since the closest grocery store (a 10 minute walk away) is small, doesn't carry some basic items (being a Chinese grocer they are probably not basic to Chinese cuisine) and is quite expensive. We decided to pool our resources, spring for a cab, and load up! And did we ever load up. We had to wheel the buggies (yes, there was more than one by the end) right to the cab, and had to make two trips up to our apartment with all the bags. I honestly think I'm good for another couple of weeks except for milk.This has been just another occasion to reflect on the ideal place to live in Vancouver. It is a difficult question, one I have spent a lot of time considering and have not come to a satisfactory answer. There are just so many great neighbourhoods to choose from, and no clear winner. Considering I'll be at UBC next year, I don't want to be too far away. Then again, I may only have to be on campus two or three days a week, so perhaps I wouldn't mind the commute if I was living in a fantastic neighbourhood (ie Commercial or Main). Kitsilano is great because it is both close to UBC and has all the amenities (including a plethora of specialty shops for the family pet), but is kind of yuppie and more expensive. Then there's the West End. I don't know much about this area yet, but a few people I know who live there love it. It's close to downtown, Stanley Park and the ocean, isn't too far from UBC, and you don't have to contend with line-ups for the B-line (bus that is always full) to get to campus in the morning.
This neighbourhood dilemma causes me to consider what I value in a place to live. In reality, there are many things I value, and weighing the pros and cons isn't an easy thing. I value not commuting, and I value living in a vibrant community and within easy walking distance to lots of services (groceries, coffee shops, pubs, etc). It may not be possible to find a neighbourhood in Vancouver that fully satisfies both of these values. There are other things too. I have a sweeping view of the sky and mountains over the treetops right now (am on the 5th floor) and I love this. It will be difficult to give up when I move. Do I value a great neighbourhood over this view? Would I trade it for a basement? Clearly I am avoiding the dozens of pages of reading I must do tonight in order to write this novel on neighbourhood choice, but I think it is something that everyone deals with to some extent or another in their lives. It is interesting to me how different people's values are when it comes to housing. Some value peace and safety over a vibrant community. I tend to think of these areas as boring and would be annoyed that there is nowhere interesting within walking distance, but I shouldn't judge.
What I am interested in is hearing what you value in a neighbourhood. I'm soliciting opinions on the subject. Consider this a sneaky way to get people to post comments, or a study for my education in planning, it doesn't matter. Just tell me what you think! It might be fun!
5 comments:
what ppl value are changing along the life path. The value list will be enlarged by the things which you were benefited from. eg: commuting. Walking thirty minutes to an even smaller shop before would definitely make a 10-minute-excise lovely. :)
Well in term of living place,and probably only applicable on me, getting myself involoved into where i am living, getting the feeling of being settled ( no matter if I leave the next month) always help to see what would be unseenable otherwise.
but anyway, i still keep safety on top of my list.
just write while i am thinking!
Well, it was interesting to read your blog because I think I've become so use to my little town that I've forgotten what it's like out in the "real world" (we only have one grocery store in town to choose from). Right now, I think I'm pretty lucky. I live in the perfect place. I want to live near the ocean (check, I can see it from my window), I can walk everywhere I need to get to (check, I can walk from one end of town to the other in less than half an hour), lots of pubs (check, apparently my town has the largest number of pubs per capita than anywhere else in the UK), and a university (check, since I am training to be an academic this is key). The only things I really miss are mountains and some of the cultural stuff that you don't find in a small town. However, the nice thing about the UK is that everything is so close so if I want to go to Glasgow or Edinburgh for a concert it's only a 2 hour excursion (which would be basically the same if you were living in Burnaby and wanting to get into downtown Vancouver during rush hour). So to conclude this paper (sorry this comment ended up getting out of control), I'm living in the perfect place for me right now, but am not sure if it will continue to be after my schooling is done.
Who is "anonymous"? Do I know you?
In no particular order:
1. Pedestrian Friendly! - C. and I deliberately chose a walkable community when we moved even though it's also "the 'hood" for our community. Within 15 mins I can hit my bank, public library, groceries, little Asian food shop, a cool coffee shop, Timmy Ho's, dentist, videos, YMCA, among other things. I am also half a block from the trail system.
2. Mixed housing. Then when you need to up/down grade, you don't have to move out of your neighbourhood.
3. Community rec servces - like parks, comm gardens, pools, gyms, arena, laying fields, etc.
4. Safety, though I'd be interested in what our perception of safe/unsafe it. For example. There is a crack house at the end of my street, but I've never felt unsafe as I walk by it on an (almost) daily basis. I guess teh RCMP patrols don't hurt.
(*That* could be an interesting discussion, Courtney. Have you looked at pubic design that promotes safety yet?)
5. Trees. and with the pine beetle doing it's thing, there's going to be fewer and fewer... :(
Hmm, you've given me things to think about. I think I may post my self on this topic in the not-too-distant future. check: procelainsky.vox.com
-jessica
oops, i mean
http://porcelainsky.vox.com.
I spell real good,eh? ;)
-jessica
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