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Vancouver-Age |OT| 125 Years

Mr Nash

square pies = communism
Someone's a bit bitter. ;)

It's funny, though, that we're at a point where we've got to make videos to make Vancouver less boring and one of the highlights is our crappy beaches and Capilano Suspension Bridge.

It seems such a silly attitude. What's wrong with criticizing a place and pushing for more? Vancouverites have a painfully childish response to criticism just sputtering, "Well! Well... Well, why don't you just leave then, jerk!" instead of weighing the argument on its merits or lack thereof. There are good and bad points about this city just like any other and I see no reason not to have a frank discussion about it.
 

Smiley90

Stop shitting on my team. Start shitting on my finger.
Anyone here looking for a roommate, I just got my 30-day notice and have absolutely 0 time to look for a new place right now -.- I'm writing my thesis and defending it in December, and have to find a new place by December 1st. then I'm leaving for 2 weeks December 14th so it's all-around frustrating. I'm trying to get my roommate to let me stay until the 14th but that means I have like, less than a week to move everything to a new place for January 1st (well I'm coming back December 30th but I can stay at a hotel for 2 nights if need be)

I just need a place to stay for maybe 30 days in January when I'll have actual time to look for a new place fucking hell
 

trifelife

Member
Smelly some of my friends may have a room for you. They're in South America right now but I'll try to get in touch. You need a place for January right, and maybe part of December?
 

Smiley90

Stop shitting on my team. Start shitting on my finger.
Smelly some of my friends may have a room for you. They're in South America right now but I'll try to get in touch. You need a place for January right, and maybe part of December?

potentially Dec1-14, potentially Dec30-January30, yeah. All depends on how much time I have to find a new place amongst all the other crap.
 

Tabris

Member
It seems such a silly attitude. What's wrong with criticizing a place and pushing for more? Vancouverites have a painfully childish response to criticism just sputtering, "Well! Well... Well, why don't you just leave then, jerk!" instead of weighing the argument on its merits or lack thereof. There are good and bad points about this city just like any other and I see no reason not to have a frank discussion about it.

Because the argument is silly in the virtue of it being a non-informed opinion.

Many Vancouverites do not have the perspective of what life is like outside Vancouver, except maybe having lived in cities like Toronto or Montreal. Have they been to cities like Omaha, Minneapolis, Dallas, Atlanta, Boston, etc. And the main point of this video is that the Vancouverites who complain about it being boring do not get out to these activities or take these activities for granted because of the lack of perspective.

It's the same with complaining about our transit system when we have one of the best transit systems in the world for our city size.

It's about perspective. I personally think some Vancouverites need to experience life outside Vancouver some time in their life to be grateful for what they have here in Vancouver.

Of course there's the counter argument that it doesn't matter on the perspective, these activities don't resound with me as fun. And if that's the case, then that's a shame but realize that Vancouver activities and culture identifies with a lot of people.

But Leenda D's line "maybe you're not fun" or "do you only have fun when it comes to you" is the line that's probably the most on point. There's a counter-culture of some Vancouverites about being complainers who don't get out and experience what this city has.
 

Firestorm

Member
I can't tell if the video is kidding or not.

Our transit is one of the best in NA but that doesn't mean it can't be better. One of the central issues with the "No Fun City" thing for people has been that it's too expensive to live downtown and too expensive to get home safely due to ridiculous cab prices and transit shutting down too early.

The other thing with Vancouver is it's a pretty unwelcoming city if you aren't from here. The Northwest Freeze in Vancouver and Seattle are strong. People aren't really into meeting new people and including them in friend circles. Vancouver is activity-driven.

I think Vancouver is pretty great if your idea of fun isn't just clubbing all night and you do get a good group of friends to do things with though. There's no a lot of places in the world where you have access to mountains, beaches, islands, and even another country a short drive (or chartered bus / public transit) away. There's also tons of events for people of all interests that come through. We're usually a stop for most concert tours. Great local breweries. If I could pick one place to live, it's still Vancouver.

And yes, I've visited tons of other cities.
 

Tabris

Member
The video is joking of course. It's calling out people who call it boring.

I don't understand the issue meeting new people. Vancouver is not unwelcoming, you just have to go to them instead of expecting them to come to you. You meet people doing activities in this city. I mean it's fair I've never had the perspective of coming here as a visitor and that may be why I don't understand the freeze, but I have a feeling it's a case of people expecting it to come to them instead of them going out to it.

Vancouver may not be friendly to introverts, but what city is?
 

