Ever gone on reddit or some other sites when your curiosity urged you to wonder what’s the difference between the two major Canadian cities (excluding the stats about living cost and such)? To be honest, I have to say Vancouver is better than Toronto, but before your Ontario pride takes over to aggressively rip apart my statement, allow me to say that Toronto has its perks and is amazing in its own way. This is my observation of downtown Vancouver and Toronto from my experience.
Shopping and Customer Service
Toronto wins in the section of shopping, but Vancouver wins for customer service. I remember being excited and mesmerized when I first walked into Yonge-Dundas Square, the Eaton Centre, and down the street of Queen Street West. Compared to Vancouver’s Robson street and Pacific Centre, Toronto has so much more to offer in shopping! However, my good mood dissolved when I realized the employee at the cash register was already done with me before I reached the counter. What I mean by ‘done with me’ is that it was as if I had ranted about the prices hysterically for a good hour and I had finally stopped. I’m pretty sure there are some great customer service somewhere in Toronto, but so far I have gotten a lot of robotic “just doing my job” and sometimes “I hate my job” attitude. I don’t blame them though; there are a lot of people in downtown and a lot of weird ones too.
Vancouver on the other hand is so friendly (not all but most) that I feel like I’ve bonded with the workers when I leave the store. Sometimes I’ll have long good conversations with them as if we have a lot of time on their hands, which brings me to my next point.
The Overall Atmosphere
Vancouver is a very relaxed city compared to Toronto; maybe because it’s connected to the beach and surrounded by nature, or maybe because lot of people blaze, who knows. I remember walking down Granville Street when I came back to the west coast for Christmas break and I felt so relaxed by just WALKING down the street. I could walk slowly and nobody would give a sh*t because everyone else was doing the same. Heck, some even stood in the middle of the sidewalk which is a big no-no in downtown Toronto. The first week I was in Yonge-Dundas Square I was a peach. I got offended when somebody shouldered past me from the other direction and got wary when I saw a man impatiently flailing his arms behind a woman clearly mouthing “what are you doing” because she was walking too slowly for his pace.
And from my stay in Toronto I’ve learned that red/yellow stoplight also means “walk across now” and the number 4 from the countdown after the white LED walking man flashes means “you can still cross even if the countdown is over”. It’s a fast paced environment and in a way I like it; I like the energy of Toronto and I like the laid back vibe of Vancouver but it’s a matter of personal preference.
Lifestyle & Luxury
Vancouver is an expensive city to live in; it’s not a surprise when you see lot of Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Ferrari, and Lamborghini crawling around the streets. It angers me sometimes when I pick up merchandise with okay quality and the plainest design in a store and it turns out to be ridiculously pricey. 
Like what the heck. I would constantly rant about why there’s nothing interesting for a decent price, but there’s no going against it when the city itself and the people living in it sport a modern minimalist style, with lot of shops that offer expensive simplistic items to support that demand. Toronto is pretty expensive as well, but I feel that buying personal care products and clothing are much cheaper than Vancouver. Entertainment on the other hand however, Toronto has it more expensive than Vancouver. Vancouver’s nightlife isn’t as big as Toronto’s and usually people entertain themselves in nature and exercise like yoga, hiking, biking or rollerblading around Stanley Park.
Cleanness
Hands down the West wins in terms of cleanness. The streets in the city are actually pretty clean (minus East Hastings) and even in the heart of downtown Vancouver the air is fresh. Walk 15 minutes to north, east, or west and you will smell the ocean. Awesome, right? No wonder people jog all over the place there. In Toronto, almost every block smells like piss, sewers, garbage, or a mix of them all, with vomit that spawns after Fridays. But it’s okay, once you get used to it you don’t even smell them anymore.
Both cities have their pros and cons but in terms of which one is better, it all boils down to what your needs are and what you want.
*All gifs from giphy.com
