This is Nanaimo. This is Your Downtown

There was an interesting time period in Nanaimo. The city wanted a new conference centre and so destroyed a block or two of shops.  The area with all the debris and rubble was fenced off and they put up a sign that read, “This is Nanaimo. This is Your Downtown.” It was supposed to exciting for the residents due to the new development, no doubt, but seeing that sign in front of the rubble was absolutely a sobering experience even for me, a former resident, who’d already long moved by then.  It does look pretty nice now, however.

The Three Times I Sprained My Ankle

I’ve never broken my ankle but I sprained it three times.  The first time was heading down the outside stairs (or which there are many) at what was then Malaspina College (now University of Vancouver Island) in Nanaimo.  If memory serves the food got wrapped up a fair bit but was mostly fine.

The second time was definitely the worse. At the University of Victoria I jumped down a 3-step staircase and my foot pivoted.  I had to wear a half-cast and used crutches that kept falling apart including once while crossing the street (a Good Samaritan wired the one crutch then). I sat in the area of the bus for the elderly and physically disabled but people kept bumping into my cast.

The third time was pretty minor. If memory serves I sprained it at yet another outdoor staircase across from View Towers in Victoria.  I was a little late for work (at the time I was a dishwasher for a restaurant).  Curiously one co-worker thought that a sprain wasn’t a big deal at all and though it was a given that people would do physical labour with a sprained ankle.

My Most Profitable Venture

While in Nanaimo one of the comic shops (Island Fantasy, later Upstart Comics, now defunct)  was getting rid of its old comics for some ridiculously low price. Ten cents each I think.  That made me think of an idea.  I called around a couple book stores.  They would buy old comics for a percentage of the cover price. I’m thinking ten percent but it could have been 25.  This was in 1991-1992 so a very long time ago. Regardless I realized I could make a decent profit but buying those comics whose original cover price was the highest (there were no ten cent stickers so the book stores had no way of knowing how much I paid for them) and then selling them to the book stores and getting more for them there than I had originally paid. There were enough of these cheap comics around that I was able to make a bit of a profit. Not enough to make me rich, but I did buy one of those thick Roger Ebert movie guides with my profit and still had money left over.  I think I might have more qualms about doing this now but it was a fun at the time to realize I had unearthed an easy way to make a profit.

Nanaimo’s Main Shopping Centres Then and Now

Looking at the shopping centres in Nanaimo in 1991 vs. 2011, roughly from south to north (except for University Village, all accessed via the highway).

Harbour Park: Now Port Place.  Previously has a bit of structural changes.  Currently a lot smaller has half has been demolished.  May provide bigger once the construction has beenm completed.

Harewood Plaza: Now University Village. Completely overhauled.  Only a small part of the original structure still present

Terminal Park: some stores of come and gone but mostly unchanged.

Northbrook Mall: Now Brooks Landing.  A good portion has been renovated/changed; less inside access now.

County Club Centre: Some changes around where the Future Shop is now but largely inact.

Rutherford Mall: Now Nanaimo North Town Centre. A few bits of expansion/changes here and then but largely the same.

Woodgrove Centre: Greatly expanded, though a lot of the old structure also present.

November Nanaimo Trip Plan vs Reality: The Reality

Yesterday I outlined my plans for today. Today I'll demonstrate how you can still see my basic framework, but with a lot of changes.

I arrived at the Victoria bus depot just after 7, but the bus didn't load until 7:30, so I grabbed a sandwich from a nearby 7-11 in the meantime.  The driver was agreeable to letting my off at Port Place. On the way over but not the way back there was a stopover in Duncan. I noticed that the late evening bus is only available Friday and Sunday now.

The bus was a little late getting into Nanaimo.  At London Drugs - Port Place getting a day buspass proved to be a slight misadventure: I went to a regular line and was redirected to customer service where the lady tried to sell me a monthly pass..  She said she thought I asked for a buspass. I pointed out that a day buspass was a type of buspass.

More than half the mall was demolished apparently to create a new road to a ferry, so Falconer Books, a mainstay of the mall wasn't there anymore.

Walking to Commercial Drive I visited Well Read Books/Literacy Nanaimo, skipped Bestsellers because it wasn't yet open but went there later, saw Occupy Nanaimo (only a couple tents both times I went by), visited Bygone Books, and bought some blu-rays and horror DVDs at Facinating Rhythm. I bought a fair number so he gave me the most expensive one for free.

Around 10:30 I got on the 9 bus. At First I didn't have a window seat and then I only had a left window seat (right is the better view) but I eventually managed to switch.  Getting off at Country Club, I visited Future Shop, walked past Coles, and bought some comics at Curious Comics.

The weather was pretty nice now so instead of taking the bus to Nanaimo North Town Centre I decided to walk.  I arrived at the McDonald's right by the mall around 11:30, just after the time the bus would have arrived art the mall assuming it was on schedule.  I ate lunch, bought some DVDs at Best Buy, found that Book Bedouin had closed down, found that the Military Museum had also temporarily closed down (it's supposed to re-open downtown Spring 2012), and visited Zeller's. 

