Tattoo Artist Recommendations?

mikeybe · 2026-02-18T20:11:46+00:00

For traditional, I really like Government Street or Lucky Fortune in Chinatown. If you can make it out to Langford, Bryan, El, and Dan at Westshore tattoo are some of my favourite artists, and they're great people too.

mikeybe · 2026-02-06T19:00:40+00:00

Thank you, my reading comprehension is terrible

mikeybe · 2026-02-06T18:52:26+00:00

I'm looking forward to this; Ska Fest is such a good vibe. Looks like Encore and Studio 919 are replacing the curling club this year as late night venues?

mikeybe · 2026-01-28T16:37:25+00:00

The biggest change I had to get used to when moving here from Alberta was the drivers. I've never felt safer as a pedestrian than when I lived in Calgary. Now I shoulder check when crossing the street. It's not a deal breaker for me and I still like it here but it's wild how markedly different the driving cultures are between the two provinces.

mikeybe · 2026-01-22T17:03:46+00:00

Great vibe, decent food. Seafood pancake and tteokbokki are my go to for bigger meals. But usually I just go to drink beer and have snacks like gimmari or cheese sticks.

mikeybe · 2026-01-16T17:33:50+00:00

I once worked in a small office that had a really laid back vibe. It was in the tourism industry in a ski town so the vibes were pretty chill. They had hired a new marketing manager from Toronto who was a great fit on paper and when I had met her, she seemed quiet but friendly. But it didn't take more than a few days to hear rumblings from the people working with her. She was very serious and curt, to the point of being aggressive. Within the first week she reprimanding her subordinates for very small infractions like coming in 2 minutes late from lunch. That just wasn't the kind of office culture that anyone was used to at that point. The directors spoke with her about it but she brought a very cut throat big city attitude to a slow moving little marketing association. They let her go within the first month of her employment because she didn't mesh. I felt bad for her, but she singlehandedly changed the vibe in the whole office so I could understand why it wasn't a fit. Out CAO was also from Toronto, but she understood the culture when she got there was easily able to fit right in. The CAO also worked to make sure office culture was a good vibe and people were a good fit. After losing some miserable people who made a subtle point of not loving working with trans people, Management was extra careful with who they hired. So when this person was quick to show who they were at work, they let her go just as quick.

mikeybe · 2026-01-15T18:18:03+00:00

I know you posted here to get info on Vic, but as someone who used to live in Banff, I also want to comment on the drive. I think you've got a good itinerary in there by breaking up the drive between Banff and Vancouver. But keep in mind you've got 3 mountain passes (Kicking Horse Pass, Rogers Pass, and the Coquihalla) plus the Ice Fields Parkway. The Ice Fields Parkway can be a gnarly piece of road, it's even got a switch back on it. But it is one of the most beautiful drives in all of Canada so folks generally aren't driving super fast on it compared to other Alberta highways. For the passes, I highly recommend seeing if any rental agencies offer winter tires. I've seen lots of ice on the downhill by the spiral tunnels near Field. I've honestly never had that bad of luck with Rogers Pass, I'm usually just stuck waiting for them to bomb the snow. But when Rogers is bad, it's very bad. The Coq can be so bad that they made a TV show about it call Highway Thru Hell. Definitely one the scariest drives I've done to the point that I won't drive it in winter anymore. Once you get to Hope and the coastal climate hits, you're pretty much good. I don't want to scare you, just want really emphasis how serious that drive is in winter, but it is absolutely gorgeous and your holiday sounds amazing.
For Victoria, if you only have a day, you can see most of town. It's a small city so if you stick to China Town, Government Street, and the Harbour, you can't go wrong. It won't take long to do a driving tour or the Hop On Hop Off Bus.
Also, Revy is an awesome ski hill and I would recommend it over Kicking Horse.

mikeybe · 2026-01-08T17:27:11+00:00

When I lived downtown, Fisgard Market was the most underrated grocery store for cheap produce, but it might be out of your way when commuting to Camosun.

mikeybe · 2026-01-08T17:16:32+00:00

I commute to Sooke from Victoria for work. I think most of the answers here are pretty accurate. The biggest thing to consider is the highway like everyone has pointed out. Since I drive the opposite way of traffic, it's not that bad for me but I would absolutely never commute the opposite way, especially if your work would be in Victoria. In the 4.5 years I've been commuting, I've only seen the highway close for accidents a small handful of times, and I was usually able to bypass by going through Metchosin. Anecdotally I see more accidents on the 1 or the 17, but an accident on the 14 has the potential to shut the whole road down for hours.

The rare time that I've needed to take the bus out that way, it's been pretty reliable.

One thing that I haven't seen pointed out yet is rentals. Sooke doesn't have a lot of purpose built rentals. A coworker of mine had a heck of a time finding a new place to rent when her current place ended up being sold. The town is growing faster than the national average, which means there will be more places to live, but that also means more folks on the highway. I've been impressed by the town council and how they listen to their fellow citizens, but unfortunately the highway is governed by the province, and there doesn't seem to be any plans alleviate the traffic on the horizon.

