moving to vancouver

[feartheflames]

Hey guys,

I'm getting transferred by work to Vancouver. I know no one there and am just bringing a suitcase of clothes with me... I'm a born and raised Calgary girl so this is a bit freaky for me. I was hoping some Vancouver residents could give me some quick tips, information, insiders knowledge about the city. I know thats broad but any info would be great! Thanks guys!

[Sainters7]

Haven't lived there since '05 so I'm not the best for info, but all I'll say is its a great city to live in. But the highways suck, no idea who planned the road system there or what they were on. If you need to do a downtown commute, I'd live as close to there as possible...or at least close to a Skytrain stop.

[bc-chris]

i've never lived in vancouver, but my wife and i usually make it down to the coast at least a couple times a year.

i agree with sainters7 - traffic is a complete gong show... even worse when it snows

invest in a good umbrella becuz you will see a lot of rain

there is tons to see and do in vancouver and we do enjoy 'visiting'... just not sure i'd want to live there... mind you, i live in kelowna and it's pretty hard to top that in my opinion

[krazycanuck]

The best time to shop is after game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. Just follow the crowds.

[Locke]

I hope you have a boyfriend already, because I understand that the men in Vancouver suck.

[flylock shox]

A lot depends on where exactly you're going to be working. Will you be in downtown Van?

Vancouver's structure is quite a bit different from Calgary. In particular it has a number of great neighbourhoods that allow you to do pretty much everything on foot: Main St., Denman, Kits, Commercial - I'd recommend finding a place in one of those since they're just extremely livable.

Keep your commute in mind. Using a car here sucks. Look into getting a decent commuter bike (one of the perks of Van is great bike commuting). Otherwise check your bus and skytrain routes.

People here are very hard to get to know, so be prepared to make a positive effort to make friends both at work and outside of it. Don't feel bad if people are not receptive to your efforts: it's not you (unless you have beast B.O. or something), it's just how people are here. You will need to make an effort, and don't be discouraged if your first few (read: 40 or 50) attempts to be social fail.

Consider pre-empting the S.A.D. and get yourself a light box. And yes, buy about 5 umbrellas and some gum boots.

Also, you'll want to fit in, so make sure to buy some Lulus and a cardigan that hangs way past your ass, and preferably some hipster glasses.

And welcome

[squiggs96]

Don't worry about going in to work today. There is almost 1 cm of snow, so the city has shut down.

[feartheflames]

Originally Posted by Locke

I hope you have a boyfriend already, because I understand that the men in Vancouver suck.

haha- the men everywhere suck! (present company excluded of course)

[trumpethead]

I hear parking downtown can be a real bitch

[Crazy Bacon Legs]

Hey neat, another Flames fan in Vancouver. We need more of us out here. You know people here actually cheer for the Canucks? It's insane.

One bit of advice I would give is to look more at your neighbourhood than how big your house/condo and/or yard are going to be. Calgary has a weird mentality that you MUST own a house with a tiny yard in the suburbs to be successful. Get a smaller place in a good neighbourhood and you will be much happier for it. There are a lot of awesome condo buildings and townhouse type places here, and many of them don't even leak. Avoid Surrey. It's a hole.

A lot of neighbourhoods here are very walkable and you can commute by bike or walking. Also, transit is actually quite good here, although I try to avoid it because people are germ-ridden bags of disease waiting to pollute your body. But generally speaking, it's easy to get around here. I even know a guy called Eddie who travels everywhere on his hands! He is insane though, and everyone throws potato chips at him.

Try your best to avoid a lengthy commute. People can't drive here. Seriously. It's horrible. I would hate to measure my blood pressure during a commute because I would blow up the cuff and injure my physician. Plus, taking your blood pressure while driving is probably not safe. But people seriously can't drive here. Prepare yourself for that.

Other than that, enjoy moving to Vancouver and enjoy yourself here. It rains a hell of a lot, but it's warm and humid. One of the fringe benefits of living out here is that your skin will no longer look like beef jerky from the lack of humidity. I hear they moved an Egyptian mummy here from Calgary once, and it turned out it was just a guy named Eddie who was a bit dessicated. Yes, the SAME Eddie from before. See how that story came full circle?!

PM me if you need any more information. And welcome to the belly of the beast. Don't mention being a Flames fan, or people will pinch you.

[feartheflames]

Originally Posted by flylock shox

A lot depends on where exactly you're going to be working. Will you be in downtown Van?

Vancouver's structure is quite a bit different from Calgary. In particular it has a number of great neighbourhoods that allow you to do pretty much everything on foot: Main St., Denman, Kits, Commercial - I'd recommend finding a place in one of those since they're just extremely livable.

Keep your commute in mind. Using a car here sucks. Look into getting a decent commuter bike (one of the perks of Van is great bike commuting). Otherwise check your bus and skytrain routes.

People here are very hard to get to know, so be prepared to make a positive effort to make friends both at work and outside of it. Don't feel bad if people are not receptive to your efforts: it's not you (unless you have beast B.O. or something), it's just how people are here. You will need to make an effort, and don't be discouraged if your first few (read: 40 or 50) attempts to be social fail.

Consider pre-empting the S.A.D. and get yourself a light box. And yes, buy about 5 umbrellas and some gum boots.

Also, you'll want to fit in, so make sure to buy some Lulus and a cardigan that hangs way past your ass, and preferably some hipster glasses.

And welcome

wow, that's a bit disheartening. I'm quite a shy individual so I guess I'll have to be out of my element for a bit.

As for the earlier comments about the commute, My work would be located downtown- so I take it the extra dollars in rent is more favorable than battling the traffic...

[squiggs96]

Go out to one of the Flames Fans in Vancouver get togethers.

