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I went to Vancouver not too long ago and boy, I've been to tons of major cities but it has to be one of the cleanest I've ever been to. The only city I've been to that's probably more cleaner is Stockholm. I have a friend who lives in the "bad" parts and I tell her, "go to Los Angeles, Houston, Miami, New York, London, Paris, and then say 'Vancouver is dirty' again, you'll be surprised."
Great job Canada, you know how to keep your cities clean. Hell, Vancouver was rated most livable Canadian city and 3rd most livable in the world. So once again, great job!
I agree. Canadian cities are far nicer than American ones. In fact, my favorite 2 cities are both Canadian (#1: Quebec City (specifically the old part - the only walled city in North America) #2 Vancouver BC).
I do have to say though that in the last 10 years Vancouver has grown a bit dirtier. Still cleaner than virtually all US cities I've been to, but none-the-less dirtier than it's been in the past.
How are US cities any dirtier than Canadian cities? I honestly don't see it... Vancouver's full of graffiti, gum and cigarette butts on the ground, trash on the ground and accumulating in the alleys if not overflowing in the garbage bags, dog crap on the sidewalks, the smell of urine in public stairwells, broken car window glass on the streets, etc. Seriously, any time I've been to a US city, like Seattle, or Portland, or LA, or San Francisco, or Boston, or New York... I never looked around and throught, "Oh wow - the dirt! The filth!" It was no dirtier than anywhere in Canada.
So I'm curious... is it that Americans come to Canada with rose-tinted glasses, or am I blind and US cities are filthier than I'm giving them credit for.
How are US cities any dirtier than Canadian cities? I honestly don't see it... Vancouver's full of graffiti, gum and cigarette butts on the ground, trash on the ground and accumulating in the alleys if not overflowing in the garbage bags, dog crap on the sidewalks, the smell of urine in public stairwells, broken car window glass on the streets, etc. Seriously, any time I've been to a US city, like Seattle, or Portland, or LA, or San Francisco, or Boston, or New York... I never looked around and throught, "Oh wow - the dirt! The filth!" It was no dirtier than anywhere in Canada.
So I'm curious... is it that Americans come to Canada with rose-tinted glasses, or am I blind and US cities are filthier than I'm giving them credit for.
Come on... Vancouver's not that bad. It may not be the cleanest city but it's nothing like what you described.
Come on... Vancouver's not that bad. It may not be the cleanest city but it's nothing like what you described.
I wasn't trying to suggest that *everywhere* is like that in Vancouver. But speaking as somebody who lives and works in downtown Vancouver who walks everywhere, my examples were taken from my first-hand experience walking 20 minutes to and from work, 5 days a week.
There's the dog crap consistently smeared on Richards Street or Homer Street in Yaletown because the little plots of grass next to the sidewalks are used as doggy toilets for the thousands of dog owners who live in the nearby apartments. Some clean up after them, but even then, the lawns along those streets have turned into ripe-smelling mud pits.
I see the trash bins overflowing on Robson Street. This is often in the afternoon or evening when the cans are full of Starbucks cups. When the garbage cans are full, people just throw their trash on top, where it tumbles into a mini garbage pile on the sidewalk below. It can actually be quite comical, especially on weekends.
Usually somewhere along the street during my walk I'll see broken car window glass along the side of the road - a sign of a prior car breakin. This is pretty common in Vancouver.
There's gum, cigarette butts and paper plates (with pizza grease) strewn along Granville Street, especially on the the mornings after all the clubbers have gone home. But Granville - if you actually look at the sidewalks - is pretty grungey at the best of times.
When you walk into parkade staircases, you smell urine - or very strong cleanser.
The alleys are filthy with trash bins, or in the case of Yaletown, the trash bins are out on the street in front of the stores, smelling pretty ripe. I won't even talk about the alleys behind Chinatown and Gastown.
In the big scheme of things this is all very trivial, I realize. Vancouver's not a festering filthy city, but I'm trying to say is that it is no more clean than your typical US city. It's why I'm puzzled why Americans like to proclaim how clean Vancouver is...
... it's clean compared to where? I'd like to know!
Last edited by Robynator; 01-12-2008 at 10:49 PM..
If Vancouver is any cleaner then anyplace else it is because it rains 340 days year and the rain washes away the dirt and trash.
Really though.....Cleaner then any US city? Nawww they are all the same. I lived in North Vancouver for a while. Completely different then its sister city but we spent much time in Vancouver. Love it !
I still say if they put a roof over Robson St, arguably the greatest shopping district, it would be a world class pedestrian shopping district. But the locals dont seem to mind walking in the rain. They walk in the rain and dont even get wet.
Great place to live but I wouldn't want to live there.
When I went to Santa Monica, the 3rd Street Promenade reminded me a lot of Robson Street... without the rain!
Really..........
Well that is something I will go and see because shopping, dining, people watching, coffee shops and just walking on Robson St is one of my best memories living in B.C.
Santa Monica, I will check it out, Thanks Roby !
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