i has been living in toronto for 2 weeks + 2 days now. for those of you who don't know the paul, i am a canadian born european with some radical leanings who just moved from montreal. just trying to make clear my bias...
ahem. there are things that i really like about toronto. and there are things that i really don't like. alright. lets start with the good stuff.
toronto is multicultural
this is the big awesome for me. apparently, 49.9% of torontonians are foreign born. if you're sick of hanging out with people who's ancestors are predominantly northern and central europeans (like me), toronto rules.
check it. my two good buds here grew up in south korea, one roommate is indian, the other greek, my boss is venezualan. there is a big and boss china town near my house, as well as a little korea, portugal, and italy. shits awesome.
toronto is easy to get around in
its easy to find your way around toronto. toronto is organized very logically. to a degree that feels a little OCD. driving, biking, walking, TTC (toronto transit commission), its all good. although the city is quite spread out, because it seems to insist on light/medium urban density, which is good and bad.
food is cheap
i don't really understand this one; because almost everything else in toronto is super expensive. but i'm not complaining. going out for cheap eats is pretty much the same as montreal. and toronto has street-food! street-food is the shit.
okay, its bad stuff time.
toronto is expensive
this has many ramifications, all of which suck. lets look at 'em.
no urban decay
boo. i love urban decay. i kind of need it. toronto is super clean, super organized. super-lock down. i honestly haven't done a ton of exploring yet though.
people work a lot
sweet having friends from all those different cultures who you never see because they're working so much. and you're working a lot. having skills that get you a decent $/h is pretty important for living here. if i didn't have that, i'd stab my eyes out.
rent is high
this is really just an extension of people work a lot. people work a lot because the rent is high. and they like to go out and be all fancy.
toronto has no style
i know thats a little harsh. toronto has some style. but its all money-style, which is fashion. i think fashion is for the birds. where my super cute people rockin' their own style from shit they found for like 10 dollars? seriously, where they at!?
toronto is neurotic
theres a fucking bylaw for everything here. people stop at red lights on their bikes because cops ticket them for that. they can ticket you for not having a helmet on, not having lights on your bike, and not having a bike bell. i understand this is in the interest of safety, but it makes me feel like i live in a police state. i feel like i can get a ticket for my pants being too tight, or grabbing my crotch like michael jackson.
if you're doing road construction you need a cop there. its the law. i'm afraid to look at all the shit thats illegal here, because i know its gonna suck.
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