In my last article, I talked about the best parts of living in Vancouver. What I came up with really told the story of just how awesome this city is. If you want to read about the good of Vancouver, click the link below:

Vancouver: The Good | Evolution 107.9 (bcit.ca)

That’s a lot of positives. Vancouver has so much to offer, but it’s not perfect. Far from it. There are a few issues though that could stand to be corrected. In this article, I’ll detail the bad and the ugly, and I’ll decide if the negatives outweigh the positives. So without further adieu, let’s get into it.

 

The Bad:

 

Rain

It’s literally called rain city… need I say more? Well, I probably should. Overall, the rain doesn’t bother me too much, and it’s not as bad as I expected it to be when I moved here over a year ago. It didn’t rain at all the first two months after I arrived.

But the rain did come. There are times when it just rains. And rains. And rains. And rains. For days. Sometimes weeks on end. It does get old after a while, but I think I kind of got used to it.

It’s not the constant rain that bothers me. It’s those atmospheric rivers that really suck. The other day, I walked from my dorm to the BCIT campus. In about 3-4 minutes, I was soaked from head to toe.

But at the end of the day, I’ll take rain and humidity over dry heat any day of the week.

 

Traffic

This is a big one. I find it to be maddening driving around in Vancouver. While I know, it’s really not that bad compared to other huge metropolises, but it still can be frustrating. ESPECIALLY at rush hour. I go out to Langley and Abbotsford for PA announcing, and it usually times out perfectly with the busiest times of the day.

I’ve found the best way to counteract that is to avoid those busier times. If you leave a little bit earlier, you might have to wait around a little bit. But you’ll save yourself a lot of headaches, which will help reduce stress.

Traffic is probably my most hated part of Vancouver. Let’s look at some other negatives to see if that holds up.

 

Parking

This goes together with traffic. This city is just not built for driving. If you want to go downtown, good luck finding a spot. I’ve circled around blocks for LONG periods of time just trying to find a spot, and I wind up walking 10-15 minutes anyway to wherever I want to go. It’s not fun.

I’d highly recommend taking the bus or Skytrain if you must go downtown because it’s never a fun time. Plus, it’s SO expensive.

It can cost up to $11 per hour in certain places. Just not worth it. What if you’re parking for the whole day? That’s going to run up to a massive tab that is just not affordable.

If you’re on vacation and looking to find a way around this, I’d recommend parking at Coquitlam Central SkyTrain station and just riding the Skytrain into town. You can park for only $3 per day, or if you’re staying for a while, you can get a monthly pass for $60.

Now that’s a lot more manageable.

 

The lack of community

This is one that I really noticed when I moved here. When you live in a small town, you get very close with other members of your community. In many ways, it almost becomes like an extended family.

But in a big city like Vancouver, you don’t get anything like that. It’s quite a culture shock. People seem to always be so busy and in their own world. They’re not exactly easy to approach.

Now don’t get me wrong, not everybody is like that. There are a lot of wonderful people. It’s just that the pace of life is so different and can take a bit to get used to.

As I get more used to it though, I’ve met some incredible people in my time here who I’m lucky to call friends.

 

Snowfall

Coming from a place with a snow-covered winter, the Vancouver winter is laughable. All it takes is about half an inch of snow, and the whole city shuts down. It looks apocalyptic when we get these snowstorms. The primary reason for this is because of the lack of winter tires. This causes cars to slip and slide all over the place. Cars go sliding down streets and into other cars or whatever else lands in the path of destruction.

People basically forget how to drive when it snows. You’d think they would learn.

 

The Ugly

 

Garbage

There is so much garbage on the streets of Vancouver.

Some places are better than others, but in those bad spots, it’s disgusting. We need to figure out a better way to handle street garbage. Go walk down Commercial Drive, and you’ll know what I’m talking about.

The garbage is a blemish on the beauty of Vancouver, and it should be dealt with. There’s no excuse. There are certain areas where there are piles and piles oof garbage “hidden” in ditches and other fairly obvious locations. Gross.

 

The Cost of Living

Now this is the big one. The cost of living in Vancouver is absurd. It’s not going to get any better.

As of October 2003, the average one-bedroom apartment costs an astounding $2750 on average! What!? That’s ridiculous. And it’s gone up 10% in the last year. It’s a slippery slope.

If you want to buy, the average home costs a hair under $1.3 Million. Good luck if you’re just starting out and trying to get ahead. It’s nearly impossible if you aren’t financially stable.

Vancouver is the second most expensive city in Canada to Toronto.

The question remains though, is it worth it? Let’s break it down.

Breakdown:

Yes, we know how expensive it is. Traffic is a nightmare, and the rain can be annoying. But I don’t think these things outweigh the positives. There’s just so much to love about this city. The SkyTrain, sustainability, nature, activities, mild winters, walking and biking trails, cultural diversity, nightlife, and the plethora of food options make it worth it to me.

It basically comes down to whether you can afford it. It’s been manageable for me so far being able to live on campus for a discounted price, but it’s going to get tricky after I graduate when I have to pay the full price. Maybe I’ll just find some roommates to lessen the cost.

This is just my subjective opinion. Maybe you might decide that the costs don’t outweigh the benefits, or maybe the big city just isn’t for you. It’s a huge culture shock as someone whose grade seven graduating class had six students. But I’ve adapted and it’s opened my world.

There’s so much opportunity for career advancement here, especially in the world of media. Vancouver is known as Hollywood North, after all.

Thanks for checking out this two-part series about Vancouver: The good, the bad, and the ugly. Comment below if you agree or disagree.

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