[the Thing]

Hey guys. Does anyone here live in Vancouver? Considering a job offer there.

• What are the pros/cons compared to other cities you've been in
• How doable is it with $120k base salary a year?
• Which part of town should I live in?
• I see many "too good to be true" condos for rent on Craigslist how many % are scams?
• How much do you spend on what aspect of your life?
• How's the social scene? Am I gonna have trouble making friends? There are many "Vancouver people are stuck-up" type articles on Quora etc but most of them seem to be IRT type dudes so idk if I should take those seriously
• How about spitting game is it all self entitled Anglo girls as some rooshers put it in other threads, or is there some glimmer of hope?
• Is it boring? As in, do you come home after work at around 6pm on a weekday and think to yourself "god I can't wait to be... not here" ?
  

I can add more questions as I go but these are what pops up to my mind. Any thoughts and/or comments are highly appreciated.

[jjjuicy]

Q: What are the pros/cons compared to other cities you've been in
A: Pros: Fresh air, fresh produce, polite mannerisms/etiquette.. Cons: It rains for 9 months of the year, tons of homeless people, chinese fobs and crazies

Q: How doable is it with $120k base salary a year?
A: Very doable, most people are struggling to get by, juggling 2-3 part time jobs + shared apts is the norm here

Q: Which part of town should I live in?
A: If you have the money go for Yaletown, if you're on a budget go east e.g. Surrey

Q: I see many "too good to be true" condos for rent on Craigslist how many % are scams?
A: wayyy too many, the housing bubble is real here

Q: How much do you spend on what aspect of your life?
A: depends, groceries are super cheap -> Superstore.. 3 things i would sign up for are bjj + ski pass + costco/amazon prime membership

Q: How's the social scene? Am I gonna have trouble making friends? There are many "Vancouver people are stuck-up" type articles on Quora etc but most of them seem to be IRT type dudes so idk if I should take those seriously
A: target the fobs/esl students, stay away from the locals, they have wayyy too many problems on their plate, just check out vancouver reddit to see what i mean

Q: How about spitting game is it all self entitled Anglo girls as some rooshers put it in other threads, or is there some glimmer of hope?
A: VERY entitled, again stay away from the locals, target the fobs/esl students

Q: Is it boring? As in, do you come home after work at around 6pm on a weekday and think to yourself "god I can't wait to be... not here" ?
A: VERY boring when compared to EE or SEA

[hedonist]

Q: What are the pros/cons compared to other cities you've been in
A: It was better then where I was living before and I couldn't move to the US or parts of Europe
If you take public transport its pretty decent.
Fairly decent international mix of girls but not many Europeans.
Cons:Shit weather in the winter, generally shitty locals, expensive.

Q: How doable is it with $120k base salary a year?
A:Should live pretty comfortably on that salary.

Q: Which part of town should I live in?
A: For me Yaletown, Downtown or possibly Kits. If you like outdoor activities North Van could be good. I wouldn't go near Surrey.

Q: I see many "too good to be true" condos for rent on Craigslist how many % are scams?
A: No idea haven't looked in forever.

Q: How much do you spend on what aspect of your life?
A:I spend way to much on food but I eat @ whole foods etc.


Q: How's the social scene? Am I gonna have trouble making friends? There are many "Vancouver people are stuck-up" type articles on Quora etc but most of them seem to be IRT type dudes so idk if I should take those seriously
A: What jjjuicy said....Personally I don't like the lay out of many pubs etc here. Its works perfect for this place though....spread out, hard to talk to people.
I like the pub where you can bump into someone and chat.
90% of my friends aren't from Van or even Canada. Mostly Irish.
If you get a good mix of friends Summer can be very good.

Q: How about spitting game is it all self entitled Anglo girls as some rooshers put it in other threads, or is there some glimmer of hope?
A: What jjjuicy said but it depends on you....there is a type that does work here with the locals. If you are that type you could kill it.

