My First Month in Vancouver...

View from English Bay - Downtown Vancouver

So it's been just over a month since I moved to Vancouver, and it feels like it was just yesterday. I was unsure of what the transition would be like, moving my entire life to another city. Would it be easy? Or hard? Would I make friends right away, or would it take time? Well those questions have mostly been answered, and I'm pleased to say that things are lookin' good.

My first few days in Vancouver were...interesting. My sister and I were rightfully exhausted after our 24 hour continuous drive from Winnipeg to the West Coast, however, we still had so much to do. You know, like, unpack everything, buy groceries, go nuts at Ikea, and begin our "new jobs" (we both transferred with the companies we worked for, but were still a bit nervous for the new setting, new people, etc...).

After a few days of getting organized, I was ready to be back at work. Fortunately, Dawson & Gilmore, my new Starbucks, would welcome me with open arms. With a great crew and a beautiful store (only minutes from my apartment), I was excited to be a "new" partner at this location, and so far, my time with them has been great!

 Robson Street - Downtown Vancouver

After settling in with my new apartment and new store, I was ready to really see this city. So far, every weekend has been pretty much the same - I take the Skytrain from my place to Downtown (about a 20 minute ride), meet up with a friend, and go exploring! Downtown Vancouver has so many different areas, and a million and one things to see and do. To date, I've visited Robson Street (a shoppers paradise - tonnes of stores, boutiques, restaurants, cafes), Davie Village (the "Gay Village", also has lots of shops, restaurants, bars - has more of a community feel), Yale Town (the trendy, posh area), English Bay (boasts a breath taking view of the water, right at the corner of Davie and Denman), Granville Street (loads of lounges, nightclubs, and stores) and various other areas. They have an awesome mall downtown, called Pacific Center, that thankfully has a Hollister and an H&M, a bunch of other random good stores, and The Bay and Sears.

Downtown Vancouver is also home to the best Winners I've ever been to. Let me tell you why. It's got TONNES of designer labels! They have this section called The Runway that has loads of designer clothes at discounted prices. However, even at a discount, I still can't afford them! Besides that, though, they have an awesome selection of all kinds of clothes, accessories, and housewares.

Sushi!

Lastly, Downtown also has a billion places to eat Sushi. Seriously, you can get Sushi ANYWHERE (and Starbucks, for that matter). Honestly, I've never been one to crave Sushi often. However, I have had more Sushi in the past month than I think I've ever had in my entire LIFE! I basically love Sushi now. Ha ha.

Besides sight seeing, I've made a few good friends, and I've only gone out a couple of times (can you believe I haven't even been to a nightclub yet?!?). I'm definitely looking forward to meeting more people and getting out at night eventually. And once snowboarding season begins, I'm going to be making my first trip up to the mountains and attempt to regain whatever snowboarding skills I had back when I snowboarded in like grade 9!

So yes, the transition for me has been relatively easy. Vancouver has been welcoming. This city truly is my dream. A city on the Ocean, in the middle of lush forestry, surrounded by picturesque mountains. I can still remember as far back as Junior High, telling myself that this is where I'd be one day - and here I am.