Liberty4all

Banned
Is it common on Halloween to shoot firecrackers in Vancouver? There were firecrackers going off everywhere I found it so bizarre lol
 

Firestorm

Member
Is it common on Halloween to shoot firecrackers in Vancouver? There were firecrackers going off everywhere I found it so bizarre lol
Yes and yes it's a Vancouver / BC only phenomenon. Doesn't happen anywhere else in the world. Fireworks are legal only on Halloween here and kids just get their hands on firecrackers regardless.
 

Cheerilee

Member
I thought "no fun city" was just a thing that came out whenever someone in control acts like a killjoy. Like trying to ban Halloween fireworks. It's the Vancouver equivalent of the "no fun allowed" jpg.
 

Liberty4all

Banned
The video is joking of course. It's calling out people who call it boring.

I don't understand the issue meeting new people. Vancouver is not unwelcoming, you just have to go to them instead of expecting them to come to you. You meet people doing activities in this city. I mean it's fair I've never had the perspective of coming here as a visitor and that may be why I don't understand the freeze, but I have a feeling it's a case of people expecting it to come to them instead of them going out to it.

Vancouver may not be friendly to introverts, but what city is?

Honestly if I wasn't already married this place seems like a gold mine of opportunities to meet women. I'm not sure if it's because I'm an extreme extrovert but I'm having no problems striking up conversations with random folks. With that said, I have only made some surface level friendships ... Nobody to go chill with. It's not that big a deal though as I'm in the city for work and not really looking for an active social life. I do think though if I was single it would be easy to link. My feeling is that there are ALOT of lonely people here eager to make a connection. It's surprising to me as on average the women here are very beautiful, yet it seems like there are lots of singles. On the other hand I think it might be more difficult to make bro friends ... Guys here seem a lot more reserved than other cities I've been to. Not exactly sure why that is as the few at work I've made friends with are all cool dudes as far as I can tell.

I've also noticed that there doesn't seem to be as many people in my age demographic (35 - 45) ... Lots of teens, 20 somethings, and lots of 45 + . Not sure if this is my imagination or not, I'm wondering if this plays into why I feel how easy it would be to talk to women here and how receptive they seem to be.

Just some observations. Overall I'm enjoying my time in the city. The air is the purest I've ever lived in, environment is beautiful, transit is amazing and on time, no traffic, people seem friendly as long as you strike up the conversation first, and there are HUGE job opportunities out here compared to Toronto. The rain all the time sucks but it does mean I sleep better and it purifies the air constantly. It's warm here compared to back east, and the sushi here is probaly the best I ever had ... At least on par with my time in San Francisco.
 
The fireworks were very frequent this past weekend. Had no idea people could just do that.

Smiley - If you want to live in Coal Harbour, I do have a spare bedroom but need to get like an air mattress and stuff. /shrug
 

NetMapel

Guilty White Male Mods Gave Me This Tag
Anyone here looking for a roommate, I just got my 30-day notice and have absolutely 0 time to look for a new place right now -.- I'm writing my thesis and defending it in December, and have to find a new place by December 1st. then I'm leaving for 2 weeks December 14th so it's all-around frustrating. I'm trying to get my roommate to let me stay until the 14th but that means I have like, less than a week to move everything to a new place for January 1st (well I'm coming back December 30th but I can stay at a hotel for 2 nights if need be)

I just need a place to stay for maybe 30 days in January when I'll have actual time to look for a new place fucking hell

Hmmm Smiley, it is a possibility to crash at my place for some short time in December. I have an extra unfurnished room but I'll most likely be moving out towards the end of December myself :p If things get really dire for you, then this can be your backup plan, I guess. I'm in downtown as well.
 

Smiley90

Stop shitting on my team. Start shitting on my finger.
Smelly some of my friends may have a room for you. They're in South America right now but I'll try to get in touch. You need a place for January right, and maybe part of December?

The fireworks were very frequent this past weekend. Had no idea people could just do that.

Smiley - If you want to live in Coal Harbour, I do have a spare bedroom but need to get like an air mattress and stuff. /shrug

Hmmm Smiley, it is a possibility to crash at my place for some short time in December. I have an extra unfurnished room but I'll most likely be moving out towards the end of December myself :p If things get really dire for you, then this can be your backup plan, I guess. I'm in downtown as well.

thanks everyone <3 I'm trying to figure out what I have to do when for now. Just too much going on in my life for me to have time to deal with this crap right now.

I might be able to stay here until the 14th, but then I have nowhere to store all my stuff and would have to sleep on the couch. and I'm not sure I can find a place where I can move in December 30 vs January 1st, though that obviously depends on what I actually find - heck, I might not even find anything before I leave for Europe on December 14th. I'll keep everyone posted... sigh.
 

