From Central Florida. :)

Took a job in Vancouver with Relic Entertainment, so I'll be staying at least 2 years if it works out.

Heading out in a couple hours, me, clothes, computer, 140 pound dog, and 3 pounds of beef jerky. Rest of my stuff will be shipped up after I'm settled.

3398 miles (counting a small detour to Rushmore/Deadwood and Devil's Tower), longest road trip for me ever. It should be fun though, giving myself plenty of time to get there (need to be there on the 2nd), and the SC'd E36 is a great road car (though it'll hurt my wallet on fuel at 22mpg highway).

Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, South Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Washington, BC.

Thinking about taking a Yellowstone detour, but having the dog complicates that, can't really take him in the park or around any of the geysers/hotsprings. Guess that'll keep.

Not sure where I'll be living, they're putting me up in a "Residence Inn" sort of hotel for the first month. Any recommendations on where to look would be appreciated.

Office is 550 Burrard Street, and I'd like to be able to drive to work (can't STAND public transportation), and feel like my car is safe at nights. Don't really care if I'm in a "trendy" part of town, just a decent part, and someplace pet-friendly, (see above about big-ass dog). I figure $1500 CDN/month budget for housing, cheaper is better but can afford more if need be.

Anyway, look out Vancouverites, a crazy American in a too-fast E36 is heading your way, to stay. :)

I did some of that drive in 2005...pretty much from Illinois on. Construction in Chicago caused my and a buddy to miss a turn off and go through 3 sets of tolls...not cool when you don't have american money.

Yellowstone was pretty much the best part of the trip. We got there at the end of August and ran into a snow storm because of the elevation change...the summers handled pretty well in 4 inches of snow.

You should take some secondaries on the way through some of the mountains, they're the funnest roads to drive on because they usually have a lot of switchbacks. I was going 80 up a mountain that wanted me to do 30.

Have a fun drive!

Relic is a great company to work for.. i had a few buddies work for them over the last few years.

you'll probalby want to find something downtown condo.. or something vancouver west (kerrisdale area) or west vancouver.

My mom's friend's son works at relic. Just out of curiosity, if you want, I'll pm you his name. It would be cool if you met him.

Thanks for the tips guys.

Day one of the trip is complete and on schedule, I'm in a little town in Tennessee, should be outside of KC MO before I stop tomorrow.

Even had a little fun before I got out of Florida, a Cayman and a new-ish Targa with transporter plates were goofing around on I-75, Cayman cut into my lane behind me and tried to "push" me while the Targa was on my left. It worked, but not like he was expecting. I dropped to 3rd and floored it, ran 4th to 5k before I backed off...they were trying to keep up, but were dots in the rearview when I let off. I don't think they were expecting 395rwhp. I settled back down to my cruise control speed of 75, they blew past me, and about 15 miles up the road, FHP had the Cayman pulled over. :)

Go ahead and PM me the name Ndiggity. I don't know a soul there, my interview process was totally over the phone and email, so it's always good to have an icebreaker.

Welcome to Canada :) Well when you get here anyways.
Sounds like a cool road trip, have fun.

Margo

Thanks for the tips guys.

Day one of the trip is complete and on schedule, I'm in a little town in Tennessee, should be outside of KC MO before I stop tomorrow.

Even had a little fun before I got out of Florida, a Cayman and a new-ish Targa with transporter plates were goofing around on I-75, Cayman cut into my lane behind me and tried to "push" me while the Targa was on my left. It worked, but not like he was expecting. I dropped to 3rd and floored it, ran 4th to 5k before I backed off...they were trying to keep up, but were dots in the rearview when I let off. I don't think they were expecting 395rwhp. I settled back down to my cruise control speed of 75, they blew past me, and about 15 miles up the road, FHP had the Cayman pulled over. :)

Go ahead and PM me the name Ndiggity. I don't know a soul there, my interview process was totally over the phone and email, so it's always good to have an icebreaker.

Nice. Welcome to Vancouver. You will certainly enjoy the city. Some great driving roads up here. You have to drive up to Whistler and The Duffy Lake Road.

As for places to live with your dog, like the previous poster, anywhere in Kits is good. They have a dog park section on the beach. Owners congregate with their dogs and let them have fun off leash. Certainly this city caters to dogs. We even have a couple of Dog bakeries and a fresh food pet food store that sells Raw meat for pets etc.
Great trails to take that 140lb dog of yours to. He can chase deer...haha
If you are single...damn, you will be in heaven! :alright Some of the world's best looking women live here and lots of em. Have fun....:D

Food is cheap. And exceptional. Be prepared for dining out alot.

Granville Island is a great place to shop for groceries if you are into fresh food and great selection. A cook's paradise if I may...

Do join a gym as it's a great place to meet women. Everyone exercises here. You will see.

