Survival Guide to Transit in Vancouver – 4 Kamikaze Tips

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j0443328 Lets face it .. we’re all going to be cranky if we have to wait two hours to board a Canada Line train or stand at a bus stop as we watch the full buses pass us by. A little preparation may help you to avoid the bottlenecks or at least cut the time you spend waiting. Don’t rely on their being Transit personnel providing information.

Kamikaze strategy is going to be required for you to cope with the transit gridlock.

  • 1st Kamikaze tip

Install the Translink iPhone app. This handy utility displays what transit options are available from your location as well as the schedules at your stop.

  • 2nd Kamikaze tip

Do your research before you leave. Use Google Maps to discover all the transit options available. The Canada Line may be lightning fast, but not if you’re delayed boarding. Check the bus schedules and routes. Have at least two alternative routes. Print out the map if you’re unfamiliar with the area you’ll be travelling to.

  • 3rd Kamikaze tip

Get away from the congested area. I learned this lesson in Italy. The guide book mentioned there may be “rotating strikes” in the Italian train service. We were stranded for half a day in a crowded hot station when a train finally arrived. It wasn’t going anywhere near our destination, but we used our rail pass to get Pisa, where we were able to get a train to our destination. It was the scenic route, but we arrived only an hour later than we’d planned. If the Canada Line stop is packed, consider taking the train one or two stops in the opposite direction to a less crowded stop. City bus stops are often two or three blocks apart, walk to one or two stops up the line. Consider taking a less travelled route to your destination.

  • 4th Kamikaze tip

Arrive early, take in the sites, have a leisurely lunch near your destination and then walk. Leave later, chill and let the crowds thin.

Breathe .. it is what it is ..

Bonnie Sainsbury a Social Media Strategist and Principal in Duet Media. She uses transit and car sharing to get around town.

Survival Guide to Transit – Vancouver 2010

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bus_maps During February and March 2010, Translink has re-routed bus service in downtown Vancouver. Here’s the site to watch for changes. The routing changes accommodate the security zones and road closures.

Breathe deeply, there will be tourists, officials, locals who never take transit, locals who are used to regular bus routes and commuters. Translink is projecting up to 2 hour waits for some routes.

Once on the bus or train, it make take two to three times as long as anticipated to get to your destination. As a transit veteran, using transit in Vancouver is an exercise in patience.

Here’s an opportunity to multi-task. I load my iPod with books, newspapers and podcasts. I find my free podcasts on iTunes; my books and magazines are purchased from Audible. iTunes also has magazines and books. I prefer Audible’s selection and prices.

For .mp3 brands other than Apple, refer to your owner manual. Before I purchased another .mp3 player, I’d check the compatibility chart at the Audible site.

If you’re travelling with children, be sure to have a snack, water and something to keep them amused.

Put identification on everything .. Translink has an efficient Lost and Found. I was able to retrieve an older .mp3 player within 2 days. Canadians are mostly honest.

And don’t forget to breathe.

Bonnie Sainsbury a Social Media Strategist and Principal in Duet Media. She doesn’t own a private automobile, she used transit and car-coops to get around the city.

Train YOUR Perspective

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These days, with all the changes in street traffic and lane allocations for our upcoming Olympic guests, I have been enjoying the variety of people-watching opportunities on the Canada Line.

Sunday, on a train headed south to Richmond, I was in the front car.  The very front seats (with a great big window) were occupied by a family of four: two engaging young children and their parents.

The little boy was very observant, sharing his impressions of what he saw, first in the tunnel and then out in the clear as we bridged the river and had a view.

As the train ran south along Number 3 Road, his father added the observation that – having driven this route many times- it was odd to see it from this higher level,  from which many of his landmarks did not appear, or were not visible in their usual way. His perspective had shifted and with it, his sense of where he was, too.

Isn’t it interesting how often in life we change our positions, usually without realizing how that has changed our view?

