Vibe You Felt When Visiting Canadian Cities

[zoomer]

Some pretty good descriptions of the vibes for sure, Victoria ones seem close as well.

Edmonton: Very friendly, helpful, courteous drivers, genuine people, creative, yet at times bleak, sad, sterile (yet there is a stark underlying beauty in that at times), you see lots of rich and poor, yet little interaction between the two.

Calgary: Only been once so unfair to judge, but why not. Meh.. just didn't seem interesting, sterile downtown, pedestrian unfriendly as you walk by giant parking garage entrances and other blank spaces. I'm sure the vibe is much better in the summer vs. end of March when I went. People seemed to be lost in their own thoughts as they walk by.

Regina: Weird mix.. some downtown streets felt like they were close to being a major Canadian city, while others felt like a town of 10,000. Lots of parking lots, dangerous vibe at night (liquor store where everything is locked up and they pick it out for you). Yet some good restaurants, friendly passionate people.

Ottawa: Been there several times, but the first impression from the drive in was soo underwhelming.. this is our national capital?! To be fair it was early spring, it was dirty with snow melting still, roads were beat up with lots of potholes.. parts of downtown were underwhelming. But.. then you find the cool parts..great city to walk in, great Shawarma!! Good pubs and restaurants, huge Lebanese presence, and very multicultural, many beautiful buildings. People weren't over friendly, but just matter of fact. It's a good city.

Victoria:

An incredible contradiction as someone else referenced before about a granny sipping tea yet talking about the orgy she would be hosting later. You see this contradiction within people, not even between groups.

This is one strange city.. there is pretty much not ever a time I'm walking downtown that I don't stop, turn around and say "WTF was that...". Far more so than any other city.. Vancouver is just plain normal, I swear it's hard to pinpoint what is normal in Victoria. To some degree that's due to the high percentage of mentally ill wandering around and making their home on the streets, but most people have their quirks, and they're on full display, whether that's behaviour or appearance. You won't see many business suits, you won't see much high fashion either.. high fashion would be what you sewn yourself or got from a vintage clothing store. Most people on the streets of downtown look working class, poor or hippie with the inevitable west coast yoga/running element as well.

Victoria hates big money/corporations. Thus, there are no billboards permitted, none. Store signs are not allowed to be too large. Local restaurants, pubs, grocery stores, breweries, coffee shops, ice cream makers, etc are given god like status. Chain restaurants or anything not local or from Vancouver Island are scoffed at and viewed with contempt.

This reflects an overwhelming insular attitude.. in part no doubt due to being on an island, and most people not wanting to be like the dreaded Vancouver. People also have a smug superiority, they can't be bothered to defend or debate the merits of the city, they just think it's the best in Canada, but don't want anyone else coming here to muck it up.

Which leads to another contradiction..those same people complain and criticize everything that goes on locally, and see the city going to hell in a hand basket.

Victoria loves order, cleanliness, rules and hates people breaking them, unless they are breaking the rules themselves, then it's all ok. Which explains the highest percentage of pot stores by far in the country, and pretty much anything is ok on the streets from open drug use, to people slowly walking across the middle of busy streets while cars patiently let them wander through. A huge debate this summer was a dog who has sat outside the family furniture store downtown for years getting a ticket for not being on a leash, while about 200 people took over and trashed a downtown park and made it a tent city, yet they were provided with showers, washrooms, free meals, etc. People looking for stolen property would have to ask politely the gatekeeper if they could check to see if their item was inside.. sometimes they would emerge with the bike, sometimes not.

A city where the wealthy keep quiet, enjoying their enclaves, while there is a large hardcore radical element.

Overall the people are very friendly, genuine, will go out of their way to help you. They are super chill.. people love relaxing in any form possible, work is for suckers, and many will accept less income to work less. When they're not relaxing, they're bitching.. but then go back to relaxing. But yes, on the streets, you'll see people smiling.. they move slowly, they are chill, very content, until they feel that urge to bitch about how the city isn't perfect yet.

