AirSpeed VW Community Forums
General Forums => Air Speed Lounge => Topic started by: mrsmythe on January 13, 2005, 07:32:49 AM
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I'm heading over to your superb part of the world for two weeks :D from this coming wkend (15/16 Jan) and was wondering if there is, unlikely I know, any VW stuff going on?
I want to head over to the Air Speed Parts shop and have a look around and find out more about the VW scene (and probably a bunch of other stuff) you guys have got over there. When might be best to go to the shop? Oh, and I'm guessing I'll need to get there by car?
This is part of a final decision making trip about moving to Vancouver from London (been wanting to do it for a long time now) so any information or anything good that you guys have to say about over there or any suggestions of things I should check out would be cool.
Cheers! :)
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Well welcome in advance!
A group of us meet almost every sunday for breakfast, maybe you could make it out to that while your hear.
Do you have a list of places to visit while in town? Maybe we can give you an idea of good/bad areas to visit and avoid.
As far as VW stuff - it's -1c right now and expected to get colder...not much going on as far as VW's go.
Are you coming over to look for work or anything?
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Yes Welcome! And -1 C ohhhh poor muffin Thermometer right now reads -18 c..........little cold for this Langley boy.
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Hmm, I'd take -18C in a heartbeat today. The thermometer on the deck reads -37C right now... and the sun is up!!!! The wind will pick up this afternoon then with the windchill it will be near -50C... -18C! poor muffin!
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Come on guys dont scare him away! Now I have to get the fire in the igloo going and drill a hole in the ice to catch me some breaky.
Shawn
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Scare him away - would you want to live anywhere else other than Vancouver??? Didn't think so!
We have it DAMN good here compared to most places in the world!
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Hello MrSmythe!
Vancouver is a big city. Not as big as London, but it can be a challenge to get around.
What part of town will you be staying in?
Weather is not that bad, keep an eye on the official weather website.
CLICK HERE (http://www.weatheroffice.ec.gc.ca/forecast/city_e.html?yvr)
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Welcome MrSmythe,
It would be great to have you stop by AirSpeed, Make sure to introduce yourself.
Geoff.
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Easy there boy, Just a Joke, step away from the computer and take a deep breath ;) sorry but -37 would scare me away any day. [_[
BTW welcome MRSMYTHE you will love it over here. Lots to do and see.
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Enjoy yourself while your here. Lots of things to do in Vancouver. Just ;) Stay away from Hastings & main.
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Hello Mrsmythe i made the same move as you are contemplating in around about way though, and i reckon there is no way that you will want to go back to london, i used to live in Kennington which is really central london i'm not sure where you are from in the big smoke but i think the only things that that might think are the downside are:
1 public transport its clean and safe but doesnt really go to too many places it also takes alot longer to get anywhere.( they do have the friendliest bus drivers i've ever met though)
2 Everywhere opens late and closes early as for entertainment(in town) choices are really limited i have heard this place called Vansnoozer.
3 strange ours for liquor stores(no you can't get it at the corner store)
4 Not very multicultural compared to London
5Radio+tv willdrive you mad same old and not much choice
6Some might say the drug problem (mainly due to its high visibility) but to be honest its a walk in the park compared to most of london.
Myself i reckon that some of the above aren't really problems anyway, and that this part of the world is just fantastic the people are awesome and really friendly compared to back in blighty and you only have to look out of a window to see the possibilities that exist here for making your own entertainment. This is the first place i have ever lived where there is a real feeling of community. Houses are a lot cheaper here than back in london (although Vancouverites may feel they are way to expensive)
i'm not one for flag waving but i really am stoked/ proud to be living here. I haven't yet had the chance to explore the rest of Canada but as soon as my van is rolling thats what i'll be doing.
The veedub community at least the people i've met and on this board seem to be a really friendly and helpful bunch, (Thanks folks :rockon: )
Sorry for going on everyone but i guess i just got a bit too enthusiastic
this place rules...
