BS: Tell me about Vancouver please ...

Subject: BS: Tell me about Vancouver please ...
From: *daylia*
Date: 06 Feb 05 - 07:08 AM

Hi all;

My 22-year son Eric has decided to take some time off college and take a bus all the way out to Vancouver (alone) in a few weeks to start a 'new life'.   

:-/

This is all just fine and dandy with me (I think). I've actually been quite impressed watching him apply for jobs and make arrangements for renting a room there online! My concern is that neither he or I know much about or have spent any time at all in the city of Vancouver. Which areas are 'good' neighbourhoods and which should be avoided?

He's considering signing a tenancy agreement and paying 3 months rent in advance for a room at 1366 EAST 26TH AVENUE. I'm hoping it's not in the middle of some ghetto or crack zone. Does anyone know this area of Vancouver, or have any other suggestions or pointers about the city of Vancouver that might help the young man out?

Thanks a lot, daylia

Subject: RE: BS: Tell me about Vancouver please ...
From: Charley Noble
Date: 06 Feb 05 - 10:19 AM

Vancouver, BC?

Subject: RE: BS: Tell me about Vancouver please ...
From: Rapparee
Date: 06 Feb 05 - 10:20 AM

Or Vancouver, WA?

Subject: RE: BS: Tell me about Vancouver please ...
From: sue exhull
Date: 06 Feb 05 - 11:05 AM

OHH I ve been trying to find relatives living in Vancouver BC Trouble is I cant remember where abouts Is there a place called Delta? it seems to ring a bell with me, Its years since we heard from them, a case of once members of the family died, we didnt keep in touch etc etc. Anyone any suggestions how to find them without much info on address?    Thanks Sue

Subject: RE: BS: Tell me about Vancouver please ...
From: GUEST,heric
Date: 06 Feb 05 - 11:11 AM

daylia I think he may have found a happening area for young people on a budget, given that Kitsilano has become cost prohibitive. But the rejuvenation of that general area post-dates my personal knowledge, so I can't warrant anything. The main thing is that it is a long way from Hastings Street, where you need to worry about the crackheads. The general area has massive ethnic diversity, but segregated into neighborhoods. That's to get you started - hopefully someone will chime in with specific info. It MAY be a great location now, but I sure woudn't sign for it sight unseen. Good luck.

Subject: RE: BS: Tell me about Vancouver please ...
From: *daylia*
Date: 06 Feb 05 - 11:14 AM

Vancouver BC. I didn't know there's another Vancouver!

I posted this question on another bulletin board called "discoverVancouver" and man I sure don't like what I'm hearing so far   :-(   

You say he took took a "break" from college to pursue a new life in Vancouver. That sounds mind numbingly familiar to the situation I so arrogantly put myself through as a young buck. I told my parents, "don't worry, what's the worst that can happen?"...you see, life is a lesson with sometimes fatal reprocussions. I took off for Vancouver at the age of 21, by the time I came back I was so physically, emotionally, financially and spiritually drained that I had to seek some form of counselling to get back on my feet.

Your son is about to loose everything, his money, his friends, his family and THE LIFE HE'S so eager to give up on. We can discuss the beautiful scenic view if you'd like, but I think that's non-productive. What your son ought to do is sit down and provide a logical reason for this passion he's convinced himself to pursue and analyze and examine exhaustively every possible scenario that could blow up in his face before he ever even thinks of wishing to want to dream of going to Vancouver. Listen to me carefully, I haven't met a person in my 9 years of living there that told me they planned on staying. It doesn't feel like home, the cost of living is through the roof, and Vancouver is probably the most prejudice and stereotypical city in the world.

What can you do to help him you ask? I'm afraid there's not much you can do, he appears to be firmly in control of a situation that will quickly blow up in his face. Not because I want it to, but because I'm damn sure it will.

If your son shows any signs of weakness, any at all, they will rip him to shreads from all angles. Just give him all the love and support you can, because this could be a LONG ride. I'd buckle up and hang on tight if I were you. As far as where to go and not go, it doesn't really matter.

I guess you can try to avoid Robson street or most of the downtown core at night just based on the amount of homeless people and trouble makers lying in the weeds. Unfortunately, that's where most of the entertainment lies, which is probably where you're son will be spending most of his time. Oh man, I shatter to think...

