For more than a decade, Westender readers from across the city have been cussing, busting, thanking and tanking fellow Vancouverites in our Rants pages.
While the socio-political landscape of Vancouver has surely changed over that time, a hatred of cyclists certainly ties the last 10 years together.
And just as our Best in the West has grown to Best of the City, so too has our thirst for citywide angst.
So, for the first time, we added neighbourhood rants and raves to our online ballot, and watched the rancor roll in.
The results? Apparently were a pretty stuck-up town. Submissions across every neighbourhood took issue with snobs this year.
Like a pale hand waving above the water line, however, Mount Pleasant wins the unnofficial title of friendliest neighbourhood.
Speaking of which, hipsters were the most ambiguous issue plaguing Vancouver, with as many people loving their vibe as hating it.
Issues such as density, electric car chargers and garbage also popped up as interesting sources of city discussion. But, squarely in the angry Vancouver camp (our guilty pleasure), are those who just love to hate.
Can all the affluent hipsters stop moving onto Main Street please! Youre making Main uncool! Fraser is now the new Main.
Dont be stuck up, East Siders. We know you were the originals. Lets all share the East Side love. Its okay to share your hood with Westenders.
Too many hipsters.
Too many hipsters!
Too many fucking hipsters.
Gentrification is making the neighbourhood unaffordable.
I live and love in Hastings Sunrise. It is engraved in concrete at Nanaimo and Hastings. The flags that flutter above the locals say East Village, but that is just real estate buffoonery. East Village is a neighourhood in NYC. Vancouver is not even close to being as cosmopolitan as NYC. Do you know WHY its called Hastings Sunrise? Because its one of the most beautiful spots in the East Side to check out the sunrise. Great view of the mountains and of downtown, beaming in the fresh rays of morning as the seagulls and then the crows ride in.
Everyone in Strathcona is such an inspiration. Not only are they friendly, but people are more interested here in your hobbies, your plans for the weekend, organizing block parties and going for walks. Best community in the city, hands down!
Plenty of people live in East Strathcona but apparently no one thinks we need a decent grocery store. Sure, theres groundwork being done down near the Waldorf with claims that it will be a store. But of what quality. No Frills? No thank you.
Most vibrant and diverse neighborhood in Vancouver in terms of socio-economics, ethnicities, restaurants, shopping and recreation. Im alive on the Drive!
Kingsway is SO dirty the city need to clean the sidewalks, encourage business owners to clean or get rid of mouldy awnings
My neighbourhood seems to think that consultation means always getting your way, that being in favour of increased density means no change, and that Vancouver can change without growing, and grow without changing.
Nothing should change. No more density. No more anything. I like everything precisely the way it is, and insist that the City consult me on every detail.
Apparently the Greenest City agenda only extends to Downtown where are all the East Side electric vehicle chargers?
If Vancouver is as green as we like to think, how about we stop buying things from China and throwing them away?
The East Side has too many push-button crosswalks that most pedestrians and bicyclists ignore (or disobey) anyways.
Accidental fires (that make people rich because they can now build condos) encourage more accidents.
Why is it that the City of Vancouver seems to focus the bulk of their resources on the West Side when it comes to plowing the streets, fixing sidewalks/anything thats broken, cleaning what is dirty, raking slippery public walks, etc., whilst leaving the East Side to fend for itself? When I visit West Side, its like I am not in Kansas anymore! The East Side feels like the land that time forgot, or make that what the City chooses to ignore. Step on over to the dark side City workers! We will welcome you with open arms!
Creative! Nuts! Weird! Community-driven! All around, the East Side is a wild and woolly and wonderful place to be.
Best neighbourhood on the planet
Best place to live in the city!
Free parking in most locations!
Houses are starting to be built with character again.
I love all the bikes and bike routes.
I hate that stupid cross on Clark and 2nd Ave.
How the hell did a giant white poodle on a 30-foot pole come to represent art on Main Street?
That poodle at 18th and Main. What is that? Did taxpayers really foot 60k for that thing without any public consultation? What the hell does that thing represent?
If you havent visited Donalds Market at the corner of Hastings and Nanaimo, you are sadly missing out! It is jam packed with more unique food choices than Urban Fare or Whole Foods, with prices that shame many overpriced Westside grocers. Your first impression may be organized chaos, but it is well worth it. Non-locals are obvious; they are the only ones pushing a buggy...everyone else carries a basket. It is my favourite grocer city-wide.
