So we’ve moved.

My address no longer says Vancouver but rather: New Westminster.

New Westminster. The first capital city of British Columbia. New West is the hipster of BC capital cities, being a capital before it was cool. Dude, we are so colonial that there’s a Union Jack waving in the breeze well within sight of our balcony.

I’m closer to work, closer to family. Further from downtown, too, but that’s yet to be an issue.

You see, the thing with New West is you never realise how many people you know live there until you start advertising the fact that you’re a new resident. All of a sudden everyone lives in New West. Old friends live in New West. So-and-so’s aunt lives in New West. That person I never really speak to but see in the hall all the time at work lives in New West.

It’s like New West is to affordable living in the Greater Vancouver area what The Smiths were to 80s pop music. No one really admits it, but everyone’s in on it.

We’re close to the apparent Heritage District, which is nice. We’re close to The Quay, which is also nice (if you like gelato and the sound of tugboats). We’re close to Skytrain, which is always nice.

And we’re just far enough away from fast food restaurants and the like that we’re forced to do weekly grocery shops and other grown-up things like plan meals.

It’s sickening. And exhilarating.