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Mostly the quality of my favorite things about big cities such as:
1. Outdoor activity/parks
2. Nightlife/restaurants
3. Cultural scene (for example, music, film, galleries...)
4. Shopping
5. Transportation system
6. Tolerance toward people with slightly unusual habits.
I was born and raised there and lived there 40 years and everything you're looking for is there. You will be fine unless your unusual habits are illegal. Think of TO as a mini NY city minus the higher crime rate and having to take a taxi everywhere.
Mostly the quality of my favorite things about big cities such as:
1. Outdoor activity/parks
2. Nightlife/restaurants
3. Cultural scene (for example, music, film, galleries...)
4. Shopping
5. Transportation system
6. Tolerance toward people with slightly unusual habits.
Thanks for the help, Dan.
1. Outdoor activity/parks - Three stars - because it could use more for the volume of people that habitate the city.
2. Nightlife/restaurants - Two stars - too generic, too boring.
3. Cultural scene (for example, music, film, galleries...): Four stars - more than enough.
4. Shopping - Four stars - more than enough
5. Transportation system - Two stars - Too unreliable and badly planned.
6. Tolerance toward people with slightly unusual habits. - Five stars - Anything goes in Toronto and people will be lining up to join even if they don't know what it is.
7) Housing and cost of living - One star - Its crazy expensive here. Never ever buy anything without thoroughly shopping around - and use the opportunity to discover the city.
I was born and raised there and lived there 40 years and everything you're looking for is there. You will be fine unless your unusual habits are illegal. Think of TO as a mini NY city minus the higher crime rate and having to take a taxi everywhere.
Funny as NYC has the lowest crime rate of anyt major metropolitan area in the US; I did a google. Toronto is safe, but like any large city it will have its share of issues. No city is nirvana.
Other than our public transportation, Toronto is one of the top cities in North America for everything else in that list.
1. There are plenty of nice parks spread out around the city. For the most part they're very well kept up, and never seem to be overcrowded. There's also High Park in the west end, which is sort of our version of Central Park.
2. No problems here. There are no shortages of clubs/bars/restaurants in the downtown core, and many nice options in the outskirts as well.
3. Toronto Film Festival, Toronto Jazz Festival, Just for Laughs, Royal Ontario Museum, Art Gallery of Ontario. These are all considered to be some of the best options in their respective categories in North America. Toronto has also been called the most diverse city in the world.
4. The Eaton's Centre is one of the biggest malls in Canada. With its 5 floors (or is it 6?) and almost 2 million square feet you can easily spend an entire day shopping. Even if you don't find what you're looking for there, we have all the big box stores, and all the little places to find the deals that you won't see in a lot of small towns.
5. Now the downside. The TTC (Toronto Transit Commission) sucks. It just plain sucks. Most of the buses/streetcars/subways are very old and have many problems ranging from breakdowns, to deafening noises, to violent shaking. There's a schedule for buses and streetcars, but don't expect them to keep it. Compared to any other mass transit system that I've seen, the TTC is run very inefficiently.
6. Hahaha, when you see some of the wackos here, you'll realize that we accept everyone.
I hope that didn't sound like an ad from the Toronto tourism board. I'm just a regular dude (another Dan actually) who loves his city.
In terms of ridership and frequency of service, The TTC is one of the top transit commissions in North America.
I also disagree with the critique of the TTC. I personally think it is a very servicable system, relatively reliable and efficient. The only complaint is that I think it is quite overpriced. Is it one of the best systems in the world? Probably not....but amongst the best in North America? Yes.
As far as the other criteria is concerned.
1. (C+) I think Toronto has a pretty good park system. As mentioned above High Park is the largest, I also I agree that they are well maintained. Outdoor activities I personally think are lacking to a certain extent though, as a runner I always found that more could be done to make Toronto more jogger friendly. There are steps being taken though to make Toronto a better biking city though, which I hope they follow through with.
2. (B) There are quite a few night clubs in the entertainment district that always seem to be packed and you can usually find something that fits your interests as far as music is concerned. I wish that there were better Pubs and bars though, for example more authentic Irish Pubs or serious cocktail bars other than Sidecar. Restaurant wise Toronto as you know is very diverse so the ethnic options are endless in the city, especially Chinese, Greek, Portuguese and Korean. Fine dining wise though the city falls short with only one restaurant really cooking at a superior fine dining level (Splendido)
3. (A-) As mentioned above you have the Toronto film festival and many great museums. Toronto also has the 3rd largest English speaking Theatre in the world after NY and London. The professional artist community while small for a city of its size is growing yearly and you can tell that there is a growing appreciation for the arts in the city.
4. (D) I personally think shopping is overrated in Toronto. I find that the latest trends that are in Europe and major US cities come to Toronto later than I would like. In addition the prices on clothes is ridiculous, this is why you see so many people clothes shopping in NYC and all around the states from Toronto. Men's clothes especially is lacking in selection and affordability.
5. (B+) See my comments above, I think the TTC is an excellent system.
6. (A) With Toronto's diversity and commitment to multiculturalism you will see all types of people walking the street on a daily basis. People seem to also mind their own business for the most part so I would not expect many stares or looks if you are doing anything that is considered "different" by others standards. Overall it is a very tolerant city.
I also disagree with the critique of the TTC. I personally think it is a very servicable system, relatively reliable and efficient. The only complaint is that I think it is quite overpriced. Is it one of the best systems in the world? Probably not....but amongst the best in North America? Yes.
I can only assume you're only talking about a few major lines in only the downtown core, because as someone who spends 3 hours every day on the TTC, I would have to disagree with you. For the casual rider who only rides once or twice a week, waiting 20-30 minutes for an overcrowded, 30 year old bus that wreaks of exhaust, and sounds like it could fall apart at any minute, might not seem like a big deal. However, I think any commuter will agree that dealing with the incompetence of the TTC on a daily basis can be infuriating. Have you ever had to wait over an hour for 12 subway trains to pass before you can barely squeeze into one?
Like I said, you're probably right about a couple lines downtown, but outside of that the TTC is the epitome of inefficiency. Ask a European what they think about it and they'll probably burst out laughing.
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