[niu99]

Friendly Canadians and Vancouverites are a myth. I now live in the US after 30 years in BC and the people here are so much better. When I lived in vancouver there wasn't a day that goes by about how unfriendly the people are it's in the media constantly. the standoffish nature of BC is astounding. Vancouver is literally the most alienating city I've ever experienced, plus the scenery is not as great as it's supposed reputation.

If you're skilled worker Vancouver is where you DON'T go for work. It's good for ski vacation and that's it, then you go back to a real city and get a real job. Never have I seen as huge a discrepency between what a city is like and how it's marketed.

There were days honest to god, I was going to commit suicide if I was trapped in vancouver any longer. I would have jumped off the Granville street bridge. I have lived in 7 cities, Vancouver is literally the worst.

Anyone that I know that is successful has left that town long ago and like me they are WAY happier, the only people remain are the naive underachievers that are afraid of the big bad world so they hide behind mommy's skirt doing nothing with their lives

I cashed out my 750k mortgage free condo to some foreigner and never looked back.

Vancouver is not worth it. Vancouver is a bland overpriced sham with limited career options.

Vancouver is antisocial. It's non debatable. The culture is hockey and marijauna and the NDP and non talking to others and avoiding eye contact. It's where underachievers go.

That's the real truth.




From
http://www.city-data.com/forum/vancouver/1542263-scandinavian-skilled-worker-vancouver-my-story.html

[Eastwood]

It seems its turning that way. Where the rich don't work, and the common folk can't afford the housing. I can't imagine a culture 20 years from now where people in their early 20's like myself currently can't afford a home in the future.

[StylinRed]

Friendly Canadians and Vancouverites are a myth. I now live in the US after 30 years in BC and the people here are so much better. When I lived in vancouver there wasn't a day that goes by about how unfriendly the people are it's in the media constantly. the standoffish nature of BC is astounding. Vancouver is literally the most alienating city I've ever experienced, plus the scenery is not as great as it's supposed reputation.

If you're skilled worker Vancouver is where you DON'T go for work. It's good for ski vacation and that's it, then you go back to a real city and get a real job. Never have I seen as huge a discrepency between what a city is like and how it's marketed.

There were days honest to god, I was going to commit suicide if I was trapped in vancouver any longer. I would have jumped off the Granville street bridge. I have lived in 7 cities, Vancouver is literally the worst.

Anyone that I know that is successful has left that town long ago and like me they are WAY happier, the only people remain are the naive underachievers that are afraid of the big bad world so they hide behind mommy's skirt doing nothing with their lives

I cashed out my 750k mortgage free condo to some foreigner and never looked back.

Vancouver is not worth it. Vancouver is a bland overpriced sham with limited career options.

Vancouver is antisocial. It's non debatable. The culture is hockey and marijauna and the NDP and non talking to others and avoiding eye contact. It's where underachievers go.

That's the real truth.


sorry but most of your posting was being rather condescending to everyone here... at first i was expecting someone who just found it good in another city and was thinking "oh good for you"

but then by the end of the post it just seemed like someone who was butt hurt over living in vancouver because they were unpopular and unable to get ahead and now just wants to bitch at the city where they lived.... and its kind of like :seriously:


as for being anti-social i think thats more of an issue with the age of living through your mobile/computer that is noticeable globally and not something specific to vancouver but it really doesnt seem like a problem

[KingDeeCee]

I thought you were banned.

[Iceman-19]

Vancouver does suck, it's true.

[muteki]

:rolleyes: The points are more or less true. Though the end of the post was unnecessary...

[Iceman-19]

He mad bro. Don't blame him though. I only moved back because of family and friends, I don't work in BC though.

[trancehead]

its this shit ass weather
granted its beautiful here for a couple months
other than that its terrible

strong S.A.D. effect

[StylinRed]

and now you link the original topic/forum that this is from.... ??? and its not even the op it was just some random posting where everyone disagreed with him

and the person you quoted? (is it you?) has been unemployed for over a year in the utopia he found abroad.... lol
http://www.city-data.com/forum/22933339-post37.html

:fulloffuck: niu-troll

[goo3]

Vancouver has no big employers. No shit. Why did it take this guy 30 years to figure this out? If he wanted to achieve something big with his career without starting his own business, maybe the joke's on him.

[jack3d]

its the weather that sucks

[g604]

Friendly Canadians and Vancouverites are a myth. I now live in the US after 30 years in BC and the people here are so much better. When I lived in vancouver there wasn't a day that goes by about how unfriendly the people are it's in the media constantly. the standoffish nature of BC is astounding. Vancouver is literally the most alienating city I've ever experienced, plus the scenery is not as great as it's supposed reputation.

If you're skilled worker Vancouver is where you DON'T go for work. It's good for ski vacation and that's it, then you go back to a real city and get a real job. Never have I seen as huge a discrepency between what a city is like and how it's marketed.

There were days honest to god, I was going to commit suicide if I was trapped in vancouver any longer. I would have jumped off the Granville street bridge. I have lived in 7 cities, Vancouver is literally the worst.

Anyone that I know that is successful has left that town long ago and like me they are WAY happier, the only people remain are the naive underachievers that are afraid of the big bad world so they hide behind mommy's skirt doing nothing with their lives

I cashed out my 750k mortgage free condo to some foreigner and never looked back.

Vancouver is not worth it. Vancouver is a bland overpriced sham with limited career options.

Vancouver is antisocial. It's non debatable. The culture is hockey and marijauna and the NDP and non talking to others and avoiding eye contact. It's where underachievers go.

That's the real truth.




