Prince George: Treasure Trove Casino

Shawn and I were going out of our minds with boredum this evening so we decided to head out for a bit. We went to the mall, wandered around aimlessly and then on our way back home made a quick detour to the Treasure Trove Casino.

I withdrew a $50 from the ATM which had a ridiculous service fee of $1.75 and we proceeded to wander around. Honestly we weren't there to be gamblers, we were just bored and neither of us had stepped foot in the place before.

So we played a cheap slots and both of us were down. After about 30-40 minutes and down about 30-40 dollars we were on our way out the door when I decided to throw my last $10 in to a $0.25 machine. I kept hitting max bet which was $0.75 per play and on the second last hit before I would have lost it all I got three full bars across.

So 45 minutes in the Casino left me down $2.75 (most of which was the ATM service fee).

The Casino in general is nothing special, it's mainly slot machines with two texas hold'em tables and a variety of other table games (about 12-15 tables in total).

Prince George, BC, Canada

As most of my readers probably know already, after I returned back to Canada from my year long vacation I headed up to Prince George, BC, Canada.

I have some wonderful friends up there who opened their home to me while I was getting back on my feet after decimating my entire savings.

I got up there in the middle of January 2008 and ended up leaving in April 2008. Though it was nice staying with friends I can't say that I really enjoyed my time there.

There isn't a lot of IT industry which is my primary background and I found myself installing security, cable and communications infrastructure in new homes. Unfortunately things didn't work out with that job and I ended up quiting around two months after I started. After hearing about some family problems down south in Vancouver and finding work difficult I decided to make the move back to Vancouver.

Below are a few pages, mostly related to restaurants while I was in Prince George. I found the service industry severely lacking and wanted to try and get the point across to the city of Prince George by drawing some attention to the fact. I find that people get so used to the poor treatment that they after some time fail to realize the substandard service because they think it has become normal.

1. Treasure Trove Casino
2. Vaisakhi Parade 2008
3. Clean up the VLA (Prince George Ghetto)
4. A VLA Crack House
5. Kalo Donair
6. Ricky's - Prince George
7. The Carmel Restaurant
8. Huskey Diner
9. Prince George Service Industry
10. Sledge Hockey Tournament
    

Prince George: Vaisakhi

Vaisakhi - Parade
Originally uploaded by kden604.

Today I attended the parade and festival celebrating Vaisakhi for the Sikh faith. I've posted more pictures on my flickr page with the parade pictures.

Despite the recent cold snap in weather there were several hundred parade participants who braved the -10C to celebrate Vaisakhi. Everyone gathered after the parade at the CN Centre parking lot where lots of food and hot beverages were served out.

There was quite a few public speakers and a really excellent explanation of what exactly Vaisakhi is and a summary of the creation of Khalsa.

I had the opportunity to speak to several of the local Sikh gentlemen who not only expanded on the speech but told me a great deal about politics in regards to the temples.

Down south in Surrey you might have heard about how some Sikh members had photographs displayed in an idolizing manner to some men allegedly connected with the Air India bombing. This has caused some strained relations between some political figures who want to disassociate themselves with that aspect of the festival.

If you speak to the average Sikh however I think you will find that there is no support of violence or malice held to anyone and that any true Sikh who takes their spirituality and religion to heart wouldn't be a part of any violent act against any person.

I had a really enjoyable time at the festival and despite the cold weather it was quite a good turn out of people though I thought that there was an under representation of non-Sikh's at the festivities.

I think these type of events are good to help people understand other religions and help build that multicultural family that is Canada.

Prince George: Clean up the VLA

I've seen quite an influx of people that have come to this website because of the recent post regarding a crack house in the VLA. I would like to recommend that people start taking a proactive approach to reducing crime in their neighbourhood.

Why not send e-mails to both City Hall, the Prince George Citizen, and contact Crime Stoppers Prince George.

Some areas of Prince George really need to be cleaned up and if everyone sits by passively saying "yeah this neighbourhood has really gone down hill" then nothing will change.

Think of the benefits of having a good neighbourhood:

1. Sense of trust in the community
2. Safety on the streets
3. No broken glass and needles laying around
4. Reduction in theft and petty crime
5. Increased land value for home owners

These are just a few of the things that could change for the better. I don't think people should have to be worried about if they can park their vehicle on the street because of fear of vandalism or theft.

If you see people with five couches and two and half cars on their lawn then get the city by-law enforcers to force them to clean it up. Eventually it will get cleaned or the tenants will be forced out.

Do you have other problems that you think need addressing about Prince George? Leave a comment and lets get these problems addressed.

Prince George: Crack House

Crack House
Originally uploaded by kden604.

I've been living in Prince George since the end of January and there is one thing I've noticed. You rarely see police in the "Prince George Ghetto" or VLA area.

I live on what you would probably consider the out-skirts of the Ghetto but prostitution, drugs, and petty crime are rampant even here. Just the next street over from us you will see this house which is obviously a illicit drug house. Anyone who walks by on a regular basis will see a constant stream of drug users, prostitutes, and other unsavory characters entering or exiting at all hours of the day.

