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My mom lives on Yonge Street south of Eglinton (as described in the original article). When I visit her, a valet parks my car. I can assure you it isn't those things that you mentioned. Try Scarborough or one of the other suburbs.
The article said "Yonge St. anywhere south of Eglinton Ave."
I guess if you consider the Davisville area, it's pretty swank. South of Bloor, I beg you to disagree!
The article said "Yonge St. anywhere south of Eglinton Ave."
I guess if you consider the Davisville area, it's pretty swank. South of Bloor, I beg you to disagree!
I still disagree. A friend of mine lives just east of Yonge between Adelaide and King. He walks to work (in fact, he never bothered to get his driver's license). My wife used to live just west of Yonge and St. Joseph (north or Wellesley). It's all very civilized. A lot of people seem to get their impressions of downtown from television. Toronto is not like most big U.S. cities.
I still disagree. A friend of mine lives just east of Yonge between Adelaide and King. He walks to work (in fact, he never bothered to get his driver's license). My wife used to live just west of Yonge and St. Joseph (north or Wellesley). It's all very civilized. A lot of people seem to get their impressions of downtown from television. Toronto is not like most big U.S. cities.
I actually get my impressions from living in Toronto - walking and working in the area. I also don't get nosebleeds from travelling north of Eglinton!
Walk up Yonge from Queen to Bloor. Look around. If you think it's the most desirable stretch of real estate to live in the entire city, then so be it. Go raise a family there. So many people seem to be doing it because it's sooo clean, safe and quiet.
To most Torontonians, pretty much the whole stretch described is an eyesore full of too many tacky stores and sketchy people. A nice restaurant or a theatre amongst 2nd rate retail doesn’t make for the most desirable street in the city.
Honestly, what you described is literally ON Yonge Street, with Yonge Street on the address, probaby between Queen and Bloor. However, in many cases, if you stay from Yonge for only 200 meters, it will have none of the unpleasant things you mentioned but you are still steps away from everything you need. For example, Around St Clair subway station, I don't think you inhale the second hand smoke everytime you leave the apartment. Up in the north, you are always far from everything because everything is so spaced out (yeah, you get cleaner air and less noise but so does Barrie). DRIVING to a movie theatre or even a durgstore each time, that's really annoying. Plus, downtown gets much fast and more effcient snow removal service in winter while in the north snow just sits there until May.
I work in downtown and it takes me 15 minutes to walk to office. 5-10 minutes to go to restaurants, grocery stores, theatres, drugstores, doctor's office... I get to sleep till 8 AM every morning and I am usually back home by 5:30pm, instead of sitting in a car for an hour each way everyday. I don't own a car, and hardly take the TTC either. Really love the time and money I have saved when living downtown.
And maybe it is just me, if I decide to buy a property in T.O., I will definitely choose anywhere between Queen and Bloor, and not far from Yonge. I am loving it!
Quote:
Originally Posted by west_end_don
I want to live on Yuck Street, um, I mean Yonge Street!
I often dream of living above one of the tacky low rent shops adjacent to the drop-in centre for street kids, where I can have the privilege of inhaling their second hand smoke every time I leave the apartment!
I'd love to step out of my doors and dodge tourists and teenaged 905'ers gawking on the sidewalk six deep!
I also love constant traffic! Especially at night, when every other vehicle is blasting their stereo at full volume.
To me, neighborhood means vagrants, petty drug dealers, assorted lowlifes, haggard office workers rushing to work, haggard office workers on lunch breaks, haggard office workers heading home, tourist looking for tacky souvenirs and club kids tweaking on ecstasy.
Honestly, what you described is literally ON Yonge Street, with Yonge Street on the address, probaby between Queen and Bloor. However, in many cases, if you stay from Yonge for only 200 meters, it will have none of the unpleasant things you mentioned but you are still steps away from everything you need. For example, Around St Clair subway station, I don't think you inhale the second hand smoke everytime you leave the apartment. Up in the north, you are always far from everything because everything is so spaced out (yeah, you get cleaner air and less noise but so does Barrie). DRIVING to a movie theatre or even a durgstore each time, that's really annoying. Plus, downtown gets much fast and more effcient snow removal service in winter while in the north snow just sits there until May.
I work in downtown and it takes me 15 minutes to walk to office. 5-10 minutes to go to restaurants, grocery stores, theatres, drugstores, doctor's office... I get to sleep till 8 AM every morning and I am usually back home by 5:30pm, instead of sitting in a car for an hour each way everyday. I don't own a car, and hardly take the TTC either. Really love the time and money I have saved when living downtown.
And maybe it is just me, if I decide to buy a property in T.O., I will definitely choose anywhere between Queen and Bloor, and not far from Yonge. I am loving it!
KKGG - You're right. You get off Yonge, on some of the side streets, and you'll find nice, livable urban neighbourhoods.
From the article, I took it as living on the actual street, as in your address being ----- Yonge St., not off on a side street.
From the article itself: "Yonge St. anywhere south of Eglinton Ave.
How great would it be to live above a store, restaurant or bar on Toronto's main street?"
I 100% agree that car commuting sucks. Suck big time.
I did a double take as well when I read Yonge so of Eglington! Yuck.
I would not want to live anywhere on Yonge. I know in North York there are nice condos off Yonge but still would not want to hear road noise and want more character in any street that I live on.
I did a double take as well when I read Yonge so of Eglington! Yuck.
I would not want to live anywhere on Yonge. I know in North York there are nice condos off Yonge but still would not want to hear road noise and want more character in any street that I live on.
I'd take downtown Yonge St. traffic over Yonge-Sheppard, Yonge-Finch or Yonge-Steeles traffic any day. That part of North York is one huge traffic corridor. Downtown you have pedestrians, bikes and a million distractions that causes traffic to go relatively slowly.
In terms of the article, many people wouldn't want to live above a retail store regardless of where that was. I'm assuming he's thinking of someone young and single rather than a husband+wife with 2.4 kids and a dog.
I would also take exception to his assumption that Yonge St. is the centre of activity. With the Entertainment District at Spadina/King, the downtown has moved decidedly westwards to the point that Yonge St. is no longer the centre of activity. From my perspective, Yonge St. is now at the eastern edge of downtown since, really, there isn't much further east worth going to. I think of the downtown core as now being between Dufferin and Jarvis and from Bloor St. down to the lake. Yonge St. is now longer in the middle of that square. Is an address on Parliament any more 'downtown' than something on Roncesvalles? 20 years ago it would have been but not any more.
Yonge just South of Eglinton is a very nice area, rather upscale. Living anywhere along the entire stretch of Yonge would be fine without a car with the subway right under your feet.
From the article, I took it as living on the actual street, as in your address being ----- Yonge St., not off on a side street.
Yes, this is where I got mixed up as well. I was hoping to read about ten of the city's best areas to live in.
On the other hand, does the article instead suggest there is some sort of cachet to having that address? Like if I told people, for example, "I live at Yonge and St. Clair," that would somehow impress them? I should add that this is not my goal.
Yes, this is where I got mixed up as well. I was hoping to read about ten of the city's best areas to live in.
Best areas? Off the top of my head and not in any exact order:
Rosedale
Forest Hill
Summerhill
Leaside
High Park
Moore Park
The Annex
The Beach
North Toronto/Davisville Village
Chaplin Estates
Plater Estates
The Kingsway
I wasn't thinking of condo living, I was thinking of neighbourhoods offering 25'x100' lots (or so).
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