The views expressed in this Opinion article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Narcity Media.
On a recent railroad journey from Vancouver to Portland, the differences between Canada and the U.S. were almost immediately evident. Sure, the coastline of the Pacific Northwest remained majestic from my departure up until my terminus in Rose City, but there's more of a cultural contrast than I'd anticipated.
Besides the obvious variations — from snacks to health care — I honestly expected the two countries to sort of blend into one another, seeing as Canada is fairly steeped in American culture.
With the provisos that 1) Vancouver and Portland have their own sets of customs and 2) I tend to romanticize any place I ever visit, here are just a few differences I noticed as a Canadian travelling in America.
Friendliness levels
Canada's got a reputation for friendliness, but Vancouver's the exception. Sure, there are plenty of kind people in B.C., but as soon as we crossed the border, there was a shift: people started waving at the train, American passengers boarded and we all made small talk, one old lady asked me to grab her a coffee, and folks in the cafe car asked me about my tattoos.
The railcar became this sort of community over the course of eight hours and after I arrived in Portland, I realized that's just the way people are in these parts.
Taxes
Groceries at Trader Joe's.
When I bought a happy-hour pizza for $7 (I'll get to this anomaly later) and saw my bill didn't have tax tacked on, I looked up what the deal was: apparently, Oregon is one of five states that does not have sales tax.
Looks like I chose the right place to take an extended vacation! It really made a difference on my total spending, and for that, I am grateful to the state of Oregon.
High schools
A Beverly Cleary fan, I decided to walk to Grant Park in Portland to check out the sculptures of Ramona Quimby et al. when I passed a building that looked like something that could eat Canada's parliament buildings for breakfast; it was a high school.
The architectural and artistic integrity of the educational institutions here makes the majority of Canada's equivalent offerings look sterile and bland.
Portion sizes
Breakfast at Grits n' Gravy.
The US obviously isn't immune to inflation, and the prices here are similar to what we've got going up north.
Still, I've been getting way more bang for my buck here when it comes to food: the prices are roughly the same as in Vancouver, but I swear the portions are slightly larger.
Mugs
A curved mug at Stacks Coffee in Portland.
Mugs are curvy here? I don't understand it, I'm sure there's some sort of historic reason, but the preferred coffee vessel here is the Victor diner mug — or a cylinder C-handle mug — something I'd never even heard of before this little trip to the south.
Kitschy, cute and somehow nostalgic, America has sold me on the concave mug.
Rent
Lastly, an innocent browse through Facebook Marketplace led me to the realization that rent in Portland is dramatically more affordable than the offerings in Vancouver. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't tempted by a few of the listings.
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