What up AZ peeps, this place is kinda slow, eh?

[BryanR]

It's hop'n over at QW

C'mon lets hear some news, jokes, pics, anything. Post up!

[VAGKraft.com]

Very slow...

[Tanner]

lol, we all have a day job

[CONTROL ONE]

My day job requires me to be on here, or at least check in daily

[vincent9993]

Still waiting for my car... Build date is set for week of Oct 25th... Hoping to take delivery mid December. Until then, nothing...

[BryanR]

lol, we all have a day job

oh please. tell me 99% of you don't have FB, AZ, QW, AF, VWv, etc, etc, etc loaded up on your screen behind your work and refreshing every 5 minutes

i ain't new to the internets you know

[BryanR]

Still waiting for my car... Build date is set for week of Oct 25th... Hoping to take delivery mid December. Until then, nothing...

nothing? no APR vs GIAC?, STaSIS or H&R?, Milltek or MTM?, etc, posts?

c'mon, lets hear the 'wish list'

[cory_can]

Ok, some news.....

.....finally got a F'n iPhone4 to replace my iphone2.....it took a bloody act of god to get my business rep to find/activate/ship etc.

[bunnn]

My cars finally detailed and clean...I don't think you've ever seen it clean lol. Got the updated tail lights...And I ended up doing that stud conversion anyways. That and I'm downsizing to 18s next spring. You need to come out of retirement Bryan lol






edit: with some nice weather why arent you at calabogie?!

[cory_can]

Nice, Neez wheels are sweet and true BMW baller status

['mk4-turbo]

^^ I need that car in my life

[SleeperAvant]

Bryan, we got tons of tumbleweeds by my office, lol.

[Siggiepop]

Everything here is slow. Hows Ottawa!

[bluerocket]

Hey Brian, we never met but you guys installed my light weight rotors and JHM BBK for me a while back. Im outta the country yet again, but I saw this post and it reminded me. Thanks for the great work you guys did!!

[405Z]

That exhaust is just badass!

[BryanR]

My cars finally detailed and clean...I don't think you've ever seen it clean lol. Got the updated tail lights...And I ended up doing that stud conversion anyways. That and I'm downsizing to 18s next spring. You need to come out of retirement Bryan lol
edit: with some nice weather why arent you at calabogie?!

looking good Ben

(even if it does look like a Gwailo car with those rear tire sizing )

[BryanR]

Everything here is slow. Hows Ottawa!

Ottawa is great. Shoulda moved here sooner

[BryanR]

Hey Brian, we never met but you guys installed my light weight rotors and JHM BBK for me a while back. Im outta the country yet again, but I saw this post and it reminded me. Thanks for the great work you guys did!!

I'm happy we could've helped! Hope you're enjoying the S4

[bunnn]

Need to head to Ottawa soon, last time I was there I was like 12...to my memory it felt like a great retiring place kidding..well half.

[naemcivic]

^^it depends on where you are at Ottawa. I notice more and more hot girls, rides and attractions in Ottawa lately (I am there 3 days of the week).

[BryanR]

the 'yummy mummy' ratio is through the roof!!!

seriously, there seems to be a lot to look at around here. not sure if it's because of the University, or just people live a more active lifestyle compared to Toronto

[Siggiepop]

What do you mean by "active lifestyle"?

[SleeperAvant]

Well Ottawa is close to Gatineau so there's definitely a lot of cyclists and runners. But so does High Park, we used to live there and almost everyone was a runner and/or a cyclist, including myself.

[Tanner]

There was a "debate" i recall reading a month or two ago on whether people living in the downtown core are more "fit" than people in the suburbs. Reason being that people in the downtown core walks more often than people in the suburb, which has some truth. But then it's like anything else, how often do you see unfit and horribly overweight people walking around downtown Toronto on a nice sunny day :) I think it's more than population density than anything else, denser population in Toronto - you'll see more runners, bikers, etc. than the suburbs due to the lower population density. Though I see quite a few runners in my neighbourhood and a ton of cyclists.

In the end I think its just a perception thing than anything else.

[Calbee]

My cars finally detailed and clean...I don't think you've ever seen it clean lol. Got the updated tail lights...And I ended up doing that stud conversion anyways. That and I'm downsizing to 18s next spring. You need to come out of retirement Bryan lol






edit: with some nice weather why arent you at calabogie?!

Bye 88, im assuming your chinese? haha this is a typical chinese teen car here in vancouver. so jealous of them! real nice car man

[JackalS4]

How's the cost of housing/living, if any different, there right now (Ottawa)?

