I'm a born-and-raised Vancouverite, and when people find out I moved, they usually assume I miss the obvious stuff. The mountains, the seawall, maybe universal health care if I'm feeling especially patriotic or have a headache that three extra-strength Advil can't relieve.
They would be wrong. The seawall and I are historically arch-nemesis. I do NOT miss Tim Hortons breakfast. The sandwiches taste like they were manufactured in a 3D printer. Weirdly, though, whenever I am in a less major city, I really get down with Tim Hortons. AKA the last time I was randomly and (regrettably) in Windsor.
But if you're waking up in Vancouver today, congratulations. Here's my reminder to not take these seven things for granted.
The rips (aka scenic drives)
Growing up in Vancouver, going on rips was a love language. Or, pardon my slang, "the drives".
We'd grab a skinny caramel macchiato from the Starbucks drive-thru, waste a half a tank of gas getting from downtown to Spanish Banks, and then step out to hack a dart on the hood of the car, while we look at all the empty logs and the blue and red boats that no one knows what they're actually used for.
Spanish Banks. Stanley Park. Deep Cove. Horseshoe Bay. Some residential street with a view that had no business being that nice. Vancouver is built for a rip. It's one of the city's sneakiest luxuries: you can go for a drive for no reason and end up somewhere so beautiful without needing to turn it into a full-on "Wilderness Pursuits" IYKYK.
The fact the city is on a grid
This is one of Vancouver's sexiest features. If you know your cross streets, can count to 60, and know West to East it goes: Granville, Cambie, Main, Fraser, Clark, Commercial, Nanaimo — you can get anywhere.
At some point, you will cross Kingsway, and it will mess you up beyond your wildest dreams. Everything you know will slip away into oblivion, and you will feel like you're in the mirror dimension of the Marvel universe. But aside from that slanted bowling alley of chaos, FOR ONCE, Vancouver city planners actually knew what they were doing here.
You don't need GPS. You just need basic literacy, a vague sense of directness, and to know that if you've hit Grandview, you've gone too far.
These extremely specific comfort food spots
Leaving your hometown really clarifies which places are genuinely part of your DNA. For me, it's not just "Vancouver restaurants" in some broad foodie sense — it's very specific orders, at very specific places, tied to specific moods.
The Naam — Nachos (after 9 p.m.).
Bon's off Broadway — cheap breakfast (hangover mandatory).
Dunbar Theatre — popcorn (layered).
ASA sushi — Crazy Boy Roll.
Maruhachi — Aosa Ramen.
Duffin's Donuts — flat of plain glazed.
ChongQing on Commercial — Peking duck lettuce wraps
Fellowship of the Spirit AA Meeting — filter coffee.
The tap water
You know how they say we're 70% water? Well, I've gotta be like 70% diet coke. Because I historically have just never drinken (drank?) water, ever. I'm actually a statistical anomaly. With my utter lack of hydration, I should not be alive. I hate water. I hate people who suggest flavoured electrolyte packets even more.
So when people would go off about how great B.C. water is, I was eye-rolling. Water sucks. Unless it's absolutely infused with aspartame and accompanied by a plastic straw, get it out of my face.
Then, I moved to L.A., and realized... AND I QUOTE... "Oh. No".
I recently gave my type B friend a BRITA as a birthday gift after I went to her house and learned she's just been raw doggin' the tap water this whole time like a complete weirdo.
B.C. water, on the other hand? Gorgeous. Crisp. Freezing. Clean. As someone who struggles to drink water, I don't need any more obstacles in my way on the path to hydration – like needing to constantly fill a BRITA!
Sushi as the default
One thing Van has spoiled me on is the idea that sushi is just the casual, go-to, eats. Not a special occasion. Not something you "treat yourself" to after getting a promotion.
In L.A., the equivalent of cheap, easy go-to food is street tacos — which obviously bang, BUT — it all feels too sunny and playful for me. I can't explain it, but as a West Coast girl, there is something so crisp and clean about a salmon roll.
Vancouver made high-quality sushi feel totally normal for 12-year-olds to grab at lunch. Turns out, in other cities, IT'S A LUXURY.
The doom and gloom
I know seasonal depression is supposed to be bad for business, but I love Vancouver's moody weather. It totally shapes the whole feel of the city. It keeps us low-key in a way we just would not be if we had round-the-clock California sun.
There's something about running errands in the rain, wearing a giant coat, having permission to say almost nothing and blame your permanent bad attitude on the weather, and just generally being left alone by everyone around you that feels so right.
I love a city built for moody b**ches. In Vancouver, the grey weather gives us all a short hand. We're tired. We're not doing small talk.
The views expressed in this Opinion article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Narcity Media.
