When Buzz wants to hear about hockey and beer I’m super glad he thinks of me. This afternoon on 95 Crave, a local Vancouver radio station, Buzz gave me a call to talk about the ‘sippy cup beer‘ at GM Place this season. Here’s a little snippet from his Ustream – yes, he also Ustreams his shifts (3-7pm at 95.3 on your FM dial)
John scooped the full interview audio and he’ll include it in an upcoming episode of The Crazy Canucks Podcast. If you haven’t already, head over to Buzz’s BC Cancer Foundation Tour of Courage donation page and sponsor him in his ride this coming weekend.
The puck has dropped! Welcome to the pre-season and welcome back to The Crazy Canucks podcast. We tried to stay alive over the summer and are ramping up within the coming weeks so watch out!
Hockey is back! Well, we’re almost there, but the puck is dropping in pre-season action all around the NHL, and September 17, 2007 is when it started for the Canucks.
This episode ended up being a mix of content, mostly due to technical difficulties in the recording process. Everyone gathers online to discuss more of the jersey debate, but this is probably the last we’ll really hammer this topic. Then Dave and John hang out for a brief chit chat before the first game against Anaheim, and Rebecca ends this episode with a report on going to the game. [The Crazy Canucks – Episode #40]
Head over to the website to listen, for all the details about the podcast, show notes for this episode and to subscribe as this season is sure to be a good’er.
In case you forgot over the summer or are new to The Crazy Canucks here’s a bit of background information:
The Crazy Canucks is a roundtable podcast that focuses on our favorite NHL team, the Vancouver Canucks. We are a group of bloggers, podcasters and hockey enthusiasts from all over British Columbia, who, through the magic of Skype, come together once a week to cheer and rag on our beloved team.
Like you, we are Canucks fans first and foremost. We speak as Canucks fans; we feel as Canucks fans; we bleed Canucks blue like Canucks fans. Our passion goes beyond what other media outlets do. Our passion comes from being Canucks fans and this podcast is a product of that. [About – The Crazy Canucks]
Vancouver cyclists are hitting the pedals with Lance Armstrong this weekend in support of the BC Cancer Foundation. I want to raise over $1000 in less than 7 days and be one of the ones riding alongside Lance this weekend.
The money raised will support leading-edge research into improving diagnosis and treatment of cancer at the BC Cancer Agency, throughout British Columbia.
I have been a fan of Lance’s for many years. I wear yellow. I wear the bracelet. I try to live strong.
Really, all I really want is to be on a bike beside him and have him tap me on the ass and say “No Gifts!”
It will be a dream come true.
That, and curing cancer. It has devastated my family, just like it has yours. Lance beat it. He’s a hard ass and an inspiration as I try to live a healthy life and do more for others.
Bring it. Just a few bucks. Click the button, and BRING IT! [BuzzBishop]
To sponsor his ride you can visit his online donation page and support this excellent cause.
I try to cut down on paper bills so I request online billing whenever I can but sometimes that’s not an option. Either that or you forget your login information so instead of resetting your account password they just start sending you mail again… people powered… whatever……
Today we bought a Mailmate and I spent the entire afternoon shredding pieces of paper that contain personal information about John and I. The Mailmate handles BC Hydro bills perfectly although I find folding Rogers statements emits a more satisfying crunching noise. My lungs are now filled with paper dust but it was a blast and I totally felt like Kevin:
Not a week goes by that I am asked some sort of question by a tourist on the street and usually it’s about the bus. Sure, the Translink “Trip Planner” seems to be a decent “A to B” service, although getting from the Westin to Granville Island really isn’t an FAQ I encounter. It’s more like: “How much is the bus”, “How long is this ticket valid”, “Where will this take me”?
Dave currently has some friends in town so he asked me if I knew of any special visitor fare passes since he’s experienced this in other cities. Off the top of my head I couldn’t think of anything, and after further research we both decided that the best short term fare option would just be a book of blank “Fare Saver” tickets although even those are separated in value by zones.
This inspired me to look at a few other North American cities to see how Vancouver, whose main industry is tourism, stacks up.
I compared Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Boston and Seattle as they are all cities I have either lived in or visited. The image below shows just a few of the criteria I think would be useful to visitors or those new to town.
All cities offer day and monthly passes. Visitor passes are available in 3 of the 5 cities listed although they are in different forms.
In Calgary they have the “Show n’ Go” which is a 2-14 day pass you can obtain for the transit system if you are attending a registered conference or event ($4/day). Toronto has a weekly pass available, as well as the same type of “Convention Pass” as Calgary, available for 3+ days (from $3.75/day). Boston also has weekly passes for bus or ‘T’, which is the subway system ($15/week). Seattle doesn’t have any short term passes however they do have more long-term options, offering an annual pass for the system. Translink’s “Fare Savers” start at $18 for a book of ten 1 zone tickets.
The best transit system that I have used has got to be the MBTA in Boston. When I moved there in 2002 I was able to download schedules to my PDA and plot out routes across town and state just using their website and maps. Five years later and looking up information for this post, I still find the MBTA website to be the most useful (and it’s the nicest looking of the 5 as well). They have even introduced the “Charlie Card” which is a reusable, re-loadable fare card that you can manage online.
You would think that such a tourism-minded like Vancouver would offer better resources and options for tourists especially when it came to fares. Information kits explaining zones and time limits, weekly passes, convention passes or even special fare saver tourist bundles available from hotels would be a start. I think visitors would really benefit from more information about public transit to get around the city (and out to other regions) then maybe they won’t always have to ride in some big red bus that looks like a double-decker with its roof chopped off.
Interesting article/review of the new BART EZ Rider Smart Card – they mention Translink… but not this Translink
The best transit system that I have used has got to be the MBTA in Boston. When I moved there in 2002 I was able to download schedules to my PDA and plot out routes across town and state just using their website and maps. Five years later and looking up information for this post, I still find the MBTA website to be the most useful (and it’s the nicest looking of the 5 as well). They have even introduced the “