Tabris

Member
Take TurtleSnatcher's offer, his place is one of the places I was scoping out to buy in.

You can enjoy that downtown lifestyle!
 

NetMapel

Guilty White Male Mods Gave Me This Tag
Take TurtleSnatcher's offer, his place is one of the places I was scoping out to buy in.

You can enjoy that downtown lifestyle!

You're not offering your place ??? You gotta show some love to Tabris so you two can make up already :) You two get all grumpy with each others all the time on this forums and that's just not how Vancouverites should roll !
 

Tabris

Member
You're not offering your place ??? You gotta show some love to Tabris so you two can make up already :) You two get all grumpy with each others all the time on this forums and that's just not how Vancouverites should roll !

Does Smiley like Phil Collins?
 
Because the argument is silly in the virtue of it being a non-informed opinion.

Many Vancouverites do not have the perspective of what life is like outside Vancouver, except maybe having lived in cities like Toronto or Montreal. Have they been to cities like Omaha, Minneapolis, Dallas, Atlanta, Boston, etc. And the main point of this video is that the Vancouverites who complain about it being boring do not get out to these activities or take these activities for granted because of the lack of perspective.

It's the same with complaining about our transit system when we have one of the best transit systems in the world for our city size.

It's about perspective. I personally think some Vancouverites need to experience life outside Vancouver some time in their life to be grateful for what they have here in Vancouver.

Of course there's the counter argument that it doesn't matter on the perspective, these activities don't resound with me as fun. And if that's the case, then that's a shame but realize that Vancouver activities and culture identifies with a lot of people.

But Leenda D's line "maybe you're not fun" or "do you only have fun when it comes to you" is the line that's probably the most on point. There's a counter-culture of some Vancouverites about being complainers who don't get out and experience what this city has.

Vancouver has no draw. It's a boring city. Shit shopping, shit beaches, Whistler isn't Vancouver, meh night life, museums are garbage tier, Science World is cool, no good theme park, restaurants are meh. Vancouver is a safe city. Vancouverites even agree if people have to make these dumb videos to make the place seem more fun than it is. Heck, as a tourist you don't even need a weekend in Vancouver to understand what it's all about, that should tell you a lot.
 

Tabris

Member
What city has better shopping to you? And what stores are missing to you?

What city has better beaches for you? What's different outside climate to you?

What city has better restaurants to you?

I mean there's definitely cities that check some of these individual boxes, but Vancouver has everything to some degree. It's very live-able. I have an opportunity that would take me to Toronto and I'm seriously worried about losing out on my Vancouver lifestyle if I take it.
 

Smiley90

Stop shitting on my team. Start shitting on my finger.
I mean, a lot of the things you said are debatable.... But meh restaurants?!? That's just plain wrong. I agree that Vancouver is a meh tourist attraction because lf its lack of landmarks, but it's an amazing city to live in. So no, a weekend doesnt tell you all you need to know.
 

Tabris

Member
I really wonder where Subpar has traveled. If he's expecting the tourist attractions of a city like New York, London, Tokyo, etc in a city like Vancouver, then his expectations are out of sync with the level of city we are.

Vancouver is very unique out there because it's a combination of North American west coast culture, Canadian culture, and Asian culture in a city that you won't find quite anywhere else. I don't think Subpar embraces that living in his sub-urban world and that may be why Vancouver seems boring to him.

Also the modern Vancouver is essentially 30 years old. It's a very young city as it is now. It changed from being a budget Canadian city to becoming a world-class city within a couple decades thanks to Asian money influx + the public transit developed + urban design.
 

Liberty4all

Banned
What city has better shopping to you? And what stores are missing to you?

What city has better beaches for you? What's different outside climate to you?

What city has better restaurants to you?

I mean there's definitely cities that check some of these individual boxes, but Vancouver has everything to some degree. It's very live-able. I have an opportunity that would take me to Toronto and I'm seriously worried about losing out on my Vancouver lifestyle if I take it.

Downtown life in both cities are similar in terms of having walking cultures, kitschy markets, condos everywhere filled with DINK's, great restaurants and so on. Toronto has a bigger city feel but Vancouver is less congested and farrrr less polluted.

Toronto feels much less green. Less trees, shitty air quality.
 
What city has better shopping to you? And what stores are missing to you?

What city has better beaches for you? What's different outside climate to you?

What city has better restaurants to you?

I mean there's definitely cities that check some of these individual boxes, but Vancouver has everything to some degree. It's very live-able. I have an opportunity that would take me to Toronto and I'm seriously worried about losing out on my Vancouver lifestyle if I take it.

