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People are very critical of Vancouver. I disagree that Toronto gets the most criticism.
They are.
As for nightlife. I used to be a night owl and have " partied " in Berlin, Amsterdam, London, NYC, Toronto, Montreal, Paris, and of course Vancouver.
It really depends on what you are looking for. If nightlife means to you theatre, ballet and opera, then Vancouver, even though has these things, isn't going to be a London. How can we? That said, for most people
( I have a couple of friends who travel frequently to NYC and London just for shows) Vancouver's offerings are enough in that regard. People living in London, aren't out every night or every weekend. Costs alone prohibit most people from that.
If your idea of nightlife is clubbing...then again, the bigger cities offer more. For WILD nights out, the USA seems more conservative. Even NYC.
Berlin, London and Amsterdam are much more intense. That said, some of the wildest nights out I've had have been here in Vancouver...also Toronto. I was better behaved in Montreal LOL.
Now, not so much. Nightlife is a quiet bar, or a nice meal out. Vancouver does fine in that regard.
People are very critical of Vancouver. I disagree that Toronto gets the most criticism.
Criticism of Vancouver, at least on this forum, is not directed at the city itself which is fine for what it is but to the people that make it to be what is not, some sort of perfect paradise on earth pretty much on every front....if Vancouver were to be correctly compared to, let's say, to Portland, nobody would say anything.
Toronto discussions are generally "correctly calibrated" to what the city really is, this is why you read less criticism...no Torontonian (or at least very few) would compare their city to NYC for example..........on the other side, absurd comparisons between Vancouver and San Francisco abound......
Vancouver nightlife is not any worse generally than a comparably sized North American city (or even North European city) with similar economic weight, in a similar climate.
Warmer locales tend to be more "naturally oriented" towards nightlife, at least certain type of nightlife, staying out until late walking, open cafe and restaurant culture, etc......but that is not Vancouver fault.
Last edited by saturno_v; 04-19-2017 at 01:37 PM..
As for nightlife. I used to be a night owl and have " partied " in Berlin, Amsterdam, London, NYC, Toronto, Montreal, Paris, and of course Vancouver.
It really depends on what you are looking for. If nightlife means to you theatre, ballet and opera, then Vancouver, even though has these things, isn't going to be a London. How can we? That said, for most people
( I have a couple of friends who travel frequently to NYC and London just for shows) Vancouver's offerings are enough in that regard. People living in London, aren't out every night or every weekend. Costs alone prohibit most people from that.
If your idea of nightlife is clubbing...then again, the bigger cities offer more. For WILD nights out, the USA seems more conservative. Even NYC.
Berlin, London and Amsterdam are much more intense. That said, some of the wildest nights out I've had have been here in Vancouver...also Toronto. I was better behaved in Montreal LOL.
Now, not so much. Nightlife is a quiet bar, or a nice meal out. Vancouver does fine in that regard.
It would be silly to expect anywhere to be NYC and London in that regard or even a place like Vienna or Paris. But I have always found it strange that the fine arts like theatre, ballet, opera and symphony are not something Vancouver is known for, with the amount of wealth floating around the city. Toronto did a wonderful job investing in the high culture same with other cities around the US and Canada like Houston, Minneapolis, Cleveland, Boston, Philadelphia, Montreal, etc...
It would be silly to expect anywhere to be NYC and London in that regard or even a place like Vienna or Paris. But I have always found it strange that the fine arts like theatre, ballet, opera and symphony are not something Vancouver is known for, with the amount of wealth floating around the city. Toronto did a wonderful job investing in the high culture same with other cities around the US and Canada like Houston, Minneapolis, Cleveland, Boston, Philadelphia, Montreal, etc...
Why is this the case?
I'm not on the " inside " to really know the status of our ballet and opera. I do know we have one of the world's best Chamber Choirs and local theatre is vibrant and good.
As for investing in the arts, people do, but I'm not exactly sure what you mean? Are you talking about venues? The Chan Centre was a gift for example.
I'm not on the " inside " to really know the status of our ballet and opera. I do know we have one of the world's best Chamber Choirs and local theatre is vibrant and good.
As for investing in the arts, people do, but I'm not exactly sure what you mean? Are you talking about venues? The Chan Centre was a gift for example.
AS for being known, I'm not familiar with Houston, Minneapolis, or Cleveland's " scene ". The others more so.
It could very well be a case of perception over reality, which is why I asked since you live there and many of us do not. But the perception is that Vancouver is not a place to live if you enjoy the arts as a large part of your life.
You read about how Houston now has the second largest concentration of theatre seats or how they have resident and professional programs in all the major performing art disciplines. You read about how Minneapolis has the highest concentration of theatre seats per capita in the country. Now personally I have no idea how this translates to the quality of the arts, but I am sure it does not hurt.
So maybe there are similar investments going on in Vancouver, but I find it strange that no one seems to write about it. Also that from the residents of the city I know they seem to put going to the theatre or symphony or opera at the top of their list when visiting other cities, since the perception is that the quality is not as high at home.
I just found it interesting, because once money flows into a city one of the first investments seems to always end up in the arts.
But the perception is that Vancouver is not a place to live if you enjoy the arts as a large part of your life.
Which is true but, again, nothing to bash Vancouver about.....it does just average, in line for a North American city of its size and similar economic clout.
Again, the problem is with people trying to make it what is not....when someone begin to compare its arts and entertainment scene with, let's say, San Francisco, usually the criticism and laughing start......
Last edited by saturno_v; 04-19-2017 at 02:03 PM..
It could very well be a case of perception over reality, which is why I asked since you live there and many of us do not. But the perception is that Vancouver is not a place to live if you enjoy the arts as a large part of your life.
You read about how Houston now has the second largest concentration of theatre seats or how they have resident and professional programs in all the major performing art disciplines. You read about how Minneapolis has the highest concentration of theatre seats per capita in the country. Now personally I have no idea how this translates to the quality of the arts, but I am sure it does not hurt.
So maybe there are similar investments going on in Vancouver, but I find it strange that no one seems to write about it. Also that from the residents of the city I know they seem to put going to the theatre or symphony or opera at the top of their list when visiting other cities, since the perception is that the quality is not as high at home.
I just found it interesting, because once money flows into a city one of the first investments seems to always end up in the arts.
Part of it may be perception, but I'd be surprised if someone moved here for that.
Hmmm. Number of theatre seats...not sure, as you point out, that equates to quality, or even attendance.
People don't necessarily come to Vancouver for the arts. Tourists do seem to enjoy different things like Bard on the Beach while they are here if anything. We aren't a museum town either, although the MOA gets great reviews from people from all over. Most come for the scenery, skiing, whale watching, boating without having to travel far from their hotel.
When Vancouverites travel, yes they will indulge in plays etc in other cities, not always because it's better, but because there is much more to choose from.
Still, I'd wager for most people, Opera, Ballet and even plays are not part of their life, and bragging about their well know symphony, is just that since they probably have never been.
Why - i'm a nice guy lol - oh because I didn't show enough love for Pudong ;P
I always look at these lists as a grain of salt anyway and when I see Gothenburg or Utrecht having higher scores for nightlife than Mexico City and Bangkok or Vancouver having a higher score than Toronto for Festivals - for freaking festivals you'd have to be living in an alternate universe to think Vancouver beats T.O for festivals.... I instantly tuned off this list...
Last edited by fusion2; 04-19-2017 at 05:07 PM..
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