Should I move back to Calgary?

[rubecube]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

I say again not all suburbs are the same.

They're not all the same, but they're similar. I even like some of the neighbourhood pubs in various suburbs, but it's hardly some rich, cultural experience.

And again, they're definitely geared more towards the married with kids crowd. Trying to pick up girls and/or really tie one on on a Saturday night are rarely things you'll do successfully in the suburbs. I'm not really about the nightclub scene anymore either, but I do like a little variety in the form of live music venues, cocktail lounges, etc.

[Ozy_Flame]

Originally Posted by rubecube

If you're planning on starting a family, you'll likely be spending a chunk of your time with other families, who mostly live in the suburbs and as such you're likely going to be commuting out to the suburbs to socialize or forcing them to come into the city.

This is very true. Friends we have in Calgary that have kids in sports are driving them around to end-of-city rinks, soccer fields and ballparks, and sometimes at very odd times of the day. Driving is part of the culture/daily life. For the vast majority, living in Calgary means you need a car. Not unlike many other cities in North America too.

[rubecube]

Originally Posted by Weitz

Wouldn't this be like me complaining about Victoria then describing life living in Langford?

100% which is why I said you could mitigate some of these issues by living in the beltline.

That said, same thing would apply here. If I really wanted to afford to start a family, own a home, etc., I'd likely find myself either living or spending a lot of time in Langford because that's where most of the young families live these days.

I'd 100% choose living in a Calgary suburb over any of the Westshore communities out here.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by rubecube

They're not all the same, but they're similar. I even like some of the neighbourhood pubs in various suburbs, but it's hardly some rich, cultural experience.

And again, they're definitely geared more towards the married with kids crowd. Trying to pick up girls and/or really tie one on on a Saturday night are rarely things you'll do successfully in the suburbs. I'm not really about the nightclub scene anymore either, but I do like a little variety in the form of live music venues, cocktail lounges, etc.

Look I don't want this to turn into a suburb v downtown thread, (cuz really Peter12 is doing some good work in here), but they aren't all the same.

My suburb has lots of different pubs for example, smaller non-chain ones and large chain ones.

We have high end steak house and independently owned higher end restaurants.

We also have some culture diversity, Japansese/Chinese/Viennese, Southeast Asian places to name but a few.

We have a couple of great breakfast places as well.

I can tell you that I have really "tied one on" a number of times in my suburb, hell there is nothing better on a nice warm afternoon than doing a pub crawl in my suburb, good patios and good food/booze.

Picking up girls I can't speak to, but in my neighbourhood there are a large number of multi story condos and if my leering at the pub has taught me anything there are lots of lovely attractive young ladies in my 'hood.

[Igottago]

I moved to Vancouver in 2017, but was still going back to Calgary often for work (pre-pandemic). The decrease in vibrancy downtown in Calgary was really striking since I had been removed from it. Seeing all the newly shuttered restaurants and businesses, the lack of life on places like Stephen Ave, really sucked. It wasn't that way when I was working and living downtown the earlier part of the decade. It had much more of a pulse.
I think Calgary is one of the best places on earth for a material quality of life for your dollar. But it definitely feels sleepy and repetitive at times. If you want the suburb life I can't think of a better place. Hopefully the economy roars back at some point and the city regains a little bit of atmosphere.

[Senator Clay Davis]

Inner city is the only way to live in Victoria unless you enjoy idling in your car. Langford and Metchosin are really nice places and all, but #### me it is brutal for traffic.

[rubecube]

To be fair, most of my experience in Calgary is in the SE/SW suburbs, and I have heard that the Northern section of the city tends to have a bit more variety going for it, so maybe that's the case. Like most native Calgarians, I know very little about the half of the city I didn't grow up/live in, other than the McMahon/UofC area.

[rubecube]

Originally Posted by Senator Clay Davis

Inner city is the only way to live in Victoria unless you enjoy idling in your car. Langford and Metchosin are really nice places and all, but #### me it is brutal for traffic.

Victoria proper is great. Downtown, Fairfield, Fernwood, James Bay, and Cook Street Village are all cool places to live. Vic West and Esquimalt or slowly getting better. The Saanich communities are generally nice, but boring. Westshore communities are brutal.

That said, they've pretty much completed the overpass at the McKenzie interchange, so the commute out to Langford isn't nearly as bad as it used to be.

[Bill Bumface]

Originally Posted by rubecube

Living in one of the beltline communities would definitely help with that, but then you also need to consider what your social circle is going to be. If you're planning on starting a family, you'll likely be spending a chunk of your time with other families, who mostly live in the suburbs and as such you're likely going to be commuting out to the suburbs to socialize or forcing them to come into the city.

This just isn't true anymore. I've lived inner city for over 10 years, and one of the biggest changes has been the influx of young kids.

I felt "lucky" to win the lottery to get my kid into the inner city public school that is 3 blocks from my house, as we had less than a 50% chance of getting in because demand is so high.

[afc wimbledon]

Originally Posted by btimbit

You've lived here before I'm guessing.

What are your concerns about moving back/why did you leave

once you leave Vancouver you can never go back

[rubecube]

Originally Posted by Bill Bumface

This just isn't true anymore. I've lived inner city for over 10 years, and one of the biggest changes has been the influx of young kids.

I felt "lucky" to win the lottery to get my kid into the inner city public school that is 3 blocks from my house, as we had less than a 50% chance of getting in because demand is so high.

That's good to hear. My experience is mostly anecdotal, as all of my friends with kids are in the suburbs.

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by rubecube

That's good to hear. My experience is mostly anecdotal, as all of my friends with kids are in the suburbs.