From
Scandinavian "Skilled Worker" in Vancouver: My Story - City-Data Forum (http://www.city-data.com/forum/vancouver/1542263-scandinavian-skilled-worker-vancouver-my-story.html)

Where did you move out to?

[Ulic Qel-Droma]

lol if I have a chance im moving to HK or shanghai. maybe taipei.

vancouver does suck.

well, it has its good points. i mean 3-6 months a year in the summer is nice to come back here and chill out and do nothing, and literally chill the fuck out.

but thats about it.

[jasonturbo]

Well, I moved here from Alberta about 4 years ago... This is how I see it:

- Awesome weather compared to most of Canada, you think the weather sucks here.. check out the prairies. Sure the rain is pretty gay at times, but when you consider it can be +10 and rainy here.. and in Alberta the very same day in Januray it's -30 and snowing... not sure that the rain really is that bad.

- Scenery, yest it's true, there is a lot of natural beauty, but only if you live in coastal Vanocuver, North Van (IMO), or West Van, the majority of Vancouver, Burnaby, Surrey, Langley, POCO, is IMO not very attractive... I would even say the houses lack character and they seem to be run down in many areas.

- Location, it's close to the US border and as such there is some super cheap flights to Cali and a short drive to WA, honorable menton for the short flight to Hawaii or Asia. On the flip side if you fly to Eastern Canada or USA on a regular basis, the eastbound flight can basically rob you of an entire day due to the flight duration and timezones.

- Jobs, or the most part are not bad and have comparable pay to the rest of Canada, luckily people here are stupid enough to take out 40 year mortgages at teaser rates on speculation of a never ending appreciating market and have basically made housing unafordable for the majority of the population. So the pay may seem low, but in fact it is failry consistent with the rest of Canada.. it's the cost of living that sucks.

- Work ethic, people here work less, and less hard. Living in an apartment in Edmonton, i would go down to the underground parking and it would basically clear out everyday between 6-7:30am and they wouldn't return until 5-6pm... here in BC, the underground parking remains full until about 10am and the cars are all back by 4-5pm... many of the people I know here hate working, bitch about it non stop, and work as little as possible.. where as in other parts of Canada, people love their jobs, and work extra all the time.

- Housing, 100% retarded, why I didn't buy a house here. Young people in this city signing up for mortgages, or even paying the high rental rates are making a mistake, you would be better off moving to one of Canada's "Less desirable" city's where the pay is high in contrast to the cost of living. There you can land a great job to build experience, the sort of job/position you would likely not be able to get in the lower mainland due to a more competitive job market compared to some of these cities. Pay off your "small" mortgage in a hurry (And likely in an appreciating market as it will be supported by fundementals, though Canada as a whole right now is overpriced in terms of housing.) and wind up years ahead of anyone who stayed in Vancouver to work in a lesser position (due to a more competitive job market) and burned all their income up on interest payments to bank or high rental rates to a landlord on his property that is also probably costing the landlord money every month cause he is probably carrying a huge mortgage on the place lol. You will have more opportunity to "climb the ladder" in less competitive cities, so start off there, and return to Van once you have established yourself career wise and financially if you're so inclined.

- Traffic, it's similar to other major Canadian citites, if I had to sit in it everyday i would probably blow my brains out... or change my work/home location to avoid the traffic.

- Taxes, provincial income tax rates are lower than many other provinces until you get waaay up there in the tax brackets, PST sucks, you immediately pay a 7% premium to live in BC compared to Alberta... just saying.

- Insurance, ICBC is expensive compared to the prairies, my insurance basically doubled here even with my perfect history and record, it's not until you hit Ontario that things get expensive again.

- Politics, this is all a matter of opinion, I have met a lot of people in BC that I would consider socialists... not interested in debating this, just saying that a lot of people here (in contrast with Alberta) seem like the cry baby-outreach type that have no idea about economics, all they care about is hugging trees and feeding junkies. (Disclaimer, I am a greedy capitalist and loyal follower of Mr. Harper in all his conservative goodness) So when people here cry for more services and hand outs, all I see is us dumping more debt on future generations... and I see that as a bigger problem than crack heads having to share their crack pipes.

- People, um... they seem like "good people" to me, whatever that means? lol I do think that some people in Van (especially the ones who havent "got out much") can easily come off as snobs... but maybe thats just my perception. Women are hotter, and sluttier in the prairies, I'm not joking.. but hey, maybe you're not into hot sluts, maybe your taste in women is a little more "meat and potatoes". Guys here seem pretty cool, haven't slept with any of them yet so not sure how slutty they are... maybe someone else can chime in on that? lol

That's it, nothing more than my opinion and observations, I live here so that's saying something isn't it lol. But I don't work in BC, and if I had to I would probably move, and with that statement I am strongly considering a move to the US in the near future since I travel for work and can basically settle where I please. The only other options for me in Canada is the interior but the logistics are a PITA, Calgary but the weather is shit in winter, or possibly GTA... though I haven't spent enough time there to really know if this would be a good idea.

Mehhh, it's Canada, it's geographically nature leads to a shitty climate no matter what province you call home, what can you do?

And if you think that people in BC work less becuse they are smart enough to take the time to enjoy their lives, I agree.. but you could work even less in cities where the avergage home doesn't cost 10x median household income.

EDIT: Just wanted to say I was forced to use the prairies for most of this as a means of comparison as that is where I have spent the majority of my life, I have lived in Alberta, BC, NWT, SK, MB, PEI, and have spent time all over Canada and the USA working or visiting family.

[Iceman-19]

I'm a huge slut

[FerrariEnzo]

it was at all like this.. and you should know well since you been in Vancouver for 30 years..

only within the 5 years or so, its taking a turn for the worse but a lot of other countries are facing this crisis...