The bad...lots of bums around. After traveling the world, I sometimes think we have more homeless people than anywhere else in the world! Petty crime is fairly high in the city so take care of that great car of yours. Don't leave anything visible in the car...no change in the ashtray! Ask me how I know! :mad Had my side window smashed for two dollars worth of change. Damn wandering Drug addicts!
I see you are working at 550 Burrard. My brother works down there and let me tell you, make sure you have Secure parking. I cannot stress this enough. Hopefully your company will have this for you. Parking is $$$ downtown.

Hopefully this will not sour you on Vancouver. It's just common sense in any big city. This place is amazing. You will see when you arrive.

Welcome and feel free to PM me anytime...

Sent the PM. Have a great time driving and welcome to Canada!

On the far side of Council Bluffs, Iowa now. Kinda cool they have wireless access at rest stops in Iowa, no other state on my route did.

Caught the tail-end of that big storm system moving across the Midwest yesterday, that sucked, but wasn't as bad as it could be.

Weather is already cooling, time to stow the sandals and put on the shoes soon I think. :)

Kits sounds like a decent place, somebody else had mentioned that area to me, so that's where I'll start my hunt.

I'm single, but on the HIGH side of bf.c's age demographics. I don't seriously shop for that sort of thing anymore, but I do accept deliveries.. ;)

The exercisers can keep on exercising, it's just not my thing, after 5 years in the Marine Corps as a grunt, my exercise consists of turning wrenches and making my bed, and watching my dog exercise.

I had a free gym membership through Sony when I was in California, and not once in the five years that I was there did I set foot in that or any other gym. ;)

hope u have a nice journey

It's been pretty good so far, Montana/Idaho were awe inspiring...Washington, not so much from what I saw on I-90 and I-5.

Stopped in Ferndale WA now, hitting the border at Peace Arch in the morning since I need to be there "business hours" for the work permit processing. Hopefully that'll go well, and I'll be in Vancouver tomorrow early afternoon.

Staying at an "extended stay" hotel on Davie St. for the first few weeks, need to find a place to board my dog ASAP on Monday.

Hotel allows pets, but I don't want to leave him in a hotel room when I go to work on Tuesday. He's housebroken, but I don't think housekeeping is going to be too pleased trying to change the sheets with a 65 kilo dog standing in the way (see, I'm learning Canadian already!).

It's been pretty good so far, Montana/Idaho were awe inspiring...Washington, not so much from what I saw on I-90 and I-5.

Stopped in Ferndale WA now, hitting the border at Peace Arch in the morning since I need to be there "business hours" for the work permit processing. Hopefully that'll go well, and I'll be in Vancouver tomorrow early afternoon.

Staying at an "extended stay" hotel on Davie St. for the first few weeks, need to find a place to board my dog ASAP on Monday.

Hotel allows pets, but I don't want to leave him in a hotel room when I go to work on Tuesday. He's housebroken, but I don't think housekeeping is going to be too pleased trying to change the sheets with a 65 kilo dog standing in the way (see, I'm learning Canadian already!).
how much is 65 kilo? I don't even know kilos :D I would love to do that roadtrip and see some different scenary..sounds like fun. IF you don't find anything in Kits/Kerrisdale, check out the North Shore (North and West Vancouver). It's a five minute drive to downtown and you're right on the water, I live in West Van so if you need any recommendations, just PM me. What is Relic BTW?

65 kilos is around 140 pounds, and Relic Entertainment (http://www.relic.com/) is a video game company.

Relic made a huge super hit a few years back... probably 8 years ago?

You're thinking of Homeworld.

Last year they made Company of Heroes, RTS of the year, along with the 40000:Dawn of War series, Impossible Creatures, and The Outfit.

I'm in Vancouver now, Sandman Suites on Davie. Border wasn't that bad, only took about half an hour to get my work permit approved and fill out a Form 1 to get BC tags for the car and be on my way.

Place is hopping from what I can see from the balcony, gonna take the dog for a walk here in a bit and check out the local area.

Hotel I'm in is pretty cool, fridge, stove, blender, microwave, washer/dryer, etc, for sure not a bad place to spend a couple weeks.

not bad. thats cool. i just left van yesterday and went back to the island (short pond trip). you definitely have to come out for a meet sometime.

and yah.. i was thinking of homeworld.

Update? So...thoughts of Vancouver now and are you getting on ok? Any more questions?

poor guy probably saw gastown .. and ran

I actually looked at a loft on Cordova/Carrall, E. Hastings one street over. Didn't seem that scary to me, but maybe I just can't tell what's scary from what's not, one junkie bum looks just like the other, and the bums are EVERYFUCKINGWHERE, not just in Gastown.

After two weeks in the hotel, I got lucky, scored a 620 sqft furnished rental condo on Burrard, (across from the ESSO) on a month to month, all utilities/internet included.

Nice place, 8th floor, 3 years old, quiet as long as the windows are closed, well secured with a good underground parking spot next to a wall, no problem with the dog (other than him tripping over bums).

