Originally Posted by biggayowl

Manchester wins hands down in terms of nightlife and culture. But then again both Dublin and Manchester have centuries head start on Van.

Originally Posted by Enigma368

This is a bit of a cop out imo. Many North American cities that are no older than Vancouver can compete with European cities on nightlife and in many areas of culture (music/theatre/museums etc.). Part of my frustration with Vancouver is that it could be a much better city if it was not run so badly by people who seem to care more about restricting the lives of those that live in the city than making their city a global leader.

Vancouver does not have a problem with being seen as a "no fun city" because it is a relatively new city, it has this problem because of they way it is managed. That is the frustrating thing for me. It could be so much better.

Originally Posted by Shard

But it is what it is. Most Vancouverites like it exactly as it is. Cities are reflections of the people within them.

Originally Posted by Enigma368

This is a bit of a cop out imo. Many North American cities that are no older than Vancouver can compete with European cities on nightlife and in many areas of culture (music/theatre/museums etc.). Part of my frustration with Vancouver is that it could be a much better city if it was not run so badly by people who seem to care more about restricting the lives of those that live in the city than making their city a global leader.

Vancouver does not have a problem with being seen as a "no fun city" because it is a relatively new city, it has this problem because of they way it is managed. That is the frustrating thing for me. It could be so much better.

Originally Posted by Partially discharged

My brother lives in Greystones and has since about 2010. Technically his address is in Knockroe, Delgany which is on the south side of Greystones I think. It is very nice there close to the coast, close to the Wicklow Hills.

Originally Posted by Enigma368

This is a bit of a cop out imo. Many North American cities that are no older than Vancouver can compete with European cities on nightlife and in many areas of culture (music/theatre/museums etc.). Part of my frustration with Vancouver is that it could be a much better city if it was not run so badly by people who seem to care more about restricting the lives of those that live in the city than making their city a global leader.

Vancouver does not have a problem with being seen as a "no fun city" because it is a relatively new city, it has this problem because of they way it is managed. That is the frustrating thing for me. It could be so much better.

Originally Posted by biggayowl

Fair point. I certainly think you can compare Van to Seattle, Portland or even San Fran. Similar climates, populations, ages. When I first moved to Van i was hoping it would be a Canadian Portland, and whilst it tries, it's a bit of a Portland lite.

Originally Posted by Enigma368

This might not be of interest to anyone but I am going to share my thoughts on Vancouver in case it helps anyone thinking of moving there. I lived there for 18months with my partner after spending 8 years in London. The other city I have lived in is Dublin, Ireland. I have now moved to LA as of 2 weeks ago.

Vancouverites get incredibly sensitive at any criticism of their city(usually they respond by blaming the person criticising their city - e.g. they respond to people who call their city boring with witty comebacks like "only boring people get bored") but I ask them to please not get too sensitive about this.

Pros:

1) One of the most beautiful settings for a city anywhere in the world. Almost everyone agrees with this.

2) Very clean and for a fairly big city, not very busy. Great if you don't love big cities but need to live in one. Very chilled.

3) Easy access to nature/skiing/hiking. It is easy to go hiking in the mountains after work in Summer or skiing after work in Winter. Again great for those who don't love big cities but need to live in one.

4) Very, very family friendly.

5) If you like weed, it is easy to buy over the counter without prescription and the city is very weed friendly.

6) People are reserved but friendly.

7) Public transport is pretty good. We didn't need a car.

8) Eating out is much more affordable than other places in Europe/US.

Cons:

1) Rules, rules, rules. Vancouver and BC has to be one of the more rule driven places in the world. It drove us crazy. There are regulations on everything. Airbnb is banned, Uber is banned. There recently was an attempt to ban children's balloons in public parks. You cannot stand up or order from the bar in 90% of places - you have to be seated and served by a waitress/waiter. Most bars will stop letting people in once they get to about 60% full - compared to any other city I have been or lived. I lost count of the number of times I queued for an hour to get into a place, only to find it mostly empty. Most restaurants have to be a certain level of brightness which ruins any ambiance. My condo building elevator had an extensive list of things we were not allowed to do. I think some people see all these rules as a good thing but I hated it.

2) Linked to #1 above, Nightlife is very poor for a city of its size. I lived in Dublin for 6 years which is slightly smaller than Vancouver and Dublin nightlife blows Vancouver away. I have traveled fairly widely and I am confident in saying that Vancouver nightlife - while better than say Tulsa, Oklahoma, by in large sucks. The restaurant scene is better than the bar/club scene. On more than one occasion I was at a party on a Friday or Saturday night, where someone left at 10pm, making excuses that it was past their bedtime.

3) A city does not earn the moniker "no fun city" for no reason. That said, this really depends on what you regard as fun. It is subjective.

4) Hard to make friends. This is something even the more pro Vancouver people usually agree on. People are friendly but just a bit more reserved which makes it harder to make friends.

5) People rave about the restaurant scene but we found it to be fairly average. It is good for cheap, reasonable quality Asian food though.

I will say that I met many people who love Vancouver and many people who really don't love it. I think it genuinely suits some people and not others. The people who liked it on average tended to be from elsewhere in BC or Alberta, did not care too much about bars and clubs, loved the outdoors aspect of the city and more often tended to go to bed before 11pm.

The people who tended not to love it were generally younger expats. 90% of the time we met another expat - esp those without a family - from the UK or elsewhere, the first thing they would say about Vancouver is that "it is a bit boring here". Those that visited us could not understand how it was so quiet on Friday and Saturday nights.

So in short - I think Vancouver is a great city for some and not for others. The Economist made a splash a few years ago by calling Vancouver "pleasant enough, but mind-numbingly boring" - I don't think it is mind-numbingly boring but it is definitely on the tamer side of major world cities. Also 18 months is not a huge amount of time, maybe had we spent longer we would have integrated better and enjoyed it more.

Originally Posted by tweed_wearer

Absolutely nailed it.

Linking into what you said about rules and what another poster said about journalism. One front page headline in a Vancouver newspaper "UBC theatre may one day get liquor licence". Front page.

Originally Posted by Oiler

If You’re Not Outdoorsy, You May Find it Boring.

This sums up Vancouver pretty well. My exact thoughts.

Originally Posted by Enigma368

Here is another webpage that lists the pros and cons of moving to Vancouver: https://wemovetheworld.com/blog/pros...ing-vancouver/

Originally Posted by Lychee

But I do agree that if you're not interested in pursuing a lifestyle that significantly involves immersing oneself in nature and wilderness, you will not enjoy Vancouver.