Main Street is becoming a great place to shop, eat, wander and spend a relaxing afternoon
Theres a lot to Rave about all up and down Main Street. Huge transformation in the last few years with great shops and restaurants.
I love Mount Pleasant; its friendly and welcoming!
Fourth Avenue is the worst street in the entire city. Its always busy and backed up and theres never any parking. I avoid at ALL costs.
Bike lanes make me more mad than anything else. They only benefit the wealthy home owners on Cornwall. To express my discontent, I will have a bike rave with loud music every night at midnight for the duration of the summer of 2014, in front of Chip Wilsons house (possibly the person who gains the most from the bike lane).
Bike lanes are ridiculous and empty far too often. Please wear your bike helmet if you do actually ride, thanks!
BIKE PEOPLE DONT USE BIKE LANES or DESIGNATED BIKE STREETS!
Bike riders cruising down the main arteries of Broadway and 4th.
I am sooooo sick of the fucking bike lane construction on Burrard St.. For that matter, I am sooo fucking sick of bike lanes, period!
Enough with bike lanes down major streets.
Evening upon evening spent waiting for a bus into downtown.
I hate Cornwall and Cypress... The cars speed, pedestrians cross on red and are texting as they go.
It is too driven on trends.
Marpole has nothing going on! Needs way more life and businesses!
No families live here anymore it costs too much!
The most profitable business people west of Quebec are real estate agents.
Why does it cost so much to live here?
No rant, thats why I love to live here!
The independent bakeries and video shops...Blackdog needs support, love it!
Retail rents are so high that the hood is losing small independent retailers and cannot attract young innovative chefs (they are all moving to East Van & Chinatown/Gastown). Chain restaurants and stores make for a boring neighbourhood.
Its my hood. And I kinda love it. Bike lanes! Beach! Brilliant businesses! Whats not to love?
Weve got the crowds, the views, the sun (sort of)... But were missing what a lot of waterfront cities of the world already have: beachside BBQs. How nice would it be to rock up to Kits Beach with a butterflied leg of lamb and cook it up. It doesnt even have to be free (that would be way to progressive for this city.)
Frank Ocean was right... Why see the world when youve got the beach.
Not enough Car2Gos. Were too house poor to afford real cars. Hook us up Car2Go!
Parking in Kits sucks!
Parking sucks.
There should be more parking. More FREE parking.
Worried about parking as the density increases. West End parking problems will come our way!
Stop putting coffee shops and hair salons on Cambie between 16th and 21st. There are enough! Who is in charge of planning? Too many shoppers drug marts, not enough independent. Now a Subway!? Lets make our local streets unique!
The car alarms!! Do these ever actually stop anyone from breaking into your car? Hearing them go off every morning as the person next to the noisy car brushes the side of it with their coat has been my alarm clock since I moved to the hood several years ago. It makes me want to wreck peoples cars. I havent, but I have wanted to. The laneways amplify them to make matters worse. Please disable. PLEASE!
The stretch of W. 7th between Granville and Fir is a nightmare! Youve got parking on both sides, a busy medical clinic, a seniors residence, a restaurant and what seems like large construction-type vehicles coming and going. Youre down to single car alternating during business hours, and thats not a concept Vancouverites seem to even attempt to understand. I say pull up the parking on one side; theres plenty more where that came from.
To all those retailers selling fur, get it off your shelves. Fur is cruel and unnecessary.
Too many beautiful old trees are being removed by new home owners there should be a Heritage Tree Committee at City Hall to mark trees which cannot be destroyed.
What happened to City maintenance? Parks and boulevards are a mess, but lots of money for other stuff.
Why are all the decent coffee shops moving out of the Broadway area? No great independent coffee shops between MacDonald and Alma!
I have never heard of any raves in this area...
Kits in the summer is really a magical place!
Kits is still the best neighbourhood. You have the beach, a wonderful shopping area with lots of restaurants and bars, plus you dont have all the concrete skyscrapers that are in the West End, Yaletown and pretty much everywhere else in the city. The best!
Kits pool is the best place in the summer.