Q: Is it boring? As in, do you come home after work at around 6pm on a weekday and think to yourself "god I can't wait to be... not here" ?
A: Its fucking hell on earth for me in winter but I'm not the type of person that gets bored. Always is decent bands passing through the city.

Thumbs up for username/avi too OP!

[casa-nostra]

(11-23-2017 06:28 PM)hedonist Wrote:  

Q: What are the pros/cons compared to other cities you've been in
A: It was better then where I was living before and I couldn't move to the US or parts of Europe
If you take public transport its pretty decent.
Fairly decent international mix of girls but not many Europeans.
Cons:Shit weather in the winter, generally shitty locals, expensive.

Q: How doable is it with $120k base salary a year?
A:Should live pretty comfortably on that salary.

Q: Which part of town should I live in?
A: For me Yaletown, Downtown or possibly Kits. If you like outdoor activities North Van could be good. I wouldn't go near Surrey.

Q: I see many "too good to be true" condos for rent on Craigslist how many % are scams?
A: No idea haven't looked in forever.

Q: How much do you spend on what aspect of your life?
A:I spend way to much on food but I eat @ whole foods etc.


Q: How's the social scene? Am I gonna have trouble making friends? There are many "Vancouver people are stuck-up" type articles on Quora etc but most of them seem to be IRT type dudes so idk if I should take those seriously
A: What jjjuicy said....Personally I don't like the lay out of many pubs etc here. Its works perfect for this place though....spread out, hard to talk to people.
I like the pub where you can bump into someone and chat.
90% of my friends aren't from Van or even Canada. Mostly Irish.
If you get a good mix of friends Summer can be very good.

Q: How about spitting game is it all self entitled Anglo girls as some rooshers put it in other threads, or is there some glimmer of hope?
A: What jjjuicy said but it depends on you....there is a type that does work here with the locals. If you are that type you could kill it.

Q: Is it boring? As in, do you come home after work at around 6pm on a weekday and think to yourself "god I can't wait to be... not here" ?
A: Its fucking hell on earth for me in winter but I'm not the type of person that gets bored. Always is decent bands passing through the city.

Thumbs up for username/avi too OP!

1-So what are the background of those white Vancouver girls , if they are not Europeans ?

2-Is there more blonds girls in Vancouver compared to Toronto ?

3-So you all complains about Local attitude , which are the main target (locals are 80% of the city) , are Vancouver Locals that bitchy ? and hard to bang ? always compared to others citcies of course
It looks weird because i heard that guys in Vancouver dont approch a lot compared to Montreal , Toronto , so from where this bitchiness of Locals come from ?

[solotak]

I just moved out from there, lived there for 2 years. I lived in the west-end which i think is the perfect location. You're in the middle of it all and literally can walk to anywhere you want within 30 minutes. Here are the things i missed:

1. Infrastructure/ Walkability
I've never been car-less before so it was an eye opening experience not to feel like i needed one. This city works really well without one. You don't even need to buy a bike, although it can be handy. Lot's of car sharing around the city and bike sharing. It made networking (professionally) very convenient as i'd just walk to these meetups within 20minutes from the west-end.. I recommend this area because it's quieter, and feels suburban with really nice-treelined streets and you're very close to Stanely Park (amazing park with lot's of trails and beautiful scenary. I missed this the most, everything was walkable between work, social activities and nature, it was the right mix.

2. Good Tech scene,
By no means in comparison to the larger tech hubs but it's growing and found it a great place for networking professionaly. Lot's of networking opportunities everyday of the week and usually with free food and drinks.

3. Nature Adventure mecca
This is one of the cleanest and nicest looking cities i've encountered. It's almost too clean that it almost feels synthetic (the cityscape). You have endless amount of breathtaking hikes and adventure activities at your doorstep. FRESH AIR, awesome views all around, city+mountains+sea all around. This is what will be missed the most.


So why did i leave? After 1 year living there i was convinced to live there permanently and applied for my permanent residency. I spent countless hours, time money and effort to get this, and i was accepted. In the end i canceled it after realizing I couldn't live there long-term, the city lacks SOUL. I probably should have kept the PR just in case but honestly i couldn't see myself living there permanently (or any other Canadian city). Montreal would be better socially speaking but winters outside of Vancouver is just detrimental to a good life.

