I've lived in both cities so I have a lot to say on this subject. Vancouver most of my life, Toronto for a year, then back to Vancouver. Still travel to Toronto often for work and to visit friends. They're not really comparable although many people compare them - they offer completely different things and cater to very different lifestyles. I'm happier in Vancouver personally because I'm a west coast human through and through - but Toronto is an incredible city. It has so much more energy, culture, just good vibes in general. It is amazing how you can explore the city for years and still find new things that are exciting or new every day. It has so many diverse neighborhoods just bustling with energy and life and secrets to be discovered. People are much more open and social, Torontonians want to include everyone in everything, even if they just met you. Vancouver people are cold, clicky, closed-off and quite anti-social in comparison. In Toronto when someone makes plans, they really mean it. Versus Vancouver where plans for anything are never really plans and can be dropped or even ghosted on a whim.
At night Toronto just bursts at the seams with life and vibrancy. Vancouver has nothing that compares in the slightest. Ever been on Ossington or College or Queen West in the summer? Good lord. An average Friday or Saturday night has more action, excitement and people loving life than even the best city summer festivals Vancouver has ever put on.
Vancouver is one of the most beautiful cities on Earth. It has a lot to offer, I'm very happy to live here and proud to be from here, no place blends nature and urban living better, but it's really a city of introverts and people who stick to their own small tribe or social circle. Everything in any industry is gate-kept and made inaccessible by design. Toronto wants to embrace people and include them. They also value work culture and the daily grind a lot more than Vancouver which is the complete opposite. But at night they know how to get loose. Vancouverites get stoned on the beach all day and are in bed by 11pm.
Both incredible cities in an awesome country to live in, but couldn't be more different in terms of how people socialize and enjoy life, and what they value. Vancouver makes people fall in love instantly, then slowly often people fall out of love when they realize how lacking in personality it is. Toronto isn't nearly as pretty on the surface, but it's the girl you fall in love with for the rest of your life the more you get to know her.
