veecee.bsky.social
Senior Narrative Producer @ Inflexion Games on Nightingale. I run: GameCamp Edmonton, Alberta Game Jam. Previously: Forza Motorsport, Mythforce.
Just my name on the former bird site. Personal account. Ballroom, food, plants. She/Her.
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🕯️ manifesting 🕯️
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Sorry about the really long chain of replies! And also that I can't be better help in terms of more specific neighbourhoods to look at, but I hope these were good starting points at least!
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Extreme heat waves in the summer. We're actually having one right now! Most apartments do not have AC and have been built to be very good at keeping heat IN which can be... unfortunate.
Most folks will try to buy fans or some sort of portable AC unit to get by.
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For apartments, most places should be good for the winter but make sure it has a heater and that the windows and doors are sealed so as not to let any heat out or cold in!
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It doesn't get to -30°/-40° all winter but when it DOES get there (usually Jan/Feb) you'll be glad you have the right gear.
It will get very icy once it finally snows, and you will eventually learn The Waddle™ for walking on icy sidewalk that hasn't been salted or rocked over without slipping.
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- layers in the winter! Get a proper winter coat and LAYER underneath it. Scarves, mittens, toque, sweater. Warm socks. Thermal shirts under your regular shirt. Thermal leggings or longjohns under your pants. Jeans are NOT warm or weather proof on their own and you WILL freeze.
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In terms of winter/weather:
- it's dry AF here. Even in the winter. If your hair has any texture at all it WILL dry out. Same with your skin.
- it's also sunny almost all the time here. Even in the winter. Snow glare beware. Sunscreen year round.
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In terms of game dev specifically—I actually run Edmonton's game development professional association, and our community has a TON going on!! We have a thriving friendly and inclusive indie scene, and a ton of regular events and meet-ups to meet people at and make friends.
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In terms of meeting new people, I really think that depends on what hobbies you're into? But unless you're into something incredibly niche and specific, guarantee there's gonna be some sort of group or club or meet-up for it.
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Granted, some of those festivals are like, really small and more like activations, but I really do think there's tons to do here! You just need to be willing to look and engage. And you don't need to look very hard or far at all.
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There are people who complain that there's nothing to do in Edmonton, but as someone who plans events around everything else going on, that's really not true! Edmonton isn't called the City of Festivals for nothing.
There's always SOMETHING going on.
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Stuff to do! We have a surprisingly good food scene for a city of its size—the cost of living is cheaper so restaurants will try out their concepts here as it's considered less risky than trying to start in a larger city, and we have a wonderful variety of different cuisines to try here!
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That said, if downtown DOES get rowdy, it's when the Oilers win a hockey game lmao. I'm not into hockey, but I can always tell when we win because of the honking and cheering.
(I can also tell when we lose. It's standard city sounds but it's sad somehow and there's an occasional sad "wooo! :("
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You do hear complaints and handwringing about how homelessness and crime has increased downtown since COVID, which IS true, but also, as someone who lives here and walks around every day, it's not like. A lawless wasteland or anything. Just people getting by. General street smarts apply.
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The downtown core is generally quiet. If you're used to huge cities, Edmonton isn't that. I've heard it described as a medium sized city with a small town feel and I think that's accurate.
Tbh downtown has died down a bunch since COVID and there's a bunch of empty office buildings, but I like it.
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That means there's always something to do or see on Whyte, so if you'd like to be nearby but value quiet, look for housing just off of it so you'd be within walking distance!
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If you prefer living somewhere quieter, I would recommend against living RIGHT on 82nd Ave though—Whyte is a really cool street. Cool boutiques and shops and restaurants and the farmer's market by day, clubs and bars at night on the weekends, which means it can get loud.
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Basically! The closer you are to downtown or Whyte Ave (82nd Ave, on the other side of the river from downtown), the more walkable and accessible it is!
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Personally I live right in the downtown core and am able to walk to everywhere I need—groceries, dentist, pharmacy, etc. Anywhere that's a little further out I can e-scooter over in the warmer months or take the bus or transit.
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(disclaimer: I am very bad at remembering street and neighbourhood names and mostly remember landmarks. There are definitely other neighbourhoods that are walkable and would be good to look at but these are the ones I remember!)
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So that means the downtown core, Wîhkwêntôwin (it's also called by its old name, Oliver), Garneau, Strathcona. There's also the area around 124th street
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That said, since you don't have a car, I would recommend looking for a place either downtown or on the other side of the river, near the university. These areas are more walkable in terms of nearby amenities and public transit!
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To be honest, Edmonton isn't very walkable. We have a lot of urban sprawl. The LRT network is being expanded but it'll be years before it'll really be able to provide decent coverage outside of the downtown core.
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When looking for a place to live, avoid anything owned by Main Street or Boardwalk if you can! Their buildings are dirt cheap but they have an awful rep for a reason, and a lot of their buildings have had bedbugs.
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(which is not to say avoid Chinatown as a whole! There's a few lovely gems here. It's just really sad seeing how it's gone from being neglected. The city has implemented some bandaid fixes like more peace officers and stuff but nothing to address the systemic issues)
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In terms of areas to avoid living in or being careful of:
- around 97th street and 118th. Unfortunately 97th is where our Chinatown is, and it's not gotten the support or resources it desperately needs to help it thrive. There's a lot of crime and homelessness around this area as a result