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Your location says "NW Toronto"? Where exactly - North York, NW Etobicoke, NW GTA (aka Brampton)?
Frankly, nowhere in NW area in the City of Toronto would be my cup of tea either. The people are much more pleasant and hospitable and community oriented on the outer fringes of the city. Places like Ancaster, Burlington, Oakville, Aurora etc would have alot more appeal to somebody like yourself than living in the 416.
Ooh .... Driving on a curvy road, using the gears .... The thought of it gives me a twinge of excitement
Oh yeah, and it's not that far from Toronto - you could come visit it sometimes. There are at least four roundabouts that you can try as well. There is even a website trying to educate the Canadians on how to use them properly :-)
Goto st john's there's endless fog and rain, and people will be all up in your personal life in seconds.
I am the son of a Newfoundlander and I have spent quite a bit of time on "The Rock". I have also spent significant time in the UK (and not just in London). I agree with those who say that Newfoundland might be a better fit for you. Many British customs are still observed, and the people there seem more connected to England than in some other parts of Canada. It's also easy to get to London, with several flights weekly out of St. John's. Newfoundlanders are the friendliest people I have ever met, and I was not surprised about the stories of many people stranded there on 9/11 about the hospitality they received from complete strangers.
Just take a short drive up #10 hwy to the "Forks of the Credit River" hang a left and enjoy the road.
Roundabouts over here are confusing to nort americano's for all the wrong reasons.
From driving extensively in all parts of the U.K. over many years of travel there; the efficiency of the common roundabout to the triple ones never ceased to amaze me.
The pure wastage of fuel coming to a stop at an intersection, idling, then accelerating to get yourself and your behemouth up to speed again is mindnumbingly stupid by comparison.
Those canny Brits learned something from those goods trains of yore by circling the wagons at major crossings and just entering the circle to peel off at your chosen route thus saving your oxen or Clydesdales the strain of stopping and starting the heavy loads.
A great pity we didn't emulate them on that and perhaps a few other things like lane discipline when overtaking. Nothing worse than being stuck behind a left lane bandit over here. Over there you overtake and move back as soon as you've accomplished the task.
The lifestyle over there would lure any sane person with a decent income. Walk or ride the efficient public transit to work in the morning and on the walk home, stop at a local pup for a quick pint then continue your walk home picking up your "messages" for the evening meal, eat early and head to another "local" for a couple of pints with friends and a few games of darts to then return home for a bit of telly and off to bed while never having to set your lazy arse behind the wheel of a car.
Having said all of the above; you really need a dose of rural Ontario to shed the Toronto aloofness. You can easily find your traditional environment, albeit without the sensible liquor laws of the U.K., but nonetheless a utopia where your neighbours know your name and your schedule and worry when you've not been seen for a couple of days or are bedridden with the flu and will leave a pot of chicken soup on your porch for your hubby to feed the kiddies with while you're laid up. Those places exist in quantity; you've just got to look for them.
I am the son of a Newfoundlander and I have spent quite a bit of time on "The Rock". I have also spent significant time in the UK (and not just in London). I agree with those who say that Newfoundland might be a better fit for you. Many British customs are still observed, and the people there seem more connected to England than in some other parts of Canada. It's also easy to get to London, with several flights weekly out of St. John's. Newfoundlanders are the friendliest people I have ever met, and I was not surprised about the stories of many people stranded there on 9/11 about the hospitality they received from complete strangers.
Hey bye; you don't have to be stranded there to experience their hospitality. It's just a natural behaviour for them's on the rock.
If you're not prepared for a complete stranger to engage you in friendly discourse, you better stay away from that part of the world.
I bet you could tell a Newfie you left your wallet back at the hotel and he'd probably pay for your meal.
Just drive west to Dundas if you want some curvy roads and nice scenery. It's only an hour west of Toronto.
Or take a weekend trip down to Ellicottville, NY and enjoy the mountains to your heart's content. It's only two to three hours from Toronto.
Nice British food shop there too
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