On sunny days like today, Vancouver's a hard city to compete with in terms of just about anything.
In comparison to Calgary, it's got a lot of things going for it, primarily liveability (if you can afford the cost of living, of course). You can commute just about anywhere in Vancouver proper very easily by bike, bus or skytrain. I can get from East Van to work by each of those methods in about 20 minutes (heck, I could just run there in 30 for that matter). That's pretty standard commuting for anyone who doesn't live in the downtown core itself. Calgary, by contrast, is definitely a car city. I don't know how one would get by in cowtown without a car, unless maybe they lived on 17th or in Kensington.
Vancouver's also got the added benefit of loads of off-the-street dining like Calgary has in limited amounts in Kensington and 17th, but Vancouver's is spread out across at least 5-10 defined neighbourhoods in the city. If you live in one of those, you really don't have to leave it for just about anything you like - most specifically great restaurants. I heard tons of stuff before I went to New York about how awesome its restaurants are, but was seriously underwhelmed when I got there - which I guess means Vancouver's must be world-class too (unless you're looking at blowing over a hundred bucks a meal or something, then I'm sure New York must have more and better options).
The two major downsides for Van, and they are big ones are (1) the rain; and (2) the culture. The latter may in part be caused by the former, but Vancouver has always been an unfriendly city. It didn't even have a nightlife until about 5-6 years ago. I remember being stunned that the entertainment district (Granville Street) in a city this size could be so lame. That's gotten better though.
All said, I still complain about those two things after 10 years here, and particularly the rain. Vancouver gets about 100 fewer sunny days a year than Calgary, and it hurts.
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