Well I can confirm that Lagos is certainly exciting.... whether that's a good thing or not...

So true. I feel like I have to take up an active outdoor hobbies in order to enjoy myself as there is nothing else to do or it's just lame. May be I'm still winding down in my life after a 11 year stint in London where your spoilt for choice. I find to a bit like New Zealand where I was born and raised. Behind the times.

Vancouver is beautiful, but you can't polish a turd.

Everyone acts like its the only beautiful place in the world. May be those that think that have never left BC.

I wonder if the author has ever read The Economist.

We have a similar blissful ignorance from people in Toronto who have never lived anywhere but Ontario and seldom left North America.

Tell that to these three.

One of my daughters grew up and moved to Geneva. One grew up and moved to Vancouver. I'd die of vicarous boredom if it wasn't for the one who's contract in Bangui ended with her signing up for a stint in Kurdistan.

Theme parks (I don't mind being outdoors, just don't like outdoor sports, hiking etc)

Museums, San Diego has one of the most concentrated number of museums of any city in North America, Vancouver comes nowhere close to having what is offered there, and most are reasonably priced and offer 1 day per month where local residents are admitted free.

Awesome beaches that Vancouver cannot come close to beating.

World class Zoo, and Aquarium both far above what Vancouver offers.


There just isn't much to do in Vancouver area, BC compared to California is pretty damn boring.


Vancouver and parts of BC are visually stunning, however if not into the outdoor lifestyle, no much else to do here, pretty lacking in the fun department in my view.

Nothing I did in San Diego can be found in Vancouver or in BC at all. Probably one of the reasons I am always so bored, the things I like to do are not available to me.

Vancouver is a nice place to visit but I wouldn't want to live there. I've been visiting Van since the early 70's (and previously several times on holidays with family) but the longest I've stayed continuously was 3 or 4 months in Kits in '83 and I don't think I was bored (gallery openings, music, pubs, new friends). I've gone nearly every year since but usually go for no more than a week now and 4 days is the norm. A lot of my friends there are originally from Saskatchewan, they used to remark on big city artificiality, the need for the latest fad and the constant stress of making a living but now I suppose they're all assimilated. I tease them a little about achieving West Coast Trendy even though they all saw this hipster thing coming 30 years ago. Nostalgia is part of it, and though the long hikes are out now I still like going to Chinatown and buying oysters so we can have a feed of oysters and going up and down Commercial and getting my sausage at JNnZ's, having lunch with my sister if she's in town and catching up. Vancouver is much larger than it was when I was exploring it in 1974 or 1983 but many great places that were there then have been lost over the years. At least my photographer friend has records of a lot of it.

Pardon me while I chuckle😜😜😜

Everyone has their likes and dislikes, you have posted nothing as to why Vancouver is better, so other then being the usual prick, you have provided nothing of use.

I stated why I prefer So. California over Vancouver and BC and Vancouver cannot offer me those things.


Lets see:

World class zoo in Vancouver - No

Aquarium, Vancouvers is small and over priced and overall a C in my opinion.

Museums - Does Vancouver offer the amount and diversity of them, No.

Beaches- Vancouver has them, but are they on par with 70 miles of coastline of San Diego - No

Does Vancouver have any decent theme parks that So. California as a region offers - No.

Vancouver may work for some, but for me personally the things I enjoy are not offered in Vancouver or BC for that matter.

I have a friend and neighbour who is in the final stage of MS. He contracted the condition some 30 years ago and will likely be dead within 18-24 months. He still has movement in one finger which fortunately allows him to drive his wheelchair, but not outside. His speech is rapidly deteriorating and will be undecipherable very soon.
Never, even once, in the many years I have known him have I ever heard him say "why me".
Every day he is cheerful, happy and smiling. He has a hole at his coccyx you can stick your fist through. Fortunately no pain because he has few nerve endings left but his brain is still very active.
I need to ask if there is anything at all in your life that is good. I understand that you have a mental condition but constantly complaining about virtually everything in your life achieves very little, IMO.

But why does it affect you so strongly?

Surely, tolerance and respect are virtues you could, instead, promote here?

Mental illnesses are usually a mixed bag of bad genes, hormones, chemicals and biology gone a little out of balance (coupled with environmental effects)... it's not all about barrier beliefs and irrational thought processes that the user of the brain has full control over. Brains can also be badly wired.

Let's take the kind approach. Please?

I've been to conferences in San Diego a lot over the years and while it never struck me as a very vibrant place, the weather's great and it has delicious Mexican food, something Vancouver is sadly missing.

I agree with regards to work opportunities in Vancouver, there would be very little there for myself, thats why i chose Ontario, however i must say i did enjoy my visit there, its a lot smaller than Toronto, I think its the outdoor stuff that attracts me, but maybe that would wear thin after a while.

I do think the author of that article did try to push his point a little too far though, many people (except for Oink ) enjoy "nice" and "safe" as a place to live. Maybe the author should try one of the middle eastern hotbed locations if he enjoys living on the edge!

My feelings exactly. Love the place. Voted the second most attractive city in the world to VISIT, the first being Cape Town.