Softee
Active Member
Look at an aerial photo of central Toronto. See where all those tall (20+ floors) buildings are heavily concentrated? That's downtown. Pretty simple.
Here's another take: Ryerson is a downtown campus. So is George Brown. UofT is most definitely not.
But as more proof that "it depends where you're coming from", relative to UTM and UTSC (and York, for that matter), U of T is definitely commonly considered to be "downtown". Sure, not an "urban campus" kind of "downtown" a la Ryerson or GBC, but...
I understand that BMO/Manulife/Rogers have offices on Bloor. There's an office tower beside the shopping mall at Lawrence West station, and it's not downtown, either.
Since you didn't like my last definition, how 'bout this: downtown is where you can get out at Union Station and reasonably walk to your business or pleasure. So, Southcore/ACC/Rogers are definitely downtown, despite being south of the tracks. Taking PATH or Yonge, you can be at Yonge/Dundas square in a reasonable time frame. But, if you're going to the CNE/Distillery/Yorkville, it's a hike and probably new leg of transportation.
Here's another take: Ryerson is a downtown campus. So is George Brown. UofT is most definitely not.
Here's another: City Hall is downtown, as are St. Mike's/Old City Hall/Massey/Roy Thomson. Queen's Park is midtown. As is Toronto Gen/MARs/Sick Kids.
What you are describing I like to call Old Town Toronto, seeing as it encompasses the areas that historically made up the city. This is in spite of of the many modern buildings you can find there today.
Back in the early '90s, when the upper West Side was still pretty Hell's Kitchen-ish, a Toronto buddy & I visited a friend who lived in a nice building a couple of blocks off the park -- 60's or 70's. He worked with Merrill at WFC, and with hangovers on a Friday morning and expecting to meet him after work for a pint near his office, the Toronto buddy and I walked all the way downtown. Over an early evening pint, he basically said we had taken our lives in our hands, walking through some of the craziness between 'midtown' and 'downtown'. Colin and I had basically walked through 70+ blocks of Manhattan without noticing much of a difference between 'nabes, but for Matt, it was 'no-go' zones, culture corners, cool 'nabes, social housing. It really depends on where you're from.
In the case of NYC, the simple name "Manhattan" obviates the need for too broad a "Downtown" definition.
In the case of NYC, the simple name "Manhattan" obviates the need for too broad a "Downtown" definition.
In the case of NYC, the simple name "Manhattan" obviates the need for too broad a "Downtown" definition.
I've already encountered people (almost never actually *from* Toronto) who say St. Clair is "the boonies"
I've noticed that too. People from rural Ontario, other provinces, and even other countries are the worst "south of Bloor" types I know. What's with that?