What's gotten better the last 10-15 years?

[CivicBlues]

This thread sort of sprung out of my mind after reading a bit of the Nostalgia thread: It's human nature to look at the past, especially the past of our youth with rose-tinted glasses. The flipside of that is seeing things today as much worse than they really are.

I've been going through a bit of a funk lately where I'm starting to see everything going to "shit". Traffic getting worse, Cost of living and housing rising exponentially, everything getting more crowded, Mainlanders, Hipsters, etc. All while employment and pay prospects remain stagnant. But then again things weren't always as great as you would have remembered back then and things probably aren't as bad now as they seem.

So in the interest of lifting a few spirits (ok, I admit, mine specifically) what do you think has gotten better in the last decade? I'm thinking of things more Metro Vancouver-specific as opposed to "better technology" (or maybe not depending on your point of view vis-a-vis human interaction).

To kick things off:

1. Diversity (both ethnic and from other parts of N. America) has certainly increased and that's translated into a huge assortment of dining options. Not too long ago you had a dearth of choices in the mid-range (talking more expensive than pho, less than Gothams) that weren't chains - now there's tons of hipster joints, mom-and-pop ethnic places, and heck even the chains have had to step up their game. As a foodie who's travelled the world, Vancouver today is almost unmatched for variety, authenticity, and reasonable cost of food.

2. Despite sensationalist media reports I definitely consider Vancouver city proper as much safer now than just 10 years ago. East Van especially has seem to have lost any kind of stigma. Gentrification has made it so I can tool at night around the eastern edges of Gastown/DTES without worrying about getting shanked. I seem to recall frequent reports of open gang warfare in the streets or fights in clubs on a weekly basis. Perhaps it was perception before as a youth, but I felt like you could really find yourself in more random trouble than before. Other suburbs I can't really speak to.

[320icar]

The modified car scene has gotten way better. OEM + has replaced rice

[Hondaracer]

Originally Posted by 320icar

The modified car scene has gotten way better. OEM + has replaced rice

So people finally came to their senses that the factory look/nicer oem parts were better than altezzas and tri-star momo's? Lol

[Tapioca]

1. Improvements in public transit
- Canada Line
- Evergreen extension and future Millennium Line extensions

2.Other infrastructure improvements
- Sea to Sky Highway
- Port Mann (way better than what we had before, despite the tolls)

3. Craft beer and alcohol
Microbreweries have replaced old neighbourhood pubs with Sysco-sourced food and stinky carpets.

4. YVR Airport
- truly one of the nicest airports in the world

5. Bike lanes (seriously)
- If you live in the City of Vancouver, biking is a viable and relatively safe way to get around

6. The economy in general
There's more people and there are more jobs (that can't buy you a house, but still). This a reflection of the economy here.

7. Fashion and appearances. People have always been more health conscious here, but people seem to have elevated their fashion and appearances in general.

[unit]

i sort of disagree with the yvr airport one. it's a nice airport but it's also a boring and uncomfortable one. the best airports are the ones where there is lounge seating if you wanna nap, libraries and cubicles if you wanna plug in or kill time reading, more than just one or two places to eat in the middle of the night, museums, showers that arent only available in premium lounges, etc... at least we have free wifi which a lot of places don't. the worst thing is getting 15m free wifi then having to pay.

on a positive note, flying has never been cheaper. you can easily find flights to the other side of the globe for under $1000 and often under $600.

[zyzzjr]

[Badhobz]

Cars have gotten better and cheaper. I remember back in 2000 when even plastic wheel covers were an optional extra for base model cars. Now you get bluetooth standard, backup camera standard, ac, power everything. These use to be unheard of luxury features restricted to only top tier cars.

[CivicBlues]

1. Improvements in public transit
- Canada Line
- Evergreen extension and future Millennium Line extensions

Agreed, although I rarely take transit

2.Other infrastructure improvements
- Sea to Sky Highway
- Port Mann (way better than what we had before, despite the tolls)

Agreed, but City of Vancouver infrastructure is stangant except for Bike lanes of course

3. Craft beer and alcohol
Microbreweries have replaced old neighbourhood pubs with Sysco-sourced food and stinky carpets.

Yup, goes hand in hand with the dining scene

4. YVR Airport
- truly one of the nicest airports in the world

Better be! They charge some of the highest landing fees to airlines to run this place which is passed down to us. Flying is cheaper I can give you that, but I'd like more substance than flash TBH. Still nothing better than arriving home at YVR from some godforsaken utilitarian hellhole like 80% of the ones in the US

5. Bike lanes (seriously)
- If you live in the City of Vancouver, biking is a viable and relatively safe way to get around

All I know is this contributes to the infrastructure mess in the City, as a car driver this is bullshit

6. The economy in general
There's more people and there are more jobs (that can't buy you a house, but still). This a reflection of the economy here.