These are all obviously generalizations but I stand by them. If you make the decision to give Toronto a try and you're the type of person who loves a real city, I promise you won't regret it.
PS: also please don't call it 'Van' nothing makes a real Vancouverite die inside more than hearing a transplant call the city this. Its part of our weird introverted gate keepy culture but it's a real thing they(us) will judge you for even if they don't say anything about it.
The wetter season lasts 6.4 months, from October 9 to April 22, with a greater than 35% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days in Vancouver is November, with an average of 17.4 days with at least 1 millimetre of precipitation.
到温哥华那个周五下午很热。
待我们把行李从满载的SUV搬到房间后已经大汗淋漓、饥渴交加、几近虚脱了。
于是浴后出来吃饭。
出门向南一条街，汉密尔顿和大陆街(Hamilton & Mainland)上全是人，多如牛毛的餐馆却是一座难求，恍惚间回到了国王西街【注1】。在Keg的waiting list等了一刻钟，还好有我们的patio桌子了。
疲惫不堪地睡下，早上一睁眼，阳光洒了整整一屋。冲好espresso，迫不及待地喝下第一口，感觉真的在温哥华了。
决定搬来温哥华之前，先在Airbnb爱彼迎上看短租。耶鲁镇Yaletown的这个大露台terrance太有吸引力了，帮我看房的同学告诉我她在露台上伸手可及大片樱花。问过房东可以长租后马上签了合约。
跨过Port Mann Bridge就算是进入温哥华了
餐饮街和Keg的屋顶露台rooftop patio
睁开眼睛，窗前已经是阳光明媚
因为这个terrance我们决定签下租房合约
解决了生计问题之后开始品尝温哥华。
周一早起，跑过Davie街到耶鲁船码头、然后沿海堤Seawall一路向西向北。早上游人还没出来，路上都是走路、跑步、骑车的。海堤建于一百年前，本意是保护斯坦利公园免于海浪侵蚀；进入21世纪，都市自然风风靡全球，30公里的温哥华海堤成了典范被争相复制。
一路跑到布勒内Burrard大桥，左边是福溪False Creek、右边是公园绿地，确实令人心旷神怡；跟海堤一比，多伦多的waterfront就太小儿科了。如果挑剔的话，就是这类水滨路太过强调自然，缺少欧洲的人文与随意。
过几日跑了相反的路线：向东向南，穿过卑诗体育馆BC Place、科学世界Science World和奥运村，然后爬楼梯登上Cambie 大桥回到耶鲁船码头完成一个环形。
帆船、码头、公园和晨起锻炼的人们
卑诗体育馆和赌场、科学世界和Creekside龙舟船坞
远看格兰威尔岛和大众市场 Granville Island Public Market
那天开车侦查龙舟船坞所在后，顺便去了格兰威尔岛Granville Island。据说这里画廊云集，不过吃货过来主要是看大众集市，所以停好车就直接过去了。
市场真大，而且蔬菜水果肉类海鲜特新鲜、没有有些菜市场特有的“味道”、除了价格比超市贵了不少；餐厅多用新鲜食材，崇尚自然的老饕们买好吃喝走到市场外的福溪岸边，那里有阳光、帆船、人流、还有卖唱的艺人，实在是比室内有趣的多。
格兰威尔岛和它的大众集市
西端West End非常的平民。我在那一带只走过两次，很多老旧、一百多年的单元楼，但全部挂着“无空缺No Vacancy”的牌子，说明一室难求。这里的餐饮一条街丹民街 Denman St基本上是小店、远不及耶鲁镇和金融区的餐厅那么高大上。
不过英吉利湾海滩English Bay Beach实在是很棒，大城市市中心地段能有一大片海滩日是不是过于奢侈了？我们来的时候不算特别热，不过已经有人迫不及待地日光浴了；附近的日落沙滩Sunset Beach还是温哥华观赏日落的最佳海滩。
西端街景
英吉利湾海滩及“因努伊特石堆”
然后就是煤港Coal Harbour了。
煤港的初衷当然是运煤码头，因为英国人曾经以为这里是个大煤矿、码头建好了才发现是个大乌龙，太平洋铁路CPR也跟着来煤港落脚，很是煞风景；要不是因为86世博的彻底改造，这里怕是荒芜的工业区。
那日在左近的耶鲁镇圆形车库roundhouse【注二】站买了Compass卡、上skytrain坐了两站地到西端、金融区、煤气镇和煤港交界的水前waterfront车站。车站出来最显眼的标志就是加拿大广场Canada Place，五座白色风帆直直插入布勒内湾，连绵起伏、似是扬帆远航，世博会揭幕后马上成为打卡地。
走到海堤，近前是邮轮、帆船和水上飞机，对岸是北温城区，抬头还能看到北温Fromme的雪峰。
除了写字楼和高尚住宅，煤港到处是公园绿地，2010冬奥会主火炬就设在煤港的杰克普尔广场Jack Poole Plaza。
煤港：加拿大广场、北温雪山及骑车的人们
不过太座念念不忘的，是从横加公路Trans-Canada Highway下来之后水街Water St街角那一瞥，让她想起巴黎七区克雷尔街Rue Cler的悠闲与优雅；于是我们找了一个上午去了水街咖啡Water St Café。
