Well, it's been a month since I've arrived in Victoria, so let's go back to that first day in my new home city. First impressions, you know... I will be slowly catching up to current events over the next month of blogs( or thereabouts ), as there's a lot to tell and I'd like it to be presented in chronological order, hence:
November 2nd, 2007.
I slept in until 9am, and it felt great - sort of. By sleeping in, I mean I spent the last 2 hours in my new room( it's cozy )trying NOT to hear the buses rumbling by the window every 5 minutes. Joy of joys: the building is on a corner bisecting THREE major roads, along which no less than fifteen different bus routes run. So it's a constant rumble all day, but more noticeable early in the day when you're trying to sleep. So, more incentive to find a new, quieter place, fast.
After breakfast and a leisurely shower( it's a nice bathroom, large tub with glass doors: roomy! )and some more unpacking / reorganizing, I called Telus to reactivate our three phones and get them working in Victoria... or at least I tried. After an hour on the phone with the reps AND Telus Tech Support, I ended up with three new phone numbers and three useless handsets. Seems Telus just upgraded their network here in Victoria as a prelude to the rest of Canada... which meant our four-year-old handsets weren't supported any more. Damn. So much for a two-week battery life on my Sanyo 4500's( I have six total, 3 spares allowing lots of battery exchanging, extra chargers and accessories ).
After all that, it was close to lunchtime, so I went with my parents over to the nearby Bay Center( formerly the Victoria Eaton Center - shades of T.O. anyone? ). We ate at the large restaurant on the fifth floor, with a spectacular view of the harbour to the west. Too bad all the window seats were taken, but we can always come back. The food was good too; I had a turkey dinner special that was top-notch for cafeteria-level kitchen work. The place was crowded, so obviously the food was worth coming back for.
Once that was done, I went for a one o'clock meeting at my new work location just down the road. I met the branch manager and the staff, who were all very friendly right off the bat. I familiarized myself with the branch, which is huge and different in some ways operationally from where I was back in St. Catharines, not the least of which is that the District Manager has her full-time office right there in the branch. So I will be under observation, so to speak, but that's not an issue in my mind. From my first impressions everyone there has a good time at work, so in that it's quite similar to the branch I left back in St. Catharines, where everyone had fun working with everyone else. Nice!
I timed my walk back home, walking slowly, and it only took me a shade over fifteen minutes, which is half the distance that I formerly had to walk( at a brisk pace too ). That's great, and since Victoria's downtown slopes towards the south, it's good exercise too, which I need more of. Overall, it's about six or seven blocks distance. Hopefully I can keep the distance similar at whatever place I find to live more permanently in, as I'd rather not have to make a bus trip twice daily. Though I have to say, from the noise coming in the window this morning, the buses here run both frequently and on time, so missing one bus only means having to take a different route-number a minute or two later; one advantage to living near the downtown core.
About the buses, since we're on the topic: they are large, modern, and as already mentioned, run quite frequently. Though the system of stops are still beyond my grasp right now, I have noticed that there are fewer stops in the core than I might have suspected. Still, it's not a far walk to anywhere in the downtown core, and it seems that the bus system extends WAY beyond the furthest reaches that I am used to in a city; the equivalent in ridership coverage back in Niagara would be to have ONE bus system lining ALL the cities in the Niagara region, for ONE fare, running every fifteen minutes. Amazing! But back to the buses: there are bike racks on the front of most, except the double-decker buses that run the longer north-south routes. All the seats are padded, the engines don't wake the dead( like some newer bus models do )and the riders are all relaxed, quiet and friendly; this even extends to the usually-smiling driver. Wow!
Walking back home, I then drove in our current rental car( a blue Pontiac G6; swish! )to the first Telus store we saw with a parking lot: SoundAdvice over on Quadra St. There, with the help of two cute salesgirls, I picked out a new phone for my parents to use, a Samsung U540 with a large, easy-to-read screen( heh, retirees... )and a low, low cost: $29.99 for the phone for a three-year contract, pretty good overall. I also checked out the other phones available at the time, and fell in love with the soon-to-be-released LG Shine model, in a gold stainless steel finish. I told myself I'd snap it up as soon as it was available, but had to be patient for now.
