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Toronto-Age
- Thread starter EvilMario
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SpeedingUptoStop
will totally Facebook friend you! *giggle* *LOL*
As a frequent visitor to Toronto, I will enjoy this thread greatly.
crimzonflame
Member
Rexdale represent. I wish I could add to to the food section right now but I know the places to eat for the follwoing foods: Indian (north and south), Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese (plus hakka), Japanese, Shwarma and West Indian (Jamaican, Trini, Guyanese). Im sure the rest of you can fill help out with the European foods.
You can diss our pizza but Toronto got international cuisine covered and if you goto the ghetto, cheap, ethic places I guarantee they taste better than the more expensive alternative.
You can diss our pizza but Toronto got international cuisine covered and if you goto the ghetto, cheap, ethic places I guarantee they taste better than the more expensive alternative.
Thanks everyone for the recommendations. Keep them coming, and I'll try to get them into the OP when I have time. If someone wants to write up sort bits on Things to Do in general, for visitors and city residents alike, that would also be great. I'll be writing a few of my own for Swansea/Bloor West when I have the chance.
edit: If you're recommending a place, like a food joint, just a short phrase about what it's about, why you like it, etc, would be great.
edit: If you're recommending a place, like a food joint, just a short phrase about what it's about, why you like it, etc, would be great.
Kuro Madoushi said:
I don't disagree that Toronto can be expensive, but Canada is general has a lot of rising cost with taxes in each province and food prices basically doubling within the last five years. The city does try to nickel and dime. Realistically though, property taxes are lower in Toronto than Mississauga for instances though. You're more likely to find a cheap 280k bungalow in Toronto than Mississauga as well (although Brampton is cheap.. but who wants to live in Brampton).
There are a ton of bargain including grocery stores. I do a lot of shopping in Chinatown and PAT near Christie simply because they don't have absurd prices like Sobey's. Even crap grocery stores like No Frills have been raising their prices on produce and meats to Metro/Sobey/Loblaws levels.
Transit is expensive in this city for what it is. Considering most TTC stations look like stations from Fallout 3, collectors and drivers are rude pushing, and streetcars/subways unsightliness is only usurped by the washrooms at Kipling and Kennedy stations. It is fairly expansive, for not receiving many major updates for three decades, although the subway is tiny compared to major cities of a similar size.
Compared to Vancouver, San Francisco, New York.. and various international cities, Toronto is not that far out there in terms of price.
EricHasNoPull
Banned
Spl1nter said:
How about "Sushi on Bloor"? Bloor and Bathurst, always a huge line up, small place, but delicious sushi, that's the one I usually go to with friends.
(then again I am not a sushi expert, shouldv'e kept my mouth shut)
I also agree with California Sandwiches, the one inside Portuguese village near College? good stuff!
Spl1nter said:Forgot to mention California Sandwiches. Probably one of the best italian sandwich places in the city (multiple locations) The downsview location is close to where I live which is awesome. Also nino d'aversa on keele and finch is decent. Dont know if I trust those other manga cake woodbridge locations
anybody recommend any good sushi/Japanese places. Used to go to Sushi Island on College,, close to Bathurst
CJ's Lunchbox near Queen/Spadina is a good weekday spot for cheap sushi during lunch. It's good take-out sushi with very friendly staff and it's not horribly over priced. I eat at Sushi Sky on Yonge (north of College) as well. It's not the best sushi, but it's decent price.
EricHasNoPull
Banned
EvilMario said:
You clearly don't take the Queen East streetcar late nights or early mornings, if you could only see the bullshit these Streetcar drivers put up with with the homeless, the drunks the mentally ill (Queen and Sherbourne)on daily basis, you would maybe understand where their frustration comes from.
But to level with you a little here, we can both also point out this
]
EricHasNoPull said:
No doubt I would hate working with most of the public as well. Being cramped on the 501 every weekday evening heading west bound is also an adventure, because we get a lot of homeless that need to make it to Parkdale. None the less, these people are compensated well, and it's not just the rude punk kids, homeless people and stuck up business men they're often scowling at. It's people vacationing here, spending money in the city, and paying more fare in the system.
The booth collector who refused to tell a women at Runnymede station that they were sold out of metropasses, instead insisted on pointing at a poorly written sign handing on the window.. over and over sticks out in my mind. The women was so confused about it, and the booth collector eventually started yelling at her 'WE DON'T HAVE ANY FUCKING METROPASSES, CAN'T YOU READ?'
