>Some say that temptation is the root of all evil. Instead I like to think of it as more of a challenge. And because temptation can come in many different forms (sex, drugs, alcohol) it always hard to know how people will actually be tempted or not. So what’s my temptation? Vancouver.
Since spending the past couple of days exploring the home of the 2010 Winter Olympics I can’t help but wonder what could have been. While I am happy with my relationship with Calgary, sometimes a man can only resist so much.
But can you blame me? During my time in Vancouver I didn’t see one single cloud. And while I know that is not the norm for the normally rainy city it still felt damn good to have a beer on an open patio overlooking the waterfront.
The amazing thing about Vancouver is that it is only an hour a way and because of this one can’t help but be intrigued. In Vancouver’s case the grass really does seem to be greener on the other side. This is mostly due to the fact that they actually have green grass. As well as flowers and palm trees.
And as someone who constantly finds myself arguing with native Calgarians about some of this cities biggest issues (recycling, conservative governments and hypothermia), the fact that none of these are issues in Vancouver makes me start to regret that commitment ceremony Calgary and I shared last stampede.
The main argument you’ll hear from anyone (especially if they are Albertan) is that Vancouver is just too darn expensive. But do you know where else is one of Canada’s most expensive cities? That’s right good ol’ Cowtown. Unless you think that paying $12 to park downtown for an hour and a half is reasonable.
But Vancouver isn’t all roses (although they do have a lot of those). It’s disconcerting how drivers honk at pedestrians for walking too slow. Plus, is there anything lamer than Provincial sales tax? No thank you. And after spending a morning sipping Starbucks (of course) by English Bay I couldn’t help but wonder: “Where is everyone running to?†Vancouverites in general always seem to be running somewhere and I’ve never been able to trust people who run unless they are being chased. And what’s with the Art Gallery? Every day they seemed to be protesting about a dozen different things. I wanted to be supportive but instead just became confused.
After a couple of days my trip to Vancouver had to come to an end. We had had an amazing time together. We laughed, we cried, it really was an emotional rollercoaster. But at the end of the day she wasn’t home….yet.
While I’m not necessarily ready to pack up my life and move to Vancouver she certainly did give me a lot to think about. My basic rationale is this: If I am going to live so far away from the Maritimes and pay ridiculous rent for a small apartment, what difference does an hour flight make? Think about it: I’d still have the mountains but I would also have the ocean, warmer winters and a better chance of becoming an accidental movie star. Plus just think how popular I would be during the Olympics! But I wouldn’t have the stampede and let’s face it: That is the ultimate deal breaker.