[Marshal]

Originally Posted by mistercorporate

You have so much experience you're unaware of the segregated nature and social polarization of Vancouver? You must be one of those drones living in isolation in some timber hut on Vancouver island or in a basement in that multicultural paradise where everyone holds hands and sings kumbaya, Richmond, BC. Your pompous, pretentious moron credentials on full display once again.

Wow, you really have emotional control problems. You should try to never let stuff like this get so far under your skin (Oh, I know that's not the case).

[Marshal]

Originally Posted by logan5

There is most definitely an anti Chinese sentiment in this city. You can easily see it. Any time theres a story about real estate in the Vancouver Sun or the Globe (etc.), have a look at the comments section.

To clarify though, it's not just white Vancouver.

Oh, I know what you're talking about. But, there is a level of this nonsense in everything, ethnicity, socio-econ status, education differences, neighbourhood and so, on. I just don't think the racial stuff rises above the rest enough to say the "city has a problem," or "the city has this as a remarkable characteristic."

[ue]

Originally Posted by Hali87

In my experience people in Halifax tend to be particularly... (critical might be the right word?)

In the sense that you'll get a lot of people who make a point of not shopping at WalMart, not eating at chain restaurants, not drinking cheap generic beer or Tim's coffee, who used to like that band but now that they're famous they suck, etc.

I would say (anecdotally) that Vancouver, Victoria, Toronto and Montreal are also like this in some ways, but it manifests differently with each city, with the common thread being that people generally aren't happy "settling for the ordinary", sometimes to an obnoxious degree. In Vancouver this is most pronounced wrt food/coffee/beer, in Toronto with music, in Montreal with food fashion and nightlife. Generally most of the ROC seems to be more content to just enjoy things for what they are.

Originally Posted by Nouvellecosse

Based on your description, the term sounds more like either principled, idealistic, or discerning.

I suppose that could be what he's going for. To be honest i've never noticed that trait since I haven't spent enough time immersed in other settings to notice the contrast.

Perhaps I should off the bat clarify that my original response had to some extent exaggerations. Whenever I first visit a new city, I am overwhelmed by whatever jumps out at me as distinct and different from what I'm used to, and latch onto those differences and thus they feel exaggerated until I better immerse myself in that environment. My impressions of Toronto the second time I visited were more sedated than the first.

Anyways, regarding that Halifax remark, I did distinctly feel a sense of pretentious, holier-than-thou-ness exuding from the local hipsters in a very emboldened way that I didn't expect. To be fair, I also came across many immigrants, college frat boys, punks, working class families, prep squads, etc but that pretentious hipster vibe, along with the obnoxious tourists, really made an impression.

It's not like these types of people don't exist in Edmonton, or in the larger cities, but I think due to the amount of universities within a relatively smaller yet still significant city makes that segment more obvious in Halifax. Or so it did to me, at least.

[mistercorporate]

Originally Posted by Marshal

Wow, you really have emotional control problems. You should try to never let stuff like this get so far under your skin (Oh, I know that's not the case).

You're the one who posts obnoxious essays and then deletes them after your stupidity gets called out, yet you call others stupid? You're so proud of your "scientific" (LOL!) International Affairs degree yet it doesn't seem to have benefitted your career, such that you switch to a low level bohemian occupation. Spare us the Liberal Arts Ph.D. pomposity, we all know those losers are only fit to work minimum wage service jobs and waxing philosophical on message boards with their neoliberal nonsense. God forbid making any money or coming up with balanced logical opinions.

[BretttheRiderFan]

[Hali87]

Originally Posted by Marshal

Oh, I know what you're talking about. But, there is a level of this nonsense in everything, ethnicity, socio-econ status, education differences, neighbourhood and so, on. I just don't think the racial stuff rises above the rest enough to say the "city has a problem," or "the city has this as a remarkable characteristic."

