Thank you all very much, particularly for the car-sharing website link.
Originally Posted by
yycworldtraveler
True...downtown proper lacks the vibrancy of Vancouver, Toronto or Montreal. I wouldn't look for a condo in the actual downtown core. The neighbourhoods that surround downtown would be my choice if you want a little more vibrancy...Hillhurst/Sunnyside in the NW, Bridgeland in the NE, Inglewood in the SE, and The Beltline in the SW. Lots of condos and apartments in all these areas.
My company's office is in the downtown core and, for the reasons I gave in my OP, thought the idea of living downtown would be wise.
That said, are the areas that you identified easily accessible by the train line? I can't quite explain it, but I find dealing with trains a lot less hassle than dealing with buses (or than dealing with a bus and train connection).
Originally Posted by
yycworldtraveler
And to the OP...Yes you can live in YYC without a car, but as mentioned above it is a very large sprawling city where the car (well actually the SUV/truck) is king.
Sounds a bit like Houston.
Quite honestly, Houston is pretty sprawling as well, but other than driving to work, I only use my car to get groceries once a week and maybe to run a few errands. I hardly ever go outside of my little 6 mile radius, and I suspect that living in Calgary would be much the same.
If I wanted to go to the mountains, obviously I'd have to rent a car, but surely even a weekend rental every week would end up being cheaper than owning (whether by importing my current car or simply buying one when I get there), maintaining, and insuring a car, no?