Sorry about the length of that quote, but I'm sure hoping someone will read this and tell me that this person is jaded or something ....

daylia

Subject: RE: BS: Tell me about Vancouver please ...
From: Amos
Date: 06 Feb 05 - 11:18 AM

This guy sounds like an obsessive bad-news freak, panic-monger and merchant of chaos, Daylia. Grain of slat time. You can find a lot more out by using the resources at your disposal on the Internet. This guy is really waving his arms and providing few facts to support it.

A

Subject: RE: BS: Tell me about Vancouver please ...
From: Amos
Date: 06 Feb 05 - 11:49 AM

Grain of salt...

Subject: RE: BS: Tell me about Vancouver please ...
From: dianavan
Date: 06 Feb 05 - 01:08 PM

Daylia -

Your son is moving six blocks east of my place. Its not too bad for a young person (my daughter has lived in worse neighborhoods)but I would suggest he go ahead and use it as a 'home base' so that he can look around and find something further east.

Yes, Vancouver is expensive. Especially the housing. I have a furnished suite for rent in my house and from here, the bus routes are great. You can be anywhere in the city in 20 minutes. My suite will be available at the end of April. PM me if he is interested. If your son is paying less than $650.00 a month, the place is probably a dump.

One of the comments: "Vancouver is probably the most prejudice and stereotypical city in the world," is completely bogus. Vancouver is rich and diverse. My shopping area is primarily Philippino or I can walk 6 blocks to a very 'hip' area of boutiques, antique stores, etc. Other shopping areas are Chinese, Punjabi, etc. Although the shopping areas are ethnically similar, the neighborhoods are not. It depends on your income. The west side is out of reach for most singles. Hastings street is not a place to live (every town has its skid row) but at the same time, I still walk through there if I have to. Its not really dangerous its just not very pleasant to see people shooting up in the alleys or weaving through the streets.

The opportunities here are many. I'm not sure where you live now, but one thing about Vancouver is that there are many opportunities. Its easy to taste the richness of life and if he keeps his eye on his goals, Vancouver is a great place to pursue his dreams. It is especially ripe with educational opportunities.

I'm not sure what kind of job he has found but, at 22, I really wonder. Most jobs out here require secondary education or a skill. If he thinks he can live on his own with a minimum wage job, he may be in for a surprise. He may have to share a house with others to have enough spending money to enjoy this place.

Sue - Delta isn't really in Vancouver. Its a suburb in the lower mainland and about 40 minutes from Vancouver. The best way to locate your family is through the phone book. Ask specifically for Delta.

I hope this helps.

Subject: RE: BS: Tell me about Vancouver please ...
From: Don Firth
Date: 06 Feb 05 - 01:33 PM

I can't speak with any authority because I don't live there, but I've been to Vancouver a couple of dozen times over the years. It is one of the most beautiful and cosmopolitan cities on the North American continent, and it's nestled in one of the most beautiful areas of the world. I think that, like any other major city, a person can probably find just about anything he or she is looking for (good or bad).

If Eric is into folk music at all, there is a very active folk scene there.

Don Firth

Subject: RE: BS: Tell me about Vancouver please ...
From: dianavan
Date: 06 Feb 05 - 01:40 PM

Sorry - I meant further WEST.

Subject: RE: BS: Tell me about Vancouver please ...
From: *daylia*
Date: 06 Feb 05 - 02:06 PM

heric, Amos, dianavan thank you so very much!

It's wonderful that you know exactly where the room he's considering is, dianavan! I'll direct him to this thread so he can read for himself all the info you were so kind to post here. *whew* I'd breathe a bit easier if he'd consider taking your suite; knowing he'd be close to the influence of another Mom, and one who I've come to know a little (and respect a lot!) here on the Mudcat would be a comfort indeed! Whether or not he'd be close to a bus route was another concern I'd forgotten to ask him about, so thanks for that too.

He plays acoustic guitar, listens to music and practices quite a bit. His tastes run from REM to Nirvana to Pink Floyd to (I must be honest) Slipknot and heavy metal. He would of course be respectful of any 'noise boundaries' you might set up, but I thought you might like to know this in advance, in light of your offer ...

As for work, he has enough years of experience in the restaurant industry to qualify for a better-than-minimum-wage position. The job he just left was paying him $11.50/hr plus gratuities - about $5/hr over minimum wage here in Ontario. And they really didn't want to lose him either ...   :-/

I've told him about the educational opportunities available in BC. I've heard it IS a great place to go to school, so thanks for confirming that too! He has a first-year college arts and sciences certificate (which is really just a glorified high school diploma) and a one semester completed toward a degree in broadcasting / journalism right now.

