Little Charmer

From this home to yours, Happy New Year from New Westminster!

Subtle

The entrance to Queen's Park at 1st and Vancouver streets. I think it needs a sign, though I could have sworn that a few years ago there was one at this entry point.

In, Out, About

After a morning of snow, the sun came out and melted most of it. I took a late afternoon walk in the crisp, cool, sunny weather and ended up back at the high school. This is the door to the Pearson wing of the high school (name after former prime minister of Canada, Lester B Pearson, I assume).

Moody View

Looking west from the roof of Royal City Centre, down 6th Avenue and across 8th Street. That's Moody Park off to the upper right, and the clock that I've previously posted. If you squint, you can see the Fraser River way, way off in the distance.

Junction

Looking down on the intersection of 6th Street and 6th Avenue from the rooftop parking at Royal City Centre, facing east.

Modern Fungi

Communication tower looming over 6th Street.

Happy Holidays!

New West's Christmas tree, located in the square at the foot of 8th Street.

Cosy

Two of my favourite little houses. Thankfully, residents of New Westminster are more fond of restoring older homes than knocking them down to build box-like behemoths as is popular in Vancouver and Richmond. The home on the left is a B&B, and at night that have a twee display of Christmas lights in the front garden: elves, peppermint sticks, reindeer...

Change

There's been a big push lately to replace all of the old bus shelters with new ones. Having stood under both kinds, neither is really good at preventing one from getting soaking wet in strong rain. Really, they're just there for the advertising space.

Tropical

A common way to jazz up buildings around here is with a mural. Fortunately, this one is understated and works well with the 1970s nightmare architecture that is this building.

Bookwork

New Westminster Public Library, the first one established in the province of British Columbia in 1865.

Signs

That's a whole lot of signage for one small shopfront.

Wanna dance?

From left to right: one of the many bridal wear shops on this street, the men's club, and the now defunct Pier 360 restaurant.

Fake

River Market once again, this time with a curious Christmas tree. It's made using what look like plastic straws, but with 4-way joints connecting. It looks like a sort of child's building set, actually.

Span

On a clear day, the view eastward is gorgeous. Through the bridge you can often see mountains - this time of year covered in snow. To the south Mt Baker in Washing State looms, though it's more difficult to photograph from this location.

Nemesis

In an area of concrete tower blocks, this innocuous looking engine is the downfall for anyone who is a light sleeper. The area around the quay is a railyard, with trains making noise at all hours of the day...and night.

Standout

This very trendy green may look a bit dated in a few years. No matter, it's eyecatching now and that's what counts.

Pinkish

Side of a disused building on Columbia, near 4th Street.

Busy Bees

Lots of work going on just past the Quay, though I'm not quite sure what it will all be by the end of it all. This was taken from the top of the Front Street parkade, looking over the Fraser River towards Surrey.

Wreath

Passed this Victorian style house refashioned as a hair salon whilst on my way to the Royal City Farmers' Market.

Penguins

Even the pawn shops get dressed up for the holidays!

Lonesome Dove

A moment at the quay, on a crispy sunny afternoon. A pigeon chasing its shadow.

Ivy

Another sign mentioning a sister city of New Westminster, this time down at the Quay. Soon the sign may be no more, as the omnipresent English Ivy appears to be taking over.

Two-wheeled

Many local roads have bike lanes, some safer than others. This one on Columbia street is sandwiched between the on-street parking and the traffic.

Trippy

Inside the renovated River Market at the New Westminster Quay is this interesting set of panels that once on the escalator really does make one feel in a forest.

Wide Angle

A question from Raskolniikov made me realize that the Oh, Buoy! photo from a few days ago was out of context if you've never seen the New West Quay. This photo should clear things up somewhat.

This is an overhead view of the quay, from the walkway over the railway. The Tin Soldier is to the left, there's the buoy again, the Pilot House boat which I have also posted photos of previously, and, in the distance, a real tug pulling a barge full of gravel down the Fraser River. Every time I walk over to the quay, a similar view greets me (sometimes cloudy, sometimes without the tug/barge combo).

Streetscape

This is the intersection of Columbia and 4th streets, in the heart of downtown. The building at the left is the Queen's Hotel,built at the turn of the 20th century. Opposite is a generic sort of office building, and behind it another generic sort of condominium tower block.

The Big Guy

Guess who came to town today?

Oh, buoy!

This large buoy has been covered for a long time as renovations of the River Market dragged on and on. Now it is visible once again, immediately next to the Tin Soldier.