Within a few houses to the left of this there is also a high amount of prostitute activity and you will regularly see John's dropping them off, or taxi's dropping them off. Walk down in the morning and there is a good chance one will be high as a kite and solicit you on your way to work.

In the short time I've been in Prince George there are some seriously strange things going on in this city. I find it difficult to believe that law enforcement is unaware of this house and impossible for them not to know about the "ghetto."

I would like to see a few more arrests, more patrols or something. The closest thing I've seen to a Police presence in the VLA is the police ticketing people turning left off of Upland Street. I have yet to see them enter more than 200 meters in to Upland Street, where they would undoubtedly be forced to deal with this drug house.

Prince George: Kalo Donair

There is a small Greek place tucked in to the corner of a strip mall at 542 E Central Street which I think is quite worthy of visiting. It was a Donair kind of day and Shawn, Raquelle and I decided this was the place.

The two staff were really friendly and engaging and the food was excellent. What really did it for me was their Triple X hot sauce which was amusingly presented to me with a crossed heart and a warning of its power.

I ate the entire donair and it was great, very tasty and the sauce was really delicious. On my hotness scale I would give it no more than 7 out of 10, but it was extremely flavourful. After all, what is the point of eating the hot and spicy if it doesn't have a great flavour to match its heat.

I told the staff if they bottle it, I would buy some and I meant it. If you enjoy a nice moderately hot but flavourful spice head over to Kalo Donair and try it out. A Large donair is $7 including tax.

Prince George: Ricky's Restaurant

This Saturday Shawn and I ate breakfast at Ricky's at 1515 Victoria Street. I would say that it is certainly in the top two or three places we have done breakfast so far. It's clean, it's got a friendly staff, regular coffee refills and good portions of food.

I think that if you look at the parking lot of Ricky's on most weekend mornings you will see that it's consistently booked up. If you don't want to wait for a table I suggest you arrive prior to 9-930am, especially on Sundays.

OMG - More Snow

It's April 10th... It shouldn't be still snowing. But here I am in Prince George, and there it is falling from the sky.

Prince George: Carmel Restaurant

This weekends breakfast spot was Carmel Restaurant at 1538 Hwy 97 S in Prince George and it looks we are on a good streak. Another great meal with a friendly staff, good portions and constant refills on the ever important coffee.

The place was packed and there was a few people waiting for a table but the service remained at a high level. My buddy Shawn said the food there is always excellent, and the lunch and dinner specials are even better than breakfast.

Thanks for the great service!

Prince George: Husky Gas Station Diner

My buddy Shawn and I go to breakfast nearly every weekend and I have to admit that in most cases we have been quite disappointed with the service industry here in Prince George, British Columbia.

With that said, we actually decided to try the little diner attached to the Husky Gas station on the highway in to Prince George. I have eaten at more than a few Husky's as I've traveled inside Canada and generally speaking they are quite consistent.

This Husky had very friendly and courteous staff and we both enjoyed the food and the experience. This is of course a far cry the two previous breakfasts at Denny's and Whitespot which were far less spectacular and certainly nothing to brag about.

It really boggles my mind at how most people in Prince George accept this sub-standard service as normal. You here it all the time "Only in Prince George"... I can't even count how many times I've gone to a Tim Hortons to not been given general pleasantries such as "Thank you", "Have a nice day" or even "Your total is..." (It's more common for them to just stick their hand out and wait for you to read the till and put money in their hand).

I think that if I were the owner of one of these establishments I would be pushing my staff to use general courtesy with each customer. I wonder why they don't?

The Weather...

I can't believe it.

It's the end of March and yesterday we got about 3-4 inches of snow. Oh well, TGIF.

Prince George: Service Industry

I have to admit that one thing I have noticed while living in Prince George for such a short time is the incredibly poor service at restaurants and grocery stores. It seems almost every time I go out I find myself shocked and amazed at how poorly things are done here in Prince George.

I would hate to say that people here are so used to being treated this way that they hardly notice or speak up, but it really seems to be the case. Anyone who is just passing through or visiting is surely going to notice the lack of customer service.

I plan on writing a few examples as they happen in the coming months.

Today would be a perfect example at Save-On-Foods #966.

I was checking out with a friend of mine, and the aisle behind us there were two young women working. The cashier and the bagging woman. They were in a non-stop conversation that only stopped momentarily to tell the customer the final total. The conversation went on and on about how the bag girl was looking for a new hair dresser. One of the customers thanked her for bagging and she didn't even acknowledge him. The cashier girl was whipping the items across and down the little chute without a care until one of the customers asked her to be careful with her candles.

I couldn't believe the lack of customer service at this store and how ignorant those two women were to the customers. But as I said, this is only one single example of which I witness on a very regular basis here in Prince George.

Snow Day

Just when you think the season is finally coming to a close, a storm rolls in a dumps on your dreams. Yesterday afternoon it started snowing. It is still snowing this morning. Areas of the city are reporting 36 inches of snow in under 24 hours, we have about 16-18 inches of snow here.

