I recently travelled from Canada to the US — Here are the 6 differences I noticed immediately

U.S. cities are built different 

Even Canada's biggest cities kind of seem low-key compared to American ones. I mean, I live in Toronto which is supposedly Canada's N.Y.C., and still found a visit to the Big Apple wild.

It is absolutely gigantic and moves at lightning speed. Everyone there is in a rush to get where they need to be, whereas I generally find Toronto to be more laid back.

There are many similarities between the two cities — NYC has Times Square, and Toronto has Sankofa Square (formerly Yonge-Dundas Square) and both have Flatiron Buildings — but the Big Apple's versions are far bigger.

It also just has way more going on, even bars staying open much longer than in Toronto. In the 6ix, the last call at a bar on the weekend is typically around 1:45 a.m., as they have to stop serving alcohol at 2 a.m.

In NYC, I left a bar at 2:30 a.m., and the place was jammed with people.

Tipping is way easier in Canada

I know that I've complained in the past about Canadian tipping culture, but at least the process here is pretty straightforward.

When you settle your bill here, the server presents you with the total bill and comes with a card machine. On the screen, there are percentages, such as 18%, 20%, or 22%. You select one, and you pay for it.

When I paid for drinks in New York, the bartender handed me a receipt, on which I had to write down the tip I wanted to give. This meant I had to do the math! As someone who's not the best at math, I found it tough to know what to tip.

With all its flaws, I prefer the Canadian way of doing things.

The metric system is superior

When we crossed the border in Buffalo, our Google Maps automatically converted from the metric system to imperial. That was handy, but still our car is in km/h, not mp/h – making it super difficult to adjust our speed accordingly.

For two countries so close, it's somewhat shocking that they follow a different system.

There was a severe lack of Timmies

While there are many Tim Hortons in the U.S., there just aren't as many as there are in Canada.

Instead, there are so many Dunkin' Donuts and Starbucks in the U.S. While there are lovely stores in their own right, you just can't beat Tim's.

U.S. portion sizes are massive

While eating out, I found the food portion sizes in the U.S. were bigger than in Canada. You get more bang for your buck, but I was surprised when the server put my plate down sometimes.

Also I found that overall Canadian store groceries had generally better quality food. I noticed it especially with bacon from the store — Canadian bacon is superior.

There are U.S. flags EVERYWHERE

Americans love The Stars and Stripes.

This was something I especially noticed driving for hours in upstate NY.

The number of American flags in people's front yards or on their porches is not something you see too often in Canada with the Maple Leaf flag.

Here, you might see a massive Canadian flag outside a government building or a shopping centre, but in the U.S., they are everywhere.