How to move to a new province: From Saskatoon to Calgary

Reinvention.

Sometimes you need to shake things up. This could mean chopping off your hair or opening a noodle house or adopting a squirrel or jumping on a plane to Kenya. In our case, it meant moving one province to the west.

We liked Saskatoon. “Born and raised.” It’s a beautiful city with a growing culinary scene. We have family and friends there. But we knew change was on the horizon. It was just so far in the distance, we hardly paid much attention to it. Until it stopped us in our tracks, put up a brick wall and forced us to make a choice: stay or go.

We chose to go.

Going is so much work. But it’s fun as hell and I’m glad we did it.

One month in and we’re walking more, seeing more and doing more than we ever would’ve had we stayed.

Moving is never easy, but there are a few things you can do to make the transition easier (besides loads of beer and take out).

Moving day. When you tell the movers “pack the kitchen” and they pack the entire kitchen.

1. Get your shit together

A. Start cleaning house, aka de-clutter your life. Go through closets and cupboards and drawers – you don’t want to haul your old shit across the city, let alone the country or overseas. You don’t need four sets of mixing bowls. You don’t need three record players collecting dust in the basement. Prioritize what you need in your life, what you can’t live without and donate or trash the rest (because people don’t want your garbage). I wish we would’ve done a better job at reducing our stuff. Over half of our stuff is in storage and I don’t miss ANY of it. Minus my bookshelf. God I miss those shelves.
B. If you’re selling a house, get it listed immediately. Then cross your fingers. Or get a renter.
C. Research neighbourhoods in your new city before you buy. Renting is a good way to get the flavour of a community without committing. Think about what’s important for the lifestyle you want: walkability, safety, a Starbucks on every corner, shopping, transit, etc. In Calgary, Avenue magazine was a great resource as they annually rank neighbourhoods.
D. Need to find a job? Update your LinkedIn profile. Start connecting with people in your new city. Take them for coffee. Find out what’s going on in your industry and how you can add value. Get known.
E. Make a list of the places where you’ll need to change your address – banks, PayPal, Amazon, insurance, etc.

2. Find your community

Most of us equate networking with boring business conferences. It’s partly true, but now that you’re in a new place, you need to get out and meet people. So that you don’t become a hermit. You’re going to have to get out of that shell and get uncomfortable.

Find your people.

For me, I need to find writers, foodies and marketers – those are my people. I started with associations, interest groups, women’s networking groups (hello, Ace Class!), LinkedIn and Instagram. Most people will say yes to a free coffee. And if they don’t, you don’t want to be their friend anyway.

3. Explore

It’s so easy to just sit on the couch and hide from your new world. Because it’s so big and scary. Nothing and no one feels familiar. I was scared to drive and I’ve driven in Calgary many, many times.

Get out, get out, get out. Get over your fears.

I’m an introvert – I get it. But I got on Instagram and started following hashtags like #yycnow and #yycfoodie and #travelalberta. I created a collection called “Calgary” and when I see a cool post, I save it there. So that when I’m feeling like there’s nothing to do, I know there’s always something to do or somewhere to eat. Look for coffee shops, bakeries, breweries, retailers, restaurants, festivals – any account that can give you a local perspective of your new city.

Moving to Calgary?

Here are some great places we stumbled across in our early days of living in Calgary.

Alforno – great dessert menu, fun vibe
Plus 15s – this is a weird one, but it’s so interesting weaving through this network of walkways connecting downtown Calgary buildings; lots of interesting shops and places to eat
Without Papers – Crisp thin pizza with killer toppings; pizza junkies rejoice!
Sidewalk Citizen Bakery – I’ve been told the East Village is being revitalized. Sidewalk is in a cool old building with a few other businesses and their location along the Bow makes it a perfect place to pop in for an iced coffee and treat or lunch or both.
Stephen Avenue – pedestrian-only street with tons of restaurants, stores, pubs, etc. I love walking around this area on a sunny afternoon. It just feels happy.
Lina’s Italian Market – I was so sad to leave my favourite Italian bakery in Saskatoon, Il Secondo. But there is life after Il Secondo, and her name is Lina.
Pazzer’s – this Saskatchewan-themed pub made us feel at home when home felt so far away.
Cold Garden – try the birthday beer; people (and dog) watching central; next door is Ol’ Beautiful which is just as awesome and has a completely different feel.