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I really like the latino influence in places like Miami and LA. They give the cities energy and vibrancy that seems to be lacking in a lot of other North American cities IMO. Its a shame about the traffic in both places though. Miami and LA vs Toronto in January just does not compare! It seems you have way more people outside just enjoying themselves.
I really like the latino influence in places like Miami and LA. They give the cities energy and vibrancy that seems to be lacking in a lot of other North American cities IMO. Its a shame about the traffic in both places though. Miami and LA vs Toronto in January just does not compare! It seems you have way more people outside just enjoying themselves.
Just because its winter in Toronto doesn't mean we go into hibernation and people don't go out and enjoy themselves. Christmas and cold weather actually go well together and bring people out for the festivities. As for crowds - come to Toronto at New Years Eve and go to Nathan Phillip Square and say people don't come out to celebrate and enjoy life even in spite of the weather.
That all said sure, if its -20 and a blizzard well due to simple survival people are not going to be out for too long in those conditions.
Faulting Toronto for so called having less people out in a typical day in January enjoying themselves when its freezing outside, than say L.A or Miami in January, is as ridiculous as faulting Miami or L.A for not having as large a gay pride parade or various other multicultural parades as Toronto does in the summer months. We can all select city A and try and skew it advantageously over city B to fit our own needs I guess.
Just because its winter in Toronto doesn't mean we go into hibernation and people don't go out and enjoy themselves. Christmas and cold weather actually go well together and bring people out for the festivities. As for crowds - come to Toronto at New Years Eve and go to Nathan Phillip Square and say people don't come out to celebrate and enjoy life even in spite of the weather.
That all said sure, if its -15 and a blizzard well due to simple survival people are not going to be out for too long in those conditions.
That is just Christmas and New Years though. What about the middle of January and the rest of the winter? Are you honestly saying there will be more people at the beach in Toronto than Miami Beach in the winter? I find that hard to believe...
That is just Christmas and New Years though. What about the middle of January and the rest of the winter? Are you honestly saying there will be more people at the beach in Toronto than Miami Beach in the winter? I find that hard to believe...
Of course there aren't as many people at the Beach in Toronto in the winter vs Miami Beach. Just like you're probably not going to see as many people at a Christmas Market in December in Miami as you would in Toronto. Heck even in the Summer in T.O there are less people at the Beach. Toronto's beaches don't compare - its not a beach vacation destination obviously (even though we do have nude beaches lol). Would you see as many people skiing at a ski slope in January 120 kilometres outside Miami as you would 120 kilometres outside Toronto - well of course not..
I can say as a Torontonian that sure from June until October the streets of the city are generally more bustling than colder months. All said, people still go out and celebrate in the winter and and NYE celebrations in Toronto are probably among the biggest I've ever seen anywhere.
One thing I can say about Toronto, its big enough now and has enough density and concentration of people in a pretty compact area (particularly by N.A standards) that its getting busier and busier year round.
Yeah its kind of strange. In the U.S south the most appealing cities to me would actually be smaller to medium sized cities. New Orleans comes to mind and maybe Charleston S.C. but I think they are more appealing touristic places than large cosmo cities. The only city that I think really appeals to me in the U.S that lacks a cold winter is S.F.. Not that it can't get chilly there but it certainly doesn't give you a Boston or NYC winter for sure.
As I said though, outside the U.S (I don't really count Canada because all its cities weather in the sucks - some more than others obviously) the most appealing cities are generally pretty hot.
In most of the world, cities closer to the equator are denser, however, in the US cities further south are less dense than in the north generally speaking.
In most of the world, cities closer to the equator are denser, however, in the US cities further south are less dense than in the north generally speaking.
There is something about the energy of a place when there is a certain density. Of course there are a number of factors and not just density alone, but if we think about the places that have that pulse and energy about them, there has to be a minimum density sweet spot for that to happen.
I really like the latino influence in places like Miami and LA. They give the cities energy and vibrancy that seems to be lacking in a lot of other North American cities IMO. Its a shame about the traffic in both places though. Miami and LA vs Toronto in January just does not compare! It seems you have way more people outside just enjoying themselves.
Actually, one of the things that surprised me the most in my travels in the southern tier of the U.S. is how so few people are out and about taking advantage of the "good weather".
Sure, there are people where you'd expect to find them: Las Vegas Strip, LA Live, South Beach, Bourbon St., Downtown Disney, etc.
But most areas seem pretty quiet even when conditions are supposedly ideal.
I don't see a big difference with Canadian cities where there will be lots of people out at Yonge-Dundas on a crisp and sunny -5C day in January.
Of course there will be few people at Yonge-Dundas in a blizzard or if it's -25C, but that's also true of southern locales if it's 45C or if it's pouring rain.
In my view, the main driver isn't so much climate as it is good or deficient urban design. Many places in the southern U.S. have highly deficient urbanity due to a variety of factors. That's why you often see few people out and about - regardless of the weather IMO.
Actually, one of the things that surprised me the most in my travels in the southern tier of the U.S. is how so few people are out and about taking advantage of the "good weather".
Sure, there are people where you'd expect to find them: Las Vegas Strip, LA Live, South Beach, Bourbon St., Downtown Disney, etc.
But most areas seem pretty quiet even when conditions are supposedly ideal.
I don't see a big difference with Canadian cities where there will be lots of people out at Yonge-Dundas on a crisp and sunny -5C day in January.
Of course there will be few people at Yonge-Dundas in a blizzard or if it's -25C, but that's also true of southern locales if it's 45C or if it's pouring rain.
In my view, the main driver isn't so much climate as it is good or deficient urban design. Many places in the southern U.S. have highly deficient urbanity due to a variety of factors. That's why you often see few people out and about - regardless of the weather IMO.
That is true as a lot of Southern US cities and US cities in general are a lot more car dependent and most people prefer to drive than walk. I was thinking more about popular tourist areas and the beach. The difference is most people you will find in winter at places like Yonge and Dundas are local residents or people there on business whereas if you walk down Miami Beach or the Las Vegas strip most are tourists looking for some R&R and fun. I highly doubt many people from middle of the US or Europe is going to go to Toronto in January just to hang out at Yonge and Dundas for the vibe but they may go to Miami Beach or Las Vegas strip for that reason...
That is true as a lot of Southern US cities and US cities in general are a lot more car dependent and most people prefer to drive than walk. I was thinking more about popular tourist areas and the beach. The difference is most people you will find in winter at places like Yonge and Dundas are local residents or people there on business whereas if you walk down Miami Beach or the Las Vegas strip most are tourists looking for some R&R and fun. I highly doubt many people from middle of the US or Europe is going to go to Toronto in January just to hang out at Yonge and Dundas for the vibe but they may go to Miami Beach or Las Vegas strip for that reason...
That's probably because Toronto has not done much with respect to its winter tourism offering - at least when the weather of the season itself is concerned.
I am not going to pretend that warm sunny beaches aren't more appealing than ski slopes, but places like Whistler, Mont-Tremblant and even Quebec City in winter are filled with people from all over the world who are there precisely for "the weather".
That's probably because Toronto has not done much with respect to its winter tourism offering - at least when the weather of the season itself is concerned.
I am not going to pretend that warm sunny beaches aren't more appealing than ski slopes, but places like Whistler, Mont-Tremblant and even Quebec City in winter are filled with people from all over the world who are there precisely for "the weather".
True... I havent seen the numbers but I would be willing to bet that Miami Beach and Las Vegas have more tourists in January than Toronto, Whistler, Mont-Tremblant and Quebec City.
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