How have you trained your perspective?  How has it trained you to respond?  What does it take for each of us to really change our view?  Have you trained your perspective, or has it just trained you?

New Year’s Decluttering – Done!

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j0409028 Welcome back and Happy New Year 2010!

In my New Year’s Eve blog I promised to keep you posted on my de-cluttering efforts over the holidays. So here it goes: I tackled my desk and the clutter consisting of business cards, file folders and notes that I had told you about. I took the file folders and put them in the appropriate places in my filing cabinet, which wasn’t very difficult. Lo and behold, there was actually some desk surface peeking through and encouraging me to keep going.

Now on to the business cards. As an interim solution – until I find a better way of storing them – I took a cardboard box, divided it up into four segments (one for each of my networking groups and one for ‘Other Contacts’) and put all my business cards into the appropriate slots. Oooh-kay! This now started to feel really good – I was motivated to do more! I felt in control again and got into that mode of operation, which, once you start it, becomes self-propelling. It felt great and I kept going.

Next were the notes and sheets of paper. I went through them one by one, threw out what was no longer needed and filed the rest. Done! I… Was… Done! My desk was cleared up; I had created space and room to breathe. That felt so awesome!

How long did it take me to do that? Less than two hours! Unbelievable, less than two hours to rid myself of a mess that had affected my mood and my efficiency for at least two months!

So, what did I learn from this exercise? It’s actually not that difficult to regain order and control if I set my mind to it. It all starts with my attitude, my mindset. It’s ME and nobody or nothing else that is in control of my mind, the conclusions I draw and the actions I take. No excuses, I’m responsible and I have the power to create my experience. Wow, that was a good realisation!

Now, what’s next? What will I do to keep things as tidy as they are now? Come back – I’ll tell you!

In the meantime, though, I’d be curious to hear from you: How do you keep your life uncluttered? What are your de-clutter strategies? How do you feel with a clean desk?

Monika is Owner at Clear Directions – Consulting & Life Coaching and is located in Vancouver, BC.

Survival Guide to Transportation – Vancouver winter of 2010

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j0443328 A car is your worst choice the closer you get to an Olympic event, or the Vancouver downtown core. Find out road closures from the Venue Are Road Closures site from the City of Vancouver. Most closures start on the 15th of January 2010.

Bicycling in Vancouver in the winter wouldn’t be my choice of transportation, but for those hearty souls, Getting Around Vancouver by bicycle.

Public transit is going to be the method of transportation during the first three months of 2010.  Translink operates the public transit, which includes 3 skytrain routes, buses, a ferry between North Vancouver and Vancouver. The Westcoast Express train service connects the outer suburbs with downtown Vancouver. Two private ferry companies (False Creek Ferries and Aquabus)  service the area from Kits point up to the Olympic Village.

An article in the Vancouver Sun suggests waits of 2 hours could be possible at popular skytrain stations.

Check Survival Guide to Transit in Vancouver for tips to access transit information before you leave.

Bonnie Sainsbury a Social Media Strategist and Principal in Duet Media. She doesn’t own a private automobile, she used transit and car-coops to get around the city.

Does your New Year have a name?

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Several years ago I made a decision to ‘ignore’ the whole idea of New Year’s Resolutions. Like many of my friends, I had made them before….with varied and suspect results….and decided to bypass the disappointment (in myself) by simply eliminating the exercise.

However, as each new year approached, I was reminded that there needed to be a focus or a direction to my life, and that ‘just same old…’ was not enough.

Last year, 2009, I had a concept – and it worked: I gave my year a name. I called it My MBA YEAR. No, I did not go back to school in the conventional sense, though time, effort and money were involved. What I did was invest in learning some very specific skills that would make me a more valuable asset to everyone with whom I ever work. MBA for me stood for “My Business, Accelerated”. I travelled, I studied, I brought back absolutely current approaches and wove them into what I already knew….and the more I learned, the more my business did accelerate! Yahoo. Do I stop now? No, of course not, but I have achieved a new level of traction in my business life that I want to apply in other areas.