LA, New York, London
No store missing for me because I mostly use Superstore or Wal-Mart (others may find shopping lacking here -- people bemoan our malls constantly)
California
All the mentioned places above

Now you will dissect those cities and warp them to make them less than what they are. I see through your thin attempt.

I really wonder where Subpar has traveled. If he's expecting the tourist attractions of a city like New York, London, Tokyo, etc in a city like Vancouver, then his expectations are out of sync with the level of city we are.

Vancouver is very unique out there because it's a combination of North American west coast culture, Canadian culture, and Asian culture in a city that you won't find quite anywhere else. I don't think Subpar embraces that living in his sub-urban world and that may be why Vancouver seems boring to him.

Also the modern Vancouver is essentially 30 years old. It's a very young city as it is now. It changed from being a budget Canadian city to becoming a world-class city within a couple decades thanks to Asian money influx + the public transit developed + urban design.
These sound like excuses for why Vancouver is boring. I do embrace living here. I believe every one does. That doesn't mean people the place isn't boring to people. It's easier to accept people find Vancouver boring. You're not going to convince me it's a fun and happening place. I have more fun doing things that aren't exactly tied to Vancouver's existence IE playing board games with friends.

These videos exist because people in Vancouver actually find their city boring and people though, "we'll show them by displaying all these fun things LIKE YOGA!" Yoga isn't a Vancouver thing by the way. It's a dumb video made by people who can't understand people think the city is boring. It seems you can't stand it either.

We'll all go on. If you're giving this conversation a lot of thought (which you have since you posted again without a response) then you're wasting too much time. You should probably explore all those cultures Vancouver has to offer--you seem to like to waste your precious Vancouver time arguing over whether or not Vancouver is the greatest place on earth.
 

Tabris

Member
See the great thing about Vancouver is it combines a very live-able culture in a beautiful environment, yet still has shopping and restaurants in the same vein as world class cities - of course not directly compare-able because the cities you listed are mega cities where everything originates from.

Enjoy your walmart and board games though. You should just move to a city like Omaha, Nebraska because you can enjoy your Walmart and board games for significantly cheaper price and don't need to whine about everything.

For the rest of us that want that world-class like experience but in a more live-able environment, Vancouver is amazing.

I have a feeling a lot of people saying things like our shopping is out of date either are comparing directly to cities like NY or London where we will never compare, or have an outdated opinion - the amount of luxury retail that has opened up in Vancouver over the last decade is staggering. Even in the last couple of years with the airport mall and Nordstroms.

EDIT - You never answered my question on where you've traveled. As for time spent thinking about it? I like to debate. It's a passion of mine, and I get to do it while taking breaks between working. You seem aggro by the way, you should take a break so you don't get too stressed out. Do some Yoga maybe :)
 

Dazzler

Member
Yes and yes it's a Vancouver / BC only phenomenon. Doesn't happen anywhere else in the world. Fireworks are legal only on Halloween here and kids just get their hands on firecrackers regardless.

Happens on an even bigger scale back home in Ireland

giant bonfires all over the country and fireworks going off all night
 

Smiley90

Stop shitting on my team. Start shitting on my finger.
Saying Vancouver has bad shopping/restaurants and then listing London, NY and LA is disingenuous - I'd argue about London and LA having better food and all those cities are much bigger than Vancouver. Saying New York, probably THE destination for near-anything in the world has better restaurants and thus Vancouver is meh means literally every other city in the world only has meh food if you compare it to the Nr.1.

Also, comparing the attractiveness/"boredom" of a city you live in to a city you might've only visited (or did yiu live in LA, NY and London?) isn't exactly a fair way if comparison. As someone who moved to Vancouver, it's definitely less boring than where I'm from.
 
Haha at Tabris hyphenating "suburban".

I think Vancouver is a great place to live, but not to visit. Spend a week here and you could probably do everything the city has to offer. Yes the cost of living is high, but I like the smaller, more modern lifestyle.

I spent about a week in New York and couldn't do everything, but I would hate to live there: way too many people and a high cost of living.
 

Smiley90

Stop shitting on my team. Start shitting on my finger.
Haha at Tabris hyphenating "suburban".

I think Vancouver is a great place to live, but not to visit. Spend a week here and you could probably do everything the city has to offer. Yes the cost of living is high, but I like the smaller, more modern lifestyle.

I spent about a week in New York and couldn't do everything, but I would hate to live there: way too many people and a high cost of living.

That's exactly how I felt about NY too lol. SO many people and everyone was stressed/in a rush. Toronto felt similar to me, albeit to a lesser extent. Montreal I liked, it was more relaxed.
 

trifelife

Member
You know what's boring? This thread &#128527;

Whoever said meh food, come to the meetup then! It's right near New Town, Prime Time Chicken, Phnom Penh, Bao Bei and Pizzeria Farina. So good.

