Good old-fashioned Garden City rant.

To quote the Joker in Tim Burton's Batman, "This town needs an enema!"

Yeah, it's been said before but in trying to do our civic duty tonight -- just getting to the open house that City Hall was hosting on the ridiculously costly infrastructure project to replace the Johnson Street Bridge -- it took us about 4 minutes to get close to City Hall and 20 minutes to find a place to park. Even the nearby parkades were packed because of an event at the McPherson Theatre -- in fact one parkade was the biggest part of the delay as idiots blocked the road for no fewer than 5 traffic light signals trying to enter. We finally got around that mess and found a spot that was barely big enough to pull into but Hubby managed it.

The meeting itself was a mix of boosters, detractors, and people who wandered in off the street to get free coffee. Local media was there as were a few councillors (no sign of Mayor Fortin though. Too bad -- I'd have told him how hard it was to park on a Monday) watching a powerpoint presentation and looking at the same drawings that have been circulated for months -- all of which were drawn up by a UK based architect (what -- Victoria, BC, and even Canada didn't have an architecht available???). Council will vote this Thursday. I'd be tempted to go but they rammed through the funding issue at nearly midnight last time and frankly I don't have much faith in this council to do what its citizens want.

There has been NO consideration of repairs to the existing bridge, only talk of the $63 million (some of which may be a Federal Funding carrot) to build a new bridge (that may still be subject to a toll). We took Kiddo to put in her vote because she will likely still be paying for it when she is our age if she stays in the city.

After the open house, we decided to detour to Serious Coffee -- generally a great place to get a quick coffee. Unfortunately, it seems that their management does not pay staff long enough to allow them to properly clean up so they shut down the espresso machines and stop brewing coffee long before closing time -- tonight nearly 20 minutes before closing. To make matters worse, we had ordered a "child's hot chocolate" -- most places will steam this at a lower temperature or add cold milk to temper it. Instead it was scalding hot and Kiddo was brought to tears burning her tongue. At least when Hubby asked, they brought her some ice water. (She was still crying when she went to bed.)

On the way out there were four people headed in for coffee. Hubby told them, "They've already shut down" and they turned and left. While they might have put up with what the dregs left from the day's brew, we didn't think it was fair that anyone pay for that.

Further up the street, three bewildered tourists were trying to figure out where to eat. They were standing on Broad Street outside the fish and chips place that had closed for the night sometime between 7:30 when we walked past the first time and 7:50 when we returned. We directed them to the Irish Times Pub after explaining that the city kinda rolls up its sidewalks weeknights.

It comes down to this: if you can't find many businesses open and you still can't find a place to park in the city, something's broken and a new bridge is not going to fix it.

Victoria Guide changes

Aside from doing some much needed updates and tweaks to my Unofficial Guide to Victoria, I have also decided to bring in some back-up. Starting this month, expect to see blog posts and reviews from a couple of new contributors.

It was a hard decision for me to make. My guide has been just that, mine, for over a decade and it was really hard for me to hand over a spare key but it was clear I needed help keeping the site fresh and up to date. I'm going to see how it goes for a while and you are welcome (and encouraged!) to watch it grow, too. Fingers crossed...

Google Maps Fail....

I was looking for an intersection in Oak Bay and was zoomed in to Google Maps when I noticed that the map still showed "Sealand of the Pacific" as a landmark:



For those not in the know, Sealand closed in the early 1990s -- long before Google Maps came into existence. Anyone know how to report an error to Google Maps?

Stress relief.

It's been that kind of week, even though it is truncated.

On Tuesday, I made the last-minute decision to apply for another job in the library -- not because I don't like the job I have, but the other position (at much higher payband) has a variety of duties and responsibilities that are a good fit with my skill-set. It was the first time I had to use the new online resume-builder that is built in to uHire (the University's job posting interface) and that proved to be a little bit of a challenge. Now I keep wondering if I proofread everything enough times. No word yet on when interviews will be scheduled.

Tuesday evening, I tried to take my mind off the resume by sorting more stuff for the yard sale this weekend. (If you are in Victoria, drop by! Head for Finlayson and Quadra and follow the signs.) We have a small mountain of boxes but I still feel like it isn't everything that should be going...

