quote:

Originally posted by jon jon lol Central Park is 850 acres Do you really think they are on the same page in terms of "park greatness"? lol haha

If you want to compare size, we also have Rouge Park, which is 11613 acres (47 square KM), and boasts over 10,000 different trees, the most for any urban park in the world.

quote:

Rouge Park is Toronto's largest park, and is already 13 times as big as New York's Central Park, or 33 times the size of London, England's Hyde Park.

http://www.rougepark.com/unique/facts.php

quote:

Originally posted by The Highroller Anyone who says Toronto has no parks or green spaces obviously doesn't know Toronto!

Fixed!


what about Earl Bales Park, Edwards Gardens, G. Ross Lord Park, Rouge Valley Park..etc..

I personally hate it when people who only know certain 'hot spots' of Toronto generalize with their limited knowledge of the city. IMO, if you haven't been from Airport Rd., to Port Union, or Steeles Ave. to Centre Island ....and everywhere in between then your opinion doesn't count.

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There's a pretty cool independent movie called 'This Beautiful City' that's set to come out on May 23rd.

It's all about Toronto, and has been winning a bunch of awards at Film Festivals.


LINK TO MOVIE WEBSITE

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quote:

Originally posted by The Highroller This thread was inspired by a recent post by Emery saying he had a love/hate relationship about the place.

lol thanks Graham I'm flattered really.. but in all seriousness it truly is a love/hate relationship for me. i was born in Toronto (416), raised here, and have lived here virtually my entire life. at the same time i've also done a lot of traveling in my lifetime and seen a lot of different things that have helped to form my opinion about this city.

as much as it might seem sometimes that i'm knick picking every little nuance here, i do it because i take a lot of pride in this town. it's not inconceivable that i could see myself someday leaving, but at the end of the day there's nowhere else i'll call home other than Toronto. That being said, when I see things here that affects the quality of life, I like to point it out. I think we can all do our part in making this place a great place to live and not simply trying to meet the status quo. Let's set the bar high and i know we can achieve great things.

anyhow, so here's my breakdown:

What I like:

- The standard of living (economic opportunities and education)
- Relatively low per capita crime rate
- Cosmopolitan and multicultural (though disproportionate in some aspects)
- Relatively clean and orderly
- Somewhere I can see myself raising a family


What I dislike:

- The decline and massive underfunding of our public transportation system - TTC since its glory days
- Excessive nanny state policies over many things (both attributable to the Province and City Bylaws) - jayx1 can probably go crazy here
- Long winters (in my opinion, 'summer' lasts from late May to mid-Sept. what can I say I'm a palm tree & beach junkie.)
- High cost of travel and the distance from other places that interest me personally
- The low "fun" factor - though this is obviously relative to each person, but I have my reasons
- The high cost of wireless data for consumers (although more of a Federal problem I suppose.)


On the fence:

Ultimately I believe that this city has GREAT potential but simply lacks the strong leadership and vision to take us there.

It often seems to me that we're always trying so hard to be something or someone else and fail to create our own identity. Dundas Square is trying to be Times Square/Piccadilly Circus/Shinjuku, Daniel Libenskind's ROM goes after the same deconstructionist attributes of the Guggenheim, etc. The Guv has Brazilian theme nights, the Docks had Miami themed nights. Ever wonder whether in Rio de Janeiro there's a 'Toronto' club theme night or weather South Beach is partying to the aura of their 'Toronto' Sunset Sessions? How often have you ever heard of anyone talk about a Toronto style of music, food, or culture? (I know some will try and make the case for music, albeit broadminded.)

You go from East to West across Canada and you'll find that every major region has its own distinct attributes found nowhere else. I've often said that Toronto is a city with a thousand cultures, but with none of its own. Don't get me wrong I think the changes this city has been making are better than no change at all. I just hope that we're not abandoning our own uniqueness as a result. I think we're always on the verge of something great however, it's just getting there that I'm not sure about.

