OT: Moving to Vancouver

[GIN ANTONIC]

Hello all,

Hurricanes fan from Toronto here. Yes, that classic combo. I live in Toronto. My GF lives in Vancouver. Unfortunately I love her so now I am forced to leave the beauty and nature of Toronto for the stale and sterile concrete jungle of the west coast. Planning on moving there in August since I'm going to her sister's wedding at that time. Some advice on apartments/areas to live in would be very helpful.

She wants to live downtown(ish) since that's where she was living before. Right now, she's in langley with her mom until I move out there. I know this is a longshot but we're trying to find a 1 bedroom for around 1200.00. Any leads or areas to check out would be great.

Also I'm a musician (still going to have a day job) so any info on the music scene would be appreciated. I'm a sax player so I do a lot of Jazz, Funk, R & B, Rock, but I also classical on a bunch of other instruments and do a lot of weddings and corporate stuff. From some friends i've talked to who live in BC, the greater Van area seems to be pretty good for corporate and cocktail stuff.

Anyways, thanks a bunch! Hopefully see you in the playoffs!

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[M A K A V E L I*]

Check out some apartments in Whalley. Close to the skytrain and 30 minutes to downtown.

 

[Wisp]

"the beauty and nature of Toronto for the stale and sterile concrete jungle of the west coast."

You realize Vancouver is surrounded by snow capped mountains and trees on one side, right? And that other side is sea and beach? And that lakes, hiking trails, and ski hills are all within striking distance? Plus that forest in the middle of the city?

 

[RobertKron]

1br for 1200 shouldn't be unrealistic, assuming you aren't set on living actually directly downtown. You should be able to find that within a few minutes of the downtown core, though.

 

[RobertKron]

"the beauty and nature of Toronto for the stale and sterile concrete jungle of the west coast."

You realize Vancouver is surrounded by snow capped mountains and trees on one side, right? And that other side is sea and beach? And that lakes, hiking trails, and ski hills are all within striking distance? Plus that forest in the middle of the city?

That may be so, but Toronto's natural beauty is unmatched. It's all relative.

 

[tesplen]

"the beauty and nature of Toronto for the stale and sterile concrete jungle of the west coast."

You realize Vancouver is surrounded by snow capped mountains and trees on one side, right? And that other side is sea and beach? And that lakes, hiking trails, and ski hills are all within striking distance? Plus that forest in the middle of the city?

wooosh

 

[I in the Eye]

Also I'm a musician (still going to have a day job) so any info on the music scene would be appreciated. I'm a sax player so I do a lot of Jazz, Funk, R & B, Rock, but I also classical on a bunch of other instruments and do a lot of weddings and corporate stuff. From some friends i've talked to who live in BC, the greater Van area seems to be pretty good for corporate and cocktail stuff.

 

[Wisp]

Having never actually been to Toronto, I guess that did go over my head.

 

[RobertKron]

Your scene would not be my scene, music-wise, but I know that this place is around at least: http://www.cellarjazz.com/

 

[Intoewsables]

Check out some apartments in Whalley. Close to the skytrain and 30 minutes to downtown.

He's not a Bruins fan...be nice.

 

[GIN ANTONIC]

Check out some apartments in Whalley. Close to the skytrain and 30 minutes to downtown.

Probably a little further than we'd want. She has mentioned that she doesn't really want to go south of 41st? I was looking at places around the Oakridge center. Seems to be a decent neighbourhood, not too pricey and close to shopping and transit.

She's also said she's not a fan of East hastings for various reasons...

1br for 1200 shouldn't be unrealistic, assuming you aren't set on living actually directly downtown. You should be able to find that within a few minutes of the downtown core, though.

Any ideas on areas? She has lived in Kits and Mt. Pleasant area before but places around there seem pretty tiny for how much you're paying.

Your scene would not be my scene, music-wise, but I know that this place is around at least: http://www.cellarjazz.com/

Well, I guess that depends on your scene. I'm a hired gun, so I'll play pretty much any style as long as there's drinks and a paycheque at the end of it. I have a bunch of friends who have played that club and apparently it's quite good!

