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Well having lived at Yonge/Sheppard, the pedestrian activity definitely improves in the summer months. They even have neat events at Mel Lastman Sq, like Friday night movies, Sunday night dancing, and some kind of festival almost every weekend. I wouldn't characterize it as dominated by Korean influence either. Maybe a bit north of the square there's more, but by Sheppard it is more corporate chain influenced, sterile or polished which suits many people just fine (a lot of higher rent districts in Toronto are becoming this way anyway for better or worse).
It's not a DINK nabe either. Lots of families, because of attractive schools, parks, and the like. Yonge & Eglinton is similar in that respect, i.e. attractive to families and full of kids. Likewise for places like the Beach, Leaside, Yonge & St. Clair, though I think these are all great areas to live in but high in demand and obviously expensive.
Yorkville, The "Village", Distillery District, Harbourfront, Queen W comes to my mind for DINK lifestyles.
Yonge-Eg has great subway accessibility, but personally I don't think it's the best place to live - not really anything to do in the neighbourhood.
Yonge and Eg has lots to do, as is well known to those of us who live in the nabe. There are two major movie theatres plus two independents on Mount Pleasant. Not sure what other area of the city has two independent movie theaters within two blocks of each other and within a ten minute walk of two major chain cinemas. There is every major cuisine on Yonge north and south of Eglinton down to Davisville, not to mention the many excellent restos on Mount Pleasant between Davisville and Eg. Young and Eg is a mecca for clubs and bars, so there's lots of nightlife of various kinds. There is a major community centre on Eglinton West with indoor pool, hockey rink and baseball diamonds, not to mention that the humongous Sherwood Park - which connects to the ravine system - is a quick ten minute walk away from the corner of Mount Pleasant and Eg. Between Yonge St. and the renaissance of Mount Pleasant between Davisville and Eg, the area has every type of store and service under the sun from the yoga classes and small bakeries to chain type offerings such as Indigo and the Keg.
In addition, I would note that, if you drive, you can easily access the big box stores in Leaside (five minute drive), the best Metro in Toronto (Bayview and Eglinton), and a great little hardware store with friendly and knowledgeable staff at Home Hardware (Bayview and Eg).
There certainly are a few things missing in the area, including live classical music, theatre and art galleries. For these types of cultural offerings, you will have to leave the area. But, that's true of most of the places under discussion here.
Yonge and Eg has lots to do, as is well known to those of us who live in the nabe. There are two major movie theatres plus two independents on Mount Pleasant. Not sure what other area of the city has two independent movie theaters within two blocks of each other and within a ten minute walk of two major chain cinemas. There is every major cuisine on Yonge north and south of Eglinton down to Davisville, not to mention the many excellent restos on Mount Pleasant between Davisville and Eg. Young and Eg is a mecca for clubs and bars, so there's lots of nightlife of various kinds. There is a major community centre on Eglinton West with indoor pool, hockey rink and baseball diamonds, not to mention that the humongous Sherwood Park - which connects to the ravine system - is a quick ten minute walk away from the corner of Mount Pleasant and Eg. Between Yonge St. and the renaissance of Mount Pleasant between Davisville and Eg, the area has every type of store and service under the sun from the yoga classes and small bakeries to chain type offerings such as Indigo and the Keg.
In addition, I would note that, if you drive, you can easily access the big box stores in Leaside (five minute drive), the best Metro in Toronto (Bayview and Eglinton), and a great little hardware store with friendly and knowledgeable staff at Home Hardware (Bayview and Eg).
There certainly are a few things missing in the area, including live classical music, theatre and art galleries. For these types of cultural offerings, you will have to leave the area. But, that's true of most of the places under discussion here.
Yeah, you're right. I shouldn't have said there wasn't much to do there. It's just not my kind of neighbourhood, I guess. I worked there for a long time, but never lived or hung out around there.
Personally, if you like the East End, I would choose the portion of Riverdale north of Gerrard to the Danforth, and west of Carlaw to Broadview....I think this may be the place for you.
We took a stroll down Broadview from Danforth to Queen, until the rain showers forced us to hop the streetcar and head for Eaton Centre. You're right, this seemed like a decent enough area. Of course, we didn't really get too deep into sidestreets as the weather was sketchy, and many of the properties on Broadview were a bit rundown (astounds us how many people just do not give a single toss about their properties, from junk on their porches, fences falling apart with peeling paint, etc) but the sidestreets themselves looked very clean and respectable, at least until we entered Chinatown.
