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Every romance has its foibles. In honour of our 10 year anniversary today, February 1, we’ve collected a list of 10 things we love and really don’t love about living in Kitsilano. All of our Kitsilano.ca bloggers have pitched in.
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LOVE – We love having no excuses and constant inspiration to stay active. There are so many amazing running routes, bike paths, yoga studios and gyms. We feel like we always have a new way to get moving and get off the couch.
DON’T LOVE – Should you choose to laze away on a patio with a craft beer and some poutine, all the enthusiastic joggers look so judge-y. And for outdoor family fun, our playgrounds kind of suck. We meet friends in other parts of the city and we get playground envy over their new, cool and extensive playgrounds. Trout Lake is like Disneyland compared to park at Arbutus and 7th.
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LOVE – We love that Kits is so diverse. There’s a niche coffee shop bar or boutique for each and every resident. Almost every major style of international cuisine is available.
DON’T LOVE – The traffic flooding in and clogging up the neighbourhood on a sunny day. Which segues nicely into complaining about the lack of SkyTrain, which is why so many folks insist on driving. And a rant about the riding the 99 B-line in rush hour is in order (Hey: lanky 20-something, move your caboose so that dignified matron can sit!). But that deserves its own post.
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LOVE – We love the chatty and friendly owners/chefs/bakers in particular from Summer in Greece, Koko Monk, The Oakwood, and Plaisir Sucre.
DON’T LOVE – We don’t love the self-absorbed, line-cutting, utter disregard for the item limit in the express lanes patrons that frequent Whole Foods. We also don’t love their must-have-nevermind-the-elderly-and-parents-with-babies-before-and-after yoga elixir. Or the standoffish, couldn’t-be-bothered, hipster customer service at Whole Foods, American Apparel and Gravity Pope.
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LOVE – We love our local museums. Museum of Vancouver, Vancouver Maritime Musuem, HR MacMillan Space Centre, Vancouver Archives, Old Hastings Mill Store Museum and (even MOA) are all nearby. Its great to have interesting and diverse exhibits a short walk away.
DON’T LOVE – We don’t love that most Kits shops and restaurants cater more to dogs than kids.
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LOVE – We love the fresh, organic produce, delicious ready-made meals available at so many establishments including Green’s, Tractor, Kitsilano Farmers Market, and even, although we fuss, Whole Foods.
DON’T LOVE – Exorbitant grocery prices. And the sheer amount of gluten-free options in food establishments. There is NO WAY everyone in Kits claiming a gluten allergy is actually allergic.
We know there’s more. We didn’t even mention real estate prices, parking tickets at Safeway or offleash dogs. Help out by commenting below!
Last modified: February 1, 2015
