The 6ix can be a weird city sometimes. And, after moving to Toronto from B.C., I don't think a lot of Torontonians realize just how strange and special it can be.
Growing up in a small town in B.C. with a population of around 8,000, hours away from any major cities, I thought I had experienced what it meant to live in a big city when I moved to Vancouver for university.
But, after graduating and heading out to Toronto, oh boy was I wrong. There is so much about Toronto that is so incredibly rare, but it seems like no one is talking about it or notices it!
So, I've put together this list of things that I've noticed are unique about the big city that many people seem to take for granted.
Tristan Wheeler in the Niagara Escarpment.Tristan Wheeler | Narcity
The TTC is awesome
Okay, I know. Hating on the TTC is practically a Toronto pastime. But, I unabashedly love it.
Sure, it can get delayed or be inconsistent, but few cities have a subway system that actually can get you places you want to go.
Maybe this is me being a small town yokel, but I love the train!
The whole 'bagged milk' thing
This has always been something that has been talked about as a quintessential Canadian thing but out west, there is no bagged milk.
So, seeing it in Toronto grocery stores blew my mind. It was a moment like, "Oh wow! This IS a real thing!"
Buying alcohol is confusing
What is going on in Ontario when it comes to alcohol sales?
Growing up in B.C., there were only two ways for you to buy alcohol: 1) From a government-owned B.C. Liquor Store or 2) From a privately-owned liquor store.
How things are set up here in Toronto still confuses me.
Plus, the most wild thing to me is that you can just take a single beer out of a six-pack and buy that individually? It's mind boggling because in B.C. — you can either buy singles or a whole pack, which are two separate things.
The diversity of the city is amazing
Even in a city like Vancouver, there aren't a lot of unique neighbourhoods.
However, Toronto is amazing when it comes to the different neighbourhoods and how diverse they are.
Few cities have neighbourhoods that are fully Tibetan, Greek, Polish, Italian, Portuguese and more! It's a really beautiful part of the city and is something I never thought I'd see, coming from such a small town.
Nature is so far away
The Ontario wilderness.
I grew up in the mountains and forests, even when I was living in Vancouver mountains and hiking were just a short drive away.
But in Toronto, nature is SO far away. If you want to get away from the hustle and bustle, you need to take a long drive out of the city and, even then, the nature pales in comparison to what B.C.'s got. Sorry!
Everyone is super nice
This is a debate that's been going on for years, but I really do think people in Toronto are way friendlier than people out west.
As someone who's travelled to nearly every region of B.C., the nicest people I've met out on the street and in the world, have been in Toronto.
It seems like Torontonians will go out of their way to smile at you or help you if they can. People in places like Vancouver? The general vibe is "leave me alone and I'll leave you alone."
Toronto is so old
Downtown from Leslie Spit Park.
I live in a building that was built in roughly the 1890s. A building that old in B.C. would be labeled a historical site, but here I am just living and renting in an old as heck old building and it's normal! That will never not be fascinating to me.
Sure, it's still pretty young when compared with places in Europe, but when compared to Vancouver where most homes were built after 1950, it's really something.
It's so cold
First things first, I'm not a born and bred Vancouver guy who's not used to snow or the cold.
My hometown would consistently get snow and temperatures of -10 C. But still, even that did not prepare me for the unique cold of Toronto. I've never had to contend with a wind-chill that numbs your face and let me say: it sucks!
It's so hot
On the other hand, I'm also used to some hot, hot heat.
Visiting my family in B.C. this summer during the heatwave had me sweating through temperatures of around 40 C. But, that's a dry heat.
Toronto's humidity is a whole other deal and I would say, is likely worse. Feeling hot and sticky all the time in August; let me just say ... it sucks.
There are so many things to do
The curtains before the beginning of a movie.
I don't want to rag on Torontonians too much, but I really do think they don't realize how many cool things there are to do in the city.
Of course, aside from COVID-19, the city is awash with cool restaurants, interesting events, amazing theatres and cultural scenes.
Toronto is really spoiled in that sense and I don't think locals realize it. Especially when compared to Vancouver, which has the loving nickname "no fun city."
While I love Toronto a whole lot, I always try to let all the born and bred Ontarians know that their city is, in fact, super strange!
From the brick buildings to the tumultous weather, it really is a unique place that shouldn't be taken for granted, at least for a small town boy like me!