When I first told my friends that I was moving to Vancouver to pursue graduate studies (more on that in a future entry) at the University of British Columbia‘s Sauder School of Business, they didn’t congratulate me or say, “You’ll enjoy the west coast.” Instead, they offered warnings on how much I would dislike many aspects of Vancouver. By lowering my expectations, it definitely made the transition easier. That being said, I was still in shock at the dismal levels of quality and service, expensive prices, and (apparent) lack of diversity.
This is not to say Vancouver isn’t without its charm and beauty, but its numerous shortcomings mean it’ll be reserved for tourist visits, not a permanent relocation. The Pacific ocean, parks and other attractions are not enough to make up for everything else.
A lot of these comparisons will be with Toronto so stop reading now if hate the “Big Smoke”…