水街咖啡位于温哥华的发源地盖斯镇Gastown【注三】。除了著名的蒸汽钟steam clock，长不足三百米的水街集雅皮时尚、装饰精品、酒吧夜总会、技术和新媒体、穷人和富豪于一体，这样的街道全世界怕是难找出第二家了。
盖斯镇街角、蒸汽钟及水街咖啡
五月的温哥华没有满街的樱花，却多了一地的阳光和海堤的人流。
注一：搬家前我们住在多伦多国王西街King St W；周五周六傍晚直过午夜，这条街上全是party的人流。
注二：始建于1888年的Roundhouse是CPR 的西部终点站，用于停泊和维修蒸汽机车，后随着柴油机车的兴起而衰落；86年世博会重新设计修复后成为流行文化中心；2009年温哥华加拿大线的天际火车skytrain在同一地点设置了车站。
注三：1867 年航海家、汽船船长及酒保Jack Deighton在这里开办了第一家沙龙。他以说话滔滔不绝“Gassy”而闻名，这里被称为“Gassy's town”，后来简化成Gastown煤气镇。2009 年煤气镇成为加拿大国家历史遗址。
附：温哥华市中心地图
更多我的博客文章>>> 五月来到温哥华 大圆环壮游：回家 大圆环壮游：丹佛植物园和艺术博物馆 大圆环壮游：在原住民的故乡 大圆环壮游：鲍尔湖
几个月不见阳光时就问你郁不郁闷，温哥华还漂不漂亮？
不过如果大温三百万人都能适应，应该也还没有那么bad吧
我比较担心膝盖，所以不一定会去whistler滑雪
喜欢你这种旅游的方式。问一个问题，你们同样是住在加拿大，为什么不租一个房子呢？从地产商那里租会不会更便宜？你们现在住的Arbnb? 会不会比较贵？
那如果租一年的话，他们能不能给一些折扣呢？我的意思是说能不能和房主讨价还价 ？哈哈 又是想省钱的问题。
我是租的房子，签了一年的lease。
我先是在realtor.ca上看，没看到合适的。于是打算不行就在Airbnb租一个月，到温哥华以后再长租。
在Airbnb上看到的这个房子被LP大人一眼相中，于是问房东能不能长租，得到肯定回答以后才继续的。
这个房子短租要五千多一个月，长租只要不到四千，而且带家具车库、水电全包，位置超好，赶脚不错
温哥华气候好，玩的是自然。 其他不行。就论餐饮这方面，比美国大城市差的太远。饭菜种类，质量，服务都不行。也没什么文化。还是Seattle比较好。
无不大加赞美的。美国大城市的中餐，比如三藩市和纽约Flushing的中餐简直就是猪狗食啊！
滑行道。Grouse Mountain滑雪场风景较好，但雪道又短又少，从山脚下坐gondola上滑雪场超贵和排队超长。最次的是Mount Seymour, 不去也罢了。
Whistler绝对是世界一流的大滑雪场, 现在的老板是美国的Vail Resorts。他家的季票可以去Whistler和瑞士马特洪峰的滑雪场。
温哥华气候真好。
我是吃货，不过还没有真正开吃，感觉上还可以呀
自然不用带家具；我的全部家当全在我的SUV。
将来如果离开温哥华，就是四个托运行李，两个carryons。
公司退休party上我告诉同事我要做nomads了
说起世界各地饮食特别是地中海饮食，纽约还是妥妥的北美第一。
对我来说，中餐已经跌出前三了
又处理掉了四分之三，大部分是捐或free
如果不去欧洲就在温哥华了
加拿大人喜欢比较多伦多和温哥华，reddit上一天到晚在吵。这些讨论很有意思，看下来感觉温哥华城市漂亮，人民喜欢户外活动，有很多小群体。而多伦多更有文化和活力，更多样化更包容。其实这也是东西两岸的不同吧。摘抄一段我觉得总结得不错的：
I've lived in both cities so I have a lot to say on this subject. Vancouver most of my life, Toronto for a year, then back to Vancouver. Still travel to Toronto often for work and to visit friends. They're not really comparable although many people compare them - they offer completely different things and cater to very different lifestyles. I'm happier in Vancouver personally because I'm a west coast human through and through - but Toronto is an incredible city. It has so much more energy, culture, just good vibes in general. It is amazing how you can explore the city for years and still find new things that are exciting or new every day. It has so many diverse neighborhoods just bustling with energy and life and secrets to be discovered. People are much more open and social, Torontonians want to include everyone in everything, even if they just met you. Vancouver people are cold, clicky, closed-off and quite anti-social in comparison. In Toronto when someone makes plans, they really mean it. Versus Vancouver where plans for anything are never really plans and can be dropped or even ghosted on a whim.
