Thursday 4 December 2008

Waterfront Station


The CP station is smack downtown whereas the CN station is just off Main St. on the edge of downtown. 

As I've mentioned in other posts the train doesn't stop here any more. But this is the terminus for the Expo Line, the West Coast Express and the SeaBus. High fliers can also access the Helijet Port from here. Helijet takes politicians, and normal people who can afford it, from Vancouver to Victoria (B.C.'s capitol) and back. There are occasional deals but a regular fare for the half hour trip is $250.00. One reason I can't afford Helijet is that I have to pay taxes so politicians can take Helijet and won't have to ride the ferry with people like me. 

Contrast Helijet with a B.C. Ferries trip to Victoria. The ferry ride costs about $10.00 as a walk on passenger. Of course you have to get to and from the ferry terminals which are miles out of town on both sides. But it's doable and very economical on public transit. The ferry ride takes about 90 minutes and offers incredible scenery (weather and daylight permitting). Here's the best part, seniors can ride for free as walk-ons Monday to Thursday. I won't be a senior for several years, but once I am I'm going to clean up. 


CP, Canadian Pacific
CN, Canadian National

Architects: Edward and William Maxwell
Completed: 1914

Tomorrow evening I'm off on a train trip to Toronto just for something to do. 

13 comments :

Laurie Allee said...

I love the way you write and think, Wayne. This building is so photogenic. It really needs a train there.

Guy D said...

What a stunning building, great architecture. Thanks for the awesome pics.

Cheers!
Regina In Pictures

Virginia said...

Well I am a senior so I might just have to come up there and clean up! You behave yourself in Toronto now you hear???

Ron Bloomquist said...

Walking you can sense everything.

Riding a helicopter you can ignore it all!!

Aren't we lucky we can't afford to fly!

Mo said...

I love train travel. So much easier than flying.

Benjamin Madison said...

Lots of good train memories for me - I worked on the CNR run from Vancouver to Winnipeg for a few years and then did the Vancouver to Jasper run as dome car steward for a few years. I think going to sleep on a berth in a train is one of life's great pleasures. The comfort and the clickety-clack and the cracking open the blind at dawn to see a new landscape whizzing past. One sunrise I remember lifting the window blind near Battle Creek and seeing a flock of antelope bounding over the misty hills. Bon Voyage!

Benjamin Madison said...

Battle Creek is where the corn flakes come from. The CNR used to travel near Battle River in Alberta....

Bob Crowe said...

Nice architecture and nice deal for seniors. I've taken the boat from somewhere down around the airport to Nanaimo. Is there one directly to Victoria?

Train from Van to Toronto just for something to do? Smacks of major need for stimulation. Any chance of getting stuck in snow win the mountains?

Wayne said...

LA, ty, That's way too much flattery from someone who writes like you.

Ron, walking is my speed too. That's why I like the VIA train, it seldom gets above walking speed.

V. I'm not sure but that deal may be for BC seniors. I wouldn't want you to come all this way and get all peeved with us.

Mo, that's one reason I like it too. If I could figure out how to go from A to B without ever flying again I'd be quite happy.

Benjamin, Battle Creek, Michigan, home of Kellogg's as I recall from watching too much TV as a youth. I sleep like a baby on the train but I usually sleep well wherever I am. On my trips it was usually the dome car steward who baked the muffins in the morning and announced to the passengers how many hours late the train was.

Bob, You're probably right about the lack of stimulation. Sparring with Virginia is about as exciting as life gets for me. It sounds like you went from Tsawassen to Duke point which is just outside Nanaimo. There is a ferry from Tsawassen to Schwartz Bay (outside Victoria) every hour or two depending on the time of year. Benjamin probably knows the schedule better than I. He's trapped over there.

Thanks one and all.

Hilda said...

I love the particular shade of its brick. And that's wonderful about free trips for senior citizens. All ours get are discounts, and that's before taxes are charged so the discount ends up being tiny.

Have a great trip!

Don't forget to register for the January theme day! And the February 2009 theme poll is up! Please vote if you haven't already :)

Tash said...

The building is so well preserved. I like the way you caught the modern buildings down the street too.

Lois said...

What a beautiful old building! It seems to be very well taken care of.

Benjamin Madison said...

Hey Gang, Wayne's away now so we can talk about him, heh heh.

Just to clarify about the senior's free ferry travel: Virginia, you have to be a BC senior because the proof they ask for is that you show your Gold Care Card, which is not issued until you reach your 65th birthday. Every resident of the province has health care insurance and the "care card" is the ID for that program.