[RFlush]

Why are you guys replying to the OP as if he wrote the article? Isn't it obvious he copy and pasted it with a link from another site?

[b0unce. [?]]

The culture is hockey and marijauna

That's the real truth.

Sounds good enough to me.

[JSS]

Regarding the weather, compared to the rest of the country, yes we do have "better weather"
compared to places like california, our weather is fucking GARBAGE. for a place thats ranked with the most expensive property prices in north america, you would expect it to be sunny 9 months out of the year, not rain. we got maybe 1 and a half months of decent summer last year, all of july was RAIN. on a side note, ive been fairly happy with the weather for the first half of april.

Second point, we have a ridiculous highway and road system. Traffic jams in a city with this size population, :seriously:
vancouver has a relatively small population compared to other major cities, and the idiots that plan infrastructure (past & present) here have the brain capacity of an autistic toddler. theyre FINALLY expanding highway 1, but you really think the expansions theyre doing now are gonna be relevant in 10 years? nope.
theres not even a main highway that gets you to downtown.

our taxes are as close to rape as taxes can get as well.

the thing i find most annoying about people in this city with money is, majority of them got it from mom and dad, which is fine because i would be nowhere without my parents support and help... but i HATE when these self indulgent wieners flaunt like theyre self made. you got money, thats nice, be humble about it.

if it wasnt for the fact that i have a crazy big family and large group of friends i would leave. infact im still considering heading down to norcal. nice thing about a career in aviation is i have the luxury to fly home pretty much for free whenever i want, which makes leaving for somewhere warm very appealing to me personally.
i could go on but ill stop... my main point, beautiful city? yes.
deserving to be the most expensive city in canada, yeah probably... but in north america? :fuckthatshit:

[sh0n]

Where did the OP move to?

[LiquidTurbo]

Whinerville

[Mike Oxbig]

"The culture is hockey and marijauna" - Whats up Vansterdam!

[Verdasco]

is a highway really necessary in downtown? when i went to seattle for the first time, i was surprised on how their downtown was so different compared to ours. Thoughts?

[twitchyzero]

having no freeway to downtown was a frequent complaint i hear from US visitors
i kind of like that we dont have one going to downtown...it'll just make it look ugly.

[JSS]

not necessary IN downtown, but something closer to downtown coming from the east to bypass all the lights on 1st ave and have on/off ramps into downtown and then heading south to bypass granville and oak connecting to 99 and to get people to the airport. you really like being in stop and go traffic on oak on a fucking SUNDAY AFTERNOON?

im no city planner and i know a majority of tree huggers would hate this and alot of people are opposed to a highway through the city, but had it been done 50 - 60 years ago they could have easily designed a simple 4 lane non stop highway, planned communities around it and planned it for noise abatement/not to look so ugly and all the necessary stuff needed to deal with a highway in a populated area.
not to mention the millions of small details im over looking, but this is just my take on things.

obviously way too late now and were permanently fucked for traffic. couple a decent highway in with the skytrain that does a decent job of bringing people working downtown into the core, congestion wouldnt be as bad.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v628/jshokar19/highway.png

[Verdasco]

reading the forum is pretty interesting on people's opinion

here is a quote from seattle vs vancouver thread

2. The people. Granted, I'm a born and bred New Yorker who came out west, but it seems to me that the people that I have met north of the border are much easier to get along with. Seattle, to me, is just bizarre. I've honestly never been to a place (New York included) where people simply don't say "thanks" when you hold a door open for them. (And, more infruriating to me, they don't "get it" when I say "you're welcome" really sarcastically. LOL) Of course, the "politeness" of the Canucks gets to me as well. But, overall, if I had to be plunked down in a group of strangers, I'd much rather it be people from Vancouver than a bunch of Seattleites.

Read more: Vancouver vs Seattle (hotel, neighbourhoods, construction) - Page 2 - City-Data Forum (http://www.city-data.com/forum/vancouver/532110-vancouver-vs-seattle-hotel-neighbourhoods-construction-2.html#ixzz1s2rrJc7L)

motha fucking true!! bitches be rude down south when i visit there all the time.

[punkwax]

Vancouver is awesome. Sorry to hear you didn't commit suicide.

[BossFrancis]

You could be living in a shithole and you could say its the best place ever. It's the things around you that keep you happy like friends and family. This guy probably came here for work, so there was less likely anyone he knew here.

[bloodmack]

was expecting to hear some crazy conspiracy.. all i read was a bunch of bitching. I don't live in vancouver but your points could be valid for any big city..

[belaud]

I work at NCIX, drive an STI, live in Vancouver and give 0 fucks :awwyeah:

[GabAlmighty]

Retarded thread is retarded

[smarv]

Originally Posted by niu99
If you're skilled worker Vancouver is where you DON'T go for work.

you either don't follow the news or your retarded because im a skilled trades worker and theres lots of work here. have you heard of Seaspan a company that received a government contract to build ships well there looking to hire around 5000 skilled tradesman full time for the next 30+ years including: Welders,Fabricators,Mechanics,Plumbers, and pipe fitters. We also have one of the largest forest and mining industries, and everything that goes up to the interior is made down here which is why we have the largest Fabrication shops: Ebco (canada's second largest industrial fab shop) , CanRon, etc... we also invest in our infrastructure more than other places: Portman & Golden ears bridge, our hydro dams, our water pipes, and our highways. so to say not to come here for work is a lie and you should jump off one of our new bridges.

[Iceman-19]

If you want to be paid a good wage you go elsewhere.

