So tell me aboot Vancouver, eh?

In My Humble Opinion
1

I’ve got an interview at a company in downtown Vancouver BC, this weekend. I’ve never been there, but I hear it’s nice. The job itself sounds really good, and I’m kind of expecting that they’ll make me an offer once I get up there.

So… first of all, is there anything I absolutely have to do in Vancouver this weekend? I won’t have a car- we’ll be using a taxi and/or public transportation. We’ll have part of the day Friday, and all day Saturday to look around.

Second, is there any way to compare cost-of-living between Vancouver and, say, Portland? I’ve been unable to find any COL calculators that’ll calculate between the US and Canada. I’ve got a house here (just bought it last summer, so I’m not real excited about trying to sell it, especially with the market the way it is now), so I’d love to buy a house there… except it seems that houses, especially within any distance of downtown, would be way out of my pricerange. Renting might be an option, but I’ve got three dogs, so finding a place that’ll let me rent with 'em might be difficult.

Third, uh… anything else?

Thanks!

2

Don’t think I can help much with the cost of living, but I was just there last month and loved it. You are no doubt in similar (wet) weather in Oregon, so I’ll skip that obvious part.

Stanley Park is a must see. I’ve heard of this park all my life and finally experienced it. If you enjoy nature, I can’t think of a more beautiful place.

In Canada, it’s well-known that the drug industry in Vancouver is alive and well. And with that the associated crime. I certainly felt safe wherever I ventured though and saw no outwardly signs of illicit drug use. I’d hazard to guess that, as a large city, the crime rate is probably lower than any American counter part. (Just a guess though!)

Enjoy your visit; I did.

3

I am GREEN WITH JEALOUSY! I adore Vancouver; it is my favorite city in the entire world. (Y’know, that I’ve been to. Which doesn’t include a lot of I’m sure very nice cities – shout out to the Aussies!) I would move to Vancouver in a red-hot minute.

But I don’t live there and never have, so all my info is that of a repeat visitor with some serious rose-colored glasses. I understand COL is pretty high and housing prices are verging on ridiculous. Commuting can be a bit of a bitch – worse than Portland but not as bad as Seattle. Weather will be pretty much what you’re used to in Portland.

Things to do: Definitely go to Stanley Park if the weather is even marginally nice. Several poeple will no doubt recommend Capilano Bridge, but I think it’s overrated. (It’s a bridge. It’s very high. There’s a nice view.) Granville Island is great for shops and galleries and walking around. Downtown Vancouver has great shopping and a number of great pubs. Vancouver also has a great Chinatown. There is a very noticable Asian presence (due to, among other things, a large emigration to BC from Hong Kong before HK went back to the Chinese), and you should definitely have Asian food at least once while you’re there – it’s fabulous.

I hope you enjoy it; it’s a beautiful city. But then Portland’s nothing to sneeze at, either. :slight_smile:

4

Well, I’m actually in Central Oregon right now- it’s high desert. Very, very dry in the summer, and cold and snowy (generally, though not this year) in the winter. The rain is actually a strike against Vancouver, in my book. :slight_smile:

5

Vancouver is beautiful, but the cost of living is very high. Top three in Canada (with Toronto and Calgary). I think the average price for a single family home in the burbs (45 minute to 1 hour commute) is around $480,000+. Downtown is ridiculous. My cousin lived in a 1200 sq. foot condo in West Van with his wife and two kids and they sold 3 years ago for $750,000.

Stanley Park is a must, although they had extensive damage last year during storms and I’m not sure how much they’ve cleaned up.

For touristy type stuff, maybe try the Throntree Forums at Lonely Planet.

6

Well, there’s a lot of it. Don’t let anyone give you the BS about how it doesn’t rain all that much, when they’re measure total amount of precipitation that falls and disregarding the fact that it clouds over and drizzles (but lightly!) for about 8 months solid. The climate is just like Portland and Seattle: When it is beautiful it is freakin’ gorgeous and you wonder why everyone doesn’t live there; it very rarely really sucks; but it’s clouding and wet a lot.

7

I lived there for 5-ish years. Housing was through the roof last time I visited. I don’t know how you could compare it but in my opinion Portland would be cheaper housing-wise. One thing I loved about Vancouver was there there were always cheap places to buy good fruits/veggies. Lots of used clothing stores etc. (I’m not too sure what else you mean cost-of-living-esque.)

When I moved there I sold my car. The public transportation was so good I didn’t need it. Traffic can be a bitch especially on the long commutes.

Lots of: great food, fun things to do, places to wander, shops.

Some areas are worse than others for crime but I guess that goes for anywhere. I lived all over the place and never had any issues.

If you don’t like rain…well…not the best place to move. I’m now in eastern WA and HATE the desert. Everytime I cross the Cascades I look forward to the rain and seeing the colour green again. :slight_smile:

8

Warning: if you ever use “aboot” in Canada, it will be assumed that you are an American who’s bought in to the urban legend that Canadians actually say “aboot”

(however the “eh” will fit right in… in most parts of Canada. Vancouver I’m not so sure)

9

Well, the “aboot” thing is classic Canadian Raising. North-Central Canadia- cough- Canada does some funny things to its vowels, but I haven’t heard anything approaching aboot in a long time.

