I still remember a trip I took with my parents to Vancouver and Seattle. We are from Brazil.

The difference was night and day, especially the infrastructure, landscape, and the appearance of the people who worked there. Seattle felt much more somber and gray.

The only ones who seemed overtly happy were the waitresses, but since these jobs in the U.S. rely heavily on tips, it felt more like forced role-play to get extra money compared to the more down-to-earth Canadian customer service.