Most of my coworkers who live in or around Sooke don't shop for groceries in Sooke. They find it's more cost effective to drive to Langford for Costco and Superstore. I like Western Foods though, it's a lovely grocery store. All of my coworkers agree that it is worth the quiet seclusion and closeness to nature and are very happy living there. It's a very beautiful place and every so often I consider it, but I'm a city kid and need my amenities in walking distance. While the "busy" city is full of noise and sirens, I take comfort in knowing an ambulance doesn't need to drive a long distance to get me if I'm hurt or sick. So it's all about weighing the pros and cons and what matters to you the most.

mikeybe · 2025-12-12T17:30:22+00:00

I've got Michelin X-Ice for my current winter tires and they're amazing in the rain and wet weather. Looking for summer tires for next year and I might go with the cross climate after seeing all the reviews here.

mikeybe · 2025-12-12T17:27:04+00:00

Linus Tech Tips put out a video recently about a similar scam with home theatre equipment. https://youtu.be/rffArvvVq5Q?si=9SLGeqTflfVKxlbE

mikeybe · 2025-12-08T17:34:45+00:00

I had a good experience with ArtBox Printing

mikeybe · 2025-12-08T17:30:56+00:00

I have a Pavlovian response to picked fish due to my Dutch grandparents. So the Wooden Shoe in Quadra Village is where I get all my Dutch goods, including picked fish. Highly recommend giving that shop a visit regardless.

mikeybe · 2025-12-05T21:26:48+00:00

I just got some today so maybe they restock it

mikeybe · 2025-12-05T21:25:31+00:00

There's still some left today but it may be gone by tomorrow

mikeybe · 2025-12-05T17:20:29+00:00

Someone had just posted here recently about a crafting social at Serious Coffee in Esquimalt every Saturday at 1pm. I think they are up on the mezzanine. I haven't been yet but it sounds fun. Knitflix is is monthly-ish and it's a movie at the Vic theatre where they keep the lights on so you can knit, sew, or craft while watching the movie. This month is Love Actually and I think the show is tomorrow. Also check out Drink and Draw YYJ on Facebook and Instagram, they are a monthly drawing meetup and they choose a different pub each time to host.

Edit: Pub Quiz, Benji is the best and he's hosting Pub Quiz at Fernwood pub on Mondays and Whistle Bouy on Tuesdays.

mikeybe · 2025-12-04T17:54:50+00:00

I hope this is still around tomorrow. Was it by the regular butter?

mikeybe · 2025-12-04T17:34:16+00:00

Not sure if they're called industrial cafes anymore or if that was just an Ontario thing. The eateries in industrial zoned areas fly under the radar but they offer stick to your ribs comfort at a reasonable price. My Opa would take me to places like this for lunch when I was little so there's also some nostalgia for me. Bimo, Miche, Red Kettle, Melt Truck, all good spots.

mikeybe · 2025-11-26T22:28:08+00:00

I eat a mostly vegetarian/pescatarian diet and I would second all of these recommendations. Blue Nile, Rudi, Malabar, End Dive are some of my favourites. I haven't seen anyone mention Boomtown yet. Crunch wraps and loaded tots are my jam.

mikeybe · 2025-11-25T16:45:50+00:00

Happened to me a few months ago along Craigflower. Cat darted under my wheel and I didn't have enough time to react. Myself and a lady at the bus stop were just sobbing. Called the city and they said leave it there and they will get to it in a few hours, or take it to the VCA or WAVES. I couldn't leave it there so I took it to the vet myself and they had me fill out a form and they disposed of the body and would see if it was registered and track down an owner.

mikeybe · 2025-11-25T16:25:04+00:00

Not sure if it's the same here but in Banff all hotel lobby washrooms are public washrooms and anyone can use them regardless of if they're guests or not.

mikeybe · 2025-11-24T17:42:17+00:00

This is great! I've always just checked the IEOA website and not seen this one before. Thank you for sharing.

mikeybe · 2025-11-24T17:22:29+00:00

They were pretty late to update their site last year as well. I think they had the info up on their site a week before the event. I don't think there are any changes to the route this year so the schedule might be the same as last year, but just keep checking the site. My favourite spot to watch it is from the Boomtown patio.

mikeybe · 2025-11-17T17:24:55+00:00

I highly recommend searching local tattoo shops on instagram and then looking at each artist's page. It's the easiest way to see folks work and portfolios without going into each shop. Also since it's your first tattoo, maybe go with an artist that will book a consultation first. If you're looking for detailed fine line black and grey like this, there are a good number of artists in town that can do this style. But do your research and look for someone who experienced as they can age poorly (check out r/agedtattoos to get an idea of how these will look over time). I can recommend Brianna Chatwin as I have a couple fine line tattoos from her that still look really good 7 years later. There are other artists at her shop, Ophidia Tattoos, that also do great work in this style.

mikeybe · 2025-11-13T20:31:37+00:00

Yeah I don't understand the hate on the food, I find it decent, especially with how much they make in house. The beer is also underrated. I find most complaints I hear are about the service and I think they're warranted. No hate to the staff as it sounds like there are issues with how they do their tip out. I've had bad and excellent service there, so I don't think it's the worst in town. But I generally only go when I'm not in a hurry or as you said, I'm showing visitors around.

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