I love working downtown. I love close enough and on the LRT line so I am out the door and in the office in 20 minutes. There is a lot of places to eat, lots of babes and good places to go for drinks on Friday. I would rather work DT than in any other part of the city.
My office is at my company's downtown facility but just today I had to use the suburban facility. Although it reduced my commute to around 15 minutes, the experience it offers pales to the downtown experience. The biggest thing would be the environment, I absolutely love being able to take a walk around the core on my breaks. Those strolls are so pleasant compared to navigating the very pedestrian-unfriendly suburban office parks.
Essentially, I prefer working in an environment built for people rather than the car. I think my colleague who was wearing heels as we traversed various parking lots today probably shares my sentiments.
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“Such suburban models are being rationalized as ‘what people want,’ when in fact they are simply what is most expedient to produce. The truth is that what people want is a decent place to live, not just a suburban version of a decent place to live.”
If i could pick working and living downtown or the suburbs i would pick the suburbs.
It's quieter. You don't have sirens blaring all the time, motorcycles outside so loud you can't hear the tv, fights at the pub just around the corner every friday night, and shopping carts rattling down the alley every morning. Also higher prices and constantly saying no i don't have any cigarettes is frustrating.
The worst part, trying to drive to your friends place out of downtown during rush hour.
I do like how shopping is always withing walking distance but the way they are building communities now it's getting better and better. Example McKenzie Towne.
Even with all of that, i would still pick Calgary's downtown over any other city Canada or the US.
Devonian Gardens, despite being pushed back again, will be opening in the spring. Another plus for working downtown. Even the bums and the light whiff of urine in the air that place is an awesome relaxing place for lunch or longer.
The turtles are gone though
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Live and work downtown...1 min walk to work...love it......wouldnt leave unless I wanted to live in a house...even though my balacony is only 5 x10 my backyard is princes island park...
I live downtown and this past summer I worked for my local government, so I would have loved to work somewhere like city hall a 5 minute bike ride from my house, but instead I had to the west end with about a 45 minute commute.
I would have much preferred working downtown. Even though much of downtown Ottawa is as nice and exciting as being under a freeway overpass.
An awful commute can make working anywhere bad - but like some others I have a really short commute.
I work downtown and love it. The biggest benefits in my mind are dining choices, great coffee, access to Stephen Ave and the bow river pathway, the Core shopping centre. There's a buzz working downtown that just doesn't exist elsewhere.
My wife, who doesn't work far away but in sort of an isolated corner of Stampede Park has a totally different experience - there's literally nothing around.
For me, I wouldn't consider a job if it were located in some business park.
There's a buzz working downtown that just doesn't exist elsewhere.
^ This.
I live near the core and work in the middle of nowhere - it's the worst scenario imaginable. I leave "Access to everything and a special vibe" in exchange for "Access to nothing and the smell of an industrial park".
I was downtown last week for the first time in a number of years. The energy/vibrancy/buzz was incredible and I would return to working downtown in a heartbeat.
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I love working downtown for most of the reasons already mentioned. Plus I'm lucky enough to have a parking space supplied by my work so thats a double thumbs up for me.
I have thought about working downtown a lot recently.
All I've ever know is industrial areas. I'm a white collar worker working in blue collar areas. I think there might be a bit of a culture shock if I were to work downtown.
Getting more than 30 minutes for lunch seems foreign to me. Leaving the office for a "walk" or going for a jog at lunch...all of these ideas are foreign. Even going to lunch is a rare occasion and usually only happens when I have clients in town. I don't like going for lunch because it's not an effective use of time (not that posting on CP is either).
I would one day like to experience working and living downtown, I just don't know if I have the personality for it.
Downtown is great, but I would prefer Calgary develops power centres around the City going forward. Crowfoot was supposed to be one; I imagine Westhills and Southcentre might get the same treatment one day.
I work downtown and love it. The biggest benefits in my mind are dining choices, great coffee, access to Stephen Ave and the bow river pathway, the Core shopping centre. There's a buzz working downtown that just doesn't exist elsewhere.
It's a rare time when I find myself in the downtown core on a weekday during business hours. I just love the buzz that is in the air all around, weekends are getting busier along Stephen avenue, but still nothing that compares to that feeling during the week.