[achiam]

OP is usually failed for his anti rich Chinese immigrant posts, but he is absolutely correct. I was born and bred in Richmond, and had the chance to go away for school. I also have lots of close friends in other cities and it's true -- if you find a high paying career job in a big city elsewhere, you won't look back at Vancouver at all. Two weeks back in summer and winter every year for skiing/fishing/kayaking etc are more than enough.

[achiam]

you either don't follow the news or your retarded because im a skilled trades worker and theres lots of work here. have you heard of Seaspan a company that received a government contract to build ships well there looking to hire around 5000 skilled tradesman full time for the next 30+ years including: Welders,Fabricators,Mechanics,Plumbers, and pipe fitters. We also have one of the largest forest and mining industries, and everything that goes up to the interior is made down here which is why we have the largest Fabrication shops: Ebco (canada's second largest industrial fab shop) , CanRon, etc... we also invest in our infrastructure more than other places: Portman & Golden ears bridge, our hydro dams, our water pipes, and our highways. so to say not to come here for work is a lie and you should jump off one of our new bridges.

Trade workers are well paid, but they are not rich. With specified degrees, many people can earn in the several hundreds of thousands and up -- it's just that Vancouver isn't one of these financial or tech "hubs." I have a handful of UBC commerce friends in NYC earning well over $300K USD/year and are barely 35. The scary thing is that their salaries/bonuses will keep increasing year on year with experience. There are people earning that in Van, but the opportunity pool for that kind of wealth is very, very small. The stark reality is that the vast majority of wealth you see now is built from abroad.

[bing]

^I think the trades here pay well only because of the housing and construction conditions locally, it's probably not booming everywhere in North America and my guess is the pay may fluctuate greatly depending on region. I think if it weren't for the mad dash of wealthy immigrants wanting to move here, Vancouver probably would not have changed much if at all and things would have been kinda dead. Seems like all the builders (even some international ones) moved in once there was money to be made and we got all these nice towers and hotels (i.e. Shangri-la, Fairmont) that went up. Vancouver would have been like Victoria, where not a damn thing seems to have changed.

That's pretty awesome pay. What jobs did your friends land? I'm guessing finance. They must be REALLY talented though b/c I have a cousin from an Ivy (UPenn) who got referred by her prof and offered jobs at JP Morgan and Houlihan Loki was only paid 200k starting as a FA (at Houlihan, JP offered a bit more). It's too bad we aren't a financial or tech hub but I guess that won't ever happen, many people here don't seem to understand business and they voted out the HST lol. I agree, Vancouver is just a nice place to live and enjoy your wealth once you've made your $ abroad.

[bing]

if the guy who wrote that job prospects are bad here, I wonder how much better it would be for him in the States.

Apparently, 88 million in the country do not work according to the San Francisco Chronicle and the latest unemployment statistics are skewed by those dropping out of the search. I would say that's a pretty huge number for a country that has just over 300 million citizens.

88 million out of work and not looking for a job (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/02/08/BUIQ1N3RH8.DTL)

[gars]

People need to figure out what makes them happy. Is it financial success? Is it working a job that you're passionate about, or is it trying to create your own company and be your own boss? Is it surrounding yourself with the best friends? Is it going skiing every weekend? Is it smoking up everyday and living your life high? Is it starting a family and pumping out miniature versions of yourself? Is it getting a corner office in DT Manhatten?

Personally, I'm making enough money to be happy here. I have lived abroad in the UK for 2 years and traveled around, etc - but Vancouver is MY home. There were aspects to London I loved, but it wasn't my home. I might not be pulling in 100k a year, but my job pays for my bills and keeps a roof over my head.

I have plenty of friends who have moved abroad, either to Eastern Canada, or into the states. Either it was family, or to get away from family - to search for a career they can't have here, or to move to their dream city (NY, or whatever), or trying to make enough money so maybe one day they'll be featured in Cribs.

To those who aren't happy in Vancouver, if you think you'll be happy elsewhere, you should go ahead and move! Personally I hate whiners; if you hate this city, YVR is situated really close to the city center and a new life is only a few hours away.

[finbar]

I've lived in Dublin, Chicago, Seattle and Vancouver.
They're all good places to live, or miserable shitholes.
It's a matter of perspective, so make the best of it.
You're going to be dead a long time.

Dicky Fox - Success - YouTube

[Yodamaster]

Vancouver proper is a fucking joke, the further out you get, the easier and better the quality of life is.


I visited Austin, Texas a while back when I was picking up a car, and I swear, it's the happiest place on earth. I'd move there in a heartbeat if I had the chance. Warm weather, nice people, and nice (CHEAP) land.

[xPhuong]

Funny OP proudly has an avatar of a canadian flag but is bitching about his own city?
Honestly if you guys don't like it there's no reason you shouldn't be able to move out.
Austin texas is a 300$ no return flight. Why don't you head there? Enjoy it.
Keeps vancouver cheaper for the people who like this lifestyle.

[Graeme S]

Friendly Canadians and Vancouverites are a myth. I now live in the US after 30 years in BC and the people here are so much better. When I lived in vancouver there wasn't a day that goes by about how unfriendly the people are it's in the media constantly. the standoffish nature of BC is astounding. Vancouver is literally the most alienating city I've ever experienced, plus the scenery is not as great as it's supposed reputation.

If you're skilled worker Vancouver is where you DON'T go for work. It's good for ski vacation and that's it, then you go back to a real city and get a real job. Never have I seen as huge a discrepency between what a city is like and how it's marketed.

There were days honest to god, I was going to commit suicide if I was trapped in vancouver any longer. I would have jumped off the Granville street bridge. I have lived in 7 cities, Vancouver is literally the worst.