I decided to walk again but the north end proved a dead end. Finally made it off the mall property around 12:15.

A video store en route was gone. I visited the Real Canadian Superstore and then made it to the Woodgrove Mall.

There I saw the clock tower (had to be careful taking photos there because there was also a Santa with kids there), visited HMV, visited Walmart.  I then took the 1:17 15 bus southwest to the University of Vancouver Island, arriving around 1:40. I did a quick walk to places I used to take classes while it was still Malaspina, then returned to the bus stop a bit late, 1:49. 

Luckily my next bus, the 44 was also late so I took it to Stock X-Changers on Bowen Road (hard to get off the bus because the driver didn't clue in for a while that I wanted out the back.  At the pawn shop I bought some DVDs. did a but of a jog, and took another 44 bus back to the University. I took a few more photos (tame rabbits, the koi fish pond - no fish around today, the cafeteria, and my former residence; couldn't get as close as I'd have liked because there were people standing outside.

I started doing the walk I used to take downtown 20 years ago. En route I noticed that Tri-Star was gone, though online evidence suggests it ave have just moved. I detoured brief to take photos of University Village (formerly Harewood Plaza), and then went back to my route and walked downtown.

I walked north to a couple more pawn shops and bought a blu-ray at one of them.  I walked back downtown, visiting Bestsellers, walked briefly to the waterfront area to take some photos I had wanted to take earlier while on the 9 bus, and then started heading down, retracing a path I took while visiting Nanaimo on a trip prior to moving to Nanaimo for school.

I did a bit of a detour by the bus depot because I kept missing a shop I wanted to visit on earlier trips, Money Maxx. It was smaller now but still around so I bought more blu-rays.  I took a shortcut back to the main road, figuring I could get the segment I missed on the retracing on the way back.

I walked to Terminal Park, where I visited the Good Old Book Exchange and bought an early dinner from Burger King, and then walked back to the bus depot.

The bus was supposed to leave at 5:15 but started loading around 5:20 and left around 5:30. It was supposed to arrive at the Victoria bus depot at 7:20 but I think it was 7:45 that I got off at the second last stop, City Hall. The distance is about the same as from the depot, so getting off earluier shaved off some riding time.

So, basic structure there as planned, but many time differences, a few walks instead of bus rides, a 50 minute detour to Stock X-Changers, a few other additions.   The structure was still useful because it gave me a starting point to play with, but I let the weather and my sense of fun dictate changes to the schedule.  Make use of a buspass and itinerary when beneficial, but don't be a slave to them. That's my motto to a successful day of travelling.

November Nanaimo Trip Plan vs Reality: The Plan

Let's try a two-part experiment.  Today's blog post is on what I plan to do tomorrow in Nanaimo.  Then tomorrow evening I will report on what I actually did.  Let's see how close the two are.

The Plan for Tomorrow:
UI'll arrive at the Victoria bus depot just after 7 and leave Victoria at 7:30.

I'll arrive at Port Place at around 9:30.  At Port Place I'll buy a day bus pass at London Drugs, maybe grab a breakfast, and visit Falconer Books.

I'll walk along Commercial Drive and check out Literary Nanaimo, a book store next to that whose name escapes me, Fascinating Rhythm, and Bygone Books. I'll also check out the Occupy Nanaimo movement. I'll head to the Downtown Transit Centre which is actually just outside of what I consider to be downtown, and at 11:19 I'll take the 9 bus to Country Club, getting there at 11:30. I'm actually hoping to take an earlier bus but I'm factoring in the unexpected.

At Country Club I'll grab lunch, visit Curious Comics and Coles inside the mall, and Future Shop via an outside entrance.

At 12:31 I'll take the 1 bus to Nanaimo North Town Centre (arriving 12:51) where I'll visit a book store and military museum.

At 12:51 I'll take the 1A bus to Woodgrove Mall (arriving 1:04) where I'll visit HMV and the water clock tower inside the mall and the Walmart via an outside entrance. Time permitting I might visit Chapters.

At 1:30 I'll take the 15 bus to the University of Vancouver Island (arriving 2:01), which I used to go to as Malaspina College, take a few photos and then start heading downtown.  I hope to walk downtown but might take the bus if it's pouring.  Along the way there's a video store I want to visit and might also visit University Village.

Nearing downtown I'll head south and visit a couple pawn shops across from one another on Nicol St.

Time depending I might visit Terminal Park, which has the Good Ol' Book Exchange.I might also visit Brooks Landing

The Greyhound back to Victoria leaves at 5:15 so I'll arrive just after 4:45 to get a window seat.  I'll arrive at the Victoria bus depot at 7:20.

Stay tuned tomorrow to find out what really happens.