Wednesday, October 10, 2012

TORONTO, CANADA

  Toronto was a great city to grow up in, but it has changed a lot in the last five years. I love the city because it's always seemed to be the friendliest metropolis on earth. Of course, things never stay the same.
  For one, Torontonians, in general, are too concerned with what’s going on in other parts of the world. I think it might have something to do with the fact that Canadians happen to suffer from an inferiority complex. So concerned are we, that we’ve failed to really realize the opportunity we have of making our own mark on the world of fashion and music.
  Toronto thinks it’s a European city, yet it thinks this way with a completely North American mindset; a contradictory mix and quite telling. If only the city would realize that it is simply a cool place and doesn’t have to emulate and follow trends by cities that aren’t nearly as cool.
  Everything has turned into a competition in Toronto and I, for one, no longer have the energy to partake in such silliness. Who wears the best clothes? Who is listening to the coolest music? Who is doing the best blow? Does it really matter? I’ve never understood the idea behind reminding people how cool you are. To me, cool has always been about forging your own path and doing your own thing. If you’re cool, you just are. ‘Cool’ is not something you have to prove to someone.
Enough about that though, let’s get back to Toronto the city.
  I have never found a lack of things to do in Toronto and I definitely think it’s one of the top cities when it comes to nightlife and entertainment. Toronto is a sports mad city. Its hockey fans are the most dedicated in the world and you’d be very hard pressed to get your hands on a ticket to any Toronto Maple Leafs game. Even if you did, you’ll feel your wallet has lost a few pounds. Then there is the NBA’s Toronto Raptors and our football team, Toronto FC.
  The city also boasts the second-largest film festival in the world, right behind Cannes with the annual Toronto International Film Festival. Movie stars flock to the city in droves when it comes around and is the ticket to get.
Music? Toronto has music all right. Pretty much everyone you meet is in a band and international acts make a concerted effort to play here. The Rolling Stones, for one, regard Toronto as its favorite city. The band even spends a few months here to rehearse for every world tour.