I lived in Montreal for 10 years and whenever I told someone I was from Toronto, they'd say "well, no wonder you moved here". lol Many people were shocked that I would move back to Toronto and when I go to visit Montreal, they always ask when am I moving back. (as they are quite sure I will one day)
For someone who loves constant change and watching a city transform whole neighbourhoods, Toronto is the place to be. Sure, we don't have those super impressive buildings or districts but we are getting better every day. The pace of change here is quite exciting and even dull Yonge Street is going to be quite different when it's finished. We are kind of like an ugly, awkward youth, who is just starting to find his/her way. This city is getting a lot better looking but we need to take it easy with the glass boxes and grey spandrel. Give this city some COLOUR and bring more creativity to the table.
Hey, how come we have postering EVERYWHERE, yet both Chicago and New York City have almost no postering at all. I remember NYC had lots of posters in The West Village, a few years back but not anymore. They seemed to have cleaned up all of Manhattan. (though Brooklyn & the Bronx were pretty run down) Why can't Toronto clean up it's streets and solve our postering problem? Ford promised to do just that but so far, he is unsuccessful. We really need to put more effort in building and MAINTAINING our public realm.
Another thing I like about Toronto is that it's developing luxury projects, like trump and Shangri-La but it's also redeveloping poor areas, like Regent Park. It's not just wealthy areas that are being upgraded. Regent Park is getting more than just apartment buildings. It gives the impression that all areas of the city matter, not just the areas the important people call home.
I like the fact that Trump is going into the CBD because it will help bring life to an area that can be quiet after 8pm. I want to see more retail and restaurants in that area. Hey, since we can't open dance clubs in residential areas, why not build a few into smaller office towers? That way we wouldn't have to worry about noise complaints. There must be a few smaller corners or areas that could fit it a dance club. (Just a thought lol)