When we moved in to our inner city house ~15 years ago there weren't many kids around. Halloween would be about 15. The neighborhood had lots of elderly people, but over the years it transitioned back to young families, and we get 80 or so kids at Halloween now.

[Senator Clay Davis]

Originally Posted by rubecube

Victoria proper is great. Downtown, Fairfield, Fernwood, James Bay, and Cook Street Village are all cool places to live. Vic West and Esquimalt or slowly getting better. The Saanich communities are generally nice, but boring. Westshore communities are brutal.

That said, they've pretty much completed the overpass at the McKenzie interchange, so the commute out to Langford isn't nearly as bad as it used to be.

Did they give up on LRT? I remember there was a big push for it just before I left (2011).

[Macman]

nm

[I-Hate-Hulse]

Originally Posted by peter12

We are just making that transition from childless party couple to couple looking to have children but also host large dinner parties.

I'm not sure if you understand how transformational having a child (let alone two) would be to all aspects of your life. How you live, how you work, and what you do in your spare time all change. It's not like a pet where you bolt on some time for feeding and walking into your existing schedule. To be fair, I didn't really appreciate this until about 5 days after my 1st was born and my life was upside down.

I have this image of Peter12 as a suave, stylish, urbanist. I'm sure you'll swear it won't happen but I wonder if 10 years from now Peter12 be a Kirkland Signature wearing, Moxies loving, "everything I need is 10 minutes away in my SE lake community", suburbanite. You do seem like the "all in" type.

If it does - no shame in that - it's a different phase in life with different priorities.

[Barnes]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

Look I don't want this to turn into a suburb v downtown thread, (cuz really Peter12 is doing some good work in here), but they aren't all the same.

My suburb has lots of different pubs for example, smaller non-chain ones and large chain ones.

We have high end steak house and independently owned higher end restaurants.

We also have some culture diversity, Japansese/Chinese/Viennese, Southeast Asian places to name but a few.

We have a couple of great breakfast places as well.

I can tell you that I have really "tied one on" a number of times in my suburb, hell there is nothing better on a nice warm afternoon than doing a pub crawl in my suburb, good patios and good food/booze.

Picking up girls I can't speak to, but in my neighbourhood there are a large number of multi story condos and if my leering at the pub has taught me anything there are lots of lovely attractive young ladies in my 'hood.

Listen here Auburn Bay, once you cross 52nd those are our places.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by Barnes

Listen here Auburn Bay, once you cross 52nd those are our places.

Blackbird is my go to, literally stumbling distance.

But neighbours share, right?

[metallicat]

Originally Posted by I-Hate-Hulse

I'm not sure if you understand how transformational having a child (let alone two) would be to all aspects of your life. How you live, how you work, and what you do in your spare time all change. It's not like a pet where you bolt on some time for feeding and walking into your existing schedule. To be fair, I didn't really appreciate this until about 5 days after my 1st was born and my life was upside down.

I have this image of Peter12 as a suave, stylish, urbanist. I'm sure you'll swear it won't happen but I wonder if 10 years from now Peter12 be a Kirkland Signature wearing, Moxies loving, "everything I need is 10 minutes away in my SE lake community", suburbanite. You do seem like the "all in" type.

If it does - no shame in that - it's a different phase in life with different priorities.

Pete isn't suave or stylish. I read the fashion thread.

[peter12]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

Look I don't want this to turn into a suburb v downtown thread, (cuz really Peter12 is doing some good work in here), but they aren't all the same.

My suburb has lots of different pubs for example, smaller non-chain ones and large chain ones.

We have high end steak house and independently owned higher end restaurants.

We also have some culture diversity, Japansese/Chinese/Viennese, Southeast Asian places to name but a few.

We have a couple of great breakfast places as well.

I can tell you that I have really "tied one on" a number of times in my suburb, hell there is nothing better on a nice warm afternoon than doing a pub crawl in my suburb, good patios and good food/booze.

Picking up girls I can't speak to, but in my neighbourhood there are a large number of multi story condos and if my leering at the pub has taught me anything there are lots of lovely attractive young ladies in my 'hood.

You have a good Viennese restaurant in Auburn Bay? I'm impressed!

I am more of an inner city guy myself, but I lived in the Beltline for years and years and it was good enough for me.

Vancouver is great if you can live between Alma and Victoria and the water and 30th Ave. Otherwise, the suburbs here are just as dry, boring, and depressing as they are in Calgary. Worse even, because most of the houses are forty years old and there are no sidewalks in the further out suburbs.

People love to trash Calgary car culture, but the same damn thing exists in the Lower Mainland. I need a car to get to North Van, Richmond, both of the ferries, any of the ski hills, etc...

[peter12]

Originally Posted by I-Hate-Hulse

I'm not sure if you understand how transformational having a child (let alone two) would be to all aspects of your life. How you live, how you work, and what you do in your spare time all change. It's not like a pet where you bolt on some time for feeding and walking into your existing schedule. To be fair, I didn't really appreciate this until about 5 days after my 1st was born and my life was upside down.

I have this image of Peter12 as a suave, stylish, urbanist. I'm sure you'll swear it won't happen but I wonder if 10 years from now Peter12 be a Kirkland Signature wearing, Moxies loving, "everything I need is 10 minutes away in my SE lake community", suburbanite. You do seem like the "all in" type.

If it does - no shame in that - it's a different phase in life with different priorities.

Great point on the "life comes in stages." My partner and I are both at the point where we want a family and somewhere comfortable to live. I probably won't ever get to the Kirkland Dad look, but believe me, I'm very adventure dad already and there is nothing wrong with a Cactus Club.