Boss called when I was clearing the car, he is up for a snow day.

:o)

Happy Leap Day

Hey it's a leap day.

Been really busy working lately so not a lot of posts. Will be writing some reviews of business/restaurants/gyms/trails and other things to do or see in Prince George BC soon.

Woo-hoo

Excellent news, after three weeks of living here I just interviewed for a job and I start work tomorrow morning. Technical work, installing hardware equipment. Sounds like a great gig.

-- Smiles --

Freezing my Butt Off

I've been in Prince George for a couple of weeks now and finally feel quite settled in. I'm still working on registering my business, but as with everything government, the paperwork is taking it's sweet time.

The weather started off quite nice but the suddenly we got hit by a cold snap and boom, down to -35C. The bright side is that despite the cold temperatures, it's still a heck of a lot better than when I lived in North Bay Ontario, because though the temperature is way down, the humidity is quite low as well which makes the cold much more bearably.

The only down side to the cold snap is that I hadn't been plugging in my car's block heater and after the first cold night it was dead as a doornail. After a couple of days I bought some "Quick Start" spray for the carburettor and had to jump start the prick but it was good to go after running for a few minutes to warm up all the parts.

The weather seems to have finally broke and today it's up to -9.5C which is great with the possibility of +1C tomorrow! I made a bunch of Skype calls to friends around the world today and also managed to fit the movie "Charlie Wilsons War" in to my hectic schedule. Not too bad of a movie, interesting part for Tom Hanks.

Yesterday I also decided that I'm once again too out of shape, so I signed up for a membership down at the local Family YMCA which is very near to my home. I have to say that I'm really quite impressed with the facility and the friendly staff. I had actually e-mailed Gold's Gym in North Bay to ask them for the price, but they never took the time to e-mail me back so I guess they lost out on a years worth of membership dues. oh well!

I'm quite excited about how well my other blog is doing. Though this blog was much more active as I was actively travelling the world, my Masonic Blog is my passion and hobby in a more static environment. I'm having a lot of time for reading and writing and enjoy the experience of learning and expanding my knowledge of Freemasonry while at the same time am helping to share my ideas, writings and occasional rants with quite a growing audience.

So that is about it for me this message. I'll check in again periodically, hopefully when the summer time comes around I'll start more regular posts. But I can't be bothered to update the world on how good the chinese buffet at the China Cup near Staples in Prince George was the other night and all the other trivialities of my life.

Ken

Arrived in Prince George

Well, I'm finally here!

As I mentioned earlier, my good buddy drove down 10 hours to help me move. So we loaded up two cars full of my junk and the next morning we were up at 5am and on the road, after a quick pit-stop at Tim Hortons of course.

I drove out to Abbotsford and fuel was only 97.7 c/l which was pretty darn good. The weather through the valley was quite good except for some slush and fog near Hope and then again shortly after Cache Creek. Then clear sailing.

It's cold up here. What the fuck was I thinking?

Haha, Just kidding, it is cold, but it's not too bad. Not a lot of traffic, lots of snow, good internet access. Anyways, I'm absolutely bagged, so it's time to crash.

Good night!

Prince George Ahoy!

Today is the last day before everything really starts rocking. Tomorrow my friend drives down here from Prince George to help me move.

We've got two cars to load up with shit my things and then we are off on Saturday morning bright and early.

This week has been a very busy week, fortunately it's been a very productive and generally really good week. As you know I've been having problems fixing up the car. The fuel pump has been changed, which was the last big hurdle, and then I had an alignment and oil change yesterday. It seems to be running well! A few people have asked what type of car it is, so it's a big old boat of a car... a 1989 Caprice. You know, the old school cop car...

The other big thing I needed to take care of was my taxes from 2006. Since I was gone for all over 2007 I didn't have an opportunity to file my taxes. I thought for sure I was going to get boned and that I would owe money. But magically I get a frigging return of nearly a thousand dollars. How sweet is that?

Of course moving from province to province also requires a few changes, drivers license, medical coverage among other things.

Finally, this brings me to the registering of my new business. I'm not going to get in to it too much on here, but it's a technology related business, just a simple sole proprietorship and I'm looking forward to starting up. When I first arrive in Prince George of course I'll be working a part-time job while getting the business started until it creates a decent income.

Anyways that is the updates for now. I'll probably post on Sunday again once I'm in Prince George.

PS - I've deleted my facebook profile. I have had enough of all the stupid application requests, funwall bullshit and general crap associated with it. I don't really feel the necessity to be chatting with all these people from my past that I didn't speak to then and because some website magically put us in touch years later makes us instant friends. Yeah, screw that.

Happy New Years

Just a quick note to say happy new year everyone! Welcome to 2008!

I haven't been posting in the past month or so, just taking it easy with family and relaxing. The blog will resume semi-normal posting as of the middle of January (approximately) after I move up to Prince George, BC, Canada.