Yesterday work was a constant stream of interruptions -- largely Union-related issues -- so I left feeling like I hadn't accomplished much. Still, last night was a treat for us: one of our favourite restaurants, Eugene's recently relocated from downtown to Gordon Head and they quietly opened for business yesterday in the new location.

Then last night I crossed one BIG item off my to-do list. It's been on my list for well over a year and I started working on it earnestly last fall but the Drupal-ized version of my Unofficial Guide to Victoria is now live. It's far from ready for the big leagues; there's lots and lots of work left to do but the basic frame is there and I can stop being embarassed by how out-of-date the old site was. So go ahead, check it out, and let me know what you think. I can tell you that I plan to add more photos, longer reviews, and possibly a blog or similar section where I can add opinion pieces and local history articles but I also want to be more responsive to readers and those who use the site!

Today started out OK but quickly went to hell -- around noon, Kiddo's school phoned; she'd been sent to the office with an "angry looking eye infection" eww. A trip to the clinic and pharmacy preceded an hour long ordeal between the two of us trying to get eyedrops into our child's right eye. Not fun.

This evening we all needed to get out of the house so we checked out the new Lee Valley Tools in Colwood. Just the recipe; I feel much better now.

Local media tailspin.

We learned recently that CHEK 6, a local TV station for around 50 years, is in jeopardy. Thanks to media convergence, so is the Times Colonist -- a newspaper that has survived 150 years of volatile BC politics and public opinion. Today, we heard that our beloved morning show on "A" (f.k.a. A-Channel, f.k.a. The New VI) is being cancelled. Again.*

Poor Kiddo didn't believe me but then Hudson Mack announced it on air. She was brought to tears -- first sad, then angry. So, we asked her if she wanted to make a video about how she felt. She did. Hubby edited her response in with a spot she did last year during A-Channel's open house:



Honestly, I am stunned by all of this. It really looks like we might have a completely upended media landscape before the end of summer. What will remain? If we are lucky, we will still have one local television station. I suspect Monday Magazine can survive, too, and maybe the other Black Press papers but I do think the Times Colonist may fade into the history books. Radio, too is in danger. C-FAX and KOOL-FM are both owned by the same company that laid off 18 staff from the morning show. C-FAX has been a cornerstone of the community for years -- frequently breaking news -- I cannot imagine it suddenly folding. KOOL-FM on the other hand... meh. Q-100 has a large following and JACK-FM is already run by computer, so both of them will probably survive this downturn, too.

So who will take up the slack? Vibrant Victoria? Maybe. Or the Tyee, perhaps (though it's not local). Or will something new evolve? I'm sure I'll adjust either way. In the meantime, there's slim pickings on TV in the morning and it just got slimmer.


*(In 2006 they pulled the plug just as abruptly)

Snow!

Yup. A day later than originally forecast but Victoria got snow late this evening. Pretty good chance it'll stick around until Kiddo gets up in the morning. Of course there is also a pretty good chance she'll be up around dawn.

City in an Economic Bubble

It's weird but even though there are news stories everywhere about businesses failing, massive layoffs, real estate prices plummeting and other assorted doom and gloom, Victoria seems to be okay at the moment. Sure there are plenty of storefronts for lease and a few big names have closed their doors (like mega-housewares store Linens n' Things and local landmark Standard Furniture) but people are still buying stuff; the malls are still packed. [While I'm on the subject, how did I miss the golden child of 80s retail going under earlier this year?]

I know at some point the bubble will pop here too, we are already seeing it with housing prices and sales. Our Realtor told us that about 80 Realtors decided not to renew their licenses for November and housing sales are down about 60% -- not to mention some big projects stopping at the hole-in-the-ground stage. One project at Bear Mountain just laid off 65 construction workers ("Merry Christmas").

Of course, it is also possible that my fellow Victorians have their collective heads in their asses. [shrug]

In the meantime, I won't be buying anyone a gift card this season and although I can't commit to 100% handmade this year, several people will be getting handcrafted gifts from me (assuming I can find the bobbin case for my sewing machine).

Our New (old) Neighbourhood.

