Not Vancouver Bashing

[blankall]

Originally Posted by AR_Six

Speaking as a lawyer, the difference in pay for us is actually rather insane. I.e., as a 7th year call in Vancouver you are making literally 50% of what you are making in Calgary at the same firm (in terms of national firms with offices in both cities and their comparables).

Also a lawyer. The difference in pay isn't that extreme. The only difference is there is more opportunity for high end corporate work in Calgary. If you want to spend all day doing O&G transactions, then yes, there is more opportunity in Calgary. Keep in mind, very few lawyers hang onto the corporate ladder into their 7th year in either of Calgary or Vancouver, which makes it a bit of a moot point.

I also think you're extrapolating a few examples of elite oil and gas guys for all lawyers in Calgary. I know many lawyers in Calgary, and the salary differences between them and Vancouver are slim beyond first year, even at larger firms. Also, good luck becoming one of those elite oil and gas guys if you're not born with the right connections.

Like I said before, there are a lot more jobs in the O&G industry in Calgary than Vancouver. If that's your thing, stay in Calgary. Vancouver has no comparable industry to that. Once again, I think Calgary is the outlier here, as oppossed to the norm. There are few cities in the world with an industry like the Alberta O & G industry, and, yes it does generate a lot of work, when things are good.

[Vulcan]

Originally Posted by MrMastodonFarm

For a city as well known and as populated as Vancouver I've never been blown away by their skyline. They have one building over 200ft and a bunch of wannabes after that.

Mind you, that could be as a Calgarian we are spoiled in big towers for our size.

You must mean 200 meters as there are 45 buildings above 328 feet. They also have height restrictions.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...s_in_Vancouver

Calgary does have a great skyline especially for it's size.

[blankall]

Originally Posted by MrMastodonFarm

For a city as well known and as populated as Vancouver I've never been blown away by their skyline. They have one building over 200ft and a bunch of wannabes after that.

Mind you, that could be as a Calgarian we are spoiled in big towers for our size.

Vancouver has by-laws that prevent the construction of tall buildings. They want to preserve the skyline that allows you to see the mountains in the background behind the buildings.

The Shangri-La is the tallets building in Vancouver, and they needed an exception to construct that. There are plans for a few more tall buildings, but the plan in Vancouver is many 20-30 story buildings, as oppossed to the 50+ story monsters.

[pylon]

I lived there for just under a year.

Geographically and architecturally, the most beautiful City in the world. The people however, are generally not pleasant. Between the ultra PC white people, and all the minority groups that segregated into their own little corners, and wanted nothing to do with anyone outside of their cultural group, it was a very difficult place to be happy. I gave up the job of a lifetime to come back home to Calgary.

Vancouver to me was like the super hot chick that is an absolute smoke show on the surface, but once she opens her mouth, and you really get to know her, you realize the cute girl next door with the big bum was the right choice all along.

Calgary is a cute girl with a big bum.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by pylon

I lived there for just under a year.

Geographically and architecturally, the most beautiful City in the world. The .

Really, the whole world? I can think of any number of cities that are just as stunning geography wise, and better architecturally wise.

[Yakbutter]

well said well said

[pylon]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

Really, the whole world? I can think of any number of cities that are just as stunning geography wise, and better architecturally wise.

In Canada definitely. And it would easily be in the top 10 in the world.

[VANFLAMESFAN]

I played tennis in t shirt and shorts the past two Saturdays in March.

You don't get that in many places in Canada.


At the end of the day, there'll never be a right or wrong answer. Just personal preference. I have lived here my whole life and love it. I've visited calgary a couple times during different parts of the year and wanted to come home after a couple days.

[Bunk]

Biggest hole in Vancouver's SkyTrain is not serving one of the largest trip generators which is UBC, nor can it directly serve Simon Fraser. Calgary's serves SAIT/ACAD well and U of C reasonably well although should have run right through the middle of Campus (university rejected that idea).

Calgary's next two LRT legs SE and North Central will give the system very good coverage. Crosstown BRT will connect the dots better. Airport rail willl be an important link too.

Gotta keep things in context, Calgary at 1.3 million is light years ahead of Vancouver at 1.3 million (Van had no rail at that size) Calgary at 2.4 million will be far ahead of where Vancouver is now.

This is the plan for transit: RouteAhead.ca

Biggest reason why Calgary's ridership is strong, particularly LRT is because employment is highly centralized and the system serves those trips well. Vancouver's employment is dispersed regionally, so a lower chance you're served as effectively by transit. Calgary's system needs to improve most for out of peak - non commute trips and trips not touching downtown, that's what the RouteAhead plan focuses on.