Not to say they're all like this. There are plenty of helpful employees. We even had a subway driver who would announce stops on the voice-over intercom and would give us a summary of the location. Or another that would sing the stops. Just like most businesses and organizations there are bad ones that give others a reputation, but I've had plenty of experiences to prove that there are quite a few in the TTCs case.
edit: Not defending the booth man who was caught napping, but apparently he had a medical condition and recently died. So, :/
latinlikeaviolin
Member
I live in Pickering, but go to school at UofT downtown. It's a damn pain to commute all the way down there. One of these days (probably by next semester) I'll be living in the heart of the city.
Right now though, I think the OP needs some more food recommendations!
Restaurants (or Maybe Poutine):
[DT]Utopia- A cheap place that serves one of the better nachos and poutines in big servings!
Pubs/Bars/Clubs:
[DT]Nirvana- A bar with cheap and decent food/drinks, awesome sweet potato fries, and even better sangria. Kind of a hipster place but who cares.
[DT]Red Room- A lot like Nirvana, except maybe less polished and more student-oriented (it's close to UofT). Cheap food and drinks, good sangria
Right now though, I think the OP needs some more food recommendations!
Restaurants (or Maybe Poutine):
[DT]Utopia- A cheap place that serves one of the better nachos and poutines in big servings!
Pubs/Bars/Clubs:
[DT]Nirvana- A bar with cheap and decent food/drinks, awesome sweet potato fries, and even better sangria. Kind of a hipster place but who cares.
[DT]Red Room- A lot like Nirvana, except maybe less polished and more student-oriented (it's close to UofT). Cheap food and drinks, good sangria
somuchwater
Member
Woah, awesome. I've been thinking about a Toronto for a while and the OP did an awesome job. Subscribed!
crimzonflame
Member
Uh Gandhi Roti aint Indian/Pakistani.
criesofthepast
Member
Anyone ever been to Osmow's Grill? It's a Mediterranean restaurant. There is one in Brampton (last time I went the owners fine ass daughter was always working on cash. I think the family is Egyptian, not sure) and one in Mississauga.
Best schwarmas ever. I usually get the souvlaki, fries, and salad meal, though.
Best schwarmas ever. I usually get the souvlaki, fries, and salad meal, though.
crimzonflame said:
I was under the impression lots of the food was East Indian influenced. But I'll wait for people to fill me in.
By the way, feel free to give input on how you want these sorted. Once I have more Asian places, I'll expand out to specifics, etc. I could break places down by Downtown, East, West, or just keep it as it.
For the Sports bits, links to what sports teams we have in town would be a nice start.
Toronto Maple Leafs - NHL
Toronto Raptors - NBA
Toronto Blue Jays - MLB
Toronto FC - MLS
Toronto Argonauts - CFL
Toronto Marlies - AHL
Toronto Rock - NLL
Toronto Nationals - MLL
Also, the major venues
Rogers Centre -Jays/Argos
Air Canada Centre -Leafs/Raptors/Rock
BMO Field -TFC
Ricoh Coliseum -Marlies
And I know we already discuss our teams on here, but if they want more team-specific message boards or whatever, there's the Raps RealGM board, which is pretty popular, I suppose. As well as the HF Leafs board.
Both can be fun to read at times, as they usually can give insight into the typical fan thinking in this city. (which can be hilarious/sad, often both).
I'm not sure if the Jays have a prominent board nowadays, but DrunkJaysfans should suffice. I'm sure Doytch and others could recommend better alternatives out there, if they exist. Also, the TFC board on BigSoccer is what I usually read from time to time, but again, I'm sure there may be better alternatives people know about.
Anyway, just a start and I'm sure others can add/improve to that.
Toronto Maple Leafs - NHL
Toronto Raptors - NBA
Toronto Blue Jays - MLB
Toronto FC - MLS
Toronto Argonauts - CFL
Toronto Marlies - AHL
Toronto Rock - NLL
Toronto Nationals - MLL
Also, the major venues
Rogers Centre -Jays/Argos
Air Canada Centre -Leafs/Raptors/Rock
BMO Field -TFC
Ricoh Coliseum -Marlies
And I know we already discuss our teams on here, but if they want more team-specific message boards or whatever, there's the Raps RealGM board, which is pretty popular, I suppose. As well as the HF Leafs board.
Both can be fun to read at times, as they usually can give insight into the typical fan thinking in this city. (which can be hilarious/sad, often both).