Here's the next one: http://forum.calgarypuck.com/showthread.php?t=113315

[VANFLAMESFAN]

Originally Posted by feartheflames

wow, that's a bit disheartening. I'm quite a shy individual so I guess I'll have to be out of my element for a bit.

As for the earlier comments about the commute, My work would be located downtown- so I take it the extra dollars in rent is more favorable than battling the traffic...

Not necessarily. The transit system is very good in the Lower Mainland. There's plenty of cheaper options in Burnaby/Coquitlam. Now, it's not night and day cheaper, but it is and you'll find more space in Burnaby apartments than in downtown apartments. If you live relatively close to a Skytrain station, and if you plan properly(use the translink website), you can be Downtown in less than half hour, relatively stress free.

It's about lifestyle as well. I personally can't stand how busy downtown gets during the day, so I stay away. I live on the East Van/Burnaby border, have a 20 driving minute commute in and out from work and am very happy. But if you like being close to plenty of coffee bars/restaurants/shopping etc, then downtown is for you.

And don't take the snobby people comment too seriously. I find the people in Vancouver very friendly and easy to approach. There are exceptions, but it's certainly not the rule.

[Winsor_Pilates]

Originally Posted by feartheflames

wow, that's a bit disheartening. I'm quite a shy individual so I guess I'll have to be out of my element for a bit.

As for the earlier comments about the commute, My work would be located downtown- so I take it the extra dollars in rent is more favorable than battling the traffic...

I would recommend living DT, or very close to when you first get here.
Unlike Calgary, downtown is very busy here and it will be easier for you to meet people and meet up with people once you've met them

As mentioned, it's not an easy city to make friends. I'd recommend joining social activities you're interested in such as rec sports leagues, dance classes whatever's your thing.
Many of my best friends here are people I started playing soccer with 5 years ago when I first moved here.

The Flames Fans in Van meet ups have been pretty cool so far, come out for one of those and meet some of us and other non CP Flames fans in the city.

If you want any advice on places to live, good/bad buildings etc. send me a PM. I'm a Vancouver Realtor and happy to help out, even if you're just renting.

PS. Bring a shovel

[Flash Walken]

Bring Cash.

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by Crazy Bacon Legs

Hey neat, another Flames fan in Vancouver. We need more of us out here. You know people here actually cheer for the Canucks? It's insane.

One bit of advice I would give is to look more at your neighbourhood than how big your house/condo and/or yard are going to be. Calgary has a weird mentality that you MUST own a house with a tiny yard in the suburbs to be successful. Get a smaller place in a good neighbourhood and you will be much happier for it. There are a lot of awesome condo buildings and townhouse type places here, and many of them don't even leak. Avoid Surrey. It's a hole.

A lot of neighbourhoods here are very walkable and you can commute by bike or walking. Also, transit is actually quite good here, although I try to avoid it because people are germ-ridden bags of disease waiting to pollute your body. But generally speaking, it's easy to get around here. I even know a guy called Eddie who travels everywhere on his hands! He is insane though, and everyone throws potato chips at him.

Try your best to avoid a lengthy commute. People can't drive here. Seriously. It's horrible. I would hate to measure my blood pressure during a commute because I would blow up the cuff and injure my physician. Plus, taking your blood pressure while driving is probably not safe. But people seriously can't drive here. Prepare yourself for that.

Other than that, enjoy moving to Vancouver and enjoy yourself here. It rains a hell of a lot, but it's warm and humid. One of the fringe benefits of living out here is that your skin will no longer look like beef jerky from the lack of humidity. I hear they moved an Egyptian mummy here from Calgary once, and it turned out it was just a guy named Eddie who was a bit dessicated. Yes, the SAME Eddie from before. See how that story came full circle?!

PM me if you need any more information. And welcome to the belly of the beast. Don't mention being a Flames fan, or people will pinch you.

You sir, need to post more

[Locke]

Originally Posted by feartheflames

haha- the men everywhere suck! (present company excluded of course)

Damn rights.

Originally Posted by Winsor_Pilates

PS. Bring a shovel

Hes being serious. They need shovels, they dont have any and they dont know how to use them.

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by Winsor_Pilates

I would recommend living DT, or very close to when you first get here.
Unlike Calgary, downtown is very busy here and it will be easier for you to meet people and meet up with people once you've met them

As mentioned, it's not an easy city to make friends. I'd recommend joining social activities you're interested in such as rec sports leagues, dance classes whatever's your thing.
Many of my best friends here are people I started playing soccer with 5 years ago when I first moved here.

The Flames Fans in Van meet ups have been pretty cool so far, come out for one of those and meet some of us and other non CP Flames fans in the city.

If you want any advice on places to live, good/bad buildings etc. send me a PM. I'm a Vancouver Realtor and happy to help out, even if you're just renting.

PS. Bring a shovel

4th!

[Puppet Guy]

[QUOTE=Crazy Bacon Legs;3492960] One of the fringe benefits of living out here is that your skin will no longer look like beef jerky from the lack of humidity. I hear they moved an Egyptian mummy here from Calgary once, and it turned out it was just a guy named Eddie who was a bit dessicated. QUOTE]

was it this dessicated Eddie?

[Galakanokis]

I am out in Burnaby and commute (drive) to Yaletown, it is not so bad. Maybe 30 mins give our take. It all depends what you are looking for. Downtown can be very fun so can places like the west 4th Kits area. It can also be busy which I like to avoid. I find working and living in the same area kind of sucks, feels like you never get away.

Been here for 10 years now and I have meet some great friends, the best one tend not to be from here and the canuck homers can be kind of annoying but good friends non the less.

I haven't been to a Flames game meet yet but it might be a good place to start as you will meet people with common interests.

Best of luck.