For the entire time we have been together, hubby and I have lived inside the boundaries of the City of Victoria, despite having moved several times. Most recently, we lived in VicWest, right on the edge of the border with Esquimalt. Now we live in Hillside-Quadra, near another boundary (we are not far from the Saanich border).

We lived in this area once before -- from 1999-2001 -- right on Quadra Street, about 6 blocks from where we are now (or as one friend said "within mortar shelling range"). At that time, we were "renting to own" but it didn't work out. More annoyingly, the landlords kept our deposit and, even though we won it back through a residential tenancy hearing, they disappeared and never paid up. It's all water under the bridge now. Our time there had plenty of ups and downs but there were good memories and I didn't dislike living in the area.

That said, six blocks makes a HUGE difference. Our street gets a fair number of cars but they all seem to be residents so they aren't going terribly fast. Sirens are still audible but don't race past our front door (touch wood) and buses are nearby without stopping right outside.

There are oodles of cats in the neighbourhood (including a doppelgänger for our own cat -- so close we've actually had to double check our cat was still inside), a few dogs, lots of squirrels and birds -- especially crows. I suspect there are raccoons, too. I haven't seen deer, though they are never too far away in Victoria.

As the settling in continues, we have found the garbage collection and recycling pick-up schedules. It's hard to adjust to a single garbage can after having access to a dumpster for so long, but I set up a compost bin in the back yard and am being a recycling hard-ass in order to make sure we aren't overdoing the waste. (That said, we will have to head to the dump once we clean up after the renos... though Hubby is doing well re-using whatever is possible along the way.)

I think, once we find a sofa, I'll be able to relax -- both literally and figuratively -- but overall, I have to admit I am very happy with our change of address.

A day out

swanlake_crossing
Originally uploaded by triviaqueen

Spent the day out and about. This morning, took Dad and Kiddo out to Sally Ann (found a TON of stuff, much of it half off, so I spent under $20) then lunch (Kelsey's) and grocery shopping.

After returning Dad to his place, Kiddo and I went out to Swan Lake, despite the cloudy skies. As you can see in the photo, the clouds did part somewhat and we mostly avoided rain. I think today may have been the first time I have actually walked across the lake on the floating boardwalk -- generally that thing freaks me out. However, it was interesting to watch the swallows flying low over the algae-covered surface to feed on mosquitoes. Other than the swallows and a few ducks, we saw a hummingbird and a garter snake, but not much else. Still, it was nice to wander around along the trails.

Tonight, I plan to make use of some of the craft supplies I bought at Sally Ann... I feel the need to create something... maybe cards...

How to cripple my city in three easy steps.

1. Bring a glitzy festival to the Inner Harbour -- in this case, the Tall Ships festival, which travels up and down the west coast annually. This had the effect this afternoon of clogging traffic from the Johnson Street Bridge to Fort Street along Wharf Street; we were moving at about 5 km/h and tempers were pretty high because once you make that turn, there's no easy way out.

2. Bomb threat! Well, at least a suspicious package -- found on a BC Transit bus during rush hour. This shut down part of Admirals road -- one of the major routes in and out of the dockyards and naval base plus a popular route to the Western Communities.

3. When all else fails, roadwork. This morning and into the afternoon the Bay Street bridge was reduced to a single alternating lane, blocking traffic a looooong way. I think I may have idled away as much as an eighth of a tank of gas while waiting. Adding to the congestion is that the nearby area is semi-industrial so there were more than the average number of dump-trucks, cement trucks, and 5-ton box trucks merging in and out of traffic.

Comment Contest!

My Unofficial Guide to Victoria has been through several facelifts in the eleven years (!) that it has been online, and it's time for another. This time though, I am thinking more along the lines of liposuction (to remove the bulk) and a whole new wardrobe.

This is where you come in.... I have my own thoughts about what needs to be trimmed and what needs to be highlighted, but I want to know what you think.

Have a look around the site -- start with the site map if you prefer -- and then let me know: What are the strengths and the weaknesses? What's missing? What's your favourite page? Least favourite? What would you change about the layout? The colours? Nothing is off limits, have at it in the comments!

To encourage your comments, I am holding a contest! I will do a random draw for a prize -- to enter, leave a constructive comment about Cheryl's Unofficial Guide to Victoria by 11:59 p.m. (Pacific Time) Sunday June 15th. The winner will get a 5x7 print of a Victoria landmark(winner's choice from my photos) suitable for framing.

