Bellingham is a lovely and quaint city just south of the border, and residents of the Washington locale often rely on Vancouver for various reasons, which can also be said of BC residents travelling down south.
Bellingham and Vancouver have a complicated relationship, which is sometimes good and sometimes very challenging.
In a recent Reddit thread, some Bellinghamsters — yes, that’s what they’re called — referenced Vancouver as a solution to some of its problems.
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Some of the discussion focused on transportation.
“Seattle and Vancouver are literally our next-door neighbours in the grand scheme of things,” said the original poster.
They added that if you wanted to get something you couldn’t find in Bellingham or neighbouring towns, it wouldn’t take a long time to head over to Seattle or Vancouver.
One Redditor disagreed, stating that if you don’t own a car, it “really is that far.”
That resulted in some conversations about better public transportation.
The dream would be some sort of high-speed rail between the two regions, something that has been proposed in the past. In 2023, the US federal government announced funding for a proposal linking Vancouver, Seattle and Portland. The odds are that Bellingham would also be part of that equation.
Could you imagine?
Events like concerts are another reason folks have to travel outside Bellingham. While most artists tend to make stops in Seattle, some only visit Vancouver during the Pacific Northwest portion of their tours.
That, of course, would force fans of the relevant artists to travel down this way.
Food? Vancouver > Bellingham
Another main focal point of the thread was food, with some suggesting that the food offerings in Bellingham aren’t great, at least compared to cities like Vancouver and Seattle.
“The food scene in Bellingham is not as adequate as people try to pretend it is. It’s alright, not great,” one user said.
“We don’t have great food,” another user said, adding that it’s because they (Bellingham residents) live between two major cities that have better opportunities for chefs.
Someone else said, “Everything is JUST FINE!”
For many who responded to the Reddit thread, Vancouver seemed to be the last, best option.
“It’s not bad, better than many places of similar size and worse than others. Are there certain cuisines I wish we had? Absolutely! But that’s okay; it’s only an hour and a change to Vancouver.”
One Redditor said, “Go to Seattle or Vancouver for great food.”
Others scoffed at the idea of travelling all the way to Vancouver just for better than good food.
Posts from the bellingham
community on Reddit
Of course, similar things can be said about Vancouver residents, which has prompted complaints from Bellinghamsters. Complaints usually focus on Canadians travelling to places like Trader Joe’s and hoarding products or driving poorly.
If you frequent Bellingham, how do you feel about the food scene compared to Vancouver? Let us know in the comments.
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