to renew prescriptions and ask a few questions.  

Our former doctor retired but one benefit was he was almost as old as us and knew firsthand some common aspects of aging.  Now, we have Dr. Huang who's probably around 30-years-old.  What he lacks in experience, he makes up for with the newest medical knowledge and opinions.

 

This is the view from the window in the office reception area.  It looks toward Columbia Street.  Our building is directly behind access to the Columbia SkyTrain Station.  In fact, from the clinic, the clock you can see is probably where our balcony would be.  We're on the 10th floor. This shows how easy it is for Jay or me to visit our family doctor.

Our Shortcut to Columbia Street

When we first heard plans of the introduction of the Compass fare cards, we were concerned about our building's access though Columbia Station. Our building has direct access to the Church Street side of the station. In the days before the TransLink pre-paid cards, the fare-paid zone started as passengers headed up the stairs towards the SkyTrain platform. Obviously, the new gates had to be added at each end of our formerly-free passage to Columbia Street.


It all ended up fine. As long as one stays less than 20 minutes and exits from the same station, no charges are levied. Whenever we walk though the station, our compass card usage which we can access online, shows a $4.20 charge and an immediate $4.20 rebate.

My Passage

I've extolled the virtues of easy transit many times here. I love never, ever having to drive downtown. Why bother with the hassle, cost, and inconvenience when it's so much easier jumping on the SkyTrain? My apartment building opens right into the Columbia Station in New Westminster. It is the white door in the photo below. I hardly have to step outside which makes it extremely easy to take transit.



I do drive to BCIT when I teach but it's really not necessary. I could get there almost as quickly and certainly as cheaply by taking the SkyTrain to Metrotown and the bus down the hill to the Burnaby campus. Some habits die hard though even when gas is selling at $1.35 per liter!

Back from Dinner

We have a hard time arranging a time to meet up with some old friends for dinner.  Tonight we had a chance to get downtown to the West End.  That means the ducks came home with us.  That indicates we're responsible for holding the next dinner.  When that happens, the plastic ducks will head on back to Richmond.

We can catch the SkyTrain downtown directly from our building.

When a Bridge is Life's Backdrop ...

I often write about this place. I am happy we chose New Westminster as a location in which to live. Many times and in many ways, I've said as much right here in this blog! For example, I've undoubtedly explained about my city's central location in the Metro-Vancouver region. I have, on countless occasions, told about its rather small size both in population, but even more so in geography. I've explained how we found the city and chose it upon arriving as new residents in Canada. I've even explained how it has boomed in recent years.

One important factor about this city is how well it is served by the region's elevated train system. Both the Expo and Millennium lines run through downtown. In fact, the lines split right after the Columbia Station which is directly connected to our condo towers. Since the first line crossed the Fraser River in the late 80's, well before our arrival, the iconic SkyTrain bridge has always been a part of our view of the Royal City. I have, quite literally, hundreds of images of this transit-only structure which connects New West to Surrey.

Today, as the sky was blue and the temperature warm, I went out with a camera and upon returning found that I had taken several more. Here's one.

At the End of the SkyTrain Line

I honestly cannot think of a place I'd rather call home. I do, however, have to be more appreciative of the fact. I live about 12 miles from the Waterfront in downtown Vancouver. In fact, I can take the SkyTrain right from my building and pop out at the location above in about twenty-five minutes. The trains come every 2 or 3 minutes, so there's never a wait like at a bus stop. It's so easy and so accessible that the truck stays in the parking stall. We went to Vancouver just to get out in the fine weather that is still here.

I cannot exactly remember that last time I was in Vancouver though. Since the 2010 Winter Olympics in February I could probably count the number of trips on one hand. I love New Westminster, but have to remember to get down to the big city more often.

Proximity is Everything

We chose our building as it opens right into the Columbia SkyTrain Station. The trains are a bit noisy even from the tenth floor, but that's something that's easy to get used to. I also like the fact there's a convenience store and a Subway restaurant at the front of the station. I seldom buy anything from the Macs nor do I often eat 12-inch double-meat chicken subs with sweet onion sauce.


Also, I like having the Army & Navy Department Store just across the street. They have an interesting selection of deals. We just got back from picking up some dark-out curtain panels for the bedroom. The new blinds look all right but they do not make the room dark enough when closed at night.

Newest Camcorder is the Lightest

On Saturday evening I brought the new camcorder to a get-together with friends. So, far I'm pretty impressed with the Panasonic HDC-SD9. The video quality can be quite stunning in bright light; however, it doesn't so very well in low-light conditions. Unfortunately that's a very common type of family-style video. I think our very first Sony camcorder in the 1980's did the best job of any subsequent cameras of being able to shoot excellent night scenes.

The ability to just pop out the SD card and directly insert into the PS3 is useful. The software that copies to a computer is also fairly easy to use even if it lacks a lot of necessary features. Over all, giving up tape has been a pleasant experience.

Its small size and ease of use means that this camera will probably get a lot more exercise than anything I've owned in the past. I have to be aware of this and think in terms of small video clips nowadays too. To help reflect this change in thinking, I have introduced the term camcorder as a blogging label. Viola, I get an instant new page to reflect current and past entries.



Even a clip which is less than 20 seconds can be interesting. This is simply a SkyTrain entering the east end of the tunnel into Columbia Station in downtown New Westminster.

Local Tourists

It was good to take the day to get a little re-acquainted with downtown Vancouver. Although, we live about a half-hour SkyTrain ride to the city core, I was not able to pinpoint the exact last time I ventured there. Living beside the Columbia Station can be noisy but the convenience of being able to pop out in the middle of Vancouver far outweighs any negatives.

What a fantastic day to walk around the temperature being in the high 20's Centigrade!

The construction on the expansion of the Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre was impressive as the last time the action involved just driving pilings.

We hadn't been to the Waterfront on a weekend to see any of the ships plying the 2007 Alaska cruise season. There was a Holland America on the south side of Canada Place and an Norwegian Cruise Line on the other. Also, out in the port terminal, there was a Celebrity ship.

We walked about a large part of the city. Yaletown is surely growing. In fact things have changed so much since we immigrated here.

I bet that many people who lazed around the beaches today are going home red today.

Cutting Through Downtown

I think I've changed over time. Whereas, I'm sure I would've once rather hiked through a forest, now I prefer a quick walk through town.


This is where Translink's SkyTrain enters the tunnel in
downtown New Westminster. This view is about one block west of
Columbia Station.

On the Right Track

I had luck earlier in the week, making a slideshow of the process of making Sri Lankan string hoppers.

I reckoned I could point to previous set on Flickr to create a new slideshow. This is the Millennium Line of Greater Vancouver's SkyTrain. The shots, from last October, show the scenery between Columbia Station, New Westminster and Burnaby's Lougheed Town Centre. I sat right in the front and snapped these because the system is completely driverless. There are 18 pictures in total.



First, we head out of Columbia and have come to the junction of the Expo
and Millennium lines. The left tracks head over the Fraser River on the
SkyTrain Bridge to Surrey; however, we'll stay right and head
into a tunnel.