Welcome to nephrus.net! We cover anime news and conventions, rail and rapid transit, hockey updates and lots of other things in and around Vancouver, British Columbia. Enjoy your stay!
With the opening ceremonies less than two weeks away, the world will be watching Vancouver and Canada as we host the 21st Winter Olympics. Check out what’s happening in and around the Metro Vancouver region during the games!
On a cool weekend back in May, the venerable Royal Hudson steamed into New Westminster for the city’s 150th birthday.
Enthusiasts, young and old, were able to ride behind the steam locomotive for a trip across the Fraser River into Cloverdale. If you missed it, we got plenty of pictures and video of the ex-Canadian Pacific engine arriving in all her glory.
February 8th, 2010 by Frederick, under Anime/Manga
YTV, the Canadian youth-aimed channel, has removed Naruto and Bleach from its schedule, after running repeats for the past year. The two series used to air at midnight and 1:00 am respectively.
The Caroon Network’s Adult Swim will be airing the first 26 episodes of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood in the United States. The series will start on February 14th, 2010, however, check local listings for show times. A list of the English voice cast can be found here.
After a significant absence from the streets of Vancouver, the street car has returned courtesy of the City of Vancouver, Bombardier, and Société des Transports Intercommunaux de Bruxelles. Two Bombardier Flexity street cars are now operating on a 1.8 km stretch of track between Granville Island and the Olympic Village Canada Line station (Cambie Street and West 2nd Avenue).
I was finally able to get a chance to ride the street cars on what is being called the Olympic Line. The cars are 32 m long and feature five doors on each side along with large picture windows to provide an unobstructed view. The really neat thing is that the cars have low floors, basically riding only a few centimetres from the ground, which makes it easier to board and alight, especially for those who have strollers or use a wheelchair.
The trains are actually one long articulated car which can navigate sharper curves and winding streets, like those in older European cities. Digital displays on the side and ends of the cars make it easy to advertise the line or destination. The two cars on loan are designed with a silver, bronze and carbon black livery and carry the Société des Transports Intercommunaux de Bruxelles logo.
Doors from inside
Inside, there are unique seating arrangements, including seats that face the aisles, row seating, fold-up seats and larger bench-style seats. Standing passengers also have the added luxury of holding on to leather straps that are attached to the stanchions. There’s plenty of room for everyone on-board!
Security cameras are mounted along the ceiling along with two display screens that are positioned over the aisles to announce upcoming stops and route maps. Buttons on the stanchions allow passengers to alert the operator to stop the train at the next platform. It’s pretty much like a bus, but one that runs on rails.
The ride is really smooth and quiet, even though the train doesn’t run very fast (wouldn’t say more than 30 km/h). It’s only a 3 minute journey between Granville Island and the Olympic Village station on Cambie Street, but it gives you few minutes to enjoy the ride and the sights of the community in between.
Hopefully this experiment will allow street car service to return to the city and offer an alternative mode of transportation around False Creek and into the busy downtown core.
The Olympic Line is free and runs between 6:30 am-12:30 am PST until March 21st, 2010. Additional photographs are available on Gallery.
The Royal Hudson will be taking to the rails once again on Monday, February 8th, 2010, when she steams from Pacific Central Station in Vancouver out to White Rock for a number of events. The Royal Hudson will return to Pacific Central on Tuesday, February 9th, 2010 after spending the night on the coast. Those who do not wish to stay over night will have the opportunity to take a motorcoach for their return journey.
January 24th, 2010 by Frederick, under Photography
Ed starts an alchemic transmutation
Although it wasn’t a full scale convention, J-Fest was a preview of what would be at Anime Evolution; featuring an artists room, panels on costume design, a video room and registration for the convention itself. A small gathering of cosplayers showed up to debut their costumes and support their series at the one day event. Take a peek at some of the fans who came out on Saturday.