At night Toronto just bursts at the seams with life and vibrancy. Vancouver has nothing that compares in the slightest. Ever been on Ossington or College or Queen West in the summer? Good lord. An average Friday or Saturday night has more action, excitement and people loving life than even the best city summer festivals Vancouver has ever put on.
Vancouver is one of the most beautiful cities on Earth. It has a lot to offer, I'm very happy to live here and proud to be from here, no place blends nature and urban living better, but it's really a city of introverts and people who stick to their own small tribe or social circle. Everything in any industry is gate-kept and made inaccessible by design. Toronto wants to embrace people and include them. They also value work culture and the daily grind a lot more than Vancouver which is the complete opposite. But at night they know how to get loose. Vancouverites get stoned on the beach all day and are in bed by 11pm.
Both incredible cities in an awesome country to live in, but couldn't be more different in terms of how people socialize and enjoy life, and what they value. Vancouver makes people fall in love instantly, then slowly often people fall out of love when they realize how lacking in personality it is. Toronto isn't nearly as pretty on the surface, but it's the girl you fall in love with for the rest of your life the more you get to know her.
These are all obviously generalizations but I stand by them. If you make the decision to give Toronto a try and you're the type of person who loves a real city, I promise you won't regret it.
PS: also please don't call it 'Van' nothing makes a real Vancouverite die inside more than hearing a transplant call the city this. Its part of our weird introverted gate keepy culture but it's a real thing they(us) will judge you for even if they don't say anything about it.
城市漂亮，气候也不错，中国城也好。
当然我们现在已经决定将来退休后留原地了，不舍得离开纽约，大都会博物馆与歌剧院都是定期要报到的地方，东西也太多，搬起来太麻烦。
最后一张是你与你太太吗？
西温Cypress当日回，晚10点雪场在关门，whistler 当天回辛苦点，也可以住那，就是太贵，4月下旬把RV开那滑或租蒙古包滑。
我孙子孙女参加cypress滑雪俱乐部，一周四次去滑雪，含放学后2次，我家把我除外，他们5个年年都买Cypress季票。
天气是我们希望试验温哥华的主要原因之一
我们四月从安省过来的，先看了玉兰花开，然后是樱花季节，这两个星期邻里街坊的各色玫瑰争艳，温哥华真是一个好地方。 感觉你们不是搬家而是四处游走的潇洒之客啊。一直追看你们的大圆环壮游，准备抄作业。 多谢
Grouse Grind, 我们叫GG，因为全长2.5公里升高800多米，以困难著称，喜欢户外的都喜欢尝试一下，因为陡窄，只上不下，下来做缆车，冬天关闭，每年夏天这个时候开放:))
太干太热，Steveston海边草坪一片枯黄，完全颠覆了我对温哥华曾经的美好印象。之前都是4月份去的，整个城市花团锦簇，让人一眼爱上。
话说你们的断舍离太赞了，我要向你们学习。
喜欢跑步 骑车 滑雪 爬山的，都有。据说温哥华有很多小团体，多伦多人说他们是 Cult，呵呵
纽约旧金山的很多是福建偷渡的炒菜，很多是业余的，做的菜也是奇奇怪怪的。去过旧金山的新chinatown吃饭，那个粥看着好业余，水在上面，米在下面，完全不是那种香港粥的样子。
我太太的一个朋友，一家跨国公司的partner，告诉我们这些年轻人大部分不靠自己挣的钱生活；换句话说，他们都有“外援”。
她还说温哥华的工资比多伦多低不少，但是房子却比多伦多贵。
我算是搬家吧，因为多伦多的家已经被我们“清零”了
。
我们的计划是去欧洲定居，不过万一不适应就在温哥华或多伦多选一个地方。
谢谢你追踪大圆环，有问题尽管问，私信也可以
我去过的大城市，不管欧洲亚洲还是美洲，美女都很多
记得有一年我们六月底七月初在那边都还有点冷飕飕的，穿裙子感觉都还有点凉。
我最喜欢的是罗马。
不过这两个地方都超贵、特别是巴黎，我们可能负担不起。
所以我们可能去西班牙定居
蒙特利尔同时具备了多伦多和温哥华都有的东西，而蒙特利尔拥有的一些东西，是这两个城市都没有的… At least, for the moment in Canada I wouldn't live anywhere else other than in Montreal. :)
最近忙搬家，基本上是潜水跟读你的南美房车之旅
The wetter season lasts 6.4 months, from October 9 to April 22, with a greater than 35% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days in Vancouver is November, with an average of 17.4 days with at least 1 millimetre of precipitation.