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Last edited by dEsidEL on May-14-2008 at 18:12

quote:

Originally posted by *~LiSa-LoO~* Pros: Friends

ur plur makes me sick

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quote:

Originally posted by Stilez Fixed! what about Earl Bales Park, Edwards Gardens, G. Ross Lord Park, Rouge Valley Park..etc..

Good examples, but I think Edwards Gardens is way over-rated IMO.

Oh, on the cons, add traffic. I personally absolutely cannot stand the commuter traffic within Toronto. I would say the major highways are more often backed up, than free-flowing.

quote:

Originally posted by dEsidEL lol thanks Graham I'm flattered really.. but in all seriousness it truly is a love/hate relationship for me. i was born in Toronto (416), raised here, and have lived here virtually my entire life. at the same time i've also done a lot of traveling in my lifetime and seen a lot of different things that have helped to form my opinion about this city. as much as it might seem sometimes that i'm knick picking every little nuance here, i do it because i take a lot of pride in this town. it's not inconceivable that i could see myself someday leaving, but at the end of the day there's nowhere else i'll call home other than Toronto. That being said, when I see things here that affects the quality of life, I like to point it out. I think we can all do our part in making this place a great place to live and not simply trying to meet the status quo. Let's set the bar high and i know we can achieve great things. anyhow, so here's my breakdown: What I like: - The standard of living (economic opportunities and education) - Relatively low per capita crime rate - Cosmopolitan and multicultural (though disproportionate in some aspects) - Relatively clean and orderly - Somewhere I can see myself raising a family What I dislike: - The decline and massive underfunding of our public transportation system - TTC since its glory days - Excessive nanny state policies over many things (both attributable to the Province and City Bylaws) - jayx1 can probably go crazy here - Long winters (in my opinion, 'summer' lasts from late May to mid-Sept. what can I say I'm a palm tree & beach junkie.) - High cost of travel and the distance from other places that interest me personally - The low "fun" factor - though this is obviously relative to each person, but I have my reasons On the fence: Ultimately I believe that this city has GREAT potential but simply lacks the strong leadership and vision to take us there. It often seems to me that we're always trying to be something or someone else and fail to create our own identity. Dundas Square is trying to be Times Square/Piccadilly Circus/Shinjuku, Frank Ghery's ROM goes after the same deconstructionist attributes of the Guggenheim, etc. The Guv has Brazilian theme nights, the Docks had Miami themed nights. Ever wonder whether in Rio de Janeiro there's a 'Toronto' club theme night or weather South Beach is partying to the aura of their 'Toronto' Sunset Sessions? How often have you ever heard of anyone talk about a Toronto style of music, food, or culture? (I know some will try and make the case for music, albeit broadminded.) You go from East to West across Canada and you'll find that every major region has its own distinct attributes found nowhere else. I've often said that Toronto is a city with a thousand cultures, but with none of its own. Don't get me wrong I think the changes this city has been making are better than no change at all. I just hope that we're not abandoning our own uniqueness as a result. I think we're always on the verge of something great however, it's just getting there that I'm not sure about.

Great post Emery, I agree with pretty much everything you've said.

Education is one thing that I forgot about that I really like about the city.

quote:

Originally posted by dEsidEL Frank Ghery's ROM goes after the same deconstructionist attributes of the Guggenheim

AGO = Designed by Gehry and not even close to anything else in his portfolio

ROM = Designed by Libeskind and is a cookie cutter design that he uses in most of his projects.

