Urbana , General info:
10/10

Urbana has maintained its status as a Tree City USA since the programs inception in 1976, and is the only charter member still in the program in the State of Illinois. It maintains over 100,000 trees on over 95% of its parkways.

Urbana , Cheap stuff:
8/10

Low cost of living.

Urbana , Different stuff:
9/10

Candlestick Lane is the name for a neighborhood in eastern Urbana. It is called Candlestick Lane because every year the residents decorate their yards for Christmas with lots of lights and figures. The tradition began in 1961 (maybe 1960) as a house-decorating contest sponsored by the Illinois Power Company.

The Urbana Free Library is located in the downtown area. The library is one of the first public libraries in Illinois and was founded in 1874. The library houses historical archives of Champaign County which can be used for genealogical research. The Urbana Free Library ranked 8th out of 877 public libraries rated by “American Libraries” in 2002. It has been ranked in the top 1% of American libraries every year since rankings began.

Urbana , Don't miss:
9/10

The Market at the Square - Every Saturday morning from some time in May to some time in November, dozens of vendors set up shop in the Lincoln Square parking lot in downtown Urbana. They primarily sell local produce (including corn, tomatoes, and watermelons), but one can also find local crafts, music, and booths for various community and political organizations

Urbana , Food:
8/10

Everything you can find in average U.S. city.

Urbana , Hotels:
9/10

Lots of motels and B&B which is normal comparing to size of the city, just a few hotels.

Urbana , Safety:
9/10

Crime rate is above U.S. national average.

Vancouver , General info:
9/10

Vancouver is the largest city in Western Canada, and third largest in Canada. Located at the southwestern corner of the coastal province of British Columbia, it is well known for its majestic natural beauty, as it is nestled between the Coast Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. It is frequently ranked as one of the "best cities to live in" and is certainly a beautiful destination to visit. Vancouver tied with Vienna as having the third highest quality of living in the world, after Zürich and Geneva.

Vancouver , Cheap stuff:
8/10

Vancouver is very expensive city it is hard to find anything cheap, except food maybe.

Vancouver , Different stuff:
8/10

Nightlife in Vancouver had, for years, been seen as restricted in comparison to other cities, with early closing times for bars and night clubs, and a reluctance by authorities to allow for further development. However, since 2003 Vancouver has experimented with later closing hours and relaxed regulations, and an effort has been made to develop the Downtown core even further as an entertainment district.

A common belief is that marijuana is legal in British Columbia. That is a myth. However if you are caught with a small amount of cannabis in Vancouver it is extremely unlikely that you will be charged, in the vast majority of cases the police will simply ask you to move somewhere out of sight to finish up, or ignore the fact altogether.

Vancouver , Don't miss:
8/10

HSBC Celebration of Light, the largest fireworks competition in the world. Four nights of fireworks in late July, early August. Over one million people attend this event every year. Accompanying music is played over local radio stations so that you can hear the choreographed music while watching the show. Last year's crowd during the first night's performance was estimated at 400,000 people so be prepared for huge crowds.

Vancouver , Food:
8/10

There is something for everyone in this cosmopolitan city. In particular, you will find many different kinds of food available. If you fancy Sushi (or have not tried it yet) many places offer "all you can eat" lunches for $9.99 (the quality may not be the best though). In general, you are likely to dine better and for cheaper than most other places in North America. You can have a pretty reasonable meal for under $10.00, and at one of the more expensive restaurants in the city, $70.00 will get you a 4 course feast with exquisite service.

Vancouver is also famous for its dim sum restaurants. Because of the big Chinese population, the price and quality of dim sum here is among the best in the world.

Vancouver , Hotels:
8/10

In general, accommodations in Vancouver are on the expensive side. Vancouver has the most expensive real estate in Canada. Most hotel rooms begin at $200-250/night, and most motel rooms cost somewhere between $90-150/night. If you are lucky to find hostel accommodation, the cheapest of these will cost around $20/night, more reasonably between $35-50.

Vancouver , Safety:
9/10

Vancouver is a very safe city and consistently ranks in the top three of the worlds most livable cities. Within certain parts of the city at night should be conducted with caution, in particular the infamous Downtown Eastside and the Whalley area of Surrey. Parked cars with foreign or out of province licence plates are especially likely to be targeted for theft in these parts of town. Also around East Pender st at Carrall there is the Return It depot, and there is usualy a very large population of homeless people and some real weirdos hanging around that area, and it can be very scary for someone not used to being in this particular area. Panhandling is common in some parts of downtown. For the most part they will just ask for change and leave you alone. Don't be rude, as there may be negative consequences.