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Living in Vancouver and finding it hard !

Living in Vancouver and finding it hard !

Old Feb 1st 2010, 3:45 pm
  #16  
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Default Re: Living in Vancouver and finding it hard !

Originally Posted by dboy
I
I was at dinner the other night and living in the burbs came up. My good friend who is Vancouver born and raised, said there is no life beyond Vancouver and the North Shore. (A generalization but there is much truth in what he says).
There's life on the North Shore? I know someone who wants to get out of the Shore because it's so boring. She's thinking of moving to Commercial.

It always seems quiet to me whenever I go over there?? What am I missing?
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Old Feb 1st 2010, 3:57 pm
  #17  
 
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Default Re: Living in Vancouver and finding it hard !

Originally Posted by Kiwilass
There's life on the North Shore? I know someone who wants to get out of the Shore because it's so boring. She's thinking of moving to Commercial.

It always seems quiet to me whenever I go over there?? What am I missing?
Nothing wrong with quiet where you live - it's how easy it is to get to where it isn't.
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Old Feb 1st 2010, 4:12 pm
  #18  
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Default Re: Living in Vancouver and finding it hard !

I guess...the seabus is good but those bridges get a lot of traffic.
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Old Feb 1st 2010, 4:15 pm
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Default Re: Living in Vancouver and finding it hard !

Originally Posted by Kiwilass
I guess...the seabus is good but those bridges get a lot of traffic.
Yes, the bridges north suck. Vancouver will need to sort that out at some point.
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Old Feb 1st 2010, 4:37 pm
  #20  
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Default Re: Living in Vancouver and finding it hard !

Originally Posted by Alan2005
Yes, the bridges north suck. Vancouver will need to sort that out at some point.
Skytrain?
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Old Feb 1st 2010, 5:06 pm
  #21  
 
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Default Re: Living in Vancouver and finding it hard !

Originally Posted by Kiwilass
Skytrain?
Or a 12 lane mega highway built through stanley park and replacing the lions gate
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Old Feb 1st 2010, 5:49 pm
  #22  
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Default Re: Living in Vancouver and finding it hard !

Originally Posted by Alan2005
Or a 12 lane mega highway built through stanley park and replacing the lions gate

lovely!
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Old Feb 1st 2010, 11:50 pm
  #23  
 
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Default Re: Living in Vancouver and finding it hard !

Originally Posted by Kiwilass
There's life on the North Shore? I know someone who wants to get out of the Shore because it's so boring. She's thinking of moving to Commercial.

It always seems quiet to me whenever I go over there?? What am I missing?

As I said I was generalizing and trying to make the point that there's not too much to enhance quality of life in the burbs (again a generalization - i've commented before on what is good and bad with the region).

Alan is right, it's easy to get downtown from here. 5 min walk to the Sea Bus then 12 mins voyage - no hassle, no parking, and I can see the sea bus arriving from my apartment - plus for coppers transit is free!. I can actually be downtown quicker than when I lived in Kits - and there's as much here as kits really, if not more. Lower lonsdale (LOLO) is going through a bit of redevelopment but i find it a bit on the scruffy side.

Even driving is not that bad if you know how to time the bridge. Besides the second narrows is fine most of the time and its under 20 min drive down town. There's a short cut that locals learn quickly - the low road which bypasses marine to the LGB . I've been downtown at Georgia and Burrard in under 15 mins- outside of rush hour, major events or accidents of course.

Lower and central Lonsdale has a number of pubs (closest I;ve found to a pub culture outside of the UK), some great restaurants (ate at an awesome Malaysian place on central lonsdale - Tamarin or something like that), movies and the Quay. Not exactly hopping, but enough to kill a few hours in the evening. The area is walkable and is as livable, if not more so than North Burnaby. Not to mention proximity to West Van for beaches (ambleside), Deep Cove, and the ski hills etc. Lower crime than both Vancouver and Burnaby - most years there's no murders.