It's over what I wanted to spend, but that's pretty much the story of Vancouver in general...everything is over-priced and over-taxed and over-rated. :)

Seriously, if the company and project wasn't so good, I'd have packed up after the first week, and I still might, because by the time BC and Canada and EI and CPP and GST and PST get done with me, I've taken a 50% pay hit compared to what I was making in the U.S, and that's before the ridiculous cost of the tiny little shoeboxes ya'll call homes. Don't get me started on the cost of cigarettes.

And whoever said the food was cheap, I'd like some of what you're smoking. Cheap compared to Tokyo, maybe. :)

As for women, if I were Asian, I'd be in girl-heaven...but I'm not, so I'm not.

Keep in mind this bitching is from somebody that lived in Southern California for 7 years.

But the people are nice, (even most of the bums) though I'm gonna strangle the next person that tells me the "snow ski in the morning, golf in the afternoon, sail in the evening" myth.

I suppose if I were an outdoorsy type that actually, oh, liked to walk everywhere, or play in that evil white stuff you see on top of mountains, or liked smoking pot in public, or liked getting into fights on Granville, or could even drink the local beer without gagging, I'd be a lot less down on the place. But none of the above applies to me.

And now, after writing this, I've realized I'm NEVER going to like living in the Greater Vancouver area, and it's time to start looking for another job in the U.S.

I actually looked at a loft on Cordova/Carrall, E. Hastings one street over. Didn't seem that scary to me, but maybe I just can't tell what's scary from what's not, one junkie bum looks just like the other, and the bums are EVERYFUCKINGWHERE, not just in Gastown.

After two weeks in the hotel, I got lucky, scored a 620 sqft furnished rental condo on Burrard, (across from the ESSO) on a month to month, all utilities/internet included.

Nice place, 8th floor, 3 years old, quiet as long as the windows are closed, well secured with a good underground parking spot next to a wall, no problem with the dog (other than him tripping over bums).

It's over what I wanted to spend, but that's pretty much the story of Vancouver in general...everything is over-priced and over-taxed and over-rated. :)

Seriously, if the company and project wasn't so good, I'd have packed up after the first week, and I still might, because by the time BC and Canada and EI and CPP and GST and PST get done with me, I've taken a 50% pay hit compared to what I was making in the U.S, and that's before the ridiculous cost of the tiny little shoeboxes ya'll call homes. Don't get me started on the cost of cigarettes.

And whoever said the food was cheap, I'd like some of what you're smoking. Cheap compared to Tokyo, maybe. :)

As for women, if I were Asian, I'd be in girl-heaven...but I'm not, so I'm not.

Keep in mind this bitching is from somebody that lived in Southern California for 7 years.

But the people are nice, (even most of the bums) though I'm gonna strangle the next person that tells me the "snow ski in the morning, golf in the afternoon, sail in the evening" myth.

I suppose if I were an outdoorsy type that actually, oh, liked to walk everywhere, or play in that evil white stuff you see on top of mountains, or liked smoking pot in public, or liked getting into fights on Granville, or could even drink the local beer without gagging, I'd be a lot less down on the place. But none of the above applies to me.

And now, after writing this, I've realized I'm NEVER going to like living in the Greater Vancouver area, and it's time to start looking for another job in the U.S.

Ahhh, Welcome? Haha...the price we pay to live here:help

I am the one who said food is cheap. Christ, have you eaten in London? And what are you eating? For the most part food is cheap. You just have to get out of downtown to eat. FYI - I consider $20-$40 for a meal with alcohol to be cheap.

Taxes...enough said. Freaking god damn taxes! They would tax sex here if they could get away with it...but it's the cost of our social welfare structure. Free healthcare, welfare for bums ...

You need to get out of downtown...go to Richmond if you want less Asian women :D Just messing with you. We are not called Hongcouver for nothing...seriously, it's the Pacific Rim!

You should have negotiated for more money. What goes in other countries does not apply here. You need to "double" your salary to get the same here.

Beer. What are drinking? Best beer is found in Micro Breweries. Go to Yale town Pub etc.
I find it funny that most Americans complain about our beer. Yet we get Bud and Coors from you guys? Of course commercial beer is crap! Drink Micro brews man.

Cigarettes are viewed in the same vein as Heroin and Crack here. I hear you. Geez I can buy a pack for .50c in Russia! So do what I do ... smoke less! :shifty

Anyways...for what it's worth...welcome to Vancouver...:alright

Sorry to hear you have had a rough welcome to Canada. I hope things turn around for you. Go to a BC Lions game in the summer at the dome and take up skiing/snowboarding. Some of the best mountains in the world are right around you.

lol. hey.. dont' worry about the bums... we're shipping them off to regina once the olympics roll around

Can we at least see your car before you leave? :stickoutt

But seriously, all the prices on houses here have risen like crazy in the past few years. Even more now since 2010 is less than 1000 days away. If you want cheap food, get out of downtown. Everything is expensive in Downtown, visit Burnaby, Coquitlam, Richmond, and other parts of Vancouver.

Hope you enjoy your stay :)

Asian girls are the best. I'm not asian, but I married One.

Of course that is because all the white girls were taken by the asian guys :D