If you want a linguistic adventure, though, go hang out in Newfoundland sometime.

10

Well, they do. Not really “aboot” but something between “abowt” and “aboot” that’s different than how most Americans say it. Not all Canuckians pronounce it that way but many do and yeah, it is noticable to an American.

11

Granville Island Brewery. That’s all you need to know. That and the fact that there is a great little pierogie stand in the market next door.

12

I do know people in Van who do indeed say “sowr-ree aboat that! I’ll work on the next PRO-ject on the SHED-oo-ul. I need to put these DEKkels (“decals”) over here by the parkade. . .” Native Vancouverites, I add.
I’ve lived in both towns and housing in Van is quite a bit more expensive than Portland but everything else is cheaper. The beer situation will disturb you a bit (sow-ree, Canadians, but your beer’s sorry, except for those nice Belgians in Quebec and a shockingly small number of micros for a city this large). I’m glad I haven’t had to think about trying to buy housing here. Renting’s ok, but buying? The thought gives me hives. And the weather’s just like PDX-- Winter is a dreary drag but sometimes nice.

13

Well I would say that Canadians say “abowt” and (most) Americans say “abaht”

14

Hah - that’s what I was going to say. Only Torontonians and Newfies actually say “aboot.”

I’ve been in Calgary for almost 17 years now, and I’m finally going to go visit Vancouver in May (always wanted to go, never worked out before now).

ETA: I find the BC accent hilarious. Very close to a Californian accent, not too surprising, I guess.

15

Ok. This is the thread for me. 7 months ago I moved from Portland OR to Vancouver BC AND I work in downtown Vancouver.

The cost of living is a bit higher than Portland and you’ll have sales tax (hard to get used to coming from Oregon). Some items are more expensive, some less. It’s hit and miss depending on the items. Witch Hazel is 5x more expensive here than in Oregon. Why? Who knows. Beer and cigarettes are more expensive. Like mentioned above, fruits and veggies are dirt cheap.

We’ve ditched the idea of “one stop shopping” and buy items from different stores. At the end of the day I think we only spend a little more on household items than in the States.

Our auto insurance for one car is about the same as two in the states but our Internet access and satellite television is cheaper. I was in a car crash and had to go to the ER in ambulance. I didn’t have medical coverage yet and the entire bill was under $200. Prescription medication is dirt cheap.

Rent and house prices are higher than Portland,. but not by much. Of course it depends on where you live. I have a bridges-to-downtown theory on house prices. The more bridges you have to cross to get downtown the less your house will cost. Take about $75k off the sale price per bridge crossed. :slight_smile:

My wife and I are both working the same type jobs we did in Portland (she’s a nurse and I’m in Tech). We both make more per month than in the states. We also ended up with more vacation and sick days and no general medical insurance costs. Even with the higher cost of living we have more at the end of the month after expenses and taxes.

If you are working downtown, find a home near the Skytrain line. If you’re going to commute for regular 9-5 hours, living a bit further out (New Westminster) is a plus. I commute from New West everyday and almost always get a seat. A few stops closer to downtown and it is standing room only all the way in (about 25-30 minutes). Monthly passes for Transit cost about $95 for a two-zone pass. Compare that to the cost of parking downtown ($120 and up) and the cost of gas (currently around $1.16 a liter) and how shitty people drive around here and Skytrain makes sense.

During commuting hours the train comes by about once every 1-2 minutes. Why people run up the landing to catch the train is beyond me.

The town is fantastic. My only complaints are how people drive and the lack of good Mexican food. Outside of that I wish I had moved years ago.

I don’t know if you have your paperwork in place, but now would be a crap time to move. The exchange rate sucks for USD (link). Don’t exchange cash before you arrive. The best deals will be found at the exchange stores downtown. I think they’re paying $1.14 USD to CAD. Better than the $1.10 I get from my bank. Right now most places will have you spend US dollars at an even exchange.

We have two dogs and finding a place that would take them took a bit of convincing. Nothing we couldn’t arrange though.

Hmmm? What else?

Oh yeah. When looking for a home stay away from Surrey. :smiley:

I think my email is in my profile. Feel free.

16

And it’s questionable for Torontonians. :wink:

I can’t help with living in Vancouver, but when I was in Vancouver on business over a weekend, as I was more than a few times, I liked to start my Saturdays with the newspaper and coffee in one of the places along Robson Street. The paper was a dodge; I’d sit at an outdoor cafe and people-watch. In some cities, this would be a dull activity, but it’s actually quite entertaining on Robson in Vancouver. At least, I thought so.

17

With the exception of a place in Nanaimo (which I can’t vouch for anymore because I haven’t eaten there in years) there is NO good Mexican food in Vancouver. Or Victoria.

I wish I could uproot a certain local restaurant (Inca. drool) and relocated it up there. I’d be rich.