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Deviant Art - Smuncky
My Photos on Flickr
If anyone wants to share their clubbing/nightlife pics go to Toronto Nightlife
"The best car-related innovation we have is not to improve the car, but eliminate the need to drive it everywhere we go.” -Alex Steffen

quote:

Originally posted by The Highroller This thread was inspired by a recent post by Emery saying he had a love/hate relationship about the place. For both those who live here, and those who don't, what do you like and dislike about the city? Please specify in your post whether you live here or not. I live here. Pros: - Great nightlife - Lots of great cultural events in the city (especially in the summer) - Great employment opportunities for the line of work I'd like to get into (I'm pretty sure the employment opportunities in Toronto are pretty good in general) - Low crime rate / generally a safe city to live in - Friendly people - Affluent yuppie culture - Creative and multi-faceted fashion scene (among the general public, not necessarily fashion designers) - Lots of parks and trees - Lots of general "variety" in the city due to the large number off immigrant communities that exist Cons: - Horrible transit system - Undeveloped waterfront - Municipal governments that never fix the above problems - It's in North America (ie not very ideal for traveling) - "Fun police" trying to shut things down like Cherry Beach, clubs, and making it difficult to have festivals that play electronic music

I agree with all of this

quote:

Originally posted by dEsidEL lol thanks Graham I'm flattered really.. but in all seriousness it truly is a love/hate relationship for me. i was born in Toronto (416), raised here, and have lived here virtually my entire life. at the same time i've also done a lot of traveling in my lifetime and seen a lot of different things that have helped to form my opinion about this city. as much as it might seem sometimes that i'm knick picking every little nuance here, i do it because i take a lot of pride in this town. it's not inconceivable that i could see myself someday leaving, but at the end of the day there's nowhere else i'll call home other than Toronto. That being said, when I see things here that affects the quality of life, I like to point it out. I think we can all do our part in making this place a great place to live and not simply trying to meet the status quo. Let's set the bar high and i know we can achieve great things. anyhow, so here's my breakdown: What I like: - The standard of living (economic opportunities and education) - Relatively low per capita crime rate - Cosmopolitan and multicultural (though disproportionate in some aspects) - Relatively clean and orderly - Somewhere I can see myself raising a family What I dislike: - The decline and massive underfunding of our public transportation system - TTC since its glory days - Excessive nanny state policies over many things (both attributable to the Province and City Bylaws) - jayx1 can probably go crazy here - Long winters (in my opinion, 'summer' lasts from late May to mid-Sept. what can I say I'm a palm tree & beach junkie.) - High cost of travel and the distance from other places that interest me personally - The low "fun" factor - though this is obviously relative to each person, but I have my reasons On the fence: Ultimately I believe that this city has GREAT potential but simply lacks the strong leadership and vision to take us there. It often seems to me that we're always trying to be something or someone else and fail to create our own identity. Dundas Square is trying to be Times Square/Piccadilly Circus/Shinjuku, Frank Ghery's ROM goes after the same deconstructionist attributes of the Guggenheim, etc. The Guv has Brazilian theme nights, the Docks had Miami themed nights. Ever wonder whether in Rio de Janeiro there's a 'Toronto' club theme night or weather South Beach is partying to the aura of their 'Toronto' Sunset Sessions? How often have you ever heard of anyone talk about a Toronto style of music, food, or culture? (I know some will try and make the case for music, albeit broadminded.) You go from East to West across Canada and you'll find that every major region has its own distinct attributes found nowhere else. I've often said that Toronto is a city with a thousand cultures, but with none of its own. Don't get me wrong I think the changes this city has been making are better than no change at all. I just hope that we're not abandoning our own uniqueness as a result. I think we're always on the verge of something great however, it's just getting there that I'm not sure about.

As a relatively new immigrant (4 years), my main observation is that we lack a culture of our own and I find that really quite upsetting.

I think the former Mayor of London, England has done WONDERS for that city both for residents and tourists alike. BRING KEN LIVINGSTONE TO TORONTO.

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quote:

Originally posted by The Highroller - Undeveloped waterfront - Municipal governments that never fix the above problems

so true. there could be restaurants and clubs there but instead its like some industrial zone. really a big waste

could look something like this, which is in belgrade on the Dunabe river

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DJ Tiesto - In My Memory (V-One Remix) [Tiesto@Club Space 2002 RIP]
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Bent feat. Simon Lord (Simian) - To Be Loved (Mr. B Remix)
Nicolas Bulostin - Nothing Better Than Sex