Comments may be left on this post, or on my Flickr account, on the logo photo, linked below:

How much? For this? Really?

After a quiet morning, we went out looking for open houses to peruse this afternoon. We saw a little bit of everything -- ranging from a low of $409,900 for a ridiculously tiny (786 sq.ft.) 1949 rancher to a high of $1,450,000 (3400 sq.ft.) 1956 home on a third of an acre in Oak Bay.

In fact, when we walked into that house, the first words out of the realtor's mouth were not "hello" or "thanks for stopping in" but instead, "The asking price on this home is one point four five million; if you have any questions, I'll do my best to answer them." The place was clearly professionally staged -- right down to freaking croquet on the back lawn -- but even without the staging, the place felt insincere. I had a good laugh that (a) for all that cash, parts of the basement were still unfinished, (b) the only bookshelf I saw was filled almost entirely with home decorating magazines, and (c) the back yard was pretty much un-landscaped and empty.

Just up the street was a slightly larger home, (4644 sq.ft.) selling for $1,395,000. Thing is, it had been renovated maybe 20 years ago, but it had a much better use of space (despite some headache-inducing wallpaper in the front room), trees in the yard, and it actually looked like a home someone lived in. Oh, and the realtor(s) didn't try to freak us out with the pricetag.

We also looked at one that was waaay up a steep drive and built into the rock (no yard for Kiddo) that was selling for $849,00 (reduced from $929,000) -- you could actually see some of the buildings on campus from the deck.

In amongst the craziness were two that almost appealed to us and one that really appealed to us:

** almost #1: nice little house on too busy a corner $445,900 (reduced from $459,000).
** almost #2: small house with an "unfinished studio" in the back yard, $439,000
** really: (kitty-corner to almost#2), large-ish 1914 house with a separate garage and unfinished basement $479,900 (reduced from $495,000)

Of course, even the appealing ones are more than we would like to mortgage... but the really encouraging thing is that several of the ones we saw today had been reduced. Ahhhh.

So long to the Vic Theatre....

Without much warning, the Vic Theatre closed its doors for good after last night's show. Up until then, the Vic had been running films that often wouldn't show up elsewhere on a first-run basis -- largely art-house and foreign films. Before it was re-born as the Vic, it was the Towne Theatre which was notorious in the 70s for showing "adult" films. It even had seats that reclined... and I suspect staff had to clean more than popcorn and candy off the floor.

Of course there is still Cinecenta, the little theatre in the Student Union building, where you can sometimes catch a foreign film or small-budget art-house shows. Unfortunately they often show for one-night-only, which doesn't work well in today's on-demand world. I actually thought you had to be a "member" to get into Cinecenta, but their website says otherwise.... so I guess the Vic wasn't quite the last public single-screen theatre in Victoria.

Some of you may also be crying, "What about the Roxy, eh?" but they only run second-run features. Since changing owners a few months back, The Roxy has been slowly renovating, starting by calling themselves "Roxy Classic Theatre" instead of the "Roxy Cinegog" but they are still charging only $5 for two movies. Happily, they are also running kids' films and other matinées on the weekends for $2.50 now.

Really, though, Victoria does OK for diversity. Empire Theatres Capitol 6 screens downtown regularly show Indian (Hindi) cinema and the University 4 usually has one art-house type flick on the go. Even the grumpy old Odeon (Cineplex) has been known to bring in smaller films and now Silver City is featuring Opera along side WWE and Hockey events on the big screen.

Even so, I hope someone can come up with a viable business plan for the Vic; it would be a shame to lose the space all together. Maybe if I win that million-dollar lottery....

More History: Uplands Estates

This month's Grid includes part of the Uplands Estates**, a housing development in Oak Bay which was designed to be "exclusive" in the early years of the 20th Century. In 1912, an ad in the local paper advertised lots for sale in the uplands ranging from $3,000 to $55,000 (source). In today's currency, that translates to a range of about $57,000 to $1.1 million (although that in no way reflects today's property values in the region).

The area, marked by large pillars at each "entrance" is full of grand homes on large lots. Some are worth multiple millions, others just sell for that much.

