Vancouver West

I’m a freelance writer, editor and illustrator. I was born and raised in a Lower Mainland suburb and moved to Vancouver while attending university. I live in Kitsilano.

I first moved to Kits because of its proximity to UBC. It’s close enough to get to the school via public transit, but not so close that you feel like you’re living on campus (and you don’t have to deal with the even-more-crazy prices in West Point grey, ha!)

I have lived here since fall 2018, so six years!

Yes – the construction of the new Broadway line has made traffic a little bit tricky on Broadway, and rent has definitely gotten a lot more expensive, as have restaurant prices.

I live in a rental, part of a detached home.

I think people want to live here because of the location and walkability of the area, so I think that the location is the most important thing to be on the lookout for – consider what part of Vancouver West you want to be in (close to the beach? close to shopping on West 4th? close to major transit hubs on Broadway?) Also, take some deep breaths before looking at real estate prices.

Renting is crazy expensive. I think that because a lot of the spaces here are not your typical shoebox apartment size (and because of the proximity to the beach), landlords can charge a lot for rent. It’s hard to save any money when more than 50% of your monthly earnings are going to rent, and that’s the reality for a lot of people living here.

Nothing beats the summer here. Being close to the beach, great restaurant patios, a very walkable neighbourhood. Lots of people have dogs. It feels close to Downtown, but not too close; so you can get away from the buzzy city vibes, but it’s still convenient to get everywhere.

The dog-friendly beach at Spanish Banks is a really great place to hang out even if you don’t have a dog. For me and other friends who love dogs but don’t have one, it’s a really nice place to sit and have a beer and pet all the happy pups walking by.

I also really like Connaught Park. I think a lot of folks like the beach but they end up sitting on the grass anyway. Why not sit on less busy grass?

I really like the Halloween events that happen on West Broadway. Local stores give candy to kids and it's very cute to see them walking down the street in their costumes. I remember one family had a kid dressed as a Maverick from Top Gun, and he was in a wagon that they’d outfitted to look like a plane. So cute.

Lots of people have big Christmas light displays, too. And when there’s fireworks at the beach every year, people gather at vantage points all over to catch a glimpse of them (the beach is really busy, so some people just walk to the highest part of their neighbourhood and gather on a street corner to watch).

I like to shop on West 4th; The Latest Scoop and Ming Wo are favourites of mine.

• Coffee: Their There, The Pie Hole
• Dinner: Maenam, Delara, Folke
• Drink: The Painted Ship

Everyone does yoga, everyone is rich! I think there’s definitely some truth to the yoga (or at least, general fitness); it’s a pretty active neighbourhood, and lots of people either have fitness studio memberships or are really active outdoors. Not everyone is rich (I’m not!), in fact I think there’s a pretty huge economic divide between the people who own the $2 million-plus homes and the little rats like me that rent out basements from them.

Traffic is pretty bearable around here - the only roads that get really busy are Broadway and West 4th.

Go to the beach, walk the Arbutus Greenway, go to restaurants, hang out on patios (when its sunny of course), see shows at the Hollywood, go to the Kits Farmers Market.

I work from home as a writer and I guess I serve the community by sharing what’s going on in my writing for magazines and online blogs. I like to be a champion of the neighbourhood and push back against the idea that there’s nothing to do here. Personally I’m never bored. I think people that complain about having nothing to do need to either get a better attitude or better friends.

Beachy, laid-back, but also buzzy.