It’s no secret I get around by public transit and walking. Not having a car is equally liberating and confining. Confining as that, well, I’m limited to places accessible by public transit and walking, which is a pretty decent amount of ground to cover. Liberating as I’m free to move around and observe for long periods of time. And one thing I’ve noticed is a complete lack of “business attire” in Vancouver.
I can count on one hand the number of times I have seen guys in suits…wait, check that. Guys wearing ties, and women in high heels. Perhaps it’s the climate, as it does rain, often. And, it being the West Coast, the mood is more laid back, even compared to Chicago.
But even in Chicago, walking around you see men in suits and ties and women in high heels. It doesn’t matter what time of day or day of the week. You will always see enough men and women in business attire that requires counting both hands and feet, and the hands and feet of the people standing around you waiting to cross the street. This does not seem to be the case in Vancouver, even down in its “financial district.”
Yes, I know, “financial district.” Really a grouping of banking buildings, and easy to miss. There isn’t a center piece, like the Chicago Board of Trade, to signify you have entered the financial district. And it’s entirely possible that part of Vancouver isn’t the financial district. I’ve been there twice, for a couple of events, and all the buildings house one of the banks: Scotiabank, BMO, CanadaTrust. Still, still, there aren’t many people walking around in what one would consider standard business attire.
Truth be told, I rather like it. The lack of dressing up, as it were, removes a layer to fight through and find the personality. There isn’t that mental tag of “oh, a business person, expect such-and-such attitude and manner.” And man are people friendly. I don’t know if that has something to do with the lack of business attire, a lack of formality, say, but even as a Midwesterner, I’m shocked at the friendliness of people here.
Coming out of the building of my new place, I ran into a couple of current tenants and inquired about the building and how they liked living there. Not only did they tell me what apartment number, but also the pros and cons of living there and that it was a really good place in a fantastic location. Straight up, this is how it is.
Other than the seemingly constant rain, there seems to be little not to like about Vancouver.