I left because:
1. The people.
Overall, incredibly superficial, vain and shallow. Lacking any depth, genuity or character. I'm not only talking about the women, but finding some homies to hang out with almost as bad. Understandbly this is like moving fresh to any new city, and i'm quiet comfortable being alone and actually prefer doing things solo and talking with strangers, but the people here are simply not welcoming or hospitable. They may appear "polite" on the outside, but devoid of any humanity inside. It didn't bother me so much until i returned home after 2 years living in that social blackhole and completely forget how social and friendly people actually were! i was really surprised that i got shocked by how people can be friendly and social, like any random on the street, male or female, just being a decent friendly human being and y'know smiling and getting to know each other because of curiosity, instead of being judged by status. In Vancouver, you'll mainly be judged by status.
The friends i ended up forming were mostly expats, except 2 canadians. They are good guys and at least showed me there were actually some decent Canadians.
Although out in nature and parks it's a different and chill vibe where meeting people is nicer. Which makes me question where are these people hiding in the city? You never meet these characters, or they just turn into a different person once they return back to the city.
I'd say it reminds me of the people from L.A, always trying to show off and impress others.

The women: i'm not even going to describe how shitty this place is for it, especially if you're not into asians. Just don't go here for tail or set your expectations very low.

Bottomline: it's a fake and flake city


2. The weather
The first year was great, a honey moon period, thinking i could always handle the winter because i enjoy snowboarding. However after the 2nd winter the novelty wore off when you actually work in the city, and have to deal with the lack of sun and overcast for almost half a year. Very depressing and really affected my mood big time.

3. Work/life balance
By the sounds of it, you seem like you'll be looked after. But for others interested, especially as an expat with no existing network, you're bottom of the barrel and will be exploited with 2nd world rates and distrubing working expectations. Office culture was stiff and workaholic, no leniency with holidays (public holiday that falls on weekend does not rollover on weekday, wtf?).

4. No Fun City
This is what people commonly refer to this city. If you're a social guy who likes to mingle around, be cultured and get stimulated by arts and interesting events, then look to Montreal. Not only the people are boring and one-dimension it adds fuel to the fire when there really isn't much going on for a city this size. To be fair, summertime does show signs of life, and you can find various outdoor festivals and events but they are mostly just for families. Now that i think about it, Vancouver would be a nice place to raise a family, if you want to let your kids live a sheltered life, but really an awful place to be a bachelor. I wish i realized it sooner.

5. Banking
More a Canadian thing, but holy crap, you guys have terrible banking infrastracture and service, i am truly shocked how a leading economic country can tolerate such horrible banking service. It felt like i experienced what my great grandfather would have banked in his days. Can't believe cheques are commonly used.

So i think it's important to list what is important for you in a city, or a place to live. Then it will help you decide whether this move would be good for you. Reading your original post, it sounds like a top priority for you is a vibrant social and sexual life, which makes this city a poor canditate. Come for a visit (summer) but don't consider wasting your time here for the long haul if being social is important.

[the Thing]

Thanks for the answers guys. Curious if any one of you has ever been to Sweden? How would you compare it to Stockholm then?

[NKD]

What I’ve noticed from meeting Vancouver girls in Toronto and Montreal, is that they seem to be friendly and very down for sex. However, usually uglier than the average girl.

[hedonist]

(11-23-2017 11:13 PM)solotak Wrote:  

So why did i leave? After 1 year living there i was convinced to live there permanently and applied for my permanent residency. I spent countless hours, time money and effort to get this, and i was accepted. In the end i canceled it after realizing I couldn't live there long-term, the city lacks SOUL. I probably should have kept the PR just in case but honestly i couldn't see myself living there permanently (or any other Canadian city). Montreal would be better socially speaking but winters outside of Vancouver is just detrimental to a good life.

