This Opinion article is part of a Narcity content series. The views expressed are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Narcity Media.
It’s unavoidable: Vancouver in the summertime is swarming with tourists. It makes sense, of course, considering this place is extremely beautiful, mostly safe, generally quite clean, and there’s plenty to do.
Perhaps you’re a tourist yourself, and you’re here in the city right now. If that’s the case, welcome! Hopefully, you’re having a great time. If you’re not here yet but plan to be before the summer is out, I will extend my greetings to you in advance. We like having you around — I promise.
Now, I already made it known quite clearly that there are places around the city that locals don’t want you to know about, so that keeps our favourite hidden gems a nice secret for sure. You likely have your itinerary all planned out, and much of it is going to involve being on foot and integrating yourself with the public.
However, I think I can speak on behalf of most Vancouverites when I say that you and your crew might unknowingly (or knowingly) engage in some of the following behaviours, which we cannot stand, and which we swap notes about when you’re not within earshot.
I feel it my duty to give you the rundown on some things you simply should not do when you’re visiting our coastal paradise, and which will endear you to the residents forevermore.
Complaining about how expensive it is.
This one is a real head-scratcher. Almost everyone knows that Vancouver is one of the most expensive cities in North America, and the cost of living here is brutal. If you weren’t aware of this, then you clearly didn’t do your research at all before deciding to come here.
Food, housing, gas, entertainment, clothing…it will cost you dearly to spend any time here. Even budget travel in the city adds up pretty quickly. Surely you know where you’re going, and what you’re getting into, so don’t bother bellyaching about the prices here. We know, and we do it amongst ourselves as often as possible.
Walking three people or more across the entire sidewalk or pathway.
Tourists blocking the Seawall in Vancouver.
To be fair, some locals are guilty of this move, but it’s assuredly a tourist blunder.
This is something else I don’t quite understand, as it’s clear there is two-way foot traffic on most streets and walkways, especially downtown. The sidewalks are busy, and everyone is moving at a fairly rapid pace trying to get to their destination, so having a group of people spread across an entire urban pathway is sure to incite quiet rage amongst people here.
If you’re in a group and you really want to avoid infuriating the locals, please stick to this reasonable rule of thumb: two people in front, two people behind, and so forth.
Keeping your backpack on while taking public transit.
If you are visiting the city and you plan on taking the bus or Skytrain instead of renting a car, I immediately applaud you. Translink offers excellent, affordable transportation throughout Metro Vancouver, and therefore plenty of residents opt for this mode of getting around.
However, it’s a busy system, especially in the summer when events and activities are taking place everywhere. Seeing and dealing with tourists who climb onto a crammed train and stand there, backpacks on, taking up precious space and bonking into other passengers, is sure to invite dirty looks and hostile mutterings.
Please just take it off and place it on the ground in front of you. I promise you that, on the standing-room-only bus, nobody will even have a chance to steal it, even if they wanted to.
Dining at mediocre tourist-trap restaurants.
Call us snooty, but we Vancouverites are very proud of our countless, fantastic eating establishments. When we see a group of tourists who have come all this way only to settle into a subpar meal at some of our touristy chain restaurants, we die a little inside.
Take just a few minutes to read up on some of the best eateries in town, support the local chefs and owners, and head over to one of those instead. Everybody wins!
Talking smack about the city.
This is slightly different from complaining about the prices here since, as noted in my first point, that’s a local pastime. Tourists who have nothing good to say about Vancouver (and who voice their opinions publicly) aren’t exactly endearing themselves to locals.
I’ve heard some out-of-towners complain about the city to retail clerks, tour guides, and even people from whom they are asking directions, and it’s not just tacky, it’s rude and disrespectful. If you’ve got issues with the weather (it’s a rain forest!), the architecture (it’s only 138 years old!), the supposed lack of exciting nightlife (we’re not New York!), keep it to yourself and your travel companions.
Like every city, Vancouver has its flaws, but no matter how grumpy and negative we residents might be about this place, deep down we actually love it.
Never leaving the downtown area.
I understand that you’re probably staying in a hotel in the downtown area, and indeed, there are plenty of walkable attractions in the central core of the city. However, because Vancouver gets so busy during this time of year, we tend to get a bit irritated with the tourists who refuse to see what else this place has to offer.
You can take a day or overnight trip to some exquisite locations nearby, or you can simply read up on the surrounding neighbourhoods and spend some time walking through them. Commercial Drive, Mount Pleasant / Main Street, Little India, North Vancouver, and Kitsilano are just a handful of areas outside of downtown with plenty to offer. Not only will you help free up the busy downtown sidewalks — and therefore scoring points with the locals — but you’ll be giving yourself an authentic taste of Vancouver by checking out some shops, cafes, parks, eateries, and photo ops that fall outside of the ones typically favoured by tourists.
Winning over the locals isn’t an easy task, but hopefully, this is a decent starter kit if Vancouver is your destination. Enjoy your visit!
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