Having never actually been to Toronto, I guess that did go over my head.

It did. Like way over. Toronto has pretty much zero in the way of nature when comparing it to Vancouver.


Thanks for the input guys!

 

[RobertKron]

Any ideas on areas? She has lived in Kits and Mt. Pleasant area before but places around there seem pretty tiny for how much you're paying.

If you're looking for a new building, then yeah you'll probably no find much. I've lived in a really big 1BR in mount pleasant for sub-1000, a sub 900 2br just outside mount pleasant, and know there are pretty large and very nice 1brs near the King Ed Canada Line station that are, I believe, under 1200.

But yeah, it'll take a bit of looking for sure. Between Fraser and roughly around Granville-ish from like Broadway up to 16th or so is littered with 70s-ish 3 story apartment buildings that generally have good transit access to most anywhere. There's obviously a reasonably wide range in quality and prices in there, but you should be able to find something. Hastings Sunrise is a thought, as well.

 

[GIN ANTONIC]

If you're looking for a new building, then yeah you'll probably no find much. I've lived in a really big 1BR in mount pleasant for sub-1000, a sub 900 2br just outside mount pleasant, and know there are pretty large and very nice 1brs near the King Ed Canada Line station that are, I believe, under 1200.

But yeah, it'll take a bit of looking for sure. Between Fraser and roughly around Granville-ish from like Broadway up to 16th or so is littered with 70s-ish 3 story apartment buildings that generally have good transit access to most anywhere. There's obviously a reasonably wide range in quality and prices in there, but you should be able to find something. Hastings Sunrise is a thought, as well.

Cool! Will definitely have her look into that. She's a bit scatterbrained on the matter. As is to be expected when it comes to women regarding most things. Some days she wants a nice new apt with stainless steel appliances and other days she wants a cozy historic victorian feel. Personally, I don't care as long as it's nice and the rent and location are good.

This place, Willow Gardens at the Oakridge Center (Cambie - 41st) seems really good. I've seen 1 bedroom places going for 1200.00 but no pets and she really wants to get a dog.

http://www.hollyburn.com/blog/?p=44

Anyway, nice to know there are some options out there. Any experiences with public transit? We're probably going to be splitting a car at first and depending on where I work I may get another one.

 

[jigsaw99]

He's not a Bruins fan...be nice.

ghetto Whalley has cleaned up alot in last few years.

 

[serge2k]

ghetto Whalley has cleaned up alot in last few years.

yeah, but if you want to live downtown you are going to be disappointed with Whalley.

Plus I still wouldn't live near the skytrain, used to live about a 15 minute walk away and it was fine.

 

[RobertKron]

Cool! Will definitely have her look into that. She's a bit scatterbrained on the matter. As is to be expected when it comes to women regarding most things. Some days she wants a nice new apt with stainless steel appliances and other days she wants a cozy historic victorian feel. Personally, I don't care as long as it's nice and the rent and location are good.

This place, Willow Gardens at the Oakridge Center (Cambie - 41st) seems really good. I've seen 1 bedroom places going for 1200.00 but no pets and she really wants to get a dog.

http://www.hollyburn.com/blog/?p=44

Anyway, nice to know there are some options out there. Any experiences with public transit? We're probably going to be splitting a car at first and depending on where I work I may get another one.

Pet-friendly places are sometimes tough to find no matter what the pricepoint, unfortunately.

Transit is fairly good, assuming you live near a decent route. I mean, it's still public transit and frustrating, but compared to a lot of cities Vancouver does alright. Toronto is likely better, but you should be able to get around town alright. I travel by foot/bike/transit/car2go and I don't have too much trouble.