But I look at these old houses and all I see is work. We owned a home in Halifax for 10 years and have had enough of yards, maintenance, renovations, and all that stuff. We are more into travel and getting out to enjoy things, not hanging around the house to mow, shovel, or lay hardwood in the living room. So for now, it will be condo apt or rowhome living. I think that's why we like NYCC and Yonge/Eg along the Yonge corridor and not much else on the outskirts.
Most of the neighborhoods we have seen are nice enough, but I think the congestion would get to me. We still need and value our vehicle, and some of the driveways and garages and streets are so cramped I don't know how people can get in and out of some of them. And the street parking; always packed. I am not the type who enjoys looping around for hours waiting for a spot to open up. If we ever get to the point where we don't need a vehicle, more options will open up. But not there yet.
Your thoughts are appreciated, and I'm sure the "space" issue will resolve over time as we get used to things. But I think we'll stick to the condo hubs along Yonge for the time being. If we get to the point where the city starts to get to us, then we might pull back into a more residential-oriented hood. I look forward to exploring more of Riverdale properly, once the weather starts to agree.
We had the opportunity over the long weekend to walk westbound along Queen from Yonge all the way to Gladstone. Loved the area around Trinity-Bellwoods park, and most of the stretch in general, but one thing that struck us was the amount of homeless and addicts/mentally ill in the area, no doubt due to the nearby addiction recovery facility.
It was a bit strange seeing young well-to-do couples jogging in their Lululemon outfits while dodging the shambling less-fortunates that were also hanging around (in one case, almost passed out on the stairs of an expensive rowhome). There was a distinct mix of privilege and upscale urban life with the seediness and edgy vibe of a lower-income area. So while it seemed great in terms of aesthetics and "vibe", there was also an unsettling sense that you might not always feel safe and might have to deal with some unpleasantness from time to time.
Loved the Loblaws and Winners complex, and of course, restaurants and shops stretch on for days, including the Nota Bene and Burger's Priest, which we intend to try someday soon. The constant streetcar was also nice to see and would be very convenient.
Also, seemed to be a lot of young people going into their buildings with boxes of booze around T-B; guessing this is an area that sees a lot of parties, NTTAWWT.
^^ it is indeed a great urban location with everything at your doorstep yet great access to some greenspace.
If there were a subway near it, I would move to Trinity bellwoods in a heartbeat. I simply can't bear the super slow and unpredictable street cars. Yesterday I was taking the 506 line and the schedule was like this: 12 minutes, 14 minutes, 56 minutes.
I think it's only 56 minutes for the bluelight, no? Although I agree it's too long to wait at any time. I once walked home at 2:00am from downtown (Bloor and Avenue Rd.) to Leslieville (Jones and Queen) mostly along College and Gerrard, and the 506 didn't pass me once during the entire time.
I think it's only 56 minutes for the bluelight, no? Although I agree it's too long to wait at any time. I once walked home at 2:00am from downtown (Bloor and Avenue Rd.) to Leslieville (Jones and Queen) mostly along College and Gerrard, and the 506 didn't pass me once during the entire time.
no, it was a little past 8 pm.
There was another time it shows I needed to wait for 17 minutes for the 501, I decide to go up and take the 505 instead (and told the lady who was waiting for the same streetcar).
The new streetcar while being bigger and nicer, is not gonna change that. What we need is NOT bigger cars, but more frequent service instead. If all streetcars have the same frequency as 510, I will be very happy. I think more than 5 minutes of waiting is unacceptable as a reliable form of transit for the busiest part of downtown Toronto.
no, it was a little past 8 pm.
There was another time it shows I needed to wait for 17 minutes for the 501, I decide to go up and take the 505 instead (and told the lady who was waiting for the same streetcar).
The new streetcar while being bigger and nicer, is not gonna change that. What we need is NOT bigger cars, but more frequent service instead. If all streetcars have the same frequency as 510, I will be very happy. I think more than 5 minutes of waiting is unacceptable as a reliable form of transit for the busiest part of downtown Toronto.
I'm not sure, but I think they are increasing frequency along many streetcar routes. Still, I don't know what you're talking about. For two years I had to take the 501 from Yonge to Riverdale at 9:30pm, and I never waited more than 10 minutes during two years.
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