You can travel to a lot of major cities and notice traffic is horrible, buildings are beautiful or ugly, and people are nice or grumpy -- that's just city life. It's the specific things you notice about a metropolis when you visit that are the most interesting or hilarious. Toronto has a set of easily discernible quirks that distinguish us from any other city.
Here's what out of towners notice when they visit Toronto.
It's really, really multicultural.
From food, shopping, and cultural activities to just the general population walking around downtown, a visitor quickly realizes this is a city of so many wonderful cultures and traditions. We were named the most diverse city in the world, after all.
There are so many condos being built
Whether you're riding in from the airport, driving down the Gardiner, walking around downtown or .... hell anywhere you go in Toronto there's a crane lifting its long neck into the sky building another condo. It seems like there's an endless amount of towers being built here. We're a hot market!
There are Tim Hortons everywhere
We love our Timmies. It seems they've been everywhere for years as a cheap coffee/doughnut option, but are now on every spare corner we've got. They rival any local coffee shop or Starbucks. Love them or hate them you'll basically be able to find a Tim's no matter what neighbourhood you're in.
There are rules against having fun
When you live here you know there's a lot of fun, creative and exciting stuff happening... but as a visitor or hosting of an out-of-towner, you're quickly reminded Toronto doesn't always like fun. Our patios close at 11 p.m. (and you can't smoke on them), our last call is 2 a.m., and there's a host of other odd by-laws aimed at keeping everyone in check.
People take streetcars
It's shocking, but true, downtowners ride the Rocket when they live in neighbourhoods far away from the subway line. They're often slow, problematic, overcrowded and underfunded, but they're also unique (for now) and can be a legit, cheap way to get around.
Cyclists riding all over the place
We're no Amsterdam, but Torontonians like to bike downtown and around, a lot. Cycling advocates continue to push for more bike lanes, and we slowly get them. But bikes are also on major streets, side streets, down by the water and locked up to everything they can be. Look both ways before crossing!
Get in line
Torontonians like to lineup. For ice cream, cheesecake, whatever food trend seems to be happening or everyday things like getting on a bus and walking into a movie. For whatever reason we're really good at politely standing in an orderly fashion until it's our turn.
Inner city ravines
Toronto's doesn't have the highest ranking when it comes to percentage of urban space designated as parkland , but it's impossible to spend much time here without noticing the massive ravine system that exists so close to the most dense areas in the city. It's as though the city erupted out of its ravines.
People wait at traffic lights
Though many claim we're always trying to catch up to our Southern New York neighbours, there's one major thing we'll never share, and that is traffic light etiquette. We stop at them. We wait at that red light, in fact most people are terrified of a yellow light. Even when we have intersections with a lack of traffic lights we wait.
Locals don't actually call it the 6ix
Visitors beware, don't arrive calling Toronto the 6ix. No one actually likes the term or calls it that. Drake did, and kind of still does in song and text, but in the same way no one ever calls us the Big Smoke or Hogtown out loud, just ignore this moniker.
Did I miss something you think out of towners notice about us when they land in Toronto? Let us know in the comments.
Lead photo by George Socka from the blogTO Flickr pool.
by Phil Villeneuve via blogTO
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