 

[Apple Juice]

There's an apartment building on W Broadway and Maple St. It's brand new and there are still rooms available. You won't find it on Google Maps because it's still under construction when Google Maps took a street view snapshot of it. My friend lives there and it's an awesome building. It's close to downtown if you have a car, it's literally only a 5 minute drive and you're close to the busy West Broadway area filled with shops.. Plus, there's a BC Liquor Store right underneath the apartment for your house parties


And I've been to Toronto this past summer.. Trust me, I know you love Toronto and all but once you visit Vancouver, you will never want to go back to that boring, dull, flat land with no mountains of what you call Toronto. Don't get me wrong, Toronto is great, but in terms of scenery and desirability to live in, Vancouver is always the top North American city in any list. Sucks it's so expensive but what the hey right?




http://www.broadwayliving.ca

That's the apartment..

 

[ProstheticConscience]

Hmm. $1200 for a one bedroom should be doable in quite a few neighbourhoods. Finding somewhere that allows pets will be substantially more difficult.

The Oakridge area is nice-ish. Not a lot of apartment options around there, probably. You'll probably be looking at a lot of basement suites, and the neighbourhood is boring as hell. It's got easy transit access to downtown, and the mall's right there, though. Zero nightlife, all residential except for small commercial oases on 41st at Oak and Cambie. After about 9pm, there's literally nothing happening anywhere.

Mt Pleasant probably has more options, but beware of the "character houses" that will crop up as you get closer to the Commercial Drive area. Far more often than not, they're old woodframe houses with paper-thin walls and floors so that you can hear every motion and word your neighbours make. Also wiring jobs from the 50's or 60's can be common. A lot more stuff to do around there, with tons of interesting cafes and little restaurants. Grow a beard, stuff yourself into your skinny jeans and browse for "ironic" pop culture shirts to your heart's content down there.

"Cozy historic Victorian feel"...yeah, not so much around here. Vancouver was basically a logging camp with a few wooden saloons in the Victorian era, so there's not a lot of architecture from around then.

Kits would be my preference, but again with the price limit you'll have to sort through a lot of older rattraps to find something decent. South Granville might also be possible, but with the same caveat.

Something you could try if you're having trouble finding somewhere acceptable is to check around the Patterson and Metrotown skytrain areas if you're okay with being a bit further out. It's only about 20 minutes to downtown on the skytrain from there, and there's a lot of new-ish high rises in the area, though most are condo. Plus, Metrotown's right there for all your consumer goods needs. Whatever you want to buy, chances are it's in there somewhere. Burnaby nightlife does suck, though. No one parties in Burnaby; they all just hop the train and head downtown.

http://www.rentbc.com/

Good luck.

 

[Apple Juice]

Cool! Will definitely have her look into that. She's a bit scatterbrained on the matter. As is to be expected when it comes to women regarding most things. Some days she wants a nice new apt with stainless steel appliances and other days she wants a cozy historic victorian feel. Personally, I don't care as long as it's nice and the rent and location are good.

This place, Willow Gardens at the Oakridge Center (Cambie - 41st) seems really good. I've seen 1 bedroom places going for 1200.00 but no pets and she really wants to get a dog.

http://www.hollyburn.com/blog/?p=44

Anyway, nice to know there are some options out there. Any experiences with public transit? We're probably going to be splitting a car at first and depending on where I work I may get another one.

You'll probably like our transit system once you start using it...... But the more you use it, the more frustrated and pissed off you'll get. They're either always late, always early, or they come together in packs of two/three buses..


Then again, it's a lot better than Toronto's transit system.. Especially when you consider the viva Blue bus and GO bus.. It's a lot better.

 

[Karter]

Enjoy BC, it's beautiful. Got to live in Victoria for a year and the weather is on another level.

Oh and prepare for your slow transition into a Canuck fan. They're like an extremely hot cousin. You know you shouldn't be checking them out but you're going to anyway.

And that's my advice / super weird analogy for the day.

 

[GIN ANTONIC]

You'll probably like our transit system once you start using it...... But the more you use it, the more frustrated and pissed off you'll get. They're either always late, always early, or they come together in packs of two/three buses..


Then again, it's a lot better than Toronto's transit system.. Especially when you consider the viva Blue bus and GO bus.. It's a lot better.

