Author archive for: Rob Jones
Arts & Culture, Featured »
Once again, music will fill the streets of New Westminster with a line-up of lower mainland indie bands of various stylistic stripes courtesy of Uptown Live. The event will also feature food carts, and family events for everyone’s enjoyment, starting at 1:00 on Saturday May 25th after the Key West Ford Hyack International Parade.
Read the full story »Arts & Culture, Events, Uptown »
We’re set to have music in the streets of our city with Uptown Live, an event to take place on multiple stages in uptown New Westminster on May 26, from 12PM to 5PM.
Read the full story »Arts & Culture »
Christmas music is at the top of many minds, given that seasonal favourites seem to follow us wherever we go – work, school, the mall, and on and on. So, what I thought I’d do is list of some favourite Christmas anthems that, perhaps, you’ve never heard (or haven’t heard quite as often), as opposed to the ones you’re tired of.
Read the full story »Lifestyle »
Halloween is a magical time of year, when visibly normal neighbours often show their most macabre tendencies with their Halloween decorations. Sometimes, it’s pretty subtle – a single Jack O’ Lantern with a psychotic grin, for instance. But, other times, they come up with something original when it comes to Halloween decorations. So, with that in mind, and being something of a Halloween fan, I decided to venture forth to find out what some of your neighbours here in New West are up to, decoration-wise. Some things I found were kind of cute. Some were garish. Others, I have to say, really freaked me out.
Read the full story »Vignettes »
Autumn is beautiful, and mysterious. Autumn knows how to wear her clothes; earthy colours, and bright too, all held in balance, and slightly bohemian. She’s cool.
Read the full story »Children, Lifestyle »
Well, it’s the Thanksgiving long weekend. And I thought that it might be a good idea to look around me, and take stock of all of the things that I have to be thankful for, particularly here in my adopted home of New Westminster.
Read the full story »Arts & Culture »
Movies capture our imaginations, and take us to another world. But, sometimes that world can look strangely familiar, especially living here in New Westminster: A myriad of films and TV series have been filmed here in New West.
Read the full story »Arts & Culture, History, New Westminster, Queen's Park »
Theatre does not have to be a faraway and inaccessible activity that happens mysteriously somewhere else. But rather, theatre created by those living in the same community can be something that brightens the cultural landscape on the most direct level possible. It takes a city already enriched by its own history, and makes sure that the history goes on for current and upcoming generations of those interested in artistic expression.
Read the full story »New Westminster, Transportation »
A robust transit system is one of the hallmarks of civilization. In the ancient world, it meant roads. And today, it means an affordable, accessible public transit system that runs on clean energy, and stands as a force to change the world for the better.
Read the full story »Downtown, Growing up in NW, Lifestyle, Parenting, Transportation, Vignettes »
“I want to go to Columbia. Because it’s a really good place, and they have toothbrushes there.” So said The Girl, my four-old daughter to me on the SkyTrain just yesterday.
Read the full story »Vignettes »
It’s not late, but it’s dark. There are two men near the 123 bus stop near 4th. They’re looking down the street, and whispering to each other. I think nothing of it, and keep going. And then, I see what it was that they may have been whispering about.
Read the full story »Arts & Culture, Lifestyle, New Westminster, Parenting »
There is something comforting about rows and rows of books – the colors of the spines, the smell of them, the visual appeal of the irregular heights and widths. I love the look of new pages, white as snow and with lines of text that draw my eye along like a magnetic force. I love aging pages, too; yellowed, and sometimes with the mysterious thumbprints left by readings past (I am a notorious re-reader, friends). Books are treasures. They are artifacts of great worth.
Read the full story »Shopping, West End »
After breaking a guitar string, Rob Jones strolls down 12th Street for the first time in search of a replacement.
Read the full story »Lifestyle, Neighbourhoods, New Westminster, Uptown »
When the sun goes down on the city, feelings change, moods change, and so do perceptions. When the flow of shoppers and traffic begin to wane, and the sun starts looking a little tuckered, the shadows rise seemingly out of the ground. And suddenly, it’s night.
Read the full story »Growing up in NW, Lifestyle, Parenting, Parks, Reviews, Uptown »
When I was a kid, I loved the water – on TV mostly. In real life, it was something to akin to a lurking creature looking to choke the life out of me. I have no idea how I got this fear of water, which had me taking beginner lessons at the late age of thirteen. But, wherever it came from, it’s not a dominant gene passed along by me. My three (almost four!) year old daughter is in love with the water, particularly this summer …
Read the full story »Businesses, Downtown, Events, Neighbourhoods, New Westminster, Parks, Quayside, Queen's Park, Reviews, Shopping, Uptown, West End »
This is a guest post by Rob Jones, who shares some of his first impressions of New Westminster as a new resident of our city. You can read more from Rob on his blog, The Delete Bin, and also find him on Twitter @clippernolan.
There are elements of every city that makes it unique, makes them feel like home.
My experience with big-small towns is well established, even if I am a recent resident of New Westminster. Like New West, my hometown of Oakville Ontario was founded next to a busy waterway; …
