Ask Vancouver - A place to ask questions about the Metro Vancouver region of British Columbia

Just moved here from Toronto, and this place is across the street. What exactly is this mall? It has like 7 phone case stores, a food court and every other place is shut down. Am I missing something? How is it still open? How has no one turned this into condos yet? I’m confused.

If someone were to ask you what are the best things to do in this city, to live life to the fullest, on a daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly basis, what would you tell them?

Whether newly moved for a job, or a local who's been out of the loop of seemingly known rituals, what would you tell them about embracing West Coast living?

I'm in a funk. Nothing's seemed to go right for a while. This city is famously difficult. But I refuse to go down without a fight, I refuse to take it lying down. And I want to design a better life. The best life.

I knew someone who did the Grouse Grind before work. I'm sure people enjoy running the seawall regularly. Coffee or brunch weekends at certain places? Volleyball or paddle boarding at Spanish banks? Heading to Whistler in winter, and the Okanagan in summer. Festivals, etc. (Both typical/cliche, and original ideas are welcome.)

What are the best parts, the highlights, of living here, how would you design a life, to have regularly great experiences, and meet great people. Is it just the touristy stuff, or what goes beyond? (Maybe must-join social or activity groups? Where's the camaraderie?) Especially low-barrier, and solo. Thanks!

*Edit: Thank you Vancouver for Vancouvering.

I’m 21 years old and I have three years of experience working in customer service, however I was let go of my job back in January. I’ve been searching on every single job board applying for at least 20 postings a day and I rarely get any replies from employers. When I get replies, they’re just quick phone interviews and they never contact me back or they tell me that they’ve moved on.

Is there a reason as to why it’s so hard to find EVEN just a small part time job? It’s really been deteriorating my mental health and I can’t make ends meet to help my family. I’ve revamped my resume many times and tried to get through WorkBC but it hasn’t helped yet. I’ve also done snow shovelling, dog walking, and tried selling my belongings so I’m pretty desperate at this point. If anyone has any recommendations please let me know; I’m open to working any job!

The other day, while exploring loan companies, I found Fairstone based in Vancouver. After submitting my credit score details online, they called me yesterday, expressing concern about a potential red flag on my profile indicating identity fraud. Later that evening, a call from No Caller ID, claiming to be the police, reconfirmed details. It turns out there's another person with a similar name who lost IDs, reported to the police, and reached out to discuss the situation.

Should I be worried? Could this be a scam?

Hi guys! I’m not sure what’s the best group to ask this on, but my family of 4 are visiting from India to Canada for a long visit.

We’re going to be flying in from Toronto to Vancouver to explore all the major locations in west coast. I’m having a hard time deciding what’s the best/ most comfortable way of planning out my itenary.

We def want to hit up: Vancouver, Whistler, Kelowna, Banff and Calgary. Maybe few more places if you guys could suggest some, I heard the ferry to Victoria is also really nice.

Now the dilemma is, should we do a road trip from Vancouver to all the way to Calgary end point ( stopping at Kelowna, Banff etc. ) by getting a 1 way rental (which is considerably more expensive and has limited options in car), OR take Turo rental in Vancouver ( cheap, has many options) drive to Whistler and Kelowna, come back and take a flight to Calgary and take another rental there?

I read online that the drive is nice, but is it worth it? My parents are also in their 40+ so they perhaps might not find it comfortable to sit for such prolonged periods ( 5+ hour drive from Vanc to Kelo & then another 6 hours to Banff from there ). Are there any other alternative ways that I’m missing how people travel? I don’t mind getting an RV too in the middle of the trip.

Money is not an issue, I just want to give my parents the best trip possible. What do you guys think?

Anyone else out there feeling frustrated about how things went down with the doggy daycare Pet Shop Club? They shut down suddenly with literally no notice taking all our money (about $400) we spent on a package with them. They immediately deleted their Instagram page, website, and haven't responded to any of our emails. I don't know what to do, it feels I have no course of action to try to contact them to get my money back.

I see on their google review that two people have tried to complain through that platform but I can't leave a review there now cause they changed to "permanently closed" so no further reviews can be left.

I looked into small claims court but seems it's not worth it, I'd have to pay $150 just to file a claim. Is anyone else aware of any other steps to take?

Mostly just bummed about how they went about things, just cut and run with everyone's money then refused to take accountability. Like at the very least just own it and say you've gone bankrupt or something.

As title suggest, I’m moving to Van from SF. My salary is going to be CAD 125k. Just trying to get a sense of if I’ll be able to have at least decent savings living in a 1bed apartment.

