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Comment by alexasmyths | Hacker News Reader

Toronto does not get 'scummier' towards the water, unless you mean in the absolute most general sense - i.e. from way out in the burbs, yes, the 'downtown' is 'scummier' and is 'closer to the water'.

But Toronto is mostly just a giant cold suburb, that is reasonably well run, but doesn't standout for any reason in particular.

It's the ultimate 'B' city.

It's consistently better than almost anywhere, and yet, not one aspect is really world class. I mean - San Francisco is 'missing' so many things that make it a truly all-round city, yet is so exceptional in many ways. Toronto 'has everything' but it really lacks a 'raison d'etre'.

And FYI I grew up there I can say what I want about it :)

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Toronto is totally different even from 10 years ago. Spadina/Queen/King (where all the starts-up are located) is so busy even at nights and weekends because so many people live and work there. The ports area being developed, is totally dead by comparison (that's why the city wants Google to help develop). And suburb Toronto, check out Yonge/Sheppard-Finch today, it is 2-km stretch of pan-Asian restaurants that you cannot find anywhere outside of Asia.

I'm definitely impressed by how 'busy' it is - but TO is mostly a 'Starbucks, Timmies, Whole Foods and IKEA' kind of town.

It's more brand oriented and suburban than ever before.

Example: Toronto used to have a 'musical sound'. You could hear a band maybe know that it was from TO.

No such thing anymore.

TO is a large group of fairly well behaved and polite people from around the world getting along in the cold. And that's it.

Toronto has made me realize that culture cannot be invented, and that you can't just 'create' cohesion.

Sadly, most things that would have made the are unique - have been wiped out ... the suburbs of Toronto, Singapore, Denver, Amsterdam - are becoming more and more alike the only thing differentiating them is the weather. :)

I think we need a new version of globalization :)

The Yonge/Finch area is pretty disappointing actually. The food quality is fairly low outside of a couple gems (in a sea of garbage). Random places around Markham are much better if Asian is your fancy.

As somebody who has seen my friends move there in their 20s, I can't help but think it rubs off on the residents... Not so much that they become sorta 'B', but they seem to become fearful of culture outside of their bubble.

Give me a friend who moved to Montreal over the Toronto lot any day.

I think people become meek when they have no common culture to participate in. And of course, they 'follow the rules' which we Canadians do very well.

Even thought most folks have some 'imported' culture to which they can belong and which gives them identity, it's rarely going to be common enough - or prominent enough - that it gives them any swagger or anything.

To your point: sometimes people make pop songs about Montreal, not so much Toronto, although Drizzy has been doing some calling out ... I just can't think that he's authentic.

Toronto reminds me a lot of Singapore these days: ex-English colony, well managed, secure, but no real culture of their own or swatter.

Again, not hating, I lived there for 20 years :)

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