Yup, more jobs. But more people too wanting those jobs. Sorta explains why starting salaries are STILL 35K a year 15 years later

7. Fashion and appearances. People have always been more health conscious here, but people seem to have elevated their fashion and appearances in general.

Agreed. Fewer lululemmings and more attention to your personal experience esp for the under 30 set. When I was in my early 20s most of my friends and I looked positively sloppy in comparison.

[yray]

[quasi]

Internet, Cellphones & cellphone coverage including Internet on phones.

[roastpuff]

Originally Posted by unit

i sort of disagree with the yvr airport one. it's a nice airport but it's also a boring and uncomfortable one. the best airports are the ones where there is lounge seating if you wanna nap, libraries and cubicles if you wanna plug in or kill time reading, more than just one or two places to eat in the middle of the night, museums, showers that arent only available in premium lounges, etc... at least we have free wifi which a lot of places don't. the worst thing is getting 15m free wifi then having to pay.

on a positive note, flying has never been cheaper. you can easily find flights to the other side of the globe for under $1000 and often under $600.

I'd still take YVR over 95% of the USA airports. Of course, there are much better ones overseas, but within North America I'd take YVR in a heartbeat. Maybe SFO would beat it out.

[Hakkaboy]

Ramen has gotten better than back when Kintaro's was the only game in town

[slicrick]

Cell phone service, especially in the fraser valley. There used to be so many dead zones where you could barely get any reception let alone 3G/LTE, it doesn't seem to be a problem anymore though.

Now cell phone service plan prices, that's another story.

[dat_steve]

shipping and e-commerce in general.

i abuse the shit out of my annual amazon prime trial!

[pastarocket]

What has gotten better in the last 10-15 years?

Revscene, of course!


There are more interesting threads in the "Vancouver Off-Topic/Currents" section for discussion.

-better pictures of even more sick cars in the "Sick Cars of Vancouver" thread of Revscene Spotted.


What about the number of exotic cars in the Lower Mainland? -definitely more car porn these days on the streets.

[dat_steve]

^ that's debatable...you used to get a lot more drama/juicy local *ahem* stories circa 2005-2010. i'd argue revscene had more characters back then, who made day-to-day lurking more interesting.

[Traum]

Originally Posted by Tapioca

1. Improvements in public transit
- Canada Line
- Evergreen extension and future Millennium Line extensions

I both agree and disagree on this one. Yes, the public transit network / infrastructure noticeably improved mainly due to the 2 things you cited. At the same time, the number of public transit users grew significantly as well. IMO, the usage rates outgrew the growth in capacity by quite a bit. 10 - 12 years ago when I was working in DT, I never had to wait for a 2nd Skytrain. But now, missing the 2nd or even 3rd Skytrain is not out of the ordinary because they were just packed to the gills.

I would also say the Compass Pass is a long overdue piece of everyday technology, and I enjoy the convenience of just using that, instead of constantly going back to the store to pick up transit ticket packages. At the same time, the absurd cost overruns are something we are going to be paying off for a long time.

6. The economy in general
There's more people and there are more jobs (that can't buy you a house, but still). This a reflection of the economy here.

CivicBlues has already made a point that I wanted to make, so I won't repeat that here. The point that I would like to emphasize though, is exactly that affordability problem that you pointed out. What good does it do when I have a job, but can't lay my roots down to buy a home and raise a family? Especially when it comes to family building, having stability is YUUUUUGE for a lot of people. For those who are considering to go into that phase, not having that stability could be a determining factor in delaying their family plans. For those who are already in that phase, settling down in your own home, or looking at the prospect of a growing family is exactly like chasing a moving target.

On a personal note about what has gotten better in the last 10 years or so, the best shining example that I can think of is the local motorsports scene. Club racing was struggling with attendance and available venue issues back then, and it was at one point under the threat of getting shut down entirely. But the figures involved stepped up their game, and with a small stroke of luck as well, the sport is now thriving. And not only that, the available venues and events just exploded, and we are no longer limited to only just 3 easily accessible venues. And for that, I am extremely grateful.

[Tapioca]

Originally Posted by Traum

CivicBlues has already made a point that I wanted to make, so I won't repeat that here. The point that I would like to emphasize though, is exactly that affordability problem that you pointed out. What good does it do when I have a job, but can't lay my roots down to buy a home and raise a family? Especially when it comes to family building, having stability is YUUUUUGE for a lot of people. For those who are considering to go into that phase, not having that stability could be a determining factor in delaying their family plans. For those who are already in that phase, settling down in your own home, or looking at the prospect of a growing family is exactly like chasing a moving target.