Maybe people are flocking out of TO because it's getting ridiculous?

[BryanR]

There was a "debate" i recall reading a month or two ago on whether people living in the downtown core are more "fit" than people in the suburbs. Reason being that people in the downtown core walks more often than people in the suburb, which has some truth. But then it's like anything else, how often do you see unfit and horribly overweight people walking around downtown Toronto on a nice sunny day :) I think it's more than population density than anything else, denser population in Toronto - you'll see more runners, bikers, etc. than the suburbs due to the lower population density. Though I see quite a few runners in my neighbourhood and a ton of cyclists.

In the end I think its just a perception thing than anything else.

I think you may be right to a point - but I won't talk about Toronto, because I am now biased

From what I see and hear where I am now, everyone rides bikes in the summer, or hikes, runs, canoes, kayaks, waterskis, and in the winter skiiing is 20 minutes away (so i hear) instead of 2 hours to Blue Mountain now, or they're xcounty, snowshoeing, blah, blah, blah. Truth is, you dirve 20 minutes out of Ottawa and you're someplace (it's a small town) which was part of the attraction to me. It does remind me a lot of Toronto when/where i was growing up. Different times.

For me, school, shopping, community center is all 10 minutes away by walking. Now I'm on my bike with the kids most of the time, and the Audi is having a hissy over it (coolant leak, broken vac valve, broken wiper arm, cords sticking out of tires, etc. little bitch ).

My stress level is also waaaaayyyyy down now compared to when I was spinning my gears in Toronto. You can make the $$$ in Toronto, but it costs you $$$ to live in Toronto.

Keep in mind, I live in the west end. Like T.O, I find the east end to have a different demographic

[Tanner]

No do tells us about Toronto :) Your stress level is way down because you're retired!

[BryanR]

How's the cost of housing/living, if any different, there right now (Ottawa)?

Maybe people are flocking out of TO because it's getting ridiculous?

Housing on average I would say is lower, but you can find the 600-800k homes in my hood. It's not hard.

We made out pretty good. Sold the semi in downtown for in the six hundreds, and bought a move-in condition 1950's detached bungalow with yard, garage, etc, in the four hundreds. We're not in the 'burbs by any means, it's a 30-40 minutes WALK to the core from here, but it kinda feels like you're in the country. It's weird, quiet, but very nice

Toronto was getting ridiculous for me. Traffic is insane, and I think the downtown population has swelled 30% in the last 5 years. While I loved where we lived, south of Little Italy on College, north of Queen West and Trinity Bellwoods Park, the thought of selling and moving was a bit of a nightmare. We couldn't buy something bigger in downtown for what we could get for our house, and moving to the burbs, well, you might as well put a hole in my head right now It would still take you an hour to drive anywhere in that town. System needs a major overhaul down there, and everyone continues to sit on their hands like they have been for the last 20 years!!! Bah, don't get me started /rant.

It would seem many people here, or at least the ones I've met, have chosen a different lifestyle. It's not unusual for one parental unit to be at home with the kids instead of having a nanny <GASP!>, or one works from home, or both work part-time and continue to live a comfortable lifestyle. The other funny thing is it seems EVERYONE here is from someplace else, and have either met an Ottawatian and moved back, or have moved around and ended up here.

I guess you can tell I like it here.

[BryanR]

Your stress level is way down because you're retired!

Yes, there's that , but also everyone here is a little more kicked back (but not as much as BC!). You don't have folks trying to run you over because they gotta get somewhere, and where ever that is, is more important than you or where you gotta be... ...like in that place, well you know, I'm just gonna refer to it now as 'Stink Town'

[SleeperAvant]

Housing on average I would say is lower, but you can find the 600-800k homes in my hood. It's not hard.

We made out pretty good. Sold the semi in downtown for in the six hundreds, and bought a move-in condition 1950's detached bungalow with yard, garage, etc, in the four hundreds. We're not in the 'burbs by any means, it's a 30-40 minutes WALK to the core from here, but it kinda feels like you're in the country. It's weird, quiet, but very nice

Toronto was getting ridiculous for me. Traffic is insane, and I think the downtown population has swelled 30% in the last 5 years. While I loved where we lived, south of Little Italy on College, north of Queen West and Trinity Bellwoods Park, the thought of selling and moving was a bit of a nightmare. We couldn't buy something bigger in downtown for what we could get for our house, and moving to the burbs, well, you might as well put a hole in my head right now It would still take you an hour to drive anywhere in that town. System needs a major overhaul down there, and everyone continues to sit on their hands like they have been for the last 20 years!!! Bah, don't get me started /rant.

