![30th Jul: Premonition (2007), 1hr 36m [PG-13] – Streaming Again (5.95/10)](https://occ-0-450-448.1.nflxso.net/dnm/api/v6/0Qzqdxw-HG1AiOKLWWPsFOUDA2E/AAAABcOxgzD43Ebrp4wR6gaaMZoIqJ5Wi33raFhjO7isrZMFNu5Q7vWJmlTijRgEt0RMJqJ3mtIOCblC-p4j1If3V0Tac-q9ktAOOyyx.jpg?r=b3a "30th Jul: Premonition (2007), 1hr 36m [PG-13] – Streaming Again (5.95/10)")
The spotlight has been on Canada all summer, particularly between Toronto and Vancouver (mostly because of the World Cup).
People all over Canada (and across the world) have been travelling between the cities and experiencing all this beautiful country has to offer, and every time someone comes back from Vancouver, they tell me the same thing.
“Everyone HAS to go to Vancouver.”
The mountains, the fresh air, the slower pace of life. Sure, it all seems appealing. But it also confirms that I could never live there.
I don’t think Vancouver is a bad city; in fact, I completely understand why so many people choose to live there. But as someone accustomed to all that Toronto has to offer, almost everything people love about Vancouver is exactly what I’d miss from home.
If you ask me, as a Toronto local, I would never move to Vancouver, and here’s why…
#1. Give me the drama
Let’s get rowdy
Lauren DiBenedetto | Narcity
If Toronto is Canada’s New York, Vancouver has always felt much more like Canada’s Los Angeles.
Maybe it’s the proximity to the mountains. Maybe it’s the ocean. Maybe it’s because the city isn’t as congested as we are here in Toronto. Whatever the reason, everyone I know who’s been there talks about how relaxed it is. The pacing is different.
And that can be great.
But I didn’t move to Toronto because I wanted to be relaxed.
I moved to Toronto for energy, excitement, ambition, and dream chasing. I wanted a city where everyone seems to be running toward something. Toronto feels alive. You can feel it walking through the Financial District on a Tuesday morning or squeezing onto a packed streetcar after work. Even crying on the subway after a night out in front of a train full of people reminds you why you chose this city.
Sure, it’s exhausting. But it’s also inspiring. And I’m willing to bet that most of the people who moved here moved here for the same reasons.
I’d rather complain about the pace than wish there was more of it.
#2. I’m not outdoorsy enough
I can feel the ticks now
Lauren DiBenedetto | Narcity
This is probably my hottest take and definitely not as universal as my last point.
Vancouver is one of the most beautiful cities in North America. Mountains, beaches, forests, lakes, and hiking trails are integrated into daily life.
People bike everywhere. They paddleboard before work. They disappear into the wilderness on weekends.
But truthfully, all I’m thinking about are ticks. In my heart of hearts, I’m not a cottage-core girly. I’m not a nature girly. I prefer to get my steps in on the cold, hard concrete grounds of the city. If I wanted to live surrounded by nature, I probably wouldn’t have chosen downtown Toronto in the first place. The occasional cottage weekend is enough for me.
Give me patios, neighbourhood walks, vintage stores, bookstores, and restaurants over a six-hour hike.
#3. Snow > Rain
Winter in Ontario.
Lauren DiBenedetto | Narcity
People love to complain about Toronto weather. We complain and complain about our horrible winters, and Vancouverites love to rub it in with their much milder winters.
They’re right.
But warmer doesn’t mean better.
Vancouver is famous for its long stretches of grey skies and rainy days, especially through fall and winter. Toronto might get brutally cold, but we get a proper snow season.
And I love snow (I mean, first of all, the tick issue is over). But snowboarding. Skiing. Tobogganing. Skating. Tubing. It might be inconvenient, but I can’t imagine a winter without snow.
I’ll take snow boots over endless rain boots.
#4. Pricing is not better
Pasta price point comparison
Lauren DiBenedetto | Narcity
Toronto is famously known for being expensive. We talk about it all the time, myself included. It is not exactly an affordable luxury. But you know what’s more expensive?
Vancouver. Vancouver is consistently ranked as Canada’s most expensive city.
My best friend just went to Vancouver to visit for the World Cup game, and what really made me notice the pricing difference was her restaurant bills. As an Italian-Canadian, I obviously instinctively compare everything to the price of pasta — and from my observations, it was consistently more there.
If I’m paying outrageous prices anyway, I’d rather do it in the city I’ve already fallen in love with.
#5. I need a city that stays awake
Hey that’s me! I’m out!
Lauren DiBenedetto | Narcity
Vancouver has spent years battling the reputation of being the “no fun city.”
And in comparison to Toronto, that’s true. Toronto is constantly seeing new cocktail bars, late-night restaurants, concerts, comedy shows, festivals, pop-ups, and neighbourhood events open.
Sure, sometimes, we all want a quiet weekend. That’s when I’ll take myself to the TIFF lightbox for a movie. But let’s be real, most of the time we want absolute chaos. Sometimes you just want to accidentally bump into someone on the street at 2 a. m. at the street meat counter.
Toronto has those options for you. Vancouver, the clean-girl aesthetic can wait. We want the rat-girl summer.
#6. Toronto’s arts scene is irreplaceable
Does Vancouver have Shakespeare in the Park?
Lauren DiBenedetto | Narcity
Long-time theatre kid here. Toronto is Canada’s theatre capital.
Mirvish is the Broadway of Canada (another reason to compare Toronto to New York). Between Mirvish, the Fringe Festival, our independent theatre companies, our immersive performances, Soulpepper, community productions, and easy access to Stratford — there’s always something to see.
One weekend, you can catch a professional-level performance of The Outsiders. Next, you can find yourself inside a coffee shop watching an immersive solo show while the performer serves you lattes.
This kind of artistic ecosystem is incredibly special and just as rare. I don’t think people realize how much they’d miss the creative energy ein this city.
#7. Toronto’s foodie scene
subtle Beisl plug
Lauren DiBenedetto | Narcity
You thought I’d forget? Please. I’m a food writer first.
Vancouver obviously has incredible sushi and seafood — they’re coastal.
Toronto’s diversity, though, is unbeatable. Within a few subway stops, you can have authentic Ethiopian, Persian, Jamaican, Tibetan, Filipino, Greek, Portuguese, Italian, Korean — you name it, we have it.
That’s one of the best parts of this city. It’s what makes this wild city feel like home to so many people.
At the end of the day, this isn’t really about Vancouver. It’s about knowing yourself. I completely understand why people move west. If your dream life involves mountains, ocean views, hiking every weekend and a slower lifestyle, then Vancouver probably feels like paradise. But mine doesn’t.
My ideal day is exploring a busy neighbourhood, trying a new breakfast sandwich, watching a matinee, and grabbing drinks with a friend to end the night.
Toronto isn’t perfect. It’s expensive. Our transit is always delayed. It’s loud. But something about that combination makes me feel alive. And as tempting as the scenery in Vancouver may be, I’d miss this feeling far too much.
The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Narcity Media.
