Lifestyle Review: Vancouver, Canada
Or how I learned why this appears in everyone's top 5 places to live
After over 11 years, in the States, it makes sense to consider not just this country, and given I was in the North West… the easy option was of course, (or Oh Course), Canada! I remember at University, reading an Article on “AskMen.com”, stating that Vancouver was the best place in the world. Since then I’ve read a large number of other articles where Vancouver almost always appears in the top 5.
As with my previous blogs, here is a Vlog version if you prefer:
Or if you’d like something more in-depth, check out the below:
Affordability (7/10)
I always figured that Canada would be more expensive than the US, with a national health service, how could it not be? But, with the current exchange rate, and less objection to Airbnb — it ended up being the cheapest place I have stayed so far!
Not only were accommodations cheaper (including buying), but I found that food and restaurants were also (alas the booze was not quite as much, which I have now started on again). Strangely some tourist attractions were silly pricey ($70 to walk over a suspension bridge & $45 for an Aquarium) whereas some were much cheaper ($14 to go up their Space Needle-type building).
Friends & Family (3/10)
Being on the West Coast, this again was a great distance from my family and most of my friends. There is an 8-hour time difference to the UK, and a 9–10 hour flight direct — there are a good amount of flights though that go to London (though nondirect to Manchester).
I don’t have any friends in Vancouver, but the people there are very friendly — At one Javascript event, I was able to make 2 friends. I was also fortunate that a good friend from San Francisco traveled up to see me, which allowed me to have more of a “normal” evening & weekend for once.
Dating (7/10)
Similar to Seattle, it is a major city so people are active on the apps. As it is known as “North Hollywood”, it also appears to attract a large number of local people to the area (though dating an actress has never overly appealed to me!).
With it being in the Commonwealth, I do hear the British accent a lot, I did find it the only place so far people didn’t say “Where are you from?”. Unfortunately, the one-speed dating event I signed up for was canceled, but it seemed to have a very similar vibe to London.
Culture (~7/10)
There are lots of Museums and galleries in Vancouver — Alas … I didn’t go to any 🙈. One thing I did appreciate was how much they brought up indigenous people and look to be actively looking to embrace and correct mistakes of the past when it came to them.
I did go to the Aquarium though and on my walking tour I was able to learn more about “North Hollywood” film locations around the city, so I do feel it is culture-rich. There are also fancy chocolate places which I appreciate 🍫.
Nightlife / Logistics (6/10)
While my friend was there, we went out for a few drinks. We were mainly in the “center” of town, where I feel it felt a bit more touristy/traveler than local spots, but it did feel smaller than Seattle.
Some cool areas have a kinda “Brooklyn” feel, like Yaletown, that I wished I’d gone out in more. There are also many other parts to try out, like West & North Vancouver, & Kits Point — that I feel would be similar to going out in areas like Islington in London (but alas this is pure speculation).
One thing a lot of people point out is the homeless population. As Vancouver has the most temperate climate in Canada (which is still colder than most of the US / UK), it attracts the homeless population more than others. In terms of the amount, I found it similar to most other places. The main difference was there did appear to be a culture of taking drugs directly in public more so than anywhere else I have been, which made it feel a bit less safe.
Health & Fitness (8/10)
Similar to Seattle, there is a ton of natural beauty which makes walking around a pleasure. I was staying on the main “party” road of Vancouver, and yet, it was less than a 30-minute walk for me to be in what felt like a British woodland. Not only that, but I was able to walk over the Lions Gate bridge, to the top of a mountain in about 4 hours. I can see why rich people live in West Vancouver. The Sea Wall walk, is beautiful, as it feels like a river, lake, and sea all combined.
It felt quite similar to London, in terms of plenty of gyms around the area, and most people seemed active that I saw out and about. Maybe the reason they can afford a health service is that obesity is less of an issue up here. 🤷
Job & Startup Opportunities (7/10)
I was a bit disappointed that I wasn’t able to find any startup events happening while I was there (it was around American Thanksgiving which I am guessing is the reason), but I was able to go to a Javascript event, where the people I met were all working for local tech companies.
Just outside the city, is Electronic Arts, one of the biggest game publishers in the world, which I feel would give a wealth of potential talent for startups. They also give out relatively low startup visas, which makes working from there more viable than most countries where I don’t have citizenship.
The feel of the place (8.5/10)
Overall, I completely understand why people love Vancouver. I feel it takes on the best aspects of the US and the UK — I often felt on my morning strolls, that I could have been in London, New York, or the countryside of either. On top of that, the natural splendor of the area is phenomenal.
I do feel guilty that I didn’t do as much there as I would have liked (I didn’t make it to a hockey game!), but I think that part of that might have been a feeling that I would return there one day 😀.
The two big downsides, for me, are the distance and that I don’t have a work visa. As such for now, it is likely more of a city I would accept an offer to rather than actively move to beforehand. Having said that, I would say it is above Seattle and was the first one I’ve been to where I felt a bit more of a pull on this trip so far.
As such here is my updated list:
Next up is Portland Maine, visiting a friend, before I do my trip back through New York, and London and then spend Christmas in Manchester with my family.
I am not certain what I am going to do in 2024, so I am taking suggestions — please drop them in the comments (or send me a DM).