Originally Posted by AR_Six

To be honest, if so, I really can't fathom why. The issue with the CTrain is that it doesn't really go anywhere. It goes somewhat near places, but not actually to them. This being Calgary, where it is cold, I am dissuaded from using the train to travel somewhere like Chinook, which requires either waiting for a shuttle or walking 10 minutes to get to the actual mall. Same applies to basically every station to some degree or other. Compare to the Vancouver LRT lines that actually go inside Pacific Centre and Oakridge and Rogers Arena and the Seabus terminal. It's so bloody convenient to use those things that there's no possible reason not to - it's actually a significantly lesser hassle than driving to those locations and parking.

From my purely subjective point of view, the Vancouver transit system is light years better than ours. That with the context that in my opinion the bus service is purely ancillary to the LRT service - it is more or less only useful to get you from your origin point to the LRT and from the LRT to your destination, if either of those additional bus trips are necessary (i.e. the LRT is out of walking distance from either your origin or destination point).

[VANFLAMESFAN]

I also find this thread coming out and all the weather bashing really funny because we just had the three most beautiful days of the year and forecast shows its staying till the weekend.

Yes it rains a lot In the winter and some of spring but the 10 months out of the year notion is a bunch of crap. September is the best month to visit this city. Beautiful sunshine and not too hot. Around 21-23 and that's ideal for me.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by pylon

In Canada definitely. And it would easily be in the top 10 in the world.

Geography in Canada yes, but Quebec City and Montreal have some amazing areas buildings, also, Winnipeg has some nice old buildings.

[MrMastodonFarm]

Originally Posted by Vulcan

You must mean 200 meters as there are 45 buildings above 328 feet. They also have height restrictions.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...s_in_Vancouver

Calgary does have a great skyline especially for it's size.

Yeah, meters. Brain fart.

[Joborule]

Originally Posted by flameswin

Haha, that reminds of one of my all time favorite CP moments. It was back when VANFLAMESFAN would defend Vancouver tooth and nail. Then one day in some Vancouver related thread, someone made a quip about it always being rainy.

VFF responded snippily, saying something like "Really, cause I'm in Vancouver, looking out my window right now and the sun's shining bright" Then someone (MMF I think) posted a link to a live webcam of downtown Vancouver, and it was an absolute downpour. Like so rainy that you couldn't even pretend it wasn't downpouring anywhere within half an hour of this camera.

Someone needs to find this.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by VANFLAMESFAN

I also find this thread coming out and all the weather bashing really funny because we just had the three most beautiful days of the year and forecast shows its staying till the weekend.

Yes it rains a lot In the winter and some of spring but the 10 months out of the year notion is a bunch of crap. September is the best month to visit this city. Beautiful sunshine and not too hot. Around 21-23 and that's ideal for me.

We can have a month of your week of sunny weather though. When it's nice it's really nice in Vancouver no doubt but it's just not nice enough for a person like me that has been brought up to expect a lot of sunny days.

[VANFLAMESFAN]

Originally Posted by Joborule

Someone needs to find this.

The story is exaggerated a little bit.

[VANFLAMESFAN]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

We can have a month of your week of sunny weather though. When it's nice it's really nice in Vancouver no doubt but it's just not nice enough for a person like me that has been brought up to expect a lot of sunny days.

Oh and that totally might be it. I'm just so used to it, I don't know anything different.

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by VANFLAMESFAN

The story is exaggerated a little bit.

Not really. It was pretty much "Vancouver's always rainy" "I'm looking out my window right now and it's sunny and bright"; *webcam link gets posted and shows a miserable, rainy day.

C'mon man, it was hilarious, have a sense of humor about yourself.

[wpgflamesfan]

I think the weirdest part about Vancouver is its residents inability to hear any criticism of the city without immediately jumping to its defence.

[VANFLAMESFAN]

Originally Posted by flameswin

Not really. It was pretty much "Vancouver's always rainy" "I'm looking out my window right now and it's sunny and bright"; *webcam link gets posted and shows a miserable, rainy day.

C'mon man, it was hilarious, have a sense of humor about yourself.

I don't recall it the same way but yeah, it's along those same lines. I don't recall saying it was gorgeous or whatever adjective outside. And I don't recall the pic being of this great big downpour. But I'm more than willing to be proven wrong and owned if someone can find it but I can't recall when it was.

[Yakbutter]

Vancouver weather 101

The Rainy Season: 8ish months of being pelted by freezing rain and looking at grey clouds

Summer: 2 months of unrelenting 30 degree weather so humid that you need to put deodorant on your nutsack.