dyson99

hi guys, im new to this forum and am looking for some advice on vancouver. im a 28 year old male and im going to vancouver to play rugby in 2011. im a bricklayer by trade and have been for 11 years. i have been a foreman and site manager now for the last 2 years.

im looking for a change for a couple years after traveling around other places.
i have been to south africa, australia, new zealand and singapore as well as thailand and most of europe.

i have heard contrasting things about vancouver but i would like to know what people think about it on here. i like to have a drink and enjoy my rugby. any advice is good. also what is the work situation like in vancouver at the moment?

many thanks speak to you all soon.

dboy

well according to some, it's drug invested, dangerous, crime ridden, ugly and boring, lacks anything that resembles the arts.....

Subjectivity....you should come and see for yourself, no one can tell you what you will like, that's up to you.

R I C H

WRT rugby, talk to a couple of friends of mine, Drew Cooper or Dave Hill. They'll give you all the info you ever need about west coast rubgy: http://www.cscpacific.ca/Content/Abo...ngid=1#dcooper or http://www.cscpacific.ca/Content/Abo...langid=1#dhill

dyson99

thanks for the info rich.

i will be trying vancouver for sure i just dont know anything about it. like costs of things and rents and going on the beer for a nite weekly wages etc etc.

is it a cheap place or is it like any other city where it is expensive. ive just got back from australia and its the third time i have been and it has almost doubled in price.

theotherlebowski

hi, i'm looking to move out there too. i've been out there twice (in the toasty summer months) and it's great: laid back, beautiful, not dull (maybe by london or new york definitions...) and the people are friendly.

take a look at this link http://www.canadaimmigrants.com/Vancouverliving.asp for some info on vancouver specifically but take a general look through the wiki on here as there are plenty of aticles and features that'll clue you in on the canadian immigration procedure.

it's a great city and i'm really looking forward to getting out there. i'm a rugby fan too and it's the world cup next year so if i get out there before hand i'll really need to find a source to feed my rugby needs!


take 'er easy dude.

jandro

It's one of the most expensive cities in Canada. It is definitely not cheap. It's also not a city renowned for it's pub culture/night life. If you want to live in Vancouver proper then rents can be high. There are various British style pubs around.

JonboyE

I'm not sure I agree about the expensive bit. You can rent a decent condo for, say, $1,200 a month right in the heart of things in the West End. I don't think food and entertainment are any more expensive than other major cities. Buying real estate is expensive for sure.

There is nightlife but I agree that if if clubbing every night is important to someone then Vancouver may not suit them.

Oink

If you're looking to mix with Rugby types, I'd suggest looking in Vancouver's West End.

jandro

I think $1200 could be a lot for many working people in Vancouver. I know people who pay less than that and have very little left over at the end of the month.

dboy

you can pay less, depends where you want to be. Vancouver is not that much more expensive than most other Canadian cities once you factor out buying real estate.

I just spent a week in Calgary and did n't really find it any different.

Zercher

As dboy says, it really is massively subjective. Really.

I'm not hugely impressed I'll say. I've been to lots of cities around the world, and have heard Vancouver referred to as 'amazing' and 'beautiful'. It's not. The surrounding areas might be, but to refer to Vancouver, the city itself as so, is misleading! Unless you count ugly tower blocks and stone and glass buildings as beautiful. Granada, Spain, is beautiful. So is Seville. So is Munich. So is Stockholm. So is Queenstown, New Zealand. These are beautiful cities.

Back to subjectivity:

-I came here in mid-September this year. Through September and into October I got loads of beautiful sunny days (was pleasantly surprised, as everyone was mentioning rain) but I'm sure I would have had a different impression had I come a month or so earlier (during the great summers they have here).

-I came here on my tod - knew not a sinner. I'm sure I would have had a different impression had I come here with a few mates, or a girlfriend, etc.

I've explored a lot of the city - Gastown, Yaletown, Downtown, West End, English Bay, Coal Harbour, Kitsilano - and have been out to Bowen Island (beautiful, and was out there on a stunning, warm day). I've still to explore lots more - but from what I've seen the city really hasn't grabbed me and out of all of the places I've been around the world I don't really rate it. That's not to say you won't love it though. I'm 29 and I would actually say it's a fantastic place to live if you're in your late 30s with kids (which is probably why'd you'd need around a million bucks to buy a house!) - it's a calm, cool place, safe and without a trace of that aggressive feel you get to some cities at times. I heard someone voicing concerns about drugs on another thread....get real! You get the scent of doobie around every corner here but inner city Dublin or London it ain't!!

It is definitely expensive! 1500 dollars for a decent 1 bed furnished apartment in West End/Downtown/Yaletown - apartments come unfurnished here. I paid 7.50 bucks for a pint last week in a downtown pub - that's BEFORE tax AND before tip! I lived in Dublin for years and it's expensive there - it's a bit more expensive than Dublin here.

Alan2005

Yeah, but the OP probably wants some of the downside too.

dboy

Many of the cities you named are ancient and yes the built form of these cities (not sure about Queens town though, looks like Whistler to me) are magnificent wonders to be seen. Prague, Edinbrugh, Bath, Copenhagen, are amongst my favs, which I agree Vancouver cant touch in terms of built form.

However, a city can be judged by its setting and Vancouver has to be amongst one of the most beautifully situated cities in the world, and as such, is beautiful. It took decades to build the seawall, waterside walks, beaches and parks all add to the livability of the place. the natural setting is well incorperated into the city.

some pics of 'ugly Vancouver' a picture afterall is worth a 1000 words

http://www.daemery.com/Additional/vancouver.htm
Yes, Vancouver is a beautiful city, besides its middle of the road builtform

Matt180

Hi
It sounds like you’re in the same boat as me, I’m 23 and looking to go to Vancouver around July 2011 to play a season of rugby and hopefully pick up some work whilst I’m out there. I think I’m going to organise my trip through BUNAC, how are you going about yours?

Matt

ducktastic