I might be able to stay here until the 14th, but then I have nowhere to store all my stuff and would have to sleep on the couch.

If you need to store stuff I have a studio that could hold a modest amount of furniture and a bunch of boxes for sure. Near Olympic Village.
 

beat

Member
LA, New York, London
[...]

Now you will dissect those cities and warp them to make them less than what they are. I see through your thin attempt.
No kidding those cities have better shopping and restaurants; they're much bigger. By the "global world cities" classification, NY and London are the world's only two "alpha ++" world cities and LA is an alpha city. Vancouver is considered beta, two tiers below LA (there's also "alpha -").

But for its population size, Vancouver is pretty good. I'd argue the day to day dining choices in Vancouver are at least as good as SF, maybe better. As for shopping, yeah, I think Vancouver is probably a notch or two behind even Seattle. Chapters closed on Robson, Sears died after Eatons died in Pacific Center*, Future Shops are being rebranded or closed, Target closed, A&B Sound closed years ago, HMV closed, the Virgin Megastore closed...

* I guess Nordstrom opened up in there? How is it?

OTOH, shopping on Main Street is pretty decent and for the teen demographic, Metrotown's probably pretty good.
 

Tabris

Member
But for its population size, Vancouver is pretty good. I'd argue the day to day dining choices in Vancouver are at least as good as SF, maybe better. As for shopping, yeah, I think Vancouver is probably a notch or two behind even Seattle. Chapters closed on Robson, Sears died after Eatons died in Pacific Center*, Future Shops are being rebranded or closed, Target closed, A&B Sound closed years ago, HMV closed, the Virgin Megastore closed...

I disagree with that. There is more boutique and luxury brand stores (a sign of a world class city) being opened all over the city.

More shopping that may not appeal to you directly based on the stores listed, but usually shopping quality is rated based on fashion stores and Vancouver has had a huge influx.

McArthurGlen is an example of a higher end outlet mall, especially when it expands next year from the current offering from this year.

OTOH, shopping on Main Street is pretty decent and for the teen demographic, Metrotown's probably pretty good.

It's actually Alberni Street &#8216;Luxury Zone&#8217; and Pacific Centre that are the world-class compare-ables.
 

beat

Member
It's actually Alberni Street 'Luxury Zone' and Pacific Centre that are the world-class compare-ables.

I mean, it's not like I'm rich anyways, but I wouldn't shop on Alberni street even if I was. Boring rich old person fancy Vegas mall wares and you know it.
 

Smiley90

Stop shitting on my team. Start shitting on my finger.
Alberni street "luxury zones" barely has any stores? All they have is shitty overpriced restaurants............ and Thierry Chocolates, which is the most amazing place ever.
 

Tabris

Member
Alberni street "luxury zones" barely has any stores? All they have is shitty overpriced restaurants............ and Thierry Chocolates, which is the most amazing place ever.

Dior, Burberry, Louis Vutton, Lao Feng Xiang (as an example of Chinese luxury), etc. More opening up every couple of months.
 

Smiley90

Stop shitting on my team. Start shitting on my finger.
Dior, Burberry, Louis Vutton, Lao Feng Xiang (as an example of Chinese luxury), etc.

aren't those just on Burrard as opposed to Alberni? I mean, some are within the fairmont even. I guess it's just the general neighborhood.
 

Tabris

Member
I did - I know it has luxury stores, that doesn't make it a "luxury mall" in my eyes lol

The article or survey isn't labeling it as one though. It just says Oakridge houses 5 free-standing luxury boutiques.

Only Vancouver and Toronto have actual luxury zones in Canada.
 

Dazzler

Member
That airport outlet mall is hell on earth btw

I went out one afternoon and it was one of the most stressful experiences of my life
 

Smiley90

Stop shitting on my team. Start shitting on my finger.
I like the outlet mall at Howard, south of New West (What city is that technically? I have no idea. Probably north surrey/east richmond?)
 

Firestorm

Member
Yeah, agreed with Lone Prodigy on how I think New York and London are both great places to visit but I'd rather live in Vancouver. Tabris is countering the "No Fun" thing by making up excuses for why we shouldn't be as fun as other cities. As far as I've known, the No Fun City thing usually refers to a mix of our archaic liquor laws, early closing time for nightlife, and inability for people to get home outside the downtown core after around 1-2AM making it less possible to go out and go nuts.
Only Vancouver and Toronto have actual luxury zones in Canada.
Does this statement mean anything? Are you expecting a luxury zone in Saskatoon?
 
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