So this year, 2010, has a name, too. It’s my Y2ES year (reallly, YES with a little 2 above the Y). This year I am going to be actively looking for ways to say Yes 2 Expanding my Space. Now, that doesn’t mean I am looking for real estate, though that could happen too. What it means to me is that I am going to enhance my experience of life in terms of available opportuniities; that could mean new places and spaces, new people, new activities, new ?. It’s not about throwing out everything I already enjoy in my life – and everything about taking it all up a notch (or two!).

I will keep you posted. In the meantime, you might want to think of a name for your new year too. Let me know, when you do. As to next year, I already have an inkling about a name or two. Stay tuned. Happy New Year to you.

Survival Guide to Transit in Vancouver

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j0443328 Vancouver is not a particularly transit friendly city. We have a car culture. All that is going to change in February and March 2010, when 45,000 athletes, officials, media and volunteers travel to and from Olympic venues. Vehicular restrictions make using transit a necessity. Add those to regular commuters, new commuters, spectators getting to and from Olympic events and regular folk just trying to get around in their regular lives.

You’ll need to be prepared; know which buses/trains to take and where to transfer. Your computer and your iPod/iPhone will be your best tools. Translink does have a pocket map showing routes in the area. My head hurts when I try to read it and I’m familiar with the city and transit routes!

I use my computer to help me get around using transit. The most powerful tool is Google Maps. Yes, Google Maps provides transit information for most cities. I prefer this service to the Translink web page and it’s a common display for almost any city your in.

On the Google Maps home page, click on the Get Directions link (top left of your screen). a and b where are you starting from and where are you going. You need to use the city name in the address.

screen_one

You can key in an exact address, the nearest intersection, the business name or the venue name. You’ll be given a list of destinations. Click on the one you want.

screentwo

The next screen shows you the next three transit combinations that will get you to your destination. At this time, there’s no transit service to the oval, but closer to February, service will be established. The approximate travel time is also displayed.

Suppose you have to be at your destination for a certain time. Click on Show Options just under the start and destination fields. You’ll see that you can specify the departure or arrival time and date of your trip. Click on Get Directions and the display will reflect that date and time. The times are quite reliable, though I would err on the conservative side during peak hours.

You can magnify the map, to show you cross streets on your trip.

To display the return trip, click on the double arrow symbol to the right of the start and destination fields. You can change the arrival and departure times for the return trip.

You can print the directions, with or without the map.

Next time, we’ll talk about the iPod/iPhone applications for transit in Vancouver.

Bonnie Sainsbury is a Social Media Strategist and Principal in Duet Media. She doesn’t own a private automobile, she used transit and car-coops to get around the city.

New Year’s De-Cluttering

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Clutter Is it that time of year again? Time to let go of the old ‘stuff’ and make room for the new? It’s not just about New Year’s resolutions and intentions, for me it’s also about tidying up my physical space and creating some more order and room to breathe and live and work better. I’m all ready for it and will spend some dedicated time over the New Year’s holidays de-cluttering my home office and my private space.

De-clutter? What does that actually mean? What is clutter anyway? The Canadian Oxford Dictionary defines clutter as ‘crowded and untidy collection of things’, and for these language experts cluttered means ‘crowded so as to cause confusion, esp. with many small objects’.

Hmmm! Many small objects? Confusion? Yes, I can relate to both! Do you know the feeling when you can’t find something that you know you put on your desk, but now there are a gazillion of new business cards, file folders, bills and notes on top of it? And once you’ve dug it out and used it you put it back on the desk, only to cover up something else that you might need next? Grrrrr, I’m really tired of it! Tired of not finding things I need, and tired of feeling so ‘stuffed up’ with all these little things that they really weigh me down. They are in my way, mentally and physically, of getting done what I want to accomplish. I need more space! And I will create just that!

