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Agreed that Vancouver has more of a beach atmosphere than Seattle, but Seattle has neighborhoods like Alki that have a complete beach vibe. Alki feels very similar to Kitsilano in Vancouver. What Seattle doesn't have is anything comparable to English Bay or Stanley Park which does give Vancouver more of a beach town vibe in the summer.
What neither Seattle or Vancouver have is access to the open ocean waves of the Pacific to which San Diego is well known for as being a destination for surfing. Both Vancouver and San Diego do have more of a casual resort feel for large cities. Other than that I don't see many similarities at all between Vancouver and San Diego.
Wondering what feels beachy about Lower Queen Anne? It feels more like a urban neighborhood commercial center and it's up a hill and on the other side of the railroad tracks from water access. Myrtle Edwards Park gives me more of a "views of the harbor" feel, not really a sandy beach.
What Seattle has more of in terms of beach access over Vancouver is access to fresh water swimming and a lot of shoreline access along Lake Washington. Madison Park was one of my favorite destinations in the summer when I lived in Seattle. Though the lake shore is more rocky pebbles and parks with lawns, not sandy beaches. This was back in the 2000's, I'm not sure what the water quality for swimming is like there now.
But again, both Seattle and Vancouver's beaches and waterfronts are very different from San Diego and aren't really comparable. San Diego is a lot more attractive as a beach destination in the summer. The Salish Sea and Puget Sound aren't ideal for swimming or water sports. I'd put Seattle on top for boating activity.
Alki beach is only .80 K or 1/2 mile long. The others you mentioned are also fairly small, hence Pocket Beach in Lower Queen Anne and probably why you questioned it.
Kitsilano is just one of 10 Vancouver beaches that total 18 K's or 11 miles of beaches, 4 of which are downtown.
Spanish Banks Beach alone is 2.6 K's or 1.7 miles.
This doesn't include Acadia Beach, Towers Beach and Wreck Beach which fall under the Regional Park System, and not the city. That's another 8 k or so, or 5 miles.
I guess what I'm trying to say, is with so much more sandy swimming beaches within the city, that's more people using those beaches ( Wreck can get over 8000 on a weekend ) the beach vibe is just more apparent.
These beaches heavily influence the neighbourhoods they are in, especially in summer, much, much more than Seattle IMO.
Yes, as I said, the summer vibe in Vancouver is where any similarity to SD ends.
Freshwater lakes swimming one has to go north or east for about an hour to get to lakes. A bit of an effort for Vancouverites.
Boating...hard to say, I'm not a boater, but Vancouver is full of marina's, and the harbour and Howe Sound are filled with pleasure craft on a good day.
Location: northern Vermont - previously NM, WA, & MA
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Originally Posted by Natnasci
Boating...hard to say, I'm not a boater, but Vancouver is full of marina's, and the harbour and Howe Sound are filled with pleasure craft on a good day.
San Diego has many marinas as well. Mission Bay is very attractive for jet skiing paddle boarding, and other water sports.
My experience boating in Seattle was from the Elliott Bay Marina from the Sound through the Ballard Locks into Lake Union and then Lake Washington. With shoreline on both sides of Seattle and waterways cutting right through the middle of it, the views of the city (and my favorite skyline on the West Coast) from many angles are pretty stellar. Transiting from salt water to fresh water through the locks connecting canals and lakes from the Sound makes boating around Seattle quite interesting and fun.
Last edited by Champ le monstre du lac; 08-10-2022 at 04:55 PM..
Seattle, and its not even close. Both are in the PNW, lack the Mexican influence that San Diego has, have economies not overly dependent on the defense and tourism sectors, and have the NHL. That's like asking if Winnipeg is more similar to Minneapolis or San Antonio, or if Calgary is more similar to Denver or El Paso.
Actually, the Seattle Region's economy is largely dependent on Joint Base Lewis McChord and Naval Base Kitsap. Pierce County and Kitsap County would basically have no economy without those military bases.
I don't find Vancouver all that similar to Seattle in that they really can't be "cross shopped" all that much when deciding where to move. Seattle is far more of a city that is absolutely surrounded by water and is overall grittier with more urban culture, heritage and industry. Vancouver is a place to retire or be wealthy in and has a far more cosmopolitan vibe, it's less so of a city to "make it" than to already have the resources to enjoy your wealth.
Hence I think it is more similar to San Diego. Laid back, relaxed, excellent natural amenities and aesthetics. San Diego has the weather and Vancouver has the international connections. Seattle is where you go to make money but would be my lowest choice of the three if I already am wealthy.
This is spot on. Also, the Granville Entertainment District reminds me more of the Gaslamp than anywhere in Seattle. Seattle's nightlife districts (Capitol Hill, Ballard, Belltown, etc.) just have a completely different flavor, whereas Granville and Yaletown very much feel like they could fit in in San Diego.
Agreed that Vancouver has more of a beach atmosphere than Seattle, but Seattle has neighborhoods like Alki that have a complete beach vibe. Alki feels very similar to Kitsilano in Vancouver. What Seattle doesn't have is anything comparable to English Bay or Stanley Park which does give Vancouver more of a beach town vibe in the summer.
What neither Seattle or Vancouver have is access to the open ocean waves of the Pacific to which San Diego is well known for as being a destination for surfing. Both Vancouver and San Diego do have more of a casual resort feel for large cities. Other than that I don't see many similarities at all between Vancouver and San Diego.
Wondering what feels beachy about Lower Queen Anne? It feels more like a urban neighborhood commercial center and it's up a hill and on the other side of the railroad tracks from water access. Myrtle Edwards Park gives me more of a "views of the harbor" feel, not really a sandy beach.
What Seattle has more of in terms of beach access over Vancouver is access to fresh water swimming and a lot of shoreline access along Lake Washington. Madison Park was one of my favorite destinations in the summer when I lived in Seattle. Though the lake shore is more rocky pebbles and parks with lawns, not sandy beaches. This was back in the 2000's, I'm not sure what the water quality for swimming is like there now.
But again, both Seattle and Vancouver's beaches and waterfronts are very different from San Diego and aren't really comparable. San Diego is a lot more attractive as a beach destination in the summer. The Salish Sea and Puget Sound aren't ideal for swimming or water sports. I'd put Seattle on top for boating activity.
Overall, though, Seattle has water more ingrained into its culture than the other two. It's surrounded by water and so many of its attractions revolve around water: the ferries, the Ballard Locks, Pike Place Fish Market, etc. It's a maritime city above all else. It's where the Deadliest Catch crew is based, and boating and fishing are huge.
Yeah I buy my fresh wild caught Alaskan salmon off a boat in Seattle. The maritime culture is pretty all encompassing, and I think stronger than Vancouver's.
Vancouver has much better beaches than Seattle though. But there are more swimmable places in Seattle.
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