I'm not sure if the Jays have a prominent board nowadays, but DrunkJaysfans should suffice. I'm sure Doytch and others could recommend better alternatives out there, if they exist. Also, the TFC board on BigSoccer is what I usually read from time to time, but again, I'm sure there may be better alternatives people know about.
Anyway, just a start and I'm sure others can add/improve to that.
I grew up in Toronto and I went to high school in Barrie. It's a great city, but it's certainly overrated. Everything is expensive, there's too many people, too much traffic.
I moved to northeast Alberta, about 3 hours of Edmonton, and life is sooo much better here. I wouldnt mind going back to Toronto one day since most of my friends and family live in the city, but Torontonians in general seem to have this idea that they're in the best place to live in the country, but the truth is, almost every major city in Canada is a much better place (maybe save for Winnipeg, but I've only been there once).
I couldn't make ends meet in Toronto, and I know a lot of people living there in the same boat. There's a lot of jobs, but if you're not into finance or real estate, your dollar will do much better elsewhere. Toronto is a fun time if you're rich, or if you got more to borrow on your credit lines.
Going back to Ontario on holidays, I get to see it much more obviously. A lot of my friends with degrees can't get work worth more than $20 per hour. People working at Timmies where I live make between 15 and 20. The economy in T.O seems entirely reliant on the service sector. The only reason Toronto has a strong economy is because it's the largest economy in Canada.
Maybe I'm jaded for having been in the city for so long, but my sister got her Ph.D at U of T in a language program, and she couldnt even get a teaching job because of lack of experience. She's now a flight attendant with Air Canada and she dreads every time she comes back to the city.
I still dont understand how Toronto manages to have the largest numbers of tourists going to the city. Apart from the CN Tower, what exactly does Toronto have to stand out among other large cities around the world?
Anyways, I dont want to derail the thread or anything, just wanted to give my opinion on Toronto.
I moved to northeast Alberta, about 3 hours of Edmonton, and life is sooo much better here. I wouldnt mind going back to Toronto one day since most of my friends and family live in the city, but Torontonians in general seem to have this idea that they're in the best place to live in the country, but the truth is, almost every major city in Canada is a much better place (maybe save for Winnipeg, but I've only been there once).
I couldn't make ends meet in Toronto, and I know a lot of people living there in the same boat. There's a lot of jobs, but if you're not into finance or real estate, your dollar will do much better elsewhere. Toronto is a fun time if you're rich, or if you got more to borrow on your credit lines.
Going back to Ontario on holidays, I get to see it much more obviously. A lot of my friends with degrees can't get work worth more than $20 per hour. People working at Timmies where I live make between 15 and 20. The economy in T.O seems entirely reliant on the service sector. The only reason Toronto has a strong economy is because it's the largest economy in Canada.
Maybe I'm jaded for having been in the city for so long, but my sister got her Ph.D at U of T in a language program, and she couldnt even get a teaching job because of lack of experience. She's now a flight attendant with Air Canada and she dreads every time she comes back to the city.
I still dont understand how Toronto manages to have the largest numbers of tourists going to the city. Apart from the CN Tower, what exactly does Toronto have to stand out among other large cities around the world?
Anyways, I dont want to derail the thread or anything, just wanted to give my opinion on Toronto.
Restaurants
[DT]Xe Lua (aka Pho Train): A pretty good place to have pho. Inexpensive and good portions. My favourite pho place by far.
Hobby/Comics/Anime/Etc
[DT/NorthYork]Hairy Taruntula: One of the little hobby shops around the downtown area. Their prices are pretty okay and have some good sales at times too.
Video Games
[DT]Gamecentre: Probably the best game shop in downtown Toronto. While the prices can't really compare to Amazon and the like, it's still pretty decent most of the time for buying games or related hardware. Their service is also pretty good.
[DT]Xe Lua (aka Pho Train): A pretty good place to have pho. Inexpensive and good portions. My favourite pho place by far.
Hobby/Comics/Anime/Etc
[DT/NorthYork]Hairy Taruntula: One of the little hobby shops around the downtown area. Their prices are pretty okay and have some good sales at times too.
Video Games
[DT]Gamecentre: Probably the best game shop in downtown Toronto. While the prices can't really compare to Amazon and the like, it's still pretty decent most of the time for buying games or related hardware. Their service is also pretty good.
crimzonflame
Member
grumble said:
When you see a Roti Shop in the GTA those are West Indian/Caribbean shops. Thats where you get doubles from which is a Trini/Guyanese dish. Trini doubles are more sweet where as Guyanese doubles are more sour and dry.