Anyone that I know that is successful has left that town long ago and like me they are WAY happier, the only people remain are the naive underachievers that are afraid of the big bad world so they hide behind mommy's skirt doing nothing with their lives

I cashed out my 750k mortgage free condo to some foreigner and never looked back.

Vancouver is not worth it. Vancouver is a bland overpriced sham with limited career options.

Vancouver is antisocial. It's non debatable. The culture is hockey and marijauna and the NDP and non talking to others and avoiding eye contact. It's where underachievers go.

That's the real truth.




From
Scandinavian "Skilled Worker" in Vancouver: My Story - City-Data Forum (http://www.city-data.com/forum/vancouver/1542263-scandinavian-skilled-worker-vancouver-my-story.html)

Oh hey, long time no see, Joe45!

[LiquidTurbo]

Gone from whining about women to whining about livability of Vancouver. Classic.

[Yodamaster]

Funny OP proudly has an avatar of a canadian flag but is bitching about his own city?
Honestly if you guys don't like it there's no reason you shouldn't be able to move out.
Austin texas is a 300$ no return flight. Why don't you head there? Enjoy it.
Keeps vancouver cheaper for the people who like this lifestyle.


I don't hate the lifestyle, I prefer it over anywhere else.

It's the fact that it would take my entire life to pay off a house here.

[LiquidTurbo]

Vancouver proper is a fucking joke, the further out you get, the easier and better the quality of life is.


I visited Austin, Texas a while back when I was picking up a car, and I swear, it's the happiest place on earth. I'd move there in a heartbeat if I had the chance. Warm weather, nice people, and nice (CHEAP) land.

I don't hate the lifestyle, I prefer it over anywhere else.

It's the fact that it would take my entire life to pay off a house here.

So what's stopping you?

[Yodamaster]

So what's stopping you?


What's stopping me from what?

My second post wasn't a retraction, it was the reasoning behind my first post.


It's all money, and it's hard to get enough to get a reasonably sized home without breaking your back here. My point was that in Austin, it's easy, a mansion on three acres of land was $200,000.

[Pooface55]

not necessary IN downtown, but something closer to downtown coming from the east to bypass all the lights on 1st ave and have on/off ramps into downtown and then heading south to bypass granville and oak connecting to 99 and to get people to the airport. you really like being in stop and go traffic on oak on a fucking SUNDAY AFTERNOON?

im no city planner and i know a majority of tree huggers would hate this and alot of people are opposed to a highway through the city, but had it been done 50 - 60 years ago they could have easily designed a simple 4 lane non stop highway, planned communities around it and planned it for noise abatement/not to look so ugly and all the necessary stuff needed to deal with a highway in a populated area.
not to mention the millions of small details im over looking, but this is just my take on things.

obviously way too late now and were permanently fucked for traffic. couple a decent highway in with the skytrain that does a decent job of bringing people working downtown into the core, congestion wouldnt be as bad.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v628/jshokar19/highway.png

This wouldn't work because it makes too much sense. :)

[iEatClams]

not necessary IN downtown, but something closer to downtown coming from the east to bypass all the lights on 1st ave and have on/off ramps into downtown and then heading south to bypass granville and oak connecting to 99 and to get people to the airport. you really like being in stop and go traffic on oak on a fucking SUNDAY AFTERNOON?

im no city planner and i know a majority of tree huggers would hate this and alot of people are opposed to a highway through the city, but had it been done 50 - 60 years ago they could have easily designed a simple 4 lane non stop highway, planned communities around it and planned it for noise abatement/not to look so ugly and all the necessary stuff needed to deal with a highway in a populated area.
not to mention the millions of small details im over looking, but this is just my take on things.

obviously way too late now and were permanently fucked for traffic. couple a decent highway in with the skytrain that does a decent job of bringing people working downtown into the core, congestion wouldnt be as bad.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v628/jshokar19/highway.png

^^ it doesnt work because of our NIMBY (not in my back yard mentality).

We have 2 million people in the metro area but due to the few number of bridges and our many areas of bottlenecks it takes forever to get anywhere during rush hour. Going from burnaby to Kits area takes forever during rush hour. We shouldn't have this much congestion given our population.

The metro area of Portland Oregon is similar to Vancouver, and they are one of the most efficiently planned cities in North America and constantly rated as best cities to travel in during rush hour. Downtown portland has free transit!!

[iEatClams]

- Work ethic, people here work less, and less hard. Living in an apartment in Edmonton, i would go down to the underground parking and it would basically clear out everyday between 6-7:30am and they wouldn't return until 5-6pm... here in BC, the underground parking remains full until about 10am and the cars are all back by 4-5pm... many of the people I know here hate working, bitch about it non stop, and work as little as possible.. where as in other parts of Canada, people love their jobs, and work extra all the time.


We have many C-Lais (asian housewife) here that dont work.

Jokes aside, I am not a fan of working longer in the day, as it takes away from your work-life balance and isn't good for people's health/stress wise.

However I totally agree with you on the productivity/efficiency and the constant bitching here, people in Vancouver get less done here in 8 hours than the 8 hours that someone from other cities would produce. Soo many people here bitch about the stupidest things at work and seem to hate their jobs (even though in my opinion the job is pretty decent).

[Mr.C]

Vancouver is awesome.

See, where I came from, you had to roll in bulletproof cars, many friends had armed security guards/drivers, cameras in the house, bars, electric fence, you couldn't do anything nor go anywhere for fear of getting kidnapped, killed or worse. And most of us were not ballers, mind you. Just middle/upper middle class.

You guys take for granted some important things, like liberty, mild weather, the ability to go anywhere you want at any time you want without worry.

If you want to make six figures plus really easily, go freeze your ass off in the oil sands and stop whining.

