This Opinion article is part of a Narcity Media series. The views expressed are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Narcity Media.
Moving from the East Coast of Canada to the West Coast brought on a lot of surprises, and one of the biggest was the weather.
I grew up facing the bitterly cold winters of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, only to move to Ottawa and be even chillier.
Then, at last, I discovered that Canadian winters aren't so Canadian in some cities — like my new home of Vancouver. When I moved to the city in September of 2021, I left behind New Brunswick as summer was winding down and colder air was coming through.
As soon as I arrived I went right back into my swimsuit, enjoying the toasty weather all the way until November hit.
Then, I swear I experienced more rainy days in one month alone than I did my entire life on the East Coast.
Okay, I might be exaggerating — but I really missed the sun.
Despite the endlessly rainy November (and the start of December), overall, I still think that winter is way better here on the West Coast, and here's why.
Distractions
When faced with brutal weather, distraction is key.
Vancouver hands down has the most activities to do out of any other place I've lived — including Ottawa.
There are so many amazing restaurants to choose from, cool events to go to, and places to explore. Bored this weekend? Take a floatplane over to Victoria!
You'll be busy enough to forget all about the rain... kind of.
It's Over Way Faster
Okay so the rain is rough, but as soon as I got back from Christmas vacation it felt like spring in Vancouver.
After visiting New Brunswick's -26 C weather, it was a very welcome change.
The past month has been full of sunshine, and even a t-shirt or two outside.
You Get A Choice To Be Cold
The very best part about being in Vancouver is that I don't have to give anything up. If I want to see some snow, I just drive 30 minutes over to North Vancouver and I'm on a snowy hiking trail.
If I want to feel like it's basically summer, I head to one of the beaches and soak up some sun.
As Hannah Montana once said — you get the best of both worlds.
Skiing
The East Coast has little baby ski hills compared to what B.C. has to offer.
You can spend the winter shredding at Whistler, and not have one bit of homesickness.
The Outfits
There's nothing worse than wearing the cutest outfit to walk around town, and then putting a massive parka over it.
Vancouver is mild enough that you can usually wear a lighter jacket, and have way more fun with outfits. Plus, by February it's warm enough to leave them unzipped and really show off your whole look.
The Lack Of Snow
On the flip side of skiing, comes the fact that there's no snow in the city really.
Although Vancouver did get some over the holidays — the majority of the season is clear sidewalks.
Snow can be pretty to look at sometimes, but uncleared sidewalks and bad roads get old fast.
Say Goodbye To The Car Scraper
Along with the lack of snow comes some pretty great benefits. On most days you hardly have a morning frost here, so you don't need to spend time clearing the windshield.
Something about the sound of scrapping ice of a car just irks me, so I was super happy to not have to do it this year.
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