不过下雨确实干净；下雪的时候很漂亮，但是撒盐车汽车一上路就“埋汰”极了
不过我受不了蒙特利尔的冬天。
如果说多伦多冷的话，蒙特利尔和卡尔加里就是奇冷了
多伦多本来就不是真正的旅游城市，旅游人数第一是因为大部分是商务旅游和美国边界诸州开车的游客；这部分游客还没有恢复。
多伦多金融区到现在也只有50%的人去办公室，这是金融区不及疫情前的主要原因。
搬家前看到多伦多waterfront的cruise很多，报道说会破历史记录。
你在东岸也是生活了多年的人，应该很清楚冬天气温真不是什么大问题，我整个冬天除了滑雪等户外运动在外步行的距离恐怕加起来也没有几百米，就算冬天出门打球都能直接穿着网球群从家里开车去球场…
我身边不少在多伦多和蒙特利尔都生活过或在两座城市长大的人都说，多伦多的冬天比蒙特利尔真没暖和到哪里去 
大渔村和锯木厂云集的小地方，如果没有86年的世界博览会和李嘉诚的大手笔地产投资，香港97移民潮和后来数十年外资的涌进，今天温哥华仍然是渔村也说不定。曾经辉煌的好几年，温哥华交响乐团吸引了世界级的古典音乐家来演奏，让我尽情享受；当年你数的出来的世界级音乐家全来过，包括男高音三巨头帕瓦罗蒂，多明哥等；小提琴大师梅纽因和穆特，马友友，罗斯托波维奇，朗朗和李云迪。。。那天有坛友说西雅图比温哥华好，生活丰富。嗯，就我所知所见，当古典音乐大师来温哥华表演，西雅图的人包了大巴士来听音乐会。你试试晚上到西雅图的downtown遛遛，感受一下。。。
本拿比和列治文更实惠，中国人多，本拿比的metrotown还有海底捞。
富豪云集的Coal Harbour那一带虽然豪华condo云集，但缺乏人气，太冷艳了些。。。
五分钟、到Robson Square十分钟，到煤港、英吉利海滩、煤气镇也就二十来分钟（温哥华DT真的很小
），使用“11路“挺方便的
真正的考驗是 6個月 雨季。 當我們尋找退休地點時，西雅圖是考慮因素之一 - LD當時喜歡 Sailing，西雅圖也靠近他有阿姨和叔叔的溫哥華。 所以我們從三月的最後一周開始進行了為期兩週的旅行看看我們是否能忍受寒冷潮濕的天氣。 我計算了整個旅程中我們看到一縷陽光的時間，總共不到 8小時。 第二年的雨季，雨勢如此之大，以至於毀壞了西雅圖附近 Inerstate 5 的一些路段。 就是這樣。 我們劃掉了 Pacific Norwest。
能不能忍受，我们住一年就知道了
我们能不能忍受住一年就知道了