7 lessons I learned the hard way as an Ontarian who moved to Vancouver

The Vancouver "Freeze"

This is a term that I only recently found out about, but it pretty much sums up the social experience for me and a lot of newcomers to Vancouver. Vancouverites are "nice" in the way that a lot of Canadians are nice, but it can sometimes feel like a surface-level friendliness. Many Vancouverites like to keep their inner circles small, and with so many people from here who still have friends from high school or university, they don't usually feel the need to extend beyond them.

So, you might get a "we should have coffee sometime" invite, but that might not even turn into an actual friendship. I've had coffee invitations that were either given out of politeness or simply didn't develop any further.

I've had to make friends with people who aren't from Vancouver, and apparently, that's pretty normal. It makes sense when you think about it. When you're new to a city, you're actively looking to meet people and build a social circle, while someone who has lived there their whole life may already have their group of friends. It's definitely something I had to learn after moving here.

You don't "go out" but you do activities

Somehow, I've become an activity person. Something that a friend of mine, who is also from Ontario, and I have noticed is that when people make social plans here, they usually revolve around an activity. And yes, it's usually something outdoors because this is Vancouver.

It could be anything from going for a hike or walking along the Seawall to paddle boarding, playing tennis, or watching the sunset. It's not always just, "Let's meet up for dinner or drinks," which was more of the go-to in Toronto, for example. Here, you typically do that after the activity.

I definitely wasn't expecting moving to Vancouver to turn me into someone who actually plans their weekends around being outdoors and being active, but here we are.

The rain

I mean, it's a thing. Some people adapt to it very well, and some people don't. I was somewhere in between for the longest time until I somehow discovered that I actually fell in love with the rain. But yes, it's a thing.

It rains pretty consistently from November to April, and there are some very dark days because it's almost always overcast. Coming from Ontario, where we get plenty of snow and cold weather, but still have those sunny winter days, the constant grey was something I had to get used to. You can prepare for the rain, but experiencing weeks of grey skies is a different story. Eventually, though, I learned to embrace it. There's something about being cozy inside while it's raining outside that I now genuinely love.

So much parallel parking

I noticed pretty quickly that there isn't a ton of parking available in Vancouver, and so many of the streets here are lined with cars. A lot of people don't have garages the way they do in Toronto, so they rely on street parking instead. Street parking is definitely something you have to get used to here.

I had to dust off my old parallel parking skills, which had pretty much been dormant for a decade. Happy to say I can still do it, but I sure didn't like it at first.

It's surprisingly quiet

You'd think that as one of Canada's major cities, there'd be more hustle and bustle, but Vancouver is a pretty chill city that's true to its laid-back West Coast vibes. Restaurants and bars close relatively early compared to Toronto, and some neighbourhoods can be considerably sleepy as soon as the sun sets.

Coming from the GTA, I was used to having people out and about at all hours and always feeling like there was somewhere to go. Vancouver can feel much quieter, especially on weeknights. But honestly, I've come to appreciate that about the city too, and my long nights out are pretty much over anyway.

The weekends become fuller

When I was in Ontario, the majority of my weekends took place in Toronto or around the GTA because there was so much to do, or I'd just hang out in my neighbourhood. But since moving here, I've realized that weekends become little getaways.

Going to Whistler, Bowen Island, or even just exploring the North Shore or walking around Stanley Park can feel like a mini adventure. It feels like you have to make the most of every weekend here because you live in Vancouver, and with so much beauty around you and the good weather, why wouldn't you?

I've definitely found myself wanting to get out and explore more instead of just staying home all weekend, and I think that's one of the best things about living here.

Moving doesn't automatically make you feel at home

I think when we move to a new place, we want it to feel like home as soon as possible, even though the whole point of moving is to be somewhere different. Vancouver is different from Toronto, and that's why I like it here, but learning to adjust to a slower pace of life, realizing that people here are different, and understanding that trying new things could make my transition easier wasn't always easy.

It took me a while to realize that I couldn't expect Vancouver to feel like Toronto. I had to let myself adjust to a different pace of life and find my own routine here. Once I stopped comparing everything to what I was used to in Ontario and started embracing what Vancouver had to offer, the city started to feel more like home.