Seriously.

[Senna4ever]

As a third generation Vancouverite, I personally cannot imagine living anywhere else. Yes, the farther east you go, the people do tend to be more friendly towards strangers. Go for a morning walk on the dykes in Maple Ridge or Mission - almost everyone says, "Good morning!" to each other. That really shocked me the first time.

[snowball]

not necessary IN downtown, but something closer to downtown coming from the east to bypass all the lights on 1st ave and have on/off ramps into downtown and then heading south to bypass granville and oak connecting to 99 and to get people to the airport. you really like being in stop and go traffic on oak on a fucking SUNDAY AFTERNOON?

im no city planner and i know a majority of tree huggers would hate this and alot of people are opposed to a highway through the city, but had it been done 50 - 60 years ago they could have easily designed a simple 4 lane non stop highway, planned communities around it and planned it for noise abatement/not to look so ugly and all the necessary stuff needed to deal with a highway in a populated area.
not to mention the millions of small details im over looking, but this is just my take on things.

obviously way too late now and were permanently fucked for traffic. couple a decent highway in with the skytrain that does a decent job of bringing people working downtown into the core, congestion wouldnt be as bad.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v628/jshokar19/highway.png

Highway through rich neighbourhoods? Nah, they'd shift everything over 3kms east like they did with the Canada line :fuckthatshit:

[Shades]

To the people who bitch about the weather, Vancouver is paradise. In other parts of the world, people die in the winters and summers.

In Vancouver, one can still wear runners and sneakers in the winter. In Europe, once your feet are wet, it's game over.

I'd much rather have rain more often than the extremes of temperatures.

[jasonturbo]

Vancouver is awesome.

See, where I came from, you had to roll in bulletproof cars, many friends had armed security guards/drivers, cameras in the house, bars, electric fence, you couldn't do anything nor go anywhere for fear of getting kidnapped, killed or worse. And most of us were not ballers, mind you. Just middle/upper middle class.

Based on what you are saying about where you come from, wouldn't all of Canada be pretty Awesome?


You guys take for granted some important things, like liberty, mild weather, the ability to go anywhere you want at any time you want without worry.

Some of us don't take those things for granted, and Vancouver is not the only city in Canada with mild weather, but it does happen to be a city with with very little sunshine.. sure the mild climate is nice, but I kinda like seeing the sun once and a while...



If you want to make six figures plus really easily, go freeze your ass off in the oil sands and stop whining.

Seriously.

Working in the oilsands hey??? Now it's personal lol

Well, if you have half a brain, you can make six figures plus really easy, and sit in a nice warm office all day, buy a truck with command start so you never have to get in a cold vehicle, and build a resume managing mega projects worth hundreds of millions of dollars that will likely result in you landing some cushy corporate job with an oil and gas company based in a major city. I have put on my work boots three times since January of this year... every time I had to put gas in my truck. (Now I just have one of the field lemmings do that for me, why should I waste my time lacing up boots when I can be posting on Revscene?)

Working 12 hours a day doesn't bother me, compare it to the people who commute from Abby to DT everyday, between the 8 hour workday and the time they sit in traffic.. they basically work a 10-12 hour day... but still only get paid for 8 hours.

I work less days per year than the average person, consider that I usually work 14 days on, 7 days off... in that same 21 day time period most people only get 6 days off. Additionally, when I have my 7 days off, the world is my oyster, everyone is at work so getting errands done is a cakewalk, not like "the weekends" when everyone is off, malls are packed, banks are closed, etc.

I can go on vacation anytime I please, becuase I always have at least 7 days off in a row every single month, plus I have the cash to go wherever my little greedy conservative heart tells me to go.. like maybe Texas or Saudi Arabia.

Sure it's colder in Albeta, but it's sunny :) and to be honest it can be a really nice break from the grey skies of Vancouver, especially after one of the rain marathons we get from time to time.

The best part though, the best part is this, I will spend a total of say 10-15 years in the oilsands when I am ready to pull the pin and I will basically be retired/semi retired at 40.. where as most of the people who grew up in Van to middle class families and didn't have mommy and daddy pay for everything, will finally enter the work force at say 24 (After getting some horrid arts degree or MBA) making 40k per year, sink themselves into some 500k mortgage, and still be broke as fuck at 40 years old. Most people living here can't afford to pay the premium it requires and still be making some kind of financial progress in their lives.

So on the subject of taking things for granted, I would say you are taking the oilsands as an employmnt sector for granted, there is a lot of Americans in financial hot water who would kill for a job in Northern Alberta just to free them from their financial shackles... if you think it's easy to get sick of cold weather, it's probably a lot easier to get sick of being stressed out about money constantly.

Just wait till the interest rates start rising...

[niu99]

Canada’s Best Places to Live 2012
According to Moneysense (http://list.moneysense.ca/rankings/best-places-to-live/2012/Default.aspx?sp2=1&sc1=0&d1=a), Vancouver is ranked #56 behind Ottawa (#1), Calgary (#14), and Victoria (#35).

[Durrann]

Vancouver is getting crowded lol

[!SG]

the core of vancouver is becoming less and less friendly compared to say 5-10 years ago.

step outside of downtown, less densely populated area's, and you really experience what ppl say about vancouver being one of the friendliest cities around.

[tipy]

.

[PepperThyAngus]

I'm a huge slut

http://www.asianjunkie.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/JackNicholsonNodding.gif

[JD¹³]

Having lived and traveled all over the world, yeah, Vancouver sucks. The cost of living is ridiculous, housing is completely unaffordable, the people are pretentious, employment opportunities are weak at best, the weather sucks, and the government is incredibly poor.