I actually find the transit in Toronto decent. Of course it could be much much better but that's likely the case for everywhere in Canada. GO and VIVA are pretty much for the suburbs and yeah, that transit is ****. I have a car here though so I don't have to worry about that fortunately.

Enjoy BC, it's beautiful. Got to live in Victoria for a year and the weather is on another level.

Oh and prepare for your slow transition into a Canuck fan. They're like an extremely hot cousin. You know you shouldn't be checking them out but you're going to anyway.

And that's my advice / super weird analogy for the day.

I'm sure I'll grow a fondness for the nucks but I'm a Canes fan through and through. No changing that. Kinda excited to go to a Vancouver Canadians and a Mariners or Seahawks game in Seattle. It's awesome that Seattle and even Portland are an easy drive. Montreal is the only place worth driving to around Toronto and even that is 5 hours, plus french people are dicks!

OK, so I'm gonna hope for a something nice in Kits. But will keep all other non-stabby place options open!

 

[RandV]

Hello all,

Hurricanes fan from Toronto here. Yes, that classic combo. I live in Toronto. My GF lives in Vancouver. Unfortunately I love her so now I am forced to leave the beauty and nature of Toronto for the stale and sterile concrete jungle of the west coast. Planning on moving there in August since I'm going to her sister's wedding at that time. Some advice on apartments/areas to live in would be very helpful.

She wants to live downtown(ish) since that's where she was living before. Right now, she's in langley with her mom until I move out there. I know this is a longshot but we're trying to find a 1 bedroom for around 1200.00. Any leads or areas to check out would be great.

Also I'm a musician (still going to have a day job) so any info on the music scene would be appreciated. I'm a sax player so I do a lot of Jazz, Funk, R & B, Rock, but I also classical on a bunch of other instruments and do a lot of weddings and corporate stuff. From some friends i've talked to who live in BC, the greater Van area seems to be pretty good for corporate and cocktail stuff.

Anyways, thanks a bunch! Hopefully see you in the playoffs!

Kind of sounds like what we looked for when moving from Calgary to Vancouver, but we ended up here here.

Pro's:
Just outside Yaletown, in the middle of everything
One of the only rental places you'll find here
Comes with parking
In-suite laundry machines and dishwasher
Pets are allowed! (dogs allowed up to 25lbs)
With two towers one 30 floors and the other 23 there's pretty much always vacancy's.

Con's:
With parking you'll be paying a little over $1500 a month for a one bedroom

For our move we didn't have too much time to look and had pets to consider, so we just had to bite the bullet and pay up. Otherwise your best bet for downtown at that price may be in the Westend, though I'd imagine quality and vacancy, not too mention being allowed pets, is going to be hit and miss. Same thing if you go across the bridge, Kits is a nice place but you're probably looking at a basement suite there.

I also wouldn't completely write off the East Hastings area. Yes it's basically night of the living homeless, but there are a few area's that have been reclaimed for suitable living accommodations. And of course being an undesirable area prices are cheaper.

Edit: And reading your last comment above while the mass homeless and druggies are kind of depressing they're not really the stabby type. Like I've heard a Vancouver actor describe a place in LA saying 'you're only likely to get mugged every few months' as a positive thing. That's not likely to happen in the DTES.

 

[Tobi Wan Kenobi]

Just go on padmapper.com put in one bedroom 1200 and you'll find plenty around the Vancouver area.

 

[TARS]

I had a similar budget when I was apartment hunting last summer. Given your budget and preferences, I would highly recommend West Broadway. Between Trafalgar and Alma if you can find a place. It's 5 minutes from downtown, has everything you could possibly need as well as a lot of sweet specialty shops, good places to eat, and it's quiet at night. It's also a 10 minute walk to Kits beach.

I found a 660 square foot 1 bedroom with an 80 square foot deck for 1100 after about 3 weeks of looking around. I haven't met anyone with a better situation for the money in this city since I moved in. Just avoid old buildings in Kits (which is most of them) as they all have hardwood floors that aren't insulated well so noise from above can be a pain.

Best of luck.

 

[Reverend Mayhem]

If you want a reasonable price to live downtown, you are going to have a bad time.