So, here’s my plan: I’m going to de-clutter my home office tomorrow morning and I’ll spend a good couple of hours on that. Would you like to know how that works out and what else I do to get and keep my space in a tidier state? Well, then come back in the New Year and I’ll tell you all about it! Happy New Year from Vancouver to the world and here’s to a clutter-free 2010 – on every level!

Monika is Owner at Clear Directions – Consulting & Life Coaching and is located in Vancouver, BC.

Thoughts on a train

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…well, actually, that should read “thoughts on a Canada Line train”, because that’s what I was riding yesterday.  I live in Vancouver, Canada, where we will soon host the world for next year’s Winter Games.  In preparation for that event, one of the new and exciting advantages our Greater Metropolitan Area now boasts is a world-class addition to our Skytrain system (our legacy from hosting Expo 86), running from our downtown harbour core to the Vancouver International Airport (YVR).  That has been named the ‘Canada Line’ (sorry – I don’t know either….).

Now, for those of you who live outside our city, you should know that most of this transit rail line runs underground, so ‘taking the train’ is also a bit like spending some time in a time capsule.  It is its own little microcosm, a sort of ‘thin slice’ of our city and the people in it, and every ride has a flavour all its own.

Yesterday, I rode and sat and listened to my fellow riders.  It was dinner time, my car filled with people going home from work or however they spent their day.  Some travelled alone in thought, some nodded silent greetings to others, many were occupied in some sort of electronic exchange – iPods, cell phones – and a few were engaged in actual conversations.  What struck me most was that it was not until I had exited my train that I heard a single word in my own language.

A young couple with their baby in a stroller were talking to the baby, each other, and – in passing – to me.  I love that about this city: every day I can be exposed to so many different cultures and cuisines, languages and histories.  It made me wonder about other people’s experiences travelling today.

Did you take a bus in Surrey, ride the SeaBus to North Van, cycle in White Rock, park your car in Langley, walk around Deep Cove, take a ferry from Horseshoe Bay, rollerblade around Stanley Park?  What did YOU see and hear?

Where else did YOU go?  Did you take the subway in New York, ride the Marta in Altanta or take the train from the airport into downtown Athens, Greece?  Maybe you walked in Picadilly Circus or took a stroll in Beijing.  I hope you had a pleasant time and shared a smile along the way.  Please take a moment to share YOUR experience with me; write a comment and give us a ‘thin slice’ of your world today.

Vancouver rentals a la 2010

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We live in a cosmopolitan city – a place marketed around the world in ordinary times and furiously exposed in the run-up to the large-scale international athletic competition headed our way in 2010.  All this attention brings excitement, people, and the promise of cash.  It also creates scarcity of things like affordable accommodation.  Here are three stories about rent and space that I heard today:

1. some friends of mine live in a very upscale highrise condo – fabulous views and a great downtown location.  They were recently approached by phone (someone with a heavy Eastern European accent, calling himself Yuri) with an extravagant offer – we’re talking 5 figures a week here – for 12 weeks occupancy.  They (respectfully) declined, thinking Yuri and his friends might do more party damage than the generous offer was worth…….turns out Yuri was a busy boy, calling all their neighbours, too.  I said it was a desirable location, didn’t I?

2.  SFU lost a very desirable tennat for their Morris Wosk Centre for Diaglogue, when the Brits pulled out of their UK House plan.  It seems that one of the businesses involved had to beg off for financial reasons.  The Centre was lucky: they were able to find another tennant, though their staff had to pull out the stops to get things in place.

3. overheard at The Buzz, 901 Homer Street, today.  One North Shore family is taking a February holiday someplace warm and all-inclusive…thanks to an offer from some friends-of-a-friend.  This offer was legit, for $1000 per day for their home for 14 days.  One family comes in to enjoy the Vancouver Games experience, and the other family enjoys a fabulous vacation away from the madding crowd.  That’s what I call win-win-win!  Neat.