UVic urban geographer, Dr. Larry McCann has focused much of his research on Oak Bay, and on the Uplands in particular. Among his projects is a database of 7,000 homes in Oak Bay -- when they were built, how much they cost at the time, and so on. The database is now accessible through the Oak Bay Community Archives.

The area used to be farmland, but now both livestock and agriculture* are prohibited by Oak Bay bylaws -- primarily because farmland is taxed at a much lower rate. Because Oak Bay has some of the most restrictive bylaws in the Greater Victoria area, there is a tendency for people to exaggerate. Recently, Oak Bay has been debunking the restriction on laundry lines (thanks to media publicity on green alternatives for clothing care). When I was younger, my Father convinced me that the municipality even moderated the acceptable height for lawns. Of course, he was running a landscaping and maintenance company at the time....

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** Looks like I have some Wikipedia editing to do....

* Oak Bay Bylaw 3545, Jan 26/87 prohibits: "The keeping on any lot of any cow, ass, horse, goat, sheep, swine or poultry" and Oak Bay Bylaw 4132, Nov 13/01 prohibits: "the cultivation, production or harvesting of fruit, vegetables, grains, oilseed, trees, shrubs, flowers, plants, seedlings, herbs, seeds, turf, forage or fodder, for sale or exchange for money or other valuable consideration.”

A little history for you all....

OK... so I was feeling blue because I haven't been taking four or five hundred photos a week... (yes, I really do take that many)... so I thought it might be a good time to dig through my archived photos and upload some from pre-2005 (when I first signed up with Flickr).

I found some fun stuff...

***

In my digital excavation, I also came across a set of scans I did of some historical maps of Victoria, including an 1890 guide to land plots in the city and a streetcar guide, ca.1912.

However, when I scanned them, I didn't write down enough information about who made them or what year they were... so I tried to dig out the info on the web.... which led me to the fantastic map gallery at viHistory (a UVic site which I don't think I knew about). For the bonus feature, most of the maps are available for download in full.

After posting the streetcar map, I had a lot of questions about the Exhibition grounds and "driving track" in Oak Bay... which led me to this lovely, rambling History of Oak Bay paper (pdf) by G. Murdoch, which is chock full of useful and interesting information. Since this month's Grid is in Oak Bay, it should prove helpful! (Incidentally, the Exhibition grounds were created in 1887.)

***

Finally, I also found some of my Procrastoman cartoons (which I mentioned a couple of days ago):

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Things that go BUMP in the night.

You know, I like the dark, the macabre, the just-plain-weird... but there was something very unsettling about being Downtown in the darker corners last night taking photos. Even though hubby was nearby, I felt uncomfortable.

Partly, this goes back to my previous rant about what's wrong with Victoria (and no, I haven't sent those letters yet) but I wonder if I'm just, you know, old enough to no longer feel invincible. Actually, I think I am way past the invincible stage, but there's some sort of psychological line to be crossed where one realizes they are not only mortal, but that death is sneaky and unpredictable. Having lost two friends in the past year -- both of them younger than me, and both to completely unexpected causes -- I think I have crossed that line.

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OK, now some less morbid stuff from here and there:

I love this t-shirt for the National Sarcasm Society "Like we need your support." Which reminds me of one of my favourite Simpsons' moments: the Mensa episode where Comic Book Guy criticizes Professor Frink's sarcasm detector, "Oh that's a useful invention," subsequently causing the detector to explode.

This skeleton, which could be considered morbid if it weren't so cute, is carved entirely from pumpkins. Bet it smells pretty nasty after a day or two....

Need something to listen to? There are almost 500 podcasts on almost as many topics at NPR -- I love that they provide multiple formats (including plain old mp3) for listening options. Of course the CBC also offers a bucketload of podcasts for every taste.

No Coho? Are you people STUPID?

So... the task force struck to suggest changes to the Belleville Terminal -- the place the MV Coho (above) and the Clipper catamarans dock -- reported to City Council yesterday. Currently, the terminal is dull and outdated -- I am not arguing that point -- but I cannot understand why this group has decided that the terminal should be "pedestrian friendly," or rather why they have rolled up the red carpet and told Blackball ferries that their car-ferry is no longer welcome after nearly 50 years of berthing in the Inner Harbour.