My groceries just cost me $120 and that lasts me about 10 days. I'm not out buying premium steaks and high end TP, I'm just buying average shit from the cheapest outlets that I can. I don't care how you slice it that is absolutely ridiculous. When we go racing in Las Vegas we feed five men like kings for five days for less.

The provincial government and those who put money in their back pockets have corrupted this province beyond measure. They are robbing citizens blind while lining their own pockets and the accountability is non-existant. The whole province is an old-boys club and backroom handshakes. Not to mention they are stripping us of our civil liberties and infringing on our rights as Canadians with policies like the impound and forfeiture laws, gun laws, and illegitimate taxation. Meanwhile the true criminals can literally get away with murder, laugh at the bureaucratic bullshit of a justice system we have, and do whatever they want. It's too hard to go after them, so they rape the ones who are easy to entrap: the rest of us. The theme of BC is GREED.

I won't get started on the people and the weather, but both certainly aren't selling features. Vancouver is not a world class city, and BC is not the most beautiful place on Earth. This city is in the stone age when it comes to infrastructure and social dynamics. I cannot fucking wait to leave this city and this province and never come back. It's a prison.

[penner2k]

Vancouver proper is a fucking joke, the further out you get, the easier and better the quality of life is.


I visited Austin, Texas a while back when I was picking up a car, and I swear, it's the happiest place on earth. I'd move there in a heartbeat if I had the chance. Warm weather, nice people, and nice (CHEAP) land.

Austin is supposed to be one of the best cities in the states. Its on my list of places to go in the next couple of years.

[MG1]

Been here in Vancouver longer than most people on RS. All I can say is, Vancouver will never be what is was.

So, all you people who are complaining, don't let the door hit you on the way out.


So, yes, get the word out that Vancouver really sucks ass. Stop people from coming here and destroying it and yeah, if you're one of those whiners, GTFO. No matter how bad it gets here, this is still my city and I'm damn proud of it.

Oh, and not all of GVRD is represented by you guys.

There are a lot of people who have made the GVRD their home and love it. Like I said, nobody is stopping you. Just leave. Plain and simple. Start your families elsewhere and don't come back. Serious!


BTW, four generations of my family have called this place "Our Home".

[penner2k]

btw... just got back from Saskatoon for the weekend. The city itself is old and small but the people are awesome there. The girls are actually for the most part pretty good looking and there are a lot of nice pubs/lounges. Funny thing is people consider paying $6 for a drink expensive. Me and my buddy had a decent amount to drink last night and our bill came to $100.
Oh yah and for some reason there was a lot of cougars with big fake titties out last night. haha

[Everymans]

I'm late to the party but I wanna put some insight on these subjects
is a highway really necessary in downtown? when i went to seattle for the first time, i was surprised on how their downtown was so different compared to ours. Thoughts?
There was a proposed highway that would come off highway 1 around grandview highway(hence why it's called a highway) and it would travel through the ravine that the skytrain currently sits. hippies rejected it and now traffic is aweful and 1st ave has turned into a nightmare for anyone not in a car. Good job hippies. Also, granville is part of highway 99, yet it goes right through a bunch of suburban neighborhoods and there's traffic lights every 5 blocks. And people live on the friggen street too. This city is gorgeous and all, but it's terribly planned transportation wise. Even in the grid system. for some dumbass reason they staggered them in places so the intersections don't line up.

As for op. It's all a matter of perspective. I love this city because there's so much going on and the weather is nice(right now). And There's a good car culture, good skate culture, Good snowboard culture, and there's plenty of major sports teams in the city and area. And it's so lax and entertaining. The other day I went for a bike ride with some friends around town. Drink a beer at the convention center, met some randoms at crab park for a massive bonfire, took a skate down ontario... I can't do this in edmonton. Hell, it snowed there last week! But I'd much rather start a family and settle down in the prairies. A lot chiller and way easier to survive.

[cliffhanger33]

Man I'm gna miss Vancouver, most likely going to be living out in Kingston or London, Ontario soon for about 4 years coz of school :heckno:

Friend told me how much she took Van for granted after living in London, Ontario for a year

[jasonturbo]

BTW, four generations of my family have called this place "Our Home".

So I take it you and your family don't have a lot of experience living in other parts of the country?

GVA is an awesome part of Canada, trouble is that our generation, a much younger generation than yourself faces a much different set of variables than your generation did, primarily economic variables.

You can deny that there is a difference, you can accept it, you can say you understand it, but without being in "our" position, I don't really think you can see this side of the argument for what it is.

Van is not a prison, if you don't like it here you are free to leave any time. So far, I haven't been able to find a reason to leave.. So maybe I will stick around and complain for a little while.. seems to suit the typical BC attitude to bitch about everything anyway so I should fit right in.

PS: Austin TX, awesome city, a rare jewel in a southern cultural shithole lol.

[bing]

btw... just got back from Saskatoon for the weekend. The city itself is old and small but the people are awesome there. The girls are actually for the most part pretty good looking and there are a lot of nice pubs/lounges. Funny thing is people consider paying $6 for a drink expensive. Me and my buddy had a decent amount to drink last night and our bill came to $100.
Oh yah and for some reason there was a lot of cougars with big fake titties out last night. haha

Yeah might be fun while your there for a week or two. Going to pubs everyday gets old. Girl in one of my classes who has lived there her whole life says its one of the most boring places and the weather sucks. She likes Van.

[!e.lo_]

Guys here seem pretty cool, haven't slept with any of them yet
Uhm, what? Jason?