It would seem many people here, or at least the ones I've met, have chosen a different lifestyle. It's not unusual for one parental unit to be at home with the kids instead of having a nanny <GASP!>, or one works from home, or both work part-time and continue to live a comfortable lifestyle. The other funny thing is it seems EVERYONE here is from someplace else, and have either met an Ottawatian and moved back, or have moved around and ended up here.

I guess you can tell I like it here.

Many of your points you stated is why I hate Toronto. Currently living in Oakville and moving to Milton next year. I prefer the burbs for the quietness. Glad you're really enjoying where you live now though. Happy for you Bryan.

[BryanR]

Many of your points you stated is why I hate Toronto. Currently living in Oakville and moving to Milton next year. I prefer the burbs for the quietness. Glad you're really enjoying where you live now though. Happy for you Bryan.

How's the traffic out by the Ford plant? I had to drive out there mid-day before I left and it was stopped all the way up, the only thing I could think about was how I was leaving the next day

Milton? I think you and all the other cool peeps need to move to Ottawa, haha

[Tanner]

When I first got a job out here, I was suppose to work in Toronto (North York to be specific). I was looking forward to that coming from a small town in Saskatchewan, find a place in the Toronto core. Well my job got moved to Hamilton instead and lived in Burlington for 2.5 years. I loved Burlington. It reminded me a bit of Saskatoon, big enough with everything but relatively easy to get to things either by car, bike or foot. Then I got transferred to Toronto, but in those 2.5 years in Burlington, I got to see the ugly side of Toronto and there was no way I wanted to live in the Toronto core (commute would only be using the TTC to go to Yonge/Sheppard). Traffic and just the busy-ness of everything that I didn't really care for. And yeah, traffic has got really bad over the last 8-10 years, rush hour traffic on the 400s almost at all hours now during the day, rediculous! TTC/public transportation is a joke in Toronto. The GO lane on the DVP for a short distance? Why really?

Condos are another issue - too many condos being built and the basic transportation infrastructure not there to support it. Yonge/Sheppard is an example. Condos sprung up there like crazy. People moving there thinking that they can still get to work by getting to the highway quickly. Nope, that didn't work too well. Coworker used to live there, he got fed up with the traffic as getting out in the morning was insane. He ended up selling the place and is renting a bungalow around Empress Walkway now.

I know me living in the burbs probably isn't helping the whole problem of urban sprawl but I have zero desire to live in a high density area after putting up with the crap from neighbours in an apartment for years.

[SleeperAvant]

How's the traffic out by the Ford plant? I had to drive out there mid-day before I left and it was stopped all the way up, the only thing I could think about was how I was leaving the next day

Milton? I think you and all the other cool peeps need to move to Ottawa, haha

The only time I need to pass through the Ford plant is if I visit my in-laws out west in Simcoe. Other than that I use all the back roads in Oakville. Admit it, Milton is where it's at :D

[headshok2002]

I'm in Sudbury and the drivers are clueless idiots (or rather, there are too many clueless idiots).
I despise traffic, though, so I am happy to be far away from Toronto. My idealized future has me in a town with maybe 1 traffic light, that's 20-30 minutes away from a bigger town that I can do shopping etc. I've no desire to be part of the urban boom. Rural is where it's at. :D

[Mr. Goodwood]

Yeah, Toronto has some issues for sure, especially with urban sprawl and all the problems that comes with it. But not all is bad, the food, culture, diversity and general exceptence of others make this a great city. There is always something to do and something to see. I live and work in the city and door to door to and from in 30mins, I usually bike to work or TTC, so traffic is not an issue for me. Only when I have to leave the city to Oakville to visit family and stuff that's when traffic is a real issue, but we just hit the road at 10am and the roads or not that bad. It's all about choice, I have collegues that live in the burbs (Oakville, Milton, Markham, etc.) they spend 3+ hours a day commuting, that's like working 2 extra day a week. I look at them and wonder how they do that everyday.

[Tanner]

You got it... it's all choices at the end of the day and what you want.

[BryanR]

I think some people feel they have no choice.

[Tanner]

Choice yes, risk is always there and it really depends on your current financial situation. I could probably sell everything and move to a small town and a slower pace except the slower pace would probably drive me crazy.

[BryanR]

have a couple of kids - you'll welcome it