Off to Sears at the Hillside Mall( one of four major area malls - see this HUGE directory for all you shopaholics... )and Thrifty's, for a parental pull-along cart and groceries to put in it respectively. This gave us a good look at the city in the daylight, unlike last night in the dark on arrival. The streets are clean, the houses well-kept, and the general malaise of strip-mall corner-plaza mania that seems to have gripped Ontario is absent here. Everything is an eclectic mix of new and old, modern and historic, existing easily side-by-side. Here is a fascinating info site on how Victoria's architecture came into being. Old homes set back amid lush gardens are but blocks away from modern shopping, restaurants and civic buildings. Everything has a well-maintained feel to it, without any sort of hodge-podge clutter effect. It's quite gorgeous too, as the city's climate feeds a lot of rain to the shrubbery, which grew rampant in every yard we passed. There are even year-round garden tours! The lay of the land is hilly, with gentle valleys and the occasional hilltop treating the eye to spectacular views of the far-off mountain ranges in the distance. One nice area is Esquimalt, that overlooks the south harbour. The waterfront area is particularly nice, with large open spaces surrounding the B.C. Legislature buildings and the very impressive Empress Hotel, both of which dominate the area.
Back home once more, we relaxed with a nice dinner made from out grocery foray. The kitchen provides a nice ground-level view of the immediate neighbourhood, looking towards Beacon Hill Park across a nearby intersection. I would have already started taking pictures, but our Minolta G530 camera( my review is here! )started going bad a few weeks ago, and we haven't replaced it yet. So a few cell-phone snaps will have to suffice until I can do enough research to make a qualified camera choice locally. Which is a necessity, given the amazing scenery of the place, and the fact that it's about time for a new camera anyway given the relentless march of technology. Joy.
Early to bed tonight, even though it's a friday; I have to adjust to the time difference of three hours, and tomorrow our clocks go back an hour for the new Daylight Savings, so that will help at least. The room is cozy but comfy, and will be even cozier once our shipment arrives and I can cram my 'essential stuff' into it. Dreaming of tomorrows, I zonked out before 10pm, very tired.
PS - anyone can 'comment' on this blog, just use the links below. Tell me if you'd like to hear specifics on anything, requests for pictures, etc... feedback is welcome, by email as well !
November 2nd, 2007.
I slept in until 9am, and it felt great - sort of. By sleeping in, I mean I spent the last 2 hours in my new room( it's cozy )trying NOT to hear the buses rumbling by the window every 5 minutes. Joy of joys: the building is on a corner bisecting THREE major roads, along which no less than fifteen different bus routes run. So it's a constant rumble all day, but more noticeable early in the day when you're trying to sleep. So, more incentive to find a new, quieter place, fast.
After breakfast and a leisurely shower( it's a nice bathroom, large tub with glass doors: roomy! )and some more unpacking / reorganizing, I called Telus to reactivate our three phones and get them working in Victoria... or at least I tried. After an hour on the phone with the reps AND Telus Tech Support, I ended up with three new phone numbers and three useless handsets. Seems Telus just upgraded their network here in Victoria as a prelude to the rest of Canada... which meant our four-year-old handsets weren't supported any more. Damn. So much for a two-week battery life on my Sanyo 4500's( I have six total, 3 spares allowing lots of battery exchanging, extra chargers and accessories ).
After all that, it was close to lunchtime, so I went with my parents over to the nearby Bay Center( formerly the Victoria Eaton Center - shades of T.O. anyone? ). We ate at the large restaurant on the fifth floor, with a spectacular view of the harbour to the west. Too bad all the window seats were taken, but we can always come back. The food was good too; I had a turkey dinner special that was top-notch for cafeteria-level kitchen work. The place was crowded, so obviously the food was worth coming back for.
Once that was done, I went for a one o'clock meeting at my new work location just down the road. I met the branch manager and the staff, who were all very friendly right off the bat. I familiarized myself with the branch, which is huge and different in some ways operationally from where I was back in St. Catharines, not the least of which is that the District Manager has her full-time office right there in the branch. So I will be under observation, so to speak, but that's not an issue in my mind. From my first impressions everyone there has a good time at work, so in that it's quite similar to the branch I left back in St. Catharines, where everyone had fun working with everyone else. Nice!
