Visited Vancouver - Canada

[Savago]

Dear friends

I stayed this week in Vancouver while attending a software related event and was impressed by a a modern and beautiful city.

It looks just like what SF used to be a few years ago (i.e. nice and clean, no homeless people or used syringes in the streets).

As expected from Canada, people are really nice and the place is safe. Just too bad that real state prices are getting insane over there (it seems that anything decent is around 1 Million and up).

I hope that the Canucks are able to solve this real state issue, otherwise I see Vancouver trailing the same route as SF (i.e. homeless people in a hot economy is a symptom of lack of affordable housing).

One detail though: while flying back from Vancouver to USA, the immigration procedure is done in the Vancouver airport (and after you go past the passport stamping still in the Vancouver airport, you see a sign written 'Welcome to the USA').

I thought that is remarkably curious.

I've traveled from quite a few different countries (Germany, Britain, Scotland, Spain, Finland, Brazil, South Korea to name a few) towards USA and *not a single one* allows USA to do the immigration procedures in their land.

That is remarkably handy as you can just block people at the departure to come to the USA if they don't have their visas/etc all properly done.

In all other places they will just have someone from the airline to check if the passport /visa looks right without access to the DHS system to do proper validation.

I wonder if that is some kind of special 'Brotherhood' favor that Canada/Vancouver does to USA?

Any Canadian citizen knows how this was arranged?

[Serk]

US Customs Pre-Clearance has been around since the 1950's... I too was intrigued when I first read about it, it's not just Canada that we have the arrangements with though.

More info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_border_preclearance

[Savago]

Serk

Nice link!
 

A quote: "Arrangements also exist with some airports in Bermuda, The Bahamas, Aruba, Ireland, and the United Arab Emirates.[1] ".

So I guess is safe to say that no other real first world country does it? (sorry Ireland...).

It seems Canada did a solid for USA in this case.
 

[The emperor has no clothes]

Serk

Nice link!
 

A quote: "Arrangements also exist with some airports in Bermuda, The Bahamas, Aruba, Ireland, and the United Arab Emirates.[1] ".

So I guess is safe to say that no other real first world country does it? (sorry Ireland...).

It seems Canada did a solid for USA in this case.
 

I hate to disagree with my friend from NorCal, but I found Ireland to be very much a 1st World country. I am in agreement with you on Vancouver though, it’s been the cleanest, nicest big city for decades. 

[msb]

The city of Vancouver is beautiful in one respect...it's setting. Snow-capped peaks year round, mountains all around, and the coastline as well. Clean air and relatively mild temperatures year-round. Other than that, it is what it is...a large CITY, with many of the ailments that other large, busy metropolises have (you obviously missed East Hastings Street). It has always had a "good" reputation as far as cities go ...based primarily on the shear beauty of its setting and the fact that as far as major cities go, it is not too large. I travel to many cities both in Canada and the US for work, and aside from a few, I usually find something interesting or pleasing to me when visiting for the first time...usually it's the people, as I have a propensity to initiate conversations with strangers . Usually after the first visit though, I dread going to that city...just because I've never been a city person, having always lived in small communities.
When folks ask me for recommendations of what to see and do when visiting BC for the first time, the city of Vancouver is a ways down on my list...

[Red Diamond]

Apparently you were in a very sheltered position while in Vancouver, I saw homeless people a plenty, drugs and drug addicts passing drugs and shooting up. Sounds like you were nailed in place.
I will add, like San Francisco it is a beautiful city.

[Dagwood]

Appreciate the info about Vancouver, heading there on business Sept 10. Was going to take the ol gurl but with the wild fires all over the north west have to pass this time. And forget trying to get electronic gear through customs. Cooled my heels in Calgary customs for awhile last week before paying the duty and getting a "one time exemption" hand carrying commercial hardware into the country.

[msb]

Appreciate the info about Vancouver, heading there on business Sept 10. Was going to take the ol gurl but with the wild fires all over the north west have to pass this time. And forget trying to get electronic gear through customs. Cooled my heels in Calgary customs for awhile last week before paying the duty and getting a "one time exemption" hand carrying commercial hardware into the country.

Don't get me wrong... Vancouver is a great city (as far as cities go), but it is not entirely without issues. Outside of the East Hastings corridor, it is a very clean place compared to other major cities I've visited throughout NA. Fires have started to wind down... the last week or so has seen much of the smoke that was hanging around for the previous two disappear 

Same for travelling to the US for work... NEVER try to bring commercial goods or samples into the US, a big mistake for those who try.