It's different than in other Canadian cities, in that the second most dominant ethnic group has a very wealthy element and a separate language(s). I doubt there are many in Winnipeg blaming natives for driving up housing prices or Haligonians complaining about black-owned businesses being uninviting to white anglophones. Vancouver's situation creates a very different dynamic, not necessarily better or worse, but notable. Pre-60s Montreal might be a better analogue than anything else that exists now.

[Hali87]

Originally Posted by ue

It's not like these types of people don't exist in Edmonton, or in the larger cities, but I think due to the amount of universities within a relatively smaller yet still significant city makes that segment more obvious in Halifax. Or so it did to me, at least.

I'd agree with this, the navy is also a factor - navy personnel tend to be very well-traveled. I also find Edmonton is below average in terms of pretentiousness, not for any obvious reason, people there just seem to be more easy-going in terms of their tastes.

[zoomer]

I dunno, I spend a lot of time in Vancouver and I'm actually impressed how integrated the city is and how well it functions with the mix of cultures. Most people of all races/cultures have a very diverse friend mix - the only thing I've noticed is how Vancouverites are more likely to make broad mildly politically incorrect statements about other cultures in private. I honestly don't sense the racial tension referenced above - if anything most Anglo-Canadians are proud of the Asian element of the city and what it has brought.

[Nashe]

I understand the instinct to defend that which you hold dear but to be fair, this thread IS about "vibes" (ie: first impression opinions) so nobody need feel defensive. The whole POINT is that these are opinions with little to go on, so while useful, can't be expected to be comprehensive.

[Marshal]

Originally Posted by Vorkuta

I understand the instinct to defend that which you hold dear but to be fair, this thread IS about "vibes" (ie: first impression opinions) so nobody need feel defensive. The whole POINT is that these are opinions with little to go on, so while useful, can't be expected to be comprehensive.

OK, but maybe we can aim just a little higher: thoughtful first impressions. After all, it would seem many of the stronger or controversial ones get defended with news articles, conversational histories, etc. that sometimes span years.

[Marshal]

Originally Posted by zoomer

I dunno, I spend a lot of time in Vancouver and I'm actually impressed how integrated the city is and how well it functions with the mix of cultures. Most people of all races/cultures have a very diverse friend mix - the only thing I've noticed is how Vancouverites are more likely to make broad mildly politically incorrect statements about other cultures in private. I honestly don't sense the racial tension referenced above - if anything most Anglo-Canadians are proud of the Asian element of the city and what it has brought.

I live here, and I would generally agree, except I would want to make sure than when you talk about "Vancouverites" we include most all of the ethnic groups, all of them including at least some views that are negative about some or a few of the others.

We also overplay the Asian element. Vancouver is incredibly diverse, and there are many elements, some bigger (Asian-Canadian, Caucasion-Canadian, Indo-Canadian), some smaller (Native-Canadian, Phillipino-Canadian, Persian-Canadian), all in the mix, and we generally all get along. And yes, there is pride involved in that.

[Marshal]

Originally Posted by Hali87

It's different than in other Canadian cities, in that the second most dominant ethnic group has a very wealthy element and a separate language(s). I doubt there are many in Winnipeg blaming natives for driving up housing prices or Haligonians complaining about black-owned businesses being uninviting to white anglophones. Vancouver's situation creates a very different dynamic, not necessarily better or worse, but notable. Pre-60s Montreal might be a better analogue than anything else that exists now.

Only some are very wealthy. The Chinese community itself is very diverse. Its a truism here that if you ask a Chinese person about their experiences with racism, they invariably answer that the worst ones are with people from other parts of the same ethnicity.