I left because:
1. The people.
Overall, incredibly superficial, vain and shallow. Lacking any depth, genuity or character. I'm not only talking about the women, but finding some homies to hang out with almost as bad. Understandbly this is like moving fresh to any new city, and i'm quiet comfortable being alone and actually prefer doing things solo and talking with strangers, but the people here are simply not welcoming or hospitable. They may appear "polite" on the outside, but devoid of any humanity inside. It didn't bother me so much until i returned home after 2 years living in that social blackhole and completely forget how social and friendly people actually were! i was really surprised that i got shocked by how people can be friendly and social, like any random on the street, male or female, just being a decent friendly human being and y'know smiling and getting to know each other because of curiosity, instead of being judged by status. In Vancouver, you'll mainly be judged by status.
The friends i ended up forming were mostly expats, except 2 canadians. They are good guys and at least showed me there were actually some decent Canadians.
Although out in nature and parks it's a different and chill vibe where meeting people is nicer. Which makes me question where are these people hiding in the city? You never meet these characters, or they just turn into a different person once they return back to the city.
I'd say it reminds me of the people from L.A, always trying to show off and impress others.

The women: i'm not even going to describe how shitty this place is for it, especially if you're not into asians. Just don't go here for tail or set your expectations very low.

Bottomline: it's a fake and flake city

/ his

I don't think its so bad for women, just the local ones. And if you fit into the wanna be Cali kale,yoga,cryotherapy or whatever the fuck is the new 5min fad you could potentially do well with the locals.

(11-23-2017 11:13 PM)solotak Wrote:  

5. Banking
Can't believe cheques are commonly used.

Lol I used to loathe but now miss cheques! Now the fuckers charge you a fee to pay rent online.

The Thing I'll send you a PM.

[Road_Less_Taken]

That's great coin for Vancouver, most young people don't have money, unless they are Chinese or Persians, then they probably do.

[LatinoHeat]

You guys think its worth it to go sightseeing for just one day to checkout scene and maybe hit the bars one night just out of curiosity?

I'm going to Whistler for the first time in March and my bro wanted to do an extra day in Vancouver for sightseeing, as we both have never been.

Anything really cool to checkout? I'm figuring probably not worth it, but figured i'd get a 2nd opinion.

Could give a shit about gaming the local girls, not in the equation.

Also, whats the scene like in Whistler? Chance of pulling? Good nightlife (Kinda like Breckenridge?) Not main reason for going but just curious.

[TooFineAPoint]

I lived there nearly 20 years ago so maybe it's changed.

I would say live in Kitsilano as your first pick (nice area, lots of university girls, stuff stays open late and less homeless fucks that all the rest of Vancouver). Then maybe West Van or North Van.

Lots of pretty blond girls there, but this was my gameless time so I had no experience picking them up. It seemed like if you were really into drugs and raves you could do okay with them.

The people in general, but especially the homeless and druggies (and bike couriers), are terrible there.

I always said that I hated Vancouver and was very happy to leave, but that it might be nice if you have a larger budget.

I think OP makes enough money to enjoy himself there.

[Dragan]

I've heard whistler is one of the most intense places to party in N. America, esp in the winter/spring.

https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/jppqx...g-whistler

[TheMost]

With $120k/year base salary, you can enjoy life in Vancouver, if you are careful. Finding a good looking woman who isn't hopped up on medications is tough.

Everything the previous commenters said about Vancouver is (still) true. Except the Asian thing. If you are into Black women, they've been busy importing them like mad, the slender ones, not the fatties. If you see slender blonde women, they are probably imports from Eastern Europe. You might have a chance with them, depending on how much they like their sponsors.

[Sidney Crosby]

If I was going to live in Vancouver (metro area) I'd want to live in White Rock/South surrey area. It has everything you need, tons of hot fit white girls, close the US border, easy access to downtown, the ferry to go to Vancouver island and YVR.

There is no huge homeless problem like Vancouver, less crackheads and that type of thing......less faggots on bicycles.

You can even live in an actual detached house, but that will cost you a million at least, which is normal for anywhere decent now in the lower mainland, Thank you China!