I can deal with Vancouver's rain — here's the actual worst parts about living in this city
Rain? Please. That's the easy part...
Layover flight. Right: Rainy day at Kits beach.
Rain gets blamed for a lot in Vancouver. And sure, it's adequately miserable and grey half the year.
But here's the thing: rain comes and goes. Some days it pours, some days it randomly stops and gives way to a winter sunset where everyone sprints outside to post an Instagram story like vitamin-D-deprived houseplants.
The rain is brutal, yes. But I wouldn't say it's the worst part of living here.
There are a few other realities of Vancouver life that the rain simply cannot wash away — and, frankly, they're far more stressful than some damp socks. (Not to diminish, though — a damp sock is a miniature horror movie unto itself).
Here are a few things locals know are actually worse than the rain...
The drivers and their traffic
Rain is seasonal. The drivers, unfortunately, exist year-round.
Another fun fact about Vancouver is that it consistently ranks as the worst city in Canada for traffic congestion! I know, everyone in Toronto is equally shocked and horrified.
But between bridge bottlenecks, construction zones that seem never-ending (Broadway — I'm looking at you), and a population that grows faster than road infrastructure, what should be a 20-minute drive to get across the city somehow becomes 45 minutes. Every. Single. Time.
The dating scene
If you're dating in Vancouver, first of all: my condolences. Talk about doom and gloom.
The city's dating scene has developed something of a reputation, and not a glowing one. A curious mix of intensive love bombing from men who have "found themselves" by living near the ocean and mountains, excessive outdoor enthusiasm that manifests in having to do the Grouse Grind on a first date, and a large dose of emotionally unavailable "Netflix and chill" types. (Though this last one is pertinent in every major city, I'm sure).
As part of a recent experiment, I asked 12 Vancouver men what they think constitutes a good first date. The results were alarming to say the least. To be clear, good people do exist here. But navigating the dating landscape can feel like trying to find a reasonably priced apartment: theoretically possible, others have somehow found it, but emotionally exhausting nonetheless.
The clunky escape route
If bad weather instigates anything at all, it's the sudden, desperate urge to go on vacation. Unfortunately, Vancouver sits on the far edge of the country, which means getting almost anywhere else involves long flights, inconvenient connections, and layovers you didn't ask for — usually in Toronto, Montreal, or worse... Calgary.
Be prepared to eat an entire vacation day on travel alone.
(On the plus side, though, flights to Hawaii from Vancouver are often cheaper and easier than from anywhere else in Canada — so in that very specific instance, we kind of win).
The small detail of sitting on a fault line
And finally, just to keep things interesting, Vancouver happens to sit near a very significant geological feature...
It's called the Cascadia Subduction Zone. Translation: a massive fault line that stretches from Northern Vancouver Island all the way down to Northern California.
Scientists believe that when the next megathrust earthquake occurs, it could measure 9.0 or higher and potentially trigger a tsunami along parts of the coast.
But don't worry! Nobody ever talks about this last cheeky life-or-death one.
We're all too busy begrudgingly putting on our Arc'teryx jackets and complaining about the rain...
The views expressed in this Opinion article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Narcity Media.