Canadians in/from Toronto, Canada!

[mikey78 6]

Hey all.. I live in TO, downtown, burgeoning on mid-town in Little Italy...

Um. I hate it???

I'm originally from the west coast (vancouver island) and then lived in Montreal for 12 years. Much prefer Montreal - I find toronto rude and cold and waaaaaaaaay too big. Too loud, too smoggy and well, i'm not a fan. I do love the area of High Park thoug -- that's a very nice area and I find a little solace there. I tend to go hiking and go along the Beltline trail and cycling and running around the waterfront are great if there weren't SO many people all the time.

I'm not a shopper so going to malls and the shopping areas is not my idea of a good time but I do like China town for some awesome restaurants and such. I'm actually pining to get the heck out of this giant city -- i'm looking forward to somewhere smaller and quieter and less densely populated...

JMHO!

Awww, Lgg...didn't know u live dt TO...so do I, yonge/bloor area and I love it! dt TO rocks!

[lgg 2]

Man... I had some really good times at Pipers... rode my bike up the BIGGEST hill ever, met my friends, played touch football and then we'd build a fire down on the beach at the bottom of the cliffs and drink wine coolers.

Ah....

youth...

It was a beautiful place, Trailmix... perhaps I should let you judge for yourself...

[trailmix 77]

Man... I had some really good times at Pipers... rode my bike up the BIGGEST hill ever, met my friends, played touch football and then we'd build a fire down on the beach at the bottom of the cliffs and drink wine coolers.

Ah....

youth...

It was a beautiful place, Trailmix... perhaps I should let you judge for yourself...

Yes, before we move AGAIN we might take a trip and pre-inspect the place this time

Then again maybe not haha

[lgg 2]

Well? If I may suggest? If you or anyone, ever make it to the Island, do yourself the HUGE favour of renting a car and exploring it from tip to tip. You will, for truth, be overwhelmed, amazed and awed. I can make this promise assuredly.

Man... I had some really good times at Pipers... rode my bike up the BIGGEST hill ever, met my friends, played touch football and then we'd build a fire down on the beach at the bottom of the cliffs and drink wine coolers.

Ah....

youth...

It was a beautiful place, Trailmix... perhaps I should let you judge for yourself...

Yes, before we move AGAIN we might take a trip and pre-inspect the place this time

Then again maybe not haha

[Missa 0]

i used to live in oakville before i moved to this frigid hell for school. ^__^ we're like neighbors ya? even though oakville is too good to be a part of the GTA apparently

[lgg 2]

Is it? I have NO idea -- as non-native Ontarian, I know my little bubble of live/work/play and that is it. What frigid hell are you living in for School?????

i used to live in oakville before i moved to this frigid hell for school. ^__^ we're like neighbors ya? even though oakville is too good to be a part of the GTA apparently

[Krikit 1,164]

i used to live in oakville before i moved to this frigid hell for school. ^__^ we're like neighbors ya? even though oakville is too good to be a part of the GTA apparently

Hurray for Oakville!

We will never be part of the GTA! NEVAH!!!!!

[Missa 0]

we're technically part of " the golden horseshoe" which is Niagara an such.

oh yay krikit i didn't know you were from oakville ^__^ i moved from Oakville to Sudbury 3 years ago for school, Peachy and i live in the same city an she made me dinner an it was goooood

[Kathryn41 3,205]

Well, my Dad lived in Oakville and Ancaster and Toronto for much of his early life and my Mom lived in Toronto. We used to go visit my grandparents in Toronto and when they passed, my aunt who lived first near Bloor downtown and later in the High Park area. I love the subway access to so many things! I did an internship at the Royal Ontario Museum as well and stayed first with family in Etobicoke and then with friends by the Eaton Center. Of course, I love the ROM and the Textile Museum! I loved going to the Ex and in the Winter the Royal to watch the horse shows, primarily. I could live in Toronto but I would want to live in one of the city communities like Cabbagetown (if I could afford it!) or something like that rather than out in the suburbs. I always remember that the subway stop was 2 houses down from my aunts place in High Park and it would take me forever to go to sleep because you were always hearing the trains come and go. I remember asking her if she had the same problem and she looked at me in total surprise - she was so used to them that she never even heard them anymore.

Another good place to visit? Historic Fort York down on the waterfront - a little bit of Toronto's early history in the middle of a modern city - oh, and Black Creek Pioneer Village on the west side of the city.

I prefer living in smaller cities though where I can walk downtown if I need to. A city of around 30,000 is actually about ideal - there is enough to do for entertainment that you don't miss all of the entertainment options of the bigger cities - but it is small enough to feel like you really know the area and have discovered all those interesting little stores and attractions:-). I loved living in Kingston (my home town) and I really enjoyed living in Chatham - St. Catharines was too big and I was too far away from the center although I liked going downtown.

Edited October 19, 2009 by Kathryn41

[warlord 73]

I agree with you 100% Buggles...

And Krikit? I was having that EXACT same thought myself "hmmmm, what the hell am I doing with that new screen name?????"

Myabe I got cloned and didn't realize it.

Yes Kesington Market is one of the ones I went to. For some reason that sounded like it was in London so I didn't want to mistakenly say it in case everyone was wondering what the hell I was talking about.