Apparently, Blackball executives were blindsided by this suggestion, as was I -- I found myself yelling, "Are you KIDDING???!" at my radio when I heard the news. Of course, on reflection, I think Esquimalt council should be tripping over themselves trying to find a spot for Blackball along their waterfront.

But really what irks me the most, is that it is yet another Public-Private-Partnership being floated (Hello? Mayor Lowe? Is that arena thing still not fresh in your mind?) and while we are the capital city of BC, there has been no mention of provincial or federal funding. Why not? The province stepped up to spray cash (over $800 million) at the expansion of Vancouver's Conference Centre, so why isn't anyone signing a cheque for Victoria? My bet is no one asked.

And while it's all well and good to upgrade the terminal, do we really need another "landmark hotel" in the Inner Harbour? Do we need a waterfront that looks like every other waterfront in North America? Personally, I like our outdated and quirky waterfront. It's not that I'm not open to change (change can be good), but this is not the right plan.

Please, Mayor Lowe, send your task force back to the meeting room for another go.

Victoria's two sides

Victoria's_two_sides
Originally uploaded by triviaqueen

Despite all the pretty waterfront, expensive real estate and four star hotels, Victoria is hiding a dirty little secret.... and it's not very good at hiding it either.

Last night, after a long walk along the West Bay Walkway, we arrived at the big rocky outcrop just steps from million-dollar condos and the Delta Ocean Point Hotel. This mess was on the other side of a little wall -- needle cases, syringes, broken glass and empty beer cases. Nearby there were also half-eaten dry instant noodle soup bowls, cigarette packages, newspaper and other garbage.

I was with my daughter and I had to tell her to watch where she was stepping because of the paraphernalia and refuse. While she stood still, I took three quick photos and we left. My immediate worry was her safety, but looking at it now, I worry that with one good wave, that crap is in our ocean.

Victoria has a drug problem, a growing homeless population and a housing crisis. Our downtown core is suffering for all of this. I don't believe the needle exchange has helped, and I don't believe that a safe injection site is the answer either. I think that we need to deal with the fact that our vacancy rate is almost zero; that our rents are on average far more than the average single income can afford; that there are not nearly enough services for the mentally ill; and that people -- especially families -- are growing more and more nervous about shopping or spending time downtown.

It's time that Victorians start pressuring the people who control the purse strings -- provincial and federal politicians need to get their heads out of their collective asses and deal with this array of social problems. We need to call for more treatment centres, more beds, more facilities -- whatever it takes to help people in need. We need to demand affordable rental housing, not rely on trickle-down economics of condo ownership; and we need to take back the downtown core.

I'm tired of feeling uncomfortable in my own city. I'm going to draft a letter to my MPs and MLAs; I'll post a copy when I've sent it.

Grid Article....

I almost forgot! The Victoria Grid Project was featured on page B3 of yesterday's paper. The article, Seeing the city with new eyes, is also online. I wasn't quoted, but hubby was, and neither of us showed up in the accompanying photographs. I do love the opening line:

"Far from Victoria's most photographed landmarks, seven shutterbugs scattered like insects living under a lifted rock."

It's good press and now that the project is 6 months old, I think the timing was good; we've found our footing for the most part and can easily explain to others what it's all about. I'm very proud to have been in on it from the beginning.

Avast, all Ye Bucaneers!

It's Esquimalt's annual Bucaneer Days this weekend, with pirates a-plenty plundering the municipality. Tomorrow morning we'll be treated to "Wakey Wakey" as a firetruck and town crier cruise through the streets calling everyone to the pancake breakfast (five bucks! What a bargain!). The parade will start at 10:30 winding from Dominion Street along Esquimalt Road, just past the Plaza. Kiddo will be in the parade for the first time, with her schoolmates.

Esquimalt float from 2005 parade

Unfortunately, the fate of the event is in the air for next year. Esquimalt council has said that the Archie Browning Centre, which is at the heart of the celebrations, will be closed later this year, as the upkeep is becoming too expensive. This saddens me, though in theory it will be replaced with an extension of the Town Square that they began with the new City Hall and Library a few years ago.