Also I know the best strip clubs and massage parlors.
lunarworks
Member
Joule said:
Game Centre is pretty good, but I've gotta disagree on it being the best. [DT] A&C Games is way better. They specialize in retro and hard to find games. Want a NES, or even Famicom, and don't want to use eBay? That's where you go.
As for comics, [DT] The Beguiling can't be beat. It's renowned throughout North America, and it's virtually the birthplace of Scott Pilgrim (the owner is the real life "Wallace".)
[DT] Silver Snail is a good comic shop if all you want to do is shop. It's not as friendly and personal as your neighbourhood comic shop, but it's clean and uncluttered, like a music store chain type feeling.
For anime, manga, and all related goods, [DT] AnimeXtreme is a fairly good choice.
crimzonflame
Member
For video games check out the various flea markets across the GTA. I usually get games weekend before release, no tax and $5 cheaper then retail.
EricHasNoPull
Banned
JeFfRey said:
Oh shit I did not know that, I've been out of touch! I apologize, I should take that pic down in all honesty
Winged Creature
Member
For Indian food I have to reccomend Indian Kiss at keele and dundas west. Take out only, but some of the best indian food I've had outside of India
somuchwater
Member
crimzonflame said:
The rotis from Gandhi's are a hybrid: while the idea of a roti is obviously Caribbean, the fillings at Gandhi's - butter chicken, saag paneer etc. - are definitely North Indian.
OliveJuice
Member
I still can't believe it happened. :'(Kinitari said:
crimzonflame
Member
somuchwater said:
I guess I should have read that article.
House of Lancaster is a good strip club.
lunarworks
Member
For what it is, AnimeXtreme is alright.Joule said:
KiKiWai was great, but it's long gone.
EricHasNoPull
Banned
rs7k said:
Actually you didn't derail the thread, even if a bit opinionated it is still a pretty accurate and insightful take on the city, it is in fact seen as the "it" place to be. But seriously, considering how big and spread out the country is...Toronto could be nothing more than the "Rogers Center" and CN Tower and it will still be considered Canada's "coolest city". I think most of the hype comes from the city's geographical location and it's population, and when I say population I mean GTA included, not just metropolitan TO.
I hate to leave it at that, and not describe in more detail why living in TO is becoming more difficult with lack of real jobs, over population, expensive living cost/real estate etc. every year.
But yeah...I recently got a really good job offer in Ottawa, minimum 2 year contract and get paid 1.5 times more than I do now, I am actually still torn between taking the offer and moving to Ottawa, or just staying in TO.
Most of my friends and family are laughing at me with the most common response of "WTF is there to do in Ottawa?" "dullest city blah blah..." but seriously I really don't know which way to go...
EvilMario said:
Yeah I think we both have a similar view of the TTC, I can honestly say 3 years of taking the Subway, I could never remember once a TTC toll Booth attendant being helpful to me, or caring to listen to my questions and answer them fully. something about those booths, once they sit down behind that glass, they become instant assholes or something!
On the other hand though, I never seen a bus or streetcar driver be rude to me, or just be unpleasant towards me in three years of riding the buses and the streetcar all over the city.
But I've seen a drunk whip a half full beer can at the driver's head once they exited the street car, I've seen homeless drunks throw punches at the driver for not letting them on board with just 65 cents! *insert smiley here* seen plain ol' arrogant rude business man, talk down and insult these guys numerous times for God knows whatever reasons.
firehawk12
Subete no aware
Joule said:
I've been in AnimeXtreme a couple times recently. It's alright if you want to rent or you have some weird figure/gunpla kit you want to buy, but that's about it.
EricHasNoPull said:
For 2 years? Just go to Ottawa. Even if all you do is mooch off the free musuem visits every Friday night, you'll probably never run out of things to do if that's your worry.
DevelopmentArrested
Banned
Best videogame store: game centre
Best restaurants: porchetta, caplanskys, black hoof
Best bars/clubs: loose moose, brant house, drake hotel
Best restaurants: porchetta, caplanskys, black hoof
Best bars/clubs: loose moose, brant house, drake hotel
crimzonflame
Member
Archer said:
...yeah but its the only part of Canada that matters.
firehawk12
Subete no aware
Fuuuuck, been looking for curry rice downtown for a while now. Need to check it out next time I'm home.Draff said:
DevelopmentArrested
Banned
And What part of sasketchewan are you from? Bad traffic in a big city? No way.Archer said:
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