I DO wish he'd finished school before moving all the way across the continent alone :-(   but hey who wants to listens to their mother at age 22? I sure didn't!

Thanks again so much for your help,

daylia

Subject: RE: BS: Tell me about Vancouver please ...
From: Mudlark
Date: 06 Feb 05 - 03:49 PM

Daylia...So glad you got some positive input. I visited my stepdaughter in Vancouver (B.C.) about 5 years ago and compared with California's major cities it is a dream...beautiful location, lots of great parks, interesting, multicultural downtown areas, fewer widespread beggars and panhandlers, and, in general, a much calmer vibe. I was a little disappointed in many of the neihborhoods, as population influx a few years ago tended to wipe out older individually styled houses, replaced by lot line to lot line huge featureless boxes. But the parks and wild areas more than make up for that. And the islands are only a ferry ride away...   If I had a son Eric's age I'd feel a lot safer with him in Vancouver than just about any US city of that size I can think of.

Subject: RE: BS: Tell me about Vancouver please ...
From: bet
Date: 06 Feb 05 - 04:28 PM

Got LOST in Vancouver B.C. on my solo drive down from Fairbanks to San Diego and it took me 2 hours to find the highway again. I did finally find a little store that had a man in it that new where I needed to go. Boy was I way off! But the scenery was great! bet

Subject: RE: BS: Tell me about Vancouver please ...
From: GUEST,heric
Date: 06 Feb 05 - 05:55 PM

My grandparents lived eighteen blocks away from where you are looking for over sixty years, in a tiny 700 sq. ft. house with a huge yard. I've been told that that entire neighborhood has been replaced with lot line to lot line huge featureless boxes.

I am already pushing my son to go to college there in five years. He's resistant, but father knows best.

I also quit college between second and third year, and am very glad I did. Time for adventures without major responsibilities. I'm certain he'll be glad he did it, even if he just gets it out of his system and moves back.

Subject: RE: BS: Tell me about Vancouver please ...
From: dianavan
Date: 06 Feb 05 - 06:21 PM

Those big, featureless boxes are no longer being built thanks to the outcry of the neighbors. One thing about Vancouver is its propensity to build 'Vancouver Specials'. The style changes from time to time but basically they are ugly and poorly built homes. This is partly because the building trades union was busted by a govt. that hated unions. It is also because most of our wood is exported to Japan and the U.S.

I am happy to say that, at present, we have city planners and a city council that is much more progressive. The big houses are still being built but the styles are far more pleasing (craftman type).

The biggest problem in Vancouver is that we have run out of land because we are surrounded by water and mountains. The only place left to build is 'up'. The value of land is so high, that as far as developers are concerned, the cheaper the bldg., the better. The bldg. itself has very little value. Its the land that is expensive and continues to rise in value every year. Its a great place to invest.

and Daylia - Acoustic music doesn't bother me or my neighbors. Music is part of our soundscape. Its a very tolerant city when it comes to artistic expression. I don't know anyone who has ever been busted for making or playing music too loud.

Its better than the sound of traffic which is why bet probably got lost. Vancouver is the only major city in N. America without a freeway running through it.

Subject: RE: BS: Tell me about Vancouver please ...
From: *daylia*
Date: 07 Feb 05 - 10:09 AM

Don, Mudlark et al thanks for your encouragement and your input. And dianavan, I'm glad it's a free world out there as far as music is concerned! Still, I think I'd rather be inflicted with traffic noise every day than demonic pounding and roaring from the depths of hell, Slipknot style ... but maybe it's just that my age is showing or something.

heric, I'm relieved to say that after reading your advice above - plus a similar warning from that discovervancouver site (ie He's going to check out the place in person and the landlord in person before forking over 3 months rent right? There are scammers out there that collect deposit's or pre-rents from several people at once and then disappear...and then find out the guy wasn't even the owner. buyer beware!) - my son's decided against paying 3 mos rent in advance to a person he's never met for accomodations he's never even seen.

*whew* that idea never did sit right with me somehow ... so thank you all very much for your help and support here!

Subject: RE: BS: Tell me about Vancouver please ...
From: semi-submersible
Date: 08 Feb 05 - 04:09 AM

You'll like the Wet Coast, Eric. If I had a dollar for every refugee from Ontario out here, I'd be able to build an opera house.