The apartment I’m looking at is $2.7k a month plus utilities (Yaletown). I don’t have a car and plan to take public transport. While my salary was slightly higher in the US, I was also living with my partner so splitting the rent let us save a good amount each month.

Hearing about how expensive things are getting in Vancouver, would it make sense to possibly consider a cheaper apartment in another neighborhood? I need to come into work twice a week which is near the financial district. I’m also hoping to be closer to the fun restaurants / breweries etc so would ideally lieke to live relatively closer to downtown.

If monthly expenses don’t drain me entirely each month, I was hoping to take a flight out to SF every couple of months to be able to meet my partner.

TLDR: is Vancouver affordable on $125k with $2.7k in rent, a dog, no car and being able to save some money each month?

I've been battling depression and my hair is a matted mess. I've tried taking care of it myself but it's gotten so bad and painful to detangle that I might have to get it shaved. I'm hoping there's a salon that can help. Does anybody have any suggestions?

Hello lovely Vancouverites - someone tell me where the best authentic croissant is in downtown Vancouver. I am talking big and crunchy outside with the softest buttery-ist inside. Nothing fancy. Thank you :D

I currently am a hairdresser in Vancouver and I’m finding that I might have to switch careers. Housing is general is really high and I find a lot of my clients cannot afford any of my services due sky rocketing prices in Vancouver for anything. So with that in mind what do you guys do for a living? (Also any hairstylist any advice? I feel like everything has been so slow)

My nephew (9) and I (old lol) will be in Vancouver for one day/night after taking a cross Canada train from Toronto. We’ll be staying near Burrard Station.

We share the trains passion and plan on taking the Skytrain and ferries to the stops. (How long would this take with a few stops?) Please help me earn my fun aunt designation by giving some suggestions to delight my nephew.

Are there any particularly cool looking stations? Are there skytrain tshirts or hoodies available for purchase? Any other tips for us public transportation nerds? I’m also thinking of taking him to Sushi Aboard for lunch.

Thank you in advance for helping me plan our very short and niche stay!

Resident big foot here looking for women's nude sandals/heels for a wedding and it seems like an impossible task in this city. Does anyone have any knowledge of stores that have a women's 11 or 11.5 wide that I could try on? Seems like post Covid a lot of store are now maxing out at size 10 or even a few stores have told me they only carry to 9s. Price is no concern at this point, I just need something to wear to the 4 weddings I'm in this year.

I miss Payless Shoes as they always had up to 12s 🥲

Hello, I am a 25M with a bachelor's degree in Statistics and Industrial Engineering. I am relocating because I want to leave Atlantic Canada and gain more experience in urban environments. I have lived in Atlantic Canada for approximately 12 years, but I felt a desire to be part of larger communities.

I have already purchased a flight ticket to Vancouver for early April and have sold nearly all of my belongings. At this point, I have no plans to return.

I had been planning to move to Vancouver about 8 months ago, anticipating that the job market would improve. Unfortunately, it seems to have worsened significantly.

I have 2.5 years of experience from internships and co-op terms in the healthcare analytics field. I am concerned because I do not believe it will be easy to find a job. My internship ends at the end of April, and although I am currently working from home, my employer has agreed to allow me to work from Vancouver for the last month.

I am applying to five job positions per day with tailored resumes.

Could I ask for any advice to improve my situation? Is there anything else I should be doing to increase my chances of success?

i recently got my N and i always stick to the speed limit, especially since my parents always enforce it. however, every time i drive, people tend to pass me by overtaking me, and everyone seems to be over the speed limit??

i don’t know if im supposed to be driving at the speed limit or matching everyone else?? what do you do?

My boyfriend developed a suspicious bump on his skin that has been there for almost a month now and it’s starting to make me extremely uncomfortable and anxious for his health.

We don’t have a family doctor and when I google walk in clinics in metro Vancouver area, they all specify they have recently stopped being walk -in clinics (what is going on?). Some of these I’ve visited in the past which I could rely on and are now no longer accepting new patients. I was able to find 2 - one 2 weeks away but it’s over the phone, and another one that’s literally a month away in person.

Don’t even get me started on skipping the general check up and going straight to a dermatologist which is actually the end goal here.

Does any one have any advice on a how I could get him checked out quicker? Or maybe appease me that waiting that long will be ok? How do other people in Vancouver navigate this healthcare system?

TIA!

Hi there! I am a class 5 driver but I noticed that my driving is pretty bad and dangerous. I have really bad situational awareness… I often don’t see stop sign… and it is very concerning to me… I want to improve my driving skills so I am looking for a driving school recommendation or private instructor in downtown Vancouver area. Any recommendations?

How does it work? We are staying in Lonsdale this weekend and are wanting to take the SeaBus to downtown for the Canucks game tomorrow night.

Can we just walk up and pay or do we have to get a card? Sorry if this has been asked before.

I live in the west end and parking by me has gotten real tight lately due to all the construction of new buildings that have closed off 10+ spots in the area. I get home from the gym late at night and all the permit spots are gone. I usually have to drive the neighborhood for 10+ minutes to find a spot and then have to walk 3+ blocks

Often times I see Evos parked in the permit spots taking up parking. Now from my understanding, Evos can legally use the permit spots (unfortunately), but they can also use the "paid street parking spots" without paying. There's lots of these metered spots around me, as well as 2 hour free parking spots and they are always available overnight. I'm not sure why the evo drivers don't park here instead, considering they are located only like 10 feet away, but I guess they don't think about this sort of thing

I was thinking about signing up for an evo membership so I can move the evo out of permit and into the meter/2 hour spots. It would only take me 1 minute of driving and I was wondering if I could do that for a couple bucks or if there is some sort of min evo charge for getting in a vehicle? I saw the rates on the site but I know these types of fees can be hidden. Looking for a response from an actual evo user. How is time calculated, from ignition start to shutoff or opening the doors? Also, anyway to register without paying the $35 one time fee? (Like from a sign up pop up booth I sometimes see at the park, ect)

Third places are social spaces other than home or work where you can just hang out. What are the best indoor social spaces around vancouver/richmond that don’t require you to spend money, and with flexible hours where one can chill after work?

It feels like the only place I can get groceries for a decent price is walmart. I have tried shopping at safeway, london drugs, shoppers but everytime I check their prices, it's always 1-3 bucks more than walmart. It sucks cause I hate driving so far but after calculating all the money I'm saving its worth the travel.

For example, i went to buy some pop for a friends birthday coming up and for a 2l, its like 2.99 bucks before tax where as walmart has them for 1.99. I know it's not a lot, but when I calculate all the groceries for a month, it's significant money

I (22F) moved to Vancouver about 2 and a half years ago. I worked a full time job, then switched jobs twice, and now I'm in college full time. I consider myself a pretty social person, and I've tried to make and maintain friends with the people I met during my jobs and now in college but to no avail.

The issue I find myself facing the most is the fact that, even though the people here are so nice, everyone just keeps to themselves and aren't open to new friendships. I always try to intiate conversations but it feels like I always end up with hitting a wall at one point, as in people give me really short/simple answers that I can't build off of? I don't know if I'm describing this correctly.

I've even tried to be the one intiating plans, organizing events, etc. and it feels like people aren't really willing to give me the time. It's really shocking as where I came from I had many friends and didn't face as much trouble making friends/having people open up as much as I do here. People in Vancouver seem to be really closed off/to themselves, and I'm really struggling to get around it. 😭

My long-term long distance partner also moved to Vancouver recently, we now live together. They're also experiencing the same problem I am with making friends. We tried going to bars, group meetups, we tried downloading social apps/going to the events @weshouldbefriendsvancouver on instagram has organized. We even tried a dnd campaign. We met so many great and lovely people, but none of them felt like they were open enough to a long term friendship.

What do you guys would suggest doing? Anything else we could try?

I’m about to move alone to Vancouver and I’m really scared. Not because of Vancouver but because it’s the first time I’m leaving my country alone. Are people friendly there? Is it dangerous? Just anything that can help me calm down would be very very much appreciated 😢😣

Here's the link to the website: https://www.comuniikey.com/

It frustrated me that we have review sites for everything from restaurants to doctors, yet we don't have a reliable site for reviews on condos (besides the odd google review you might see on a condo).

The site is completely free to use. This is something that I hope will help people when they're considering renting/buying and just want some honest information on a condo.

It's a very basic website for now since this is something I started in my free time! For now the condos listed are within the city of Vancouver only and mid to large sized condos (of at least 15 units or more). I hope people will find it helpful, and open to any feedback/suggestions

Hi there,

I got an 8 month co-op near the airport and I'm thinking of moving to Richmond to avoid a massive commute. Whats a good part to move to in Richmond that's got a bit of liveliness or just an area to be recommended? I would say my only preference is just that more access to transit is always appreciated which I know limits my search by a fair bit. But I'm just curious what's out there.

There are lots in the city. Some seem to have great prices, while some seem to gouge worse than the big chains. Who's your favourite?