Everyone, not from here (or other cities with large Chinese populations) must realize that someone from Hong Kong would be insulted to be mistaken for a Mainland Chinese (like an Italian would for a German), or the same for someone with Taiwanese roots as opposed to someone from Fujian, or Shanghia, or Chengdu (just like Irish, English, French, Russian ...)

as a postnote: if one group tends to contain upset because another is wealthy and new, it differs little than the opposite: the not uncommon Winnipeg trope against the poverty and social struggle of the long, longtime native group.

[Marshal]

Its about time I actually contributed to the thread.
Calgary - my Calgarian brother thinks I hate it, but Calgary is an impressive place. A skyline that is quickly becoming great, I love the open, barren (I like barren) grassland setting, and like all prairie cities, its cool to drive for many hours over the prairie and then enter a city full of trees, shady streets, etc. It is its own kind of oasis. I also like Calgary's infrastructure, the freely designed roads are almost exotic compared to Vancouver's endless tight fits; its like driving around San Antonio/Dallas,Phoenix even: a different spatial openness to my home's.
Ottawa - I even like Ottawa, but I lived there so its hard to remember first impressions. Museums, the Gothic centrepiece, the Canal and locks and multiple bridges, driving the freeway all elevated to see a bigger view, and all the walking/cycling paths and linear parks, closing parkways on Sundays, and Hull, a counterpoint to it all.

[red-paladin]

Originally Posted by Marshal

Only some are very wealthy. The Chinese community itself is very diverse. Its a truism here that if you ask a Chinese person about their experiences with racism, they invariably answer that the worst ones are with people from other parts of the same ethnicity.

This is sometimes unfortunately the case. When I grew up in Vancouver, two friends of mine were Taiwanese and HK Chinese. Their families didn't like each other at all and it was a mini-Romeo and Juliet situation for a while.

[Razor]

Originally Posted by Marshal

I also like Calgary's infrastructure, the freely designed roads are almost exotic compared to Vancouver's endless tight fits; its like driving around San Antonio/Dallas,Phoenix even: a different spatial openness to my home's.
.

I like this comparison..I always got that sense about Calgary as well.
A burgeoning sun belt style city with a clean slate and loads of room and openness to work with..A chance to plan vs growing with those tight fit points scenario you described.


North Bay - A (traffic) busy junction that one can tell that it lives off tourism and the dollar off of travelers and long haul truckers coming through because it's where the highways meet. It doesn't feel like a true hard scrabble resource town, yet it doesn't feel like a central Ontario town..It's somewhere in the middle, hence it's moniker "The Gateway to the North". Like Kingston,I always thought that it would make a nice large city if given the chance.Felt like it had an element of white collar.

Timmins- A Northern Ontario resource city that wasn't meant to stay or grow into somewhat of a regional centre.It just kind of happened.
Because it's the smaller of the three closest Northern cities (North Bay and Sudbury), it doesn't have a sense of place and has a bit of that little brother syndrome in that if proudly hails the arrival of a new city sized Home Depot or anything big box chain, especially if North Bay got it the year earlier. Lost out to Sudbury or North bay for regional administrative services like tax centres, Ontario ministry offices, etc.

[Beedok]

Oh, one other thing for Winnipeg: everyone Jay Walked. Like I swear downtown people only crossed when the orange hand was up.

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by Razor

North Bay - A (traffic) busy junction that one can tell that it lives off tourism and the dollar off of travelers and long haul truckers coming through because it's where the highways meet. It doesn't feel like a true hard scrabble resource town, yet it doesn't feel like a central Ontario town..It's somewhere in the middle, hence it's moniker "The Gateway to the North". Like Kingston,I always thought that it would make a nice large city if given the chance.

Nice description. Sounds like there are a lot of similarities to Moncton. The main difference is probably the fact that Moncton has universities and a couple of large tertiary care hospitals.

[Razor]

^ North bay has Nippising University, and I think a major psychiatric centre.

[Kilgore Trout]

Vancouver – passive aggressive
Calgary – brofest
Toronto – buzzy
Ottawa – earnest
Montreal – happily aimless