By the way, Sue, you might find your friends through Canada 411, an online version of the Canadian phone books.

Maureen in Egmont, BC (a couple of notches up from the metropolis).

P.S. The one thing I missed most when I moved back home was Pacific Cinematheque Pacifique. Another Vancouver specialty is the Rafe Mair Show. Fortunately, a week's worth of this often stimulating radio program is streamed online. But we prefer to catch it on 600 am weekdays from 8:34 to 10:30 Pacific time. The rest of the day, the station plays fine old songs. (That's where my 6-year-old learned to love Tennessee Ernie Ford in Sixteen Tons.)

Subject: RE: BS: Tell me about Vancouver please ...
From: sue exhull
Date: 08 Feb 05 - 01:40 PM

Thanks to Dianavan and semi for your help, hopefully I may be able to find some cousins, Tho its a few years since they have been in touch. I will keep you posted :) thanks again Sue

Subject: RE: BS: Tell me about Vancouver please ...
From: Cats
Date: 08 Feb 05 - 06:33 PM

I hate cities. I love Vancouver! Jon and I spent the summer in BC a couple of years ago with his relatives (everywhere between Cranbrook and Victoria)and we just fell in love with Vancouver. The public transport system is amazing, everyone is so friendly, the shops eclectic and it even has a couple of really good micro breweries for good measure. We did a concert for the Vancouver / Victoria Cornish Association while we were out there and they were so generous. Have no fear, I'm sure the Vancouver Folkis will keep an eye on him for you.

Subject: RE: BS: Tell me about Vancouver please ...
From: Bert
Date: 09 Feb 05 - 02:53 AM

Vancouver is to Canadian song writers what Colorado is to States song writers.

Subject: RE: BS: Tell me about Vancouver please ...
From: Ebbie
Date: 09 Feb 05 - 09:54 PM

When I was in Vancouver a month ago - just for the afternoon;
a-waiting a Seattle-bound train - I rode the Vancouver SkyTrain into a couple of Zones. Great views of the city and the mountains beyond.

Subject: RE: BS: Tell me about Vancouver please ...
From: *daylia*
Date: 03 Mar 05 - 01:03 PM

Well he's leaving on the Greyhound tomorrow, heading for Banff, not Vancouver.

Don't know when he'll be back again.

He's got a couple great job offers in Kananaskis. He's so excited! I'm relieved he's not heading out alone to a big city like Van, and I keep telling myself I'm so so SOOOO happy he'll be in one of the most gorgeous places on the planet. (WHere the most threatening thing is probably the grizzlies, maybe those cute little tourist girls too)

AAARRRGHHH why do I feel no differently about him today than when he was 2.2, instead of 22? :-( Parenthood must be some kind of neurosis or something ...

Anyway I just wanted to check in here again and thank all you wonderful Catters again for all the kindness and helpful information, and let you know what's happened. So ... Mahalo nui loa ... and thanks for listening

daylia

Subject: RE: BS: Tell me about Vancouver please ...
From: Amos
Date: 03 Mar 05 - 01:23 PM

Parenthood must be some kind of neurosis

Exisitng on Planet Earth requires neurosis for eligibility, Dianavan. Don't worry about it!! :D

A

Subject: RE: BS: Tell me about Vancouver please ...
From: *daylia*
Date: 03 Mar 05 - 05:10 PM

rah rah root root we're all from the Institute it's fun to be neurotic ..... blablaaaaaWhaawhaaaaHahahahahhaaaaaaaaa

thanks Amos

(I know you meant me)

Subject: RE: BS: Tell me about Vancouver please ...
From: GUEST,Mrr
Date: 04 Mar 05 - 03:27 PM

If only I'd known this when I was there...

The flashing GREEN light means you have the OK to turn left on the green light even though you don't have a green left-turn arrow.

Subject: RE: BS: Tell me about Vancouver please ...
From: hesperis
Date: 04 Mar 05 - 03:42 PM

For visiting an area to check it out before moving there, I really recommend couchsurfing.com - lots of really nice people who like to have travellers stay over for a few days and show off their local splendours.

Subject: RE: BS: Tell me about Vancouver please ...
From: semi-submersible
Date: 05 Mar 05 - 01:12 AM

Thanks for the update. Wish you all the best. Maureen

(Of course it's too much to hope he'll take up yodelling and come home singing "When It's Springtime In the Rockies"... ;)