[Mr.C]

So on the subject of taking things for granted, I would say you are taking the oilsands as an employmnt sector for granted, there is a lot of Americans in financial hot water who would kill for a job in Northern Alberta just to free them from their financial shackles... if you think it's easy to get sick of cold weather, it's probably a lot easier to get sick of being stressed out about money constantly.

Just wait till the interest rates start rising...

Hit a nerve there, eh? Problem is, I wasn't criticising the oilsands at all. I would suggest in which you go back and re-read my post.

Working there is not easy, and nowhere I implied that. What I want is for people to stop bitching about job availability here, as there are tons of jobs in Alberta and elsewhere. I basically said what MG1 said. If you don't like it here, than gtfo.

And no, the rest of Canada isn't much better. While in Brazil I had to deal with a frenetic lifestyle and extremely hot weather, most of Canada, with the exception of Toronto, I'd have to deal with extremely cold weather and absolutely nothing happening. Pass.

[jasonturbo]

Hit a nerve there, eh? Problem is, I wasn't criticising the oilsands at all.

Lol i'm not exactly sensitive, just involved in a discussion sir ;)

If i could legally work in Cali, i would be gone for good, so far that opportunity hasn't been available to me... But it's coming...

[Excelsis]

Vancouver proper is a fucking joke, the further out you get, the easier and better the quality of life is.


I visited Austin, Texas a while back when I was picking up a car, and I swear, it's the happiest place on earth. I'd move there in a heartbeat if I had the chance. Warm weather, nice people, and nice (CHEAP) land.

brb running out of water soon, if they don't find a better way for irrigation systems and to fill their groundwater resources texas is going to be gone

[epicbeardman]

1 more semester of school and I'm taking my ass to the greatest city on Earth: Montreal.

[Tapioca]

1 more semester of school and I'm taking my ass to the greatest city on Earth: Montreal.

Shitty winters, crumbling infrastructure, the worst taxation regime in Canada, and language politics?

But, enjoy the easy women!

[belaud]

I'd love to move to Hong Kong after my career & bored with the car, simply put, its not friendlier then Vancouver, but the food, pricing & simply atmosphere are just more attuned for what I would call "enjoyable". Also because I want to own an S206! :fullofwin:

For reference, I was born in Calgary & moved here, and Calgary is hella boring, cold, and downright depressing weather. Vancouver is a step up, besides the 50% increase in living expense.

[MindBomber]

you either don't follow the news or your retarded because im a skilled trades worker and theres lots of work here. have you heard of Seaspan a company that received a government contract to build ships well there looking to hire around 5000 skilled tradesman full time for the next 30+ years including: Welders,Fabricators,Mechanics,Plumbers, and pipe fitters. We also have one of the largest forest and mining industries, and everything that goes up to the interior is made down here which is why we have the largest Fabrication shops: Ebco (canada's second largest industrial fab shop) , CanRon, etc... we also invest in our infrastructure more than other places: Portman & Golden ears bridge, our hydro dams, our water pipes, and our highways. so to say not to come here for work is a lie and you should jump off one of our new bridges.

If you want to be paid a good wage you go elsewhere.

As stated by Smarv, great jobs are plentiful in Vancouver for those who choose to pursue them. I've earned over $20 per/hour since I was 19 and I'm in university, I've had offers that pay over double should I choose to fully commit to a company. You don't earn $120k+ a year to change the oil on big machines, but that's not a good wage, that's a ludicrously high union inflated one (props to you for earning it though...).

Vancouver proper is a fucking joke, the further out you get, the easier and better the quality of life is.

I visited Austin, Texas a while back when I was picking up a car, and I swear, it's the happiest place on earth. I'd move there in a heartbeat if I had the chance. Warm weather, nice people, and nice (CHEAP) land.

What's stopping me from what?

My second post wasn't a retraction, it was the reasoning behind my first post.

It's all money, and it's hard to get enough to get a reasonably sized home without breaking your back here. My point was that in Austin, it's easy, a mansion on three acres of land was $200,000.

You believe life is better further East of Vancouver Proper and are disgruntled by the housing costs West of the Fraser, so why do you live in Burnaby?

I get the impression people believe if they move to Langley, or god forbid, Abbotsford, they'll need to become Mennonite dairy farmers. That's not the case though, it also doesn't take that long to drive into downtown to enjoy the amenities you often only actually take advantage of on weekends anyway.

As a third generation Vancouverite, I personally cannot imagine living anywhere else. Yes, the farther east you go, the people do tend to be more friendly towards strangers. Go for a morning walk on the dykes in Maple Ridge or Mission - almost everyone says, "Good morning!" to each other. That really shocked me the first time.

Totally true. You also might be stunned, because when someone passes in front of you at a store, you'll often hear "excuse me". I always at least smile at people when I walk past. Everyone here is complaining about how unfriendly people are, but how many of you are making an effort to be friendly?

[penner2k]

I'd love to move to Hong Kong after my career & bored with the car, simply put, its not friendlier then Vancouver, but the food, pricing & simply atmosphere are just more attuned for what I would call "enjoyable". Also because I want to own an S206! :fullofwin:

For reference, I was born in Calgary & moved here, and Calgary is hella boring, cold, and downright depressing weather. Vancouver is a step up, besides the 50% increase in living expense.

I have more fun in Calgary. The people are friendlier. There is just as much to do (Banff is only an hour away)... On top of that with the lower cost of living on top of higher average income you can go away and do stuff more often too (we also have more long weekends then BC). I will admit its colder BUT its sunnier. Where Calgary gets more snow BC gets more rain and in general is just cloudier. Walking around in the snow > walking around in the rain since with snow its pretty dry out here so you dont get wet vs if you are in the rain for the same amount of time you spend the next half an hour drying off.