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Aside from that, it is more difficult for an uber diverse city like Toronto to have a defining anything. We simply have more of a little bit of everything than most places.
Have you ever had a Pulled Pork Sandwich from Dicnics in Philadelphia? No? Well it was voted the best sandwich in America.
That makes no sense. Even NYC which is leagues ahead of Toronto in every category has defining characteristics. NY Pizza, Bagel, Statue of Liberty, Empire State building, etc.
Even London has defining characteristics.
Toronto or Philly isn't NYC or London - that's first. Second Toronto does have iconic things.. Just because you don't know about them doesn't mean they aren't there. The CN Tower is an iconic structure and the Peameal Bacon Sandwich is unique to the place but what makes a place most interesting isn't the most obvious. There are dozens of pieces of architecture in Toronto that is more appealing to me than the CN Tower. Gehry's AGO extension is one of them for instance. The funky OCAD makes a statement, the Neo Gothic architecture of the U of T is surreal and our Old City Hall is a fantastic example of Romanesque Revival. Even as far as our most famous festival - the Toronto International Film Festival which is probably the most important in the world, to me this doesn't make the city more interesting than a simple everyday walk through Queen Street West or Kensington.
Nothing wrong with good food man.. yeah I tried hard to take the higher road but I got caught up in some of the crap too. Though I have been very complimentary of Philly and understand there is more to it than Cheese Steak Sandwiches and crime.
Nothing at all! This really could have turned out to be an insightful thread. Based on the criteria I voted for Toronto, and I know Toronto alot better than Philly, but I still think Philly is an underrated city on many levels. I kind of dig it quite a bit from limited visits.
Toronto or Philly isn't NYC or London - that's first. Second Toronto does have iconic things.. Just because you don't know about them doesn't mean they aren't there. The CN Tower is an iconic structure and the Peameal Bacon Sandwich is unique to the place but what makes a place most interesting isn't the most obvious. There are dozens of pieces of architecture in Toronto that is more appealing to me than the CN Tower. Gehry's AGO extension is one of them for instance. The funky OCAD makes a statement, the Neo Gothic architecture of the U of T is surreal and our Old City Hall is a fantastic example of Romanesque Revival.
The only defining characteristic of Toronto is the CN Tower. Say any of those other things to any normal person not familiar with the city and people will look at you with a blank stare.
Say Cheesesteak or Soft Pretzel, Liberty Bell or Love and everyone knows exactly which city these items are paired with.
That's my point. Toronto is a great city, no doubt, with a lot to offer, but on a world level, there is not much to identify it by.
I don't know why you are assuming that I wouldn't like the sandwich - I've probably been the most balanced poster from outside Philadelphia about Philly. You made the claim that Toronto doesn't have an iconic dish and I countered that. I provided information on where to go to get it and also a link to one of the finest markets around anywhere - so what is the problem lol.. I simply said probably what cities are 'best' know for aren't their most appealing parts. Is the popular guy at school always the most interesting? I have no doubt I'd devour the pulled pork sandwich.
Speaking of best pork I ever had - it was in Vinales valley in Cuba... They know how to do Pork man!!
As for best sandwich in America - well congrats but last I looked T.O is in Canada.
That makes no sense. Even NYC which is leagues ahead of Toronto in every category has defining characteristics. NY Pizza, Bagel, Statue of Liberty, Empire State building, etc.
Even London has defining characteristics.
Umm, fusion2 said its "more difficult for an uber diverse city like Toronto" (meaning very few). He didn't say its "impossible".
Quote:
Originally Posted by Summersm343
Have you ever had a Pulled Pork Sandwich from Dicnics in Philadelphia? No? Well it was voted the best sandwich in America.
So the sandwich was voted best sandwich... in America... on a reality tv show? Oh... ok.
According to the previous link, the St. Lawrence Market on the other hand was rated the #1 food market... in the entire world... by one of the largest educational organizations in the world.
Between the two, I would take latter more serious than the former (the reality tv show). But that's just me though.
The only defining characteristic of Toronto is the CN Tower. Say any of those other things to any normal person not familiar with the city and people will look at you with a blank stare.
Say Cheesesteak or Soft Pretzel, Liberty Bell or Love and everyone knows exactly which city these items are paired with.
That's my point. Toronto is a great city, no doubt, with a lot to offer, but on a world level, there is not much to identify it by.
Honestly outside the U.S and Canada do you really think the Liberty Bell is all that famous? I think you'd get a lot of blank stares in Thailand if you spoke about Philly and the liberty bell. As I've mentioned as well, Philly has the benefits of the American cultural juggernaut. Also, if you look at Toronto Pearson's list of International Carriers - it is absolutely astounding how many serve Toronto.
Do a cross comparison of number of different international carriers to both airports above. Also look at number of International travellers doing O/D activity at each.
Aside from that, it is more difficult for an uber diverse city like Toronto to have a defining anything. We simply have more of a little bit of everything than most places.
Had it. Honestly, not remarkable. Though I'm not a big fan of the philly cheesesteak either and just the usual deli sandwiches (hoagies) were better. I did find the sort of new American dining scene in Philadelphia pretty good and found Canto food in Toronto to be very good, too. I was surprised that the west indian food in Toronto seemed oddly lacking because it seemed like there was a pretty massive west indian population there. I don't see uber diverse really equating to not having a defining anything. I think that's a lot more a function of Toronto being having such a relatively recent arrival as a large city.
Last edited by OyCrumbler; 05-19-2014 at 12:31 PM..
The only defining characteristic of Toronto is the CN Tower. Say any of those other things to any normal person not familiar with the city and people will look at you with a blank stare.
Say Cheesesteak or Soft Pretzel, Liberty Bell or Love and everyone knows exactly which city these items are paired with.
That's my point. Toronto is a great city, no doubt, with a lot to offer, but on a world level, there is not much to identify it by.
You mean a lot of people in the US would know what you're talking about (add in Rocky), but otherwise I think not. Abroad, it'd probably be UPenn that puts it on a map for some, but relatively little else. I'm not saying this as a snub to Philly, but simply that most of the world doesn't care to know that much about the US aside from a few things here and there. The same goes for Toronto--the CN Tower isn't going to be recognizable as specifically Toronto to the vast majority of people outside Canada. It's not really much of a thing.
Nothing at all! This really could have turned out to be an insightful thread. Based on the criteria I voted for Toronto, and I know Toronto alot better than Philly, but I still think Philly is an underrated city on many levels. I kind of dig it quite a bit from limited visits.
Absolutely and I refuse to get on the trash Philly bandwagon. Toronto doesn't have the same deep history or historical importance of Philly. I also think the architecture prior to WWII is more impressive than T.O because Philly was a more rich and important city. On the flip, Toronto is underrated for many pieces of its own architecture and post WWII the city has developed more prolific POMO and International scrapers than Philly. It also has two outstanding Museums - the ROM and AGO and very active cultural arts/festival scene. As an International and Cosmopolitan city from my vantage point i'd say that T.O is ahead.. Its been growing at a faster clip and is more dynamic. I don't think this is controversial to say at all to be honest in a general way but Philly looks to be a very interesting and urban destination.
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