January 21st, 2010 by Frederick, under Conventions
Anime Evolution is sponsoring a one-day event called J-Fest on Saturday, January 23rd, 2010, at Douglas College in New Westminster. Registration for Anime Evolution 2010 will be available, along with cosplay tutorials, gaming, videos, panels, artists and more! J-Fest only costs $10 to enter and runs from 10:30 am PST until 7:30 pm PST. Douglas College is one block north of the New Westminster SkyTrain station.
Canadians flying to the United States are allowed to bring one bag with them into the cabin of the plane. After the foiled attempt to bring down a plane en route to Detroit last Christmas Day, CATSA, the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority, restricted carry-on luggage on flights into the US.
The carry-on restrictions are limited to 23 cm x 40 cm x 55 cm (9 in x 16 in x 22 in). In addition to the carry-on, passengers can bring a pet, coat, purse, musical instruments, laptop or camera bag with them into the cabin. Electronics, books, and medicine must be kept in the carry-on luggage.
Visit the CATSA web site for further information pertaining to carry-on luggage.
January 18th, 2010 by Frederick, under Anime/Manga
Fullmetal Alchemist volume 23
Wielding a Philosopher’s Stone, Alphonse Elric enters a showdown with both Pride and Kimblee. Alphonse may need a plan for beating the homunculus and the traitor – his most vicious encounter yet.
At the same time, Edward Elric and his group ambushed by Envy in the tunnels below Central and Roy Mustang uncovers the horrific truth about the murder of his friend, Maes Hughes.
This continuation of the adventure will be on store shelves on July 20th, 2010.
As the Winter Olympics draw closer, a number of streets in and around downtown Vancouver will be closed off or limited to authorized vehicles. The closures are expected to cause commuter headaches for those who live or work in the downtown core. Many streets will have parking restrictions in effect, so the best bet would be to take public transit. TransLink will have extra buses, run longer trains on the Expo and Millennium Lines and have increased frequency on the Canada Line and West Coast Express. More information on travel options and restrictions are available on the TravelSmart 2010 web site.
Closed Streets – No traffic or pedestrian access
Waterfront Road – Between the Vancouver Convention Centre and Crab Park
January 27th to March 1st, 2010
Dunsmuir Viaduct – Between Beatty Street and Gore Avenue
February 5th to March 2nd, 2010
Georgia Viaduct – Between Beatty Street and Gore Avenue
February 5th to March 2nd, 2010
Expo Boulevard – Between Smithe Street and Quebec Street
January 29th to March 2nd, 2010
Pacific Boulevard – Between Cambie Street and Quebec Street
January 29th to March 2nd, 2010
Renfrew Street – Between East Hastings Street and McGill Street
January 24th to March 1st, 2010
West 1st Avenue – Between Cambie Street and Quebec Street
November 1st, 2009 to March 31st, 2010
Olympic Lanes – Limited to public transit and authorized vehicles
February 4th to March 1st, 2010
Burrard Street – Between Burrard Street Bridge and Cordova Street
Seymour Street – Between Granville Street Bridge and Cordova Street
Howe Street – Between Granville Street Bridge and Cordova Street
Pender Street – Between Beatty Street and Howe Street
Cambie Street – Between Cambie Street Bridge and West 59th Avenue
Broadway – Between Arbutus Street and Commercial Drive
Georgia Street – Between Richards Street and Stanley Park Causeway
Hastings Street – Between Richards Street and Boundary Road
Pedestrian Streets – No traffic from 12:00 pm PST to 12:00 am PST
February 12th to 28th, 2010
Granville Street – Between Davie Street and Cordova Street
Robson Street – Between Beatty Street and Jervis Street
Hamilton Street – Between Drake Street and Georgia Street
Beatty Street – Between Smithe Street and Dunsmuir Street
Welcome to nephrus.net! We cover anime news and conventions, rail and rapid transit, hockey updates and lots of other things in and around Vancouver, British Columbia. Enjoy your stay!
On a cool weekend back in May, the venerable Royal Hudson steamed into New Westminster for the city’s 150th birthday.
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