As I mentioned in my previous article, I had no idea what to expect from Vancouver. All my life I’ve thought I would find something similar to a Norman Rockwell painting (but with way more maple leaves), but this bustling, vibrant city is sooo much more.

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ukjr4FFH_JE

What can I say about Vancouver, Multi-Cultural, clean, edgy, polite (not all the Canadian stereotypes were wrong). I would have to compare Vancouver to a cross between Tokyo, Melbourne, and San Francisco.

The architecture is probably the most prominent difference between what I expected to find and what is actually here. Based on what I know about the US, I expected the city to be filled with more classical buildings, subtly stable along the skyline. However, the manmade landscape is way more cutting edge, with unique, clean designs that somehow accent the laid-back feeling this city exudes. Much like Melbourne, the people and the city go hand in hand.

This connection stretches to the cleanliness of the city, which is the cleanest city I’ve been to since Tokyo. Recycling is highly encouraged, and in respect to that, there isn’t much trash on the streets; even the beaches that find themselves just feet from the jammed thoroughfares are nearly spotless.

Not only physically clean, the city feels safe. We walked back from our first meet-up down the dim seawall after 10pm and never once felt in danger. Being from LA, and maybe the entire United States, this is not something I’m used to.

The first meet-up brings me to the reason we are here in the first place, TBEX ’11. Based on the first unofficial TBEX meet-up, it’s going to be a task to keep up with some of these drinkers, a challenge I welcome because if there is one thing I like, it’s friendly drunks.