I timed my walk back home, walking slowly, and it only took me a shade over fifteen minutes, which is half the distance that I formerly had to walk( at a brisk pace too ). That's great, and since Victoria's downtown slopes towards the south, it's good exercise too, which I need more of. Overall, it's about six or seven blocks distance. Hopefully I can keep the distance similar at whatever place I find to live more permanently in, as I'd rather not have to make a bus trip twice daily. Though I have to say, from the noise coming in the window this morning, the buses here run both frequently and on time, so missing one bus only means having to take a different route-number a minute or two later; one advantage to living near the downtown core.
About the buses, since we're on the topic: they are large, modern, and as already mentioned, run quite frequently. Though the system of stops are still beyond my grasp right now, I have noticed that there are fewer stops in the core than I might have suspected. Still, it's not a far walk to anywhere in the downtown core, and it seems that the bus system extends WAY beyond the furthest reaches that I am used to in a city; the equivalent in ridership coverage back in Niagara would be to have ONE bus system lining ALL the cities in the Niagara region, for ONE fare, running every fifteen minutes. Amazing! But back to the buses: there are bike racks on the front of most, except the double-decker buses that run the longer north-south routes. All the seats are padded, the engines don't wake the dead( like some newer bus models do )and the riders are all relaxed, quiet and friendly; this even extends to the usually-smiling driver. Wow!
Walking back home, I then drove in our current rental car( a blue Pontiac G6; swish! )to the first Telus store we saw with a parking lot: SoundAdvice over on Quadra St. There, with the help of two cute salesgirls, I picked out a new phone for my parents to use, a Samsung U540 with a large, easy-to-read screen( heh, retirees... )and a low, low cost: $29.99 for the phone for a three-year contract, pretty good overall. I also checked out the other phones available at the time, and fell in love with the soon-to-be-released LG Shine model, in a gold stainless steel finish. I told myself I'd snap it up as soon as it was available, but had to be patient for now.
Off to Sears at the Hillside Mall( one of four major area malls - see this HUGE directory for all you shopaholics... )and Thrifty's, for a parental pull-along cart and groceries to put in it respectively. This gave us a good look at the city in the daylight, unlike last night in the dark on arrival. The streets are clean, the houses well-kept, and the general malaise of strip-mall corner-plaza mania that seems to have gripped Ontario is absent here. Everything is an eclectic mix of new and old, modern and historic, existing easily side-by-side. Here is a fascinating info site on how Victoria's architecture came into being. Old homes set back amid lush gardens are but blocks away from modern shopping, restaurants and civic buildings. Everything has a well-maintained feel to it, without any sort of hodge-podge clutter effect. It's quite gorgeous too, as the city's climate feeds a lot of rain to the shrubbery, which grew rampant in every yard we passed. There are even year-round garden tours! The lay of the land is hilly, with gentle valleys and the occasional hilltop treating the eye to spectacular views of the far-off mountain ranges in the distance. One nice area is Esquimalt, that overlooks the south harbour. The waterfront area is particularly nice, with large open spaces surrounding the B.C. Legislature buildings and the very impressive Empress Hotel, both of which dominate the area.
Back home once more, we relaxed with a nice dinner made from out grocery foray. The kitchen provides a nice ground-level view of the immediate neighbourhood, looking towards Beacon Hill Park across a nearby intersection. I would have already started taking pictures, but our Minolta G530 camera( my review is here! )started going bad a few weeks ago, and we haven't replaced it yet. So a few cell-phone snaps will have to suffice until I can do enough research to make a qualified camera choice locally. Which is a necessity, given the amazing scenery of the place, and the fact that it's about time for a new camera anyway given the relentless march of technology. Joy.
Early to bed tonight, even though it's a friday; I have to adjust to the time difference of three hours, and tomorrow our clocks go back an hour for the new Daylight Savings, so that will help at least. The room is cozy but comfy, and will be even cozier once our shipment arrives and I can cram my 'essential stuff' into it. Dreaming of tomorrows, I zonked out before 10pm, very tired.
PS - anyone can 'comment' on this blog, just use the links below. Tell me if you'd like to hear specifics on anything, requests for pictures, etc... feedback is welcome, by email as well !