The one thing I live is just the whole culture variation. I can see Itallian areas, Chinese areas, Polish areas etc all with their select stores and restraunts. I don't see too much of that in American cities (well not that you can walk from area to area easily). Seems I can go one direction and I'm in one area and another for another culture. All within downtown.

Hell I even found 2 different flag stores there that had every single flag of every country imaginable. I've never seen a flag shop like that before, and there were two down the street from each other. Of course I had to buy one...

[IR5FORMUMSIE 850]

I'm not from TO, but my mum is and my grandparents lived there so we always visited. They lived at the corner of Bayview and Eglinton (ok, not 'at'...a block up on Mann Ave - near the Dominion grocery store which probably isn't there anymore)

I always thought Toronto was so neat in comparison to Kitchener - it had museums and the EX and buses that went all night practically! We invariably went shopping at the Eaton Centre at least a few times a year and I remember staying at my grandparents during the summer for a week. I was allowed to walk down to the corner with my grandpa and get the paper from the 'box'...anotheh novel thing since our paper was delivered by a paperboy.

But those are the old days....I still like going, love to go see a show or a hockey game and feel like I've been to the 'big city' for the day.

And then I come home, take 3 advil and thank gawd that I don't live in that 'big city'

It's still there but since Dominion was bought out it is now a Metro.

[IR5FORMUMSIE 850]

Yeah, there's definitely good and bad to both.

Me..... I want to move to a quaint little cottage in a little town in England. Somewhere where I can walk to the local pub or the chippy, and go to teas at the village church. I would like that.

Torquay?

[IR5FORMUMSIE 850]

I grew up and still live in north Toronto.. technically the GTA, outside of the TTC (transit) fare zone, which sort of svcks, transit up here just isn't that great. The city has gotten more and more overwhelming to me. But I grew up here. I love some of the architecture downtown, the islands, the annex, cabbagetown, the gay village, edwards gardens, pottery road (haha) and brickworks.. I like the green spaces right inside the city. I'm far enough away from it that I can go when I please, but not be flooded by it.

I hear Boston (where I'll be living hopefully by end of year ) is pretty similar, in size (if you don't count the GTA 905 region), and green spaces, but Boston is more expensive and more competitive. And by the ocean

Just ss long as you don't live in Queensville.

[IR5FORMUMSIE 850]

Kensington Market, my father still calls it the Jewish Market. When I was a kid he used to go down there and buy cheese or fresh chicken. I remember going down there with Pop to get a couple of chickens. They'd slit the throats of the birds and then let them run around until they dropped. The first time I saw that it scared the sh*t out of me, the old men would just laugh like crazy. My father just smiled. They'd then pluck the feathers and use a blow torch to burn off the smaller ones. I don't think that they'll allow that these days. I was always amazed at how the cheese store, I think it was on Augusta Ave., had guys who could always give you the exact amount of cheese you wanted without having to measure it out. If you wanted a pound of cheese, WHAM! a cleaver chopped out a hunk and on the scale it was always a pound. Quite a few retro clothing stores too, in case you might be looking for a zoot suit. St. Lawrence Market is another great place, especially for seafood. Always used to go there for a few halibut steaks. Edwards Gardens is a lovely place. I did all the sights as a kid, even playing ice hockey on the Don River, technically it was German Mills Creek but still. Fishing at Grenadier Pond, all I ever saw were people catching sunfish. I had this HUGE red and white dardevle spoon (lure) that I was sure was going to catch one of the monster pike that lived in the pond. Apparently in the 1950s and 1960s they would bring these huge Northern Pike down from up North somewhere for the CNE and then they would release them in Grenadier Pond. Urban legend had it that some little old lady had a small dog that went swimming and was swallowed whole in front of her. I have no idea if it happened but that didn't stop me from trying to catch that monster. There are lots of other crazy and fun things to do. The Science Centre, Art Gallery of Ontario, McMichael Collection, Hockey Hall of Fame, lots of interesting places. Street racing is frowned up and I never engaged in it. A race beyond a 1/4 mile is pointless so sayeth Mom, the "legendary" Markham Bounty Hunter. She beat a lot of guys at the stoplight gran prix. There are some industrial areas where the Fast and Furious wannabes still show up but I'm not into that scene.

[MapleLeafBaby 1]

OMG a T.O thread.... Up until this past May, I lived in Toronto, born and raised...and lived there for 35 years...yikes!

I also worked downtown for 10 years....the one thing I miss, is living in a City like I know like the back of my hand! I am so lost in Philly even with my GPS....everyone says...here is ok, there is not ok...BAH....when I was in T.O, I knew that place inside out...I could get from Mississauga to Oshawa on side streets lol HAHA!

The night life was pretty cool...dinners...lounges....

I actually like it here a lot better. Everything is so close, and because we travel around a lot, every weekend we are either in Philly, NYC or AC... I love that...In Toronto it was just one City, here, we have the choice of 3 or 4 different places all within 1-2 hour drive.

The one thing I will not miss is afternoon traffic on the DVP!!!!!! lol... but overall Toronto rocked! I had my entire adolescents in that city and I have some pretty wild memories!