People vote with their feet. What I'm seeing is more people, more restaurants, more stores, more coffee shops, more traffic, and more garbage in our neighbourhoods. This is why Vancouver is better in some of the areas we've talked about. More people usually means progress, at least in some areas.

Despite low paying jobs, people continue to stay and move here. Maybe we are going to come to a point where people are truly going to be fed up and move en masse to the Island, the Sunshine Coast, Kamloops, or Prince George. I wouldn't count on it though. People will just bitch and complain while sipping their lattes with their heads buried in their phones. For every person that leaves, 2 more people come in and fight for that job and shitty basement suite. Why is this happening? Maybe because Vancouver is actually a better place than other places.

As far as starting a family goes, people are still getting married and having kids. Baby stores can't keep enough UPPAbaby strollers in stock. Daycares have waitlists that are 2 years long. People are still making those sacrifices they need to in order to raise a family.

Affordability sucks, there's no doubt about that. But, if this place is truly bad, why aren't people leaving?

[Traum]

Yes, people vote with their feet. At the same time, people are also willing to put up with shxt -- at times, huge amounts of shxt -- when there are emotional attachments involved. Things getting worse doesn't necessarily translate into people leaving. Conversely, just because more people are coming doesn't mean things have not gotten worse.

Yes, people are still getting married and still having kids. At the same time, we also have more people deciding not to have kids or delaying their family plans. Daycares have long waitlists not because there is a lack of demand -- it is because there isn't enough incentives for people to go into that line of business, resulting in a supply problem.

You are correct that Vancouver is continuing to experience an influx of people because it is a better place -- at times a much better place -- than the shxtholes that they have left behind. But that doesn't mean Vancouver hasn't gotten worse compared to its former self.

[Tapioca]

If owning a detached Vancouver special on $20/hour was what made life in Vancouver great in the good old days, then there's not much to argue there.

I lived in East Van when there were real problems: gang related violence, dilapidated houses, and property crime. I had ignoramuses yell racial slurs on my way to school in the 1980s and 1990s.

People often tend to reflect on their past through rose-coloured glasses.

[murd0c]

I'm shocked it hasn't been said yet but BEER has gotten way better in the past 10-15 years.. All if these micro brewery's locally are beyond fantastic and there are close to endless options now.

[Ch28]

Originally Posted by unit

i sort of disagree with the yvr airport one. it's a nice airport but it's also a boring and uncomfortable one. the best airports are the ones where there is lounge seating if you wanna nap, libraries and cubicles if you wanna plug in or kill time reading, more than just one or two places to eat in the middle of the night, museums, showers that arent only available in premium lounges, etc... at least we have free wifi which a lot of places don't. the worst thing is getting 15m free wifi then having to pay.

on a positive note, flying has never been cheaper. you can easily find flights to the other side of the globe for under $1000 and often under $600.

I'd take YVR over most airports in the US. Europe and Asia are a little different, but most American airports are complete dives. Places like LAX and JFK get mentioned so much in TV, movies, etc. but they're horrible airports. Same goes with the Honolulu airport. I felt like I traveled back to the 90s when I got off the plane...

[CivicBlues]

^Tapioca did i his first reply.

Originally Posted by Tapioca

3. Craft beer and alcohol
Microbreweries have replaced old neighbourhood pubs with Sysco-sourced food and stinky carpets.

Originally Posted by Tapioca

I lived in East Van when there were real problems: gang related violence, dilapidated houses, and property crime. I had ignoramuses yell racial slurs on my way to school in the 1980s and 1990s.

I grew up on the westside (when it was still populated with middle-class families a loong long time ago) and remember as a child I thought that people from East Van were either hardcore or on welfare. Friends in Burnaby thought the same too when I lived there too. It's funny how much things have changed now..same east side neighborhoods I thought were rough are the now the haunt of latte sipping special snowflakes .

[unit]

Originally Posted by pastarocket

What has gotten better in the last 10-15 years?

Revscene, of course!


There are more interesting threads in the "Vancouver Off-Topic/Currents" section for discussion.

-better pictures of even more sick cars in the "Sick Cars of Vancouver" thread of Revscene Spotted.


What about the number of exotic cars in the Lower Mainland? -definitely more car porn these days on the streets.

well 15 years ago RS was basically brand new, but in the last 5 years it's been a real downhill slide.

[CivicBlues]

sheiit 2001-2005 was the Golden age of RS.. No turning back the clock now.