Reach

I have no idea the purpose of this tower, but it stands beside the stairs to the overpass leading from Columbia Street to the Quay.

Bling

Money's on nearly everyone's mind this month as everywhere wants us to buy!buy!buy! Here's the after-hours bank drop at the ScotiaBank branch on Columbia. Few banks are in their original fort/castle like original buildings, but this one is.

Union

I've always loved this graphic on the outside of the building that houses the UFCW (United Food and Commercial Workers) union on Columbia Street. This union is Canada's largest, with 250 000 members...many of whom work at Wal-Mart. They must love that!

Skins

...they aren't just for iPods, you know. Even traffic standards / transformer boxes here in town are covered with skins such as this one. Some have pictures of the town, some have historical photos, some are pictures of plants...

Saintly Sunday

This church has been featured before, the St Peter and Paul Ukrainian Orthodox Church. It looks a little different today as it's Holodomor Awareness Week (holod = famine, moryty = kill by starvation) in Canada, where the various Ukrainian groups remember the victims of the famine created as the Soviet government requisitioned all foods grown in Ukraine. Some reports state that near to one quarter of Ukraine's population perished. There are 33 black flags representing the year 1933, when the famine reached its peak of devastation.

(Info from the black sign on the building.)

Airy

Back to Royal City Centre today. A few more decorations have been put up - some strings of lights and enormous decorations suspended on bunting. Tasteful. I can't remember if this mall gets a Santa Claus and castle; I'll have to check back each week. Stay tuned!

Modern Blue

This is a common theme these days on apartment blocks around New Westminster and, indeed, the whole Lower Mainland. Some modernizing is happening, as you can see with this gorgeous blue paint and the new white window frames. However, nothing can hide the dated brick at the bottom. That stuff only works with what was probably the original brown-ish pebbled siding (the now blue part) and the old-style wood or steel window frames. Regardless, an improvement! Now if only we could banish ugly architecture for good, and stick with what will stand the test of time.

Wonderland

For the first time, New Westminster Daily Photo leaves the city. This photo was taken in Surrey, just across the river, as I was waiting for the bus to return to New Westminster. This is just a taste of the weather we had over the past 24 hours: snow, then more snow, then snowy rain, then rain.

Jaunty

Met this handsome fellow whilst walking home the other day. If the forecast holds true, perhaps he will have some companions tomorrow: 5-10cm are scheduled to fall.

Uptown

These flags appeared relatively recently, perhaps over the last couple weeks. Knowing me, however, they've probably been around longer and only last week did I look up far enough to notice them.

Round Around

Taken in Royal City Centre which, pleasantly, wasn't yet in full on Christmas mode. All the decoration seen was in the form of the beautiful pointsettias lining the stairways. These stairs end up at the underground parking.

Font

I've always loved the font used for the sign on this automotive shop. This red seems to be an incredibly popular colour for buildings in New Westminster; this is at least the fourth or fifth red building that's been posted here.

First Snow

The town square clock - posted last Saturday - and how it looks this Saturday.

Due to the effects of La Nina (the year following an El Nino year), we are - apparently - due for lots of snow and colder temperatures than typical. Last night was the first major storm: wind, rain, then snow. Today the air was crisp with the arctic air still lingering.

Blue

Rail bridge across the Fraser River, between New Westminster and Queensborough.

Scales

Attached to the side of the new Law Courts building is a statue of Themis, goddess of justice (sculpted by Elek Imredy). The scales signify impartiality, and the sword power.

"Fiat justitia, ruat coelum."
Let justice be done, though the heavens should fall.

Floating

Down there, on Front Street, is Antique Alley. Amongst the interesting shops is some interesting cinema history: this was the street that was converted into the futuristic main street set of Robocop. The stairs that appear to float above the street lead up to the Front Street parkade, located over the street.

Fishgate

Near Sapperton Landing.

Snip

Wall outside a barber shop just off Columbia, down towards Front Street.

Obey

This is the old New Westminster Courthouse. The new one is facing it, on the opposite side of the street. According to various sources including Heritage New Westminster, this building is in the Romanesque Revival style, originally built in 1891, destroyed by fire in 1898 along with most of downtown New Westminster, and rebuilt in 1899.

Tick tock

The new-ish town square clock near Moody Park, in today's grey autumn weather.

Symmetry

View from the front of City Hall, up towards the memorial statue posted yesterday.