8 things you can do in Vancouver that Toronto just can't compete with, according to a local

You can ski, hike, and swim in the ocean — all in one weekend

Only in Vancouver can you hit the slopes, hike a forested peak, and watch the sunset on the beach. Toronto has Lake Ontario — Vancouver has the Pacific Ocean, need I say more?

You can "work from home"... but on the  beach

I've literally done a meeting from Kits Beach and had my Montreal-based coworkers make fun of how I turned on my "virutal background"... ya... that's what it is... a virtual background.

And I would have gotten away with it too, if it weren't for those meddling beach volleyball players who clocked me in the head!

You can see Ryan Reynolds — and pretend not to

It's called civic pride. We'd rather die than ask Ryan for a photo at Minerva's. Why? Because we're cool and we're Canadian — duh. This is especially true if you went to Kits High... don't lie, you all know the exact hallway with his framed graduation photo.

Listen, lots of films and TV shows are shot in Vancouver. Toronto has that too, but we are the city known as "Hollywood North"!

See a heritage house in Strathcona dressed in Christmas wreaths and garlands in July? It's a Hallmark — and your best friend's in it. Keep walking, you can get their autograph later.

You can wear a North Face to dinner and still be the best dressed one there

Vancouver fashion is (and I say this with love) non-existent. But that's ok!

Hot pink tutus and heels aren't our thing. If it's not black and stretchy, we're not interested. But hey, what do you expect? We're the birthplace of Lululemon.

You can walk anywhere (the seawall) and run into someone you know

It's a big city, but not that big.

They will be with their dog, and you will agree you must "get coffee". You won't. But you won't need to. You'll see them again... the next time you decide to walk the seawall.

Pro Tip: If you're antisocial, this is the best trick to keep your mental health afloat. It's just the right amount of fresh air and human interaction to make you feel like you earned the right to order that pizza from Parlour and binge-watch an entire season of The White Lotus.

You can get the best sushi, easily

We're on the Pacific. That means the fish is fresher, the rolls are cheaper, and the good spots are literally everywhere.

You can spend $400 at Sushi Hil or $4 at a gas station store — all of it beats whatever the hell they're doing in the 6ix.

You can escape the city in 30 minutes

You don't put "Beautiful British Columbia" on all the license plates unless you know for a FACT you're the bish 💅.

Right outside the city we have views that beat out even the best of the GTA adventures.

You can also get amazing coffee, easily

No one coffee shops like we do.

Coffee shops here are everyone's unofficial WeWork here... but better? Because instead of a communal Keurig that constantly needs to be cleaned out, you have freshly juiced Colombian beans that have "dark chocolate" notes on tap.

Pro Tip: Nemesis for most Instagrammable pastries, Small Victory for the butter croissant, Revolver for "just black" and the best booths, Nelson and the Seagull for avocado sourdough toast, 49th Parallel if you're over 45, Breka for when it's 12 a.m. and you haven't hit your deadline... and that's just off the top of my head!