Kitsilano has the best beach, best restaurants, West 4th is the best shopping street, best running routes, best yoga, best parks, best neighbours! Thats why I love to live here!
Kitsilano! The beach, the views, the vibe. Ride your bike, walk your dog, enjoy the proximity to the CBD, the great restaurants, the mix of people and the amazing views.
Local, fresh ingredients, good people, local mom and pop businesses.
Lots of little stores around corners and in unexpected places.
Love all the independent chocolatiers.
Love walking through it.
The walkability of this neighbourhood is unbeatable. From healthcare providers to grocery to schools/playgrounds. Everything is here.
Why is Vancouver so anti-pet? Impossible to find a place to live with a pet.
I think its terrible that these food trucks run on gas-powered generators. Ideally, they would be electric, and either find some way to tap into the power supply or convert to solar. Not an easy ask, but theres something distasteful about eating at the expense of the environment.
The bike lane on Duns-muir should be next to the sidewalk, not in between the street parking and the drive lanes.
Closed off streets confuse tourists and actually cause more traffic, not less. Tourists in the summer overwhelm the streets.
The constant lineups outside Stephos!'
Could the city not give out any more sushi-falafel-pizza licences? I love the West End but boy, oh boy, there are some bad food spots that continue to pop up on a monthly basis and they are almost 99 per cent sushi, falafel or pizza.. Three things we dont need anymore of............ Especially the bad ones! You know who you are.
Too many shwarma shops.
Every variety of food you want to eat in walking distance from the beach and the park. It cant get much better
Davie Street is colourful, vibrant, and there are tons of choices from food, entertainment and hospitality. There is awesome service from great bars around, and theres never a dull moment.
Not enough small businesses (coffee shops, stores, etc.) within the residential areas of the West End! (Nicola Street between Nelson and Barclay is a great example of what there should be more of).
Small retailers just cannot afford the high property taxes along Denman Street and the community is the poorer for this. Buildings are torn down and the building site just sits there. Why dont they let the buildings stay, fully tenanted, until redevelopment is committed to? We get left with dismal vacant lots and lose valuable amenities such as book stores, independent clothing stores, gift shops etc. It seems that only restaurants can survive, and then often only briefly.
Transylvania Breads is my favourite place to bring people visiting Vancouver. Its so random, but then the baking totally delivers.
How about we stop dumping mattresses in the alleys and take them to the proper recycling facilities.
Ive never lived in a neighbourhood with worse parking. If you dont race home at 5pm youre left practically parking in Kits!
Not enough permit parking.
Slow walkers on Robson.
Does placing your toes at the very edge of the curb when waiting for the light to change really get you across the street faster?
The pathetic commuters who think that honking their horns will move traffic quicker through the Stanley Park causeway.
West End traffic congestion getting to the North Shore. No need to honk... You decided to commute, I live where I work.
What is up with all of the people coming in from the suburbs to hang out on Davie Street at Stephos and Celebrities yet are openly homophobic. Seriously!? What is wrong with you people!? Do you even realize where you are?
Living down the road from Stephos and ordering takeout. Everyone looks at me like WHAT IS SHE DOING!? Is she cutting in line?
Why are so many restaurants not open for lunch? Thats when I go out to eat!
The West End has everyone of every age, gender/sexual identity, race, income level.
Rich, poor, gay, straight, young, old, and no matter what colour, the West End welcomes everyone.
I have no clue what her name is, but there is one street musician that hangs out usually next to the Starbucks at Thurlow & Davie and every time I go for a walk and she is performing I can hear her sweet sounds echoing down Davie St........Its one of the best sounds in the city. It can make any cloudy wet day full of sunshine!
I love how walkable the West End is. No need to worry about drinking and driving. No need to wonder where to take friends, family, even grandparents. Everything is so accessible and beautifully cared for.
Love the new Comox greenway.
Rainbow sidewalks!
The addition of seating resembling a bar outside the 7-11 at Comox and Denman will promote community interaction as will the addition of the various benches and chairs and water fountains that have been added in the past year along Comox.
The best neighbourhood in the whole city! Where else can you find a vibrant urban core, a quiet residential neighbourhood, an old growth forest park and a sunny sandy beach, all within a 10-minute walk?
All rants are the opinion of the individual and do not reflect the opinions of WE. To submit, email [email protected]
