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Toronto actually has a subway, and it's much more extensive than Chicago's above-ground.
Chicago has subway too dorko.
The thing Toronto bests Chicago in is the pedway underground... Chicago has a little bit of it, but it isn't as extensive. But you can get around underground in a lot of places in the loop too. Maybe some day.
New dev on the east side...
scene in Dark Knight on motorcycles is going through there..
Chicago has subway too dorko.
The thing Toronto bests Chicago in is the pedway underground... Chicago has a little bit of it, but it isn't as extensive. But you can get around underground in a lot of places in the loop too. Maybe some day.
New dev on the east side...
scene in Dark Knight on motorcycles is going through there..
A real subway is underground, that's the entire point... to minimize congestion thus making transit more efficient, Chicago doesn't have that. You really think I just assume and pull things out of my ass? LOL.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ThroatGuzzler
Toronto actually has a subway, and it's much more extensive than Chicago's above-ground.
.. and you can't read.
Chicago has the better waterfront without a doubt.. but Toronto's making an effort to change that; possibly demolish the Gardiner. Chicago also wins in the skyline department due to height and distribution but that's pretty obvious.
Which city makes better use of its lakefront?
Tie. Chicago has better beaches, but Toronto has cool islands offshore.
Which city has found better ways of coping with the harsh winter?
Toronto. They have a subway, which protects you from the elements better than an elevated system. Also, I believe Toronto has an extensive skywalk system, while Chicago doesn't have any that I can remember.
Which city has better public transportation? Toronto. 3rd largest system in North America, only Mexico City and NYC are larger.
Which city has better access to easy day-trip worthy locations? Chicago. Milwaukee, Madison, and Lake Geneva are less than 2 hours away. St. Louis, Indianapolis, and the Northwoods of Wisconsin are in the 3-5 hour range. Toronto's closest neighbors are Buffalo and Niagara Falls. Detroit and Cleveland fall into the 3-5 hour range. Montreal is just slightly farther, otherwise I'd give it to Toronto just because of Montreal.
As Cart said, this is a good breakdown but I also disagree with the lakefront question and I think that Chicago has the better lakefront. I even think Lake Michigan is a nicer lake overall than Lake Ontario. Having said that, Toronto is planning to rebuild its waterfront and there are even proposals to bury part of the Gardiner Expressway.
I would also add to the places that you mentioned, Toronto has access to major vacation areas in the Adirondacks, Thousand Islands, Northern Ontario lakes, The Finger Lakes and ski resorts in Upstate NY. Also the Canadian Capitol City of Ottawa. There is also a major greenbelt being built around the Toronto metro area and along the Niagara Escarpment (The Bruce Trail).
A real subway is underground, that's the entire point... to minimize congestion thus making transit more efficient, Chicago doesn't have that. You really think I just assume and pull things out of my ass? LOL.
Yeah but Chicago DOES have a subway underground... The red line and blue line run under the loop and surrounding areas, in addition to the elevated tracks. That's what grapico was trying to say...
These Toronto - Chicago versus threads end up with disparaging commenets from both sides probably quicker than any other versus... with the uber-obvious exception of Chicago-NYC (little brother, big brother thread).
Chicago and Toronto are very similar. Chicago is bigger-- and feels bigger and more vibrant than Toronto. On the other hand Toronto is more diverse.
Toronto is probably, wait, scratch that -- IS -- the most insecure city on the planet, from forumers, media, everywhere. If there are cities on other planets in the Milky Way, I'd find it highly unlikely to find a more sensitive city than Toronto. Toronto "always" wants to be compared or recognized favorably against New York and Chicago. When it's not, look out (it's a syndrome that Chicago feels "somewhat" w/ NYC).
But guess what Toronto... get over it. You are a great city-- I'd venture one of the greatest in the world. I could go on about the superlatives (and probably will need to), but these Chi-Tor versus threads are counter-productive. Toronto and Chicago are very similar and each has their plusses, minuses, but the balance is weighed far more toward the positive.
A real subway is underground, that's the entire point... to minimize congestion thus making transit more efficient, Chicago doesn't have that. You really think I just assume and pull things out of my ass? LOL.
I think Toronto has a larger transit system over all, but I'm pretty sure Chicago has more rail lines. The El runs underground in places, and even NYC has elevated lines in the outer boroughs.
Chicago has subway too dorko.
The thing Toronto bests Chicago in is the pedway underground... Chicago has a little bit of it, but it isn't as extensive. But you can get around underground in a lot of places in the loop too. Maybe some day.
New dev on the east side...
scene in Dark Knight on motorcycles is going through there..
Isn't that the same underground mall that was in the old Blues Brothers movie too?
Which city makes better use of its lakefront?
Chicago wins this one. Despite recent improvements, Toronto has a long way to go before getting to Chicago's level. You have to consider that Chicago's lakefront is all public parkland for the entire length of the city. Also, Chicago has beaches that are closer to the core.
Which city has found better ways of coping with the harsh winter?
Toronto, because it has more underground pedways, skywalks, and underground rail.
Which city has better public transportation?
I would give a slight edge to Toronto, even though it's annoying that there is no direct rail to the airport there.
Which city has better access to easy day-trip worthy locations?
Easily Toronto. For nature, the combination of upstate New York, Niagara Falls, and the Algonquin Park and Sandbanks Park areas of Ontario blows anything close to Chicago out of the water. For cities, Montreal is close enough for a weekend trip from Toronto.....enough said.
Some other considerations for me:
Layout
An advantage that I always thought Toronto has over Chicago is the layout of the city neighborhoods. Toronto seems less disjointed and there is not the feeling of separation between neighborhoods that is sometimes the case in Chicago.
Architecture
Aside from having a better skyline, Chicago trumps Toronto for architecture in general. This holds true not only with highrises, but also with the typical residential housing stock found throughout the city.
Which city makes better use of its lakefront?
Chicago wins this one. Despite recent improvements, Toronto has a long way to go before getting to Chicago's level. You have to consider that Chicago's lakefront is all public parkland for the entire length of the city. Also, Chicago has beaches that are closer to the core.
Which city has found better ways of coping with the harsh winter?
Toronto, because it has more underground pedways, skywalks, and underground rail.
Which city has better public transportation?
I would give a slight edge to Toronto, even though it's annoying that there is no direct rail to the airport there.
Which city has better access to easy day-trip worthy locations?
Easily Toronto. For nature, the combination of upstate New York, Niagara Falls, and the Algonquin Park and Sandbanks Park areas of Ontario blows anything close to Chicago out of the water. For cities, Montreal is close enough for a weekend trip from Toronto.....enough said.
Some other considerations for me:
Layout
An advantage that I always thought Toronto has over Chicago is the layout of the city neighborhoods. Toronto seems less disjointed and there is not the feeling of separation between neighborhoods that is sometimes the case in Chicago.
Architecture
Aside from having a better skyline, Chicago trumps Toronto for architecture in general. This holds true not only with highrises, but also with the typical residential housing stock found throughout the city.
Well said. I don't think there will ever be a direct rail from the Int'l airport right to downtown as the airport isn't even located in Toronto, rather one of the suburbs. There is however an island airport which is a 10 minute ferry ride to Union Station downtown.
sometimes pictures are better than trying to explain ...
chicago actually has the longest subway platform in the world @ 3500 feet.
as another poster said, a very large portion of nyc is also above ground...
Last edited by grapico; 01-13-2010 at 10:16 PM..
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