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vancouver would love to have ya, mr. smythe :rockon:
here's a couple tips for your impending stay in B.C.:
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would you want to live anywhere else other than Vancouver??? Didn't think so!
then why do you live in cloverhole?? ;)
i agree with all the above.
aswell, walk around the seawall and try to drive up grouse or cypress on a clear day for a hike and a magnificent view of the city. go for a walk on the beach, either english bay or spanish banks.
robson street is bustling but touristy. granville street has plenty of nightclubs. good live venues for rock, jazz, blues, etc are all around vancouver. china town is fun. vancouver art gallery is central. gastown is historic but somewhat touristy. commercial drive is pretty cool & laid back.
main & hastings is where the druggies and somewhat less fortunate hang out. if you want an eye opening dose of that reality, go for a 1/2 hour walk around there. go with a friend & during the day.
liquor stores are usually open monday to saturday until 9pm. beer & wine stores are usually open 7 days a week untill 11pm.
one of the first things you should do is pick up a georgia straight. it's a free local paper that comes out every thursday and has info on music, arts, eats, news, etc.
go visit airspeed and post on this forum so we know how you're doing & where you're at.
but most of all, have fun. bc & the lower mainland is a spectacular place. B)
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it's -46 celsius with the wind here in edmonton right now :blink: man it's friggin cold !!
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WOW! What a great response! :D Thanks, its good to feel so welcomed.
I'll be staying with a friend of mine who lives somewhere around downtown, not exactly sure at the moment. Also I'll be in Vancouver from midday on 16th Jan till midday on 29th Jan.
I've been going to Vancouver/Whistler every year since 99 except for the last two and absolutely love the place. Got to Mountain bike and snowboard on seymour the other year, saw the Canucks play the other year which was cool, and i've done the very english saturday afternoon sport of shopping on robson as well.
A group of us meet almost every sunday for breakfast, maybe you could make it out to that while your hear
James, that sounds great! If you're meeting on Sunday 23rd then I'll definitely make it.
Are you coming over to look for work or anything?
I'm hoping to talk to some recruitment agencies, amongst others, whilst I'm out there to find out what the IT industry, particularly on the software development side of things is doing (I'm pretty experienced so hopefully the news will be good). This is the only thing holding me back from moving at the moment as I'd hate to move to where there is all I could hope to do and not have the funds to be able to do it. If I find out positive things then I'll be applying for immigration. :D
Welcome MrSmythe, It would be great to have you stop by AirSpeed, Make sure to introduce yourself. Geoff.
I'll definitely do so Geoff, maybe even get to have a look at some of teh cars at the shop including that superb hot rod heb you're putting together (one of my friends will be very jealous).
Just
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:unsure: What or where is rubbies and what do i need to be careful about?
Oh, anyone know of a cheap/decent place to pick up Dickies (and Carhartt) workwear? Its about $100CA for a pair of their ordinary trousers, sorry pants, over here. Oh and any good places that arent on robson for skate/snowboard clothes and the like?
Cheers!
Hi MrSmythe!
A rubbie is a local term for drugged out street person. Some can be scary, but mostly they are too messed up on drugs, to be dangerous.
The best area to find snowboard / outdoor clothing is along \"Goretex Row\". That's the strip of stores along Broadway, between Cambie and Main streets. There must be fifty stores that sell outdoor equipment. Mountain Equipment Co-op (www.mec.ca) is the biggest. Find them, then start walking in either direction.
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I f you need to speak to an immigration lawyer i can recommend a really good one(worked for me and my wife and im not the most highly skilled person) there are plenty out there that will tell you its no problem but be wary. Got us in very quickly compared to other people i have spoken to, and kept us well informed,she has a web site so PM me if you want the details.
Try west 4th for snowboard gear boardroom, westbeach etc.
Try the Pic pub, Railway club for bands i think some people on here are in a few bands so they might be able to help more...
Best of luck
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OH best place for Carharts and dickies is Army Navy on Hastings just down from Cambie i think at Carrol $30, for troosers why not pop into Save on Meats for a burger at there old lunch counter while you are there its the one with the enormous Neon pig outside. Marks workwear house is also cheapish theres one on w4th just by the snowboard shops.
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MRSMYTHE, pls feel free to drop your resume off to TRI-M Systems & Engineering. Great place to work and they are always looking for good software developers. We are located in Port Coquitlam.
Shawn
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We'll have a breakfast next week in your honor!
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A rubbie is a local term for drugged out street person.
I worked for the homeless charity CRISIS over christmas and was shocked to hear how cheap crack and coke are now, terrible way to end up. :(
Mountain Equipment Co-op (www.mec.ca) is the biggest
I remember getting out of my mates Jeep on the roof car park there and my jaw just dropping :o as I looked across downtown at teh North Shore, one helluva skyline!
OH best place for Carharts and dickies ...
cheers for the tip, will defintely check em out and I'll pop into Save on Meats.
pls feel free to drop your resume off to TRI-M Systems & Engineering
Thanks Bugsmell, I'll do that will PM you for more details.
We'll have a breakfast next week in your honor!
:rockon: fantastic, I feel special now. Just let me know when and where, might need directions tho :unsure: .
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When you get settled in just let us know, we usually have breakfast at the Ricky's Restraunt in Cloverdale, maybe we can move to a location near airspeed so it is easier to find.
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just looked up Ricky's Restraunt on google and saw it as 8720-240 ST., LANGLEY, BC, is that right? If I'm looking on mapquest (or whatever site is better for maps) what should i put in to see roughly where it is?
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it is approx. 180th Street and 56th Avenue, here is a link:
http://ca.maps.yahoo.com/maps_result?ed=i7...y=ca&cat=&trf=0 (http://ca.maps.yahoo.com/maps_result?ed=i7lzAep_0TomuxDYF.D9mAZ5lK2sNNZH&csz=Surrey%2CBC+V3S1C7&country=ca&cat=&trf=0)
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i'll second the suggestion for dickies at army & navy. on hastings street at carroll st. also, work wear world or marks work wharehouse. (various locations around town). another area for snowboard & outdoor wear is on west 4th ave between burrard & granville. lots of snowboard shops there. and where cameron said.
rock & roll can be heard and seen at the railway, the pic pub, the brickyard, pub 340, the media club, the assbalt, richards on richards. the purple onion, the sonar and many others have dj's & hip hop. pick up a georgia straight and turn to the music section for info.
buying or renting to live? it all depends on how close to the action you want to be and what kind of action you want close to you. i live in the city hall area (cambie & 12th) and i love it here. fairly central and only a short bridge away from downtown. main street is cool between 8th & 28th - ish. commercial drive is funky/hippy/ area. kitsilano is closer to the beach. my suggestion is to just drive around and take in the sites and see what area strikes your fancy.
good luck. B)
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Well I would just like to say Hello!
And just dont move to Surrey!!!!!!
Besides that everything else is good!
And check out AIRSPEED!
:D
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OK, so I got into Vancouver on sunday, staying on the corner of Bute and Barclay in West End, am amazed at how quiet it is considering its location. Been around downtown quite a bit now, not been to any of teh galleries and museums as of yet. It seems to have rained non stop since getting here (reminds me of being in Ireland) and strangely there has been snow back in england since i've been gone. Getting some good snowboarding done now looks like a bit of a challenge due to teh rain, altho my friends are talking about maybe heading to the Okanagan valley for a couple of days. The rain should be a good test to see how much i enjoy and like the place, cos if i have a great time even with all this rain then taht says a lot about the city.
James, from looking at the link to Ricky's it doesnt look to hard to find, teh road naming convention over here makes it a helluva lot easier to find places than in England. What time do you normally meet?
And just dont move to Surrey
Is Surrey really bad? It wasnt on my list of potential places to look at moving to.
i live in the city hall area (cambie & 12th) and i love it here
looks like a really great central location. This looks next to Mount Pleasent which from looking at MLS seems to have the more affordable property in Van East, but still with excellent access to downtown.
my suggestion is to just drive around and take in the sites and see what area strikes your fancy
yup, was planning on doing that, might well do it today.
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Getting some good snowboarding done now looks like a bit of a challenge due to teh rain, altho my friends are talking about maybe heading to the Okanagan valley for a couple of days.
DO NOT SKI OFF BOUNDS :wub: not worth dying for :(
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DO NOT SKI OFF BOUNDS not worth dying for
Yeah, have done out of bounds and a bit of back country at whistler before but with this weather it would be really risky.
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Breakfast is between 0830-0900 we usally are there an hour or so.
Surrey isn't all that bad, like anywhere you live there are good areas and bad. Cloverdale where breakfast is belongs to Surrey city - it's a great place to live.
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for the record you have just arrived in one of the ugliest wettest times we have experianced in awhile. :mellow: it will get better hopefully :D
enjoy the stay and welcome
russ
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If your staying in the west end, dont pick any change up of the ground. Kick it a few blocks down the road first! :lol: