You’ll recall I did something similar last year with Paris and Lyon. Today we’re comparing and contrasting closer to home.
Demographics. Vancouver has more Asians than Seattle, and more Caucasians as well.
Markets. Vancouver has Granville Island, Seattle has Pike Place. Both can be mobbed with tourists, especially on summer and holiday weekends.
Restaurant scene. Asian restaurants dominate in Vancouver (see demographics, above). Korean food is taking over from Japanese cuisine. Seattle has a bit more balanced set of restaurants.
Housing, and its costs. Both downtowns are filling up with high rises. Vancouver’s ahead of Seattle on the high-rise score – so far. Both cities are expensive, which partially explains the next bullet point.
Homelessness and drug addiction. Sadly, both cities are even. At least Vancouver has facilities where addicts can inject safely and where they’re monitored to prevent overdoses.
Car culture. Seattle is Prius- (and now Tesla-) crazy. Julian has commented that he’s seen more high end sportscars (Ferraris, Lamborghinis, and the like) in Vancouver than in any other city.
Fashion. Vancouver’s a little better-dressed, courtesy of Asian twenty-something women who wear full regalia and makeup to pump gas. The guys take after their Seattle counterparts.
Public parks and open space. Vancouver has the massive Stanley Park, on the west edge of downtown. Seattle has the Sound-facing Discovery, Golden Gardens, and Carkeek Parks, and Lake Washington-facing Seward, Magnusson, and Leschi Parks.
The score is roughly even. We love both cities, warts and all.
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