Personally I'd rather have stayed in Kits or the west side and will likely be back there at some point, but the extra space (almost 1400 sq feet), massive deck and incredible views make up for being down town - plus i have nice view of it. Plus it keeps the misses happy - we have a lot of friends over here, so more social for us. I can only speak for the city of north van not the district (i never knew they were two different cities - most people don't)

I doubt there will be a major improvement to infrastructure in the near future and I doubt we will ever see skytrain to the north shore. West Van is happy with the staus quo. About 7 years ago, there was public consultation on what to do with Lions Gate - from replacing it, swinging a ped bridge underneath and removing ped walkways and adding a fourth lane - in the end, they just painted it and widened the side walks for bikes. God knows they need to do something with the place.

Last edited by dboy; Feb 1st 2010 at 11:55 pm.
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Old Feb 2nd 2010, 2:23 am
  #24  
 
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Default Re: Living in Vancouver and finding it hard !

Originally Posted by dboy
....plus for coppers transit is free!.
Is that to keep them from drink driving so much

(actually that's quite a decent perk to have - not one I'd use much, but plenty enough to make it useful)
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Old Feb 2nd 2010, 2:54 am
  #25  
 
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Default Re: Living in Vancouver and finding it hard !

Originally Posted by Alan2005
Is that to keep them from drink driving so much

(actually that's quite a decent perk to have - not one I'd use much, but plenty enough to make it useful)
apparently it's not working!

actually hardly ever took advantage of the perk till i moved over here, now i use it often. I went to my dentists at 57 th and cambie ish - all by tranist - only 40 mins.
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Old Feb 2nd 2010, 11:40 am
  #26  
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Default Re: Living in Vancouver and finding it hard !

Originally Posted by dboy
Lower and central Lonsdale has a number of pubs (closest I;ve found to a pub culture outside of the UK),
I hope you didnt include Jack Lonsdale's in that
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Old Feb 2nd 2010, 11:42 am
  #27  
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Default Re: Living in Vancouver and finding it hard !

Originally Posted by Kiwilass
There's life on the North Shore? I know someone who wants to get out of the Shore because it's so boring. She's thinking of moving to Commercial.

It always seems quiet to me whenever I go over there?? What am I missing?
Ive got two mates on W17th saying the same. They're not English are they by any chance?
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Old Feb 2nd 2010, 7:08 pm
  #28  
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Default Re: Living in Vancouver and finding it hard !

Originally Posted by Londonuck
Ive got two mates on W17th saying the same. They're not English are they by any chance?

ha! No actually a cradle. She's waiting for the last kid to leave home and then she wants to buy in East Van around Commercial. Having been to her house, I can understand why she's bored...
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Old Feb 2nd 2010, 7:25 pm
  #29  
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Default Re: Living in Vancouver and finding it hard !

Originally Posted by dboy
As I said I was generalizing and trying to make the point that there's not too much to enhance quality of life in the burbs (again a generalization - i've commented before on what is good and bad with the region).

Och I know I think you sound like you're living in a good area. All I know is my friend's house which is way up the hill and is a PITA to get to by transit (OVER an hour from DT) and really really really quiet...like those burbs we complain about...no one's really around.
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Old Feb 3rd 2010, 9:14 am
  #30  
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Default Re: Living in Vancouver and finding it hard !

Originally Posted by Kiwilass
ha! No actually a cradle. She's waiting for the last kid to leave home and then she wants to buy in East Van around Commercial. Having been to her house, I can understand why she's bored...
Funny, i really liked the NS. I found it a bit quiet when i first moved over in 98, but then again, Vancouver's nightlife was really poor right across the city back then. Only time is got on my nerves was during the bus strike. Queuing to get over the bridge from Capilano/Highway 1 was very tiresome. Like Del said, there are some nice pubs, Queens is ok, Rusty Gull and Sailor Hagar has lovely micro beer. Ooh how i miss the sushi at Hachi Hana. Always enjoyed a stroll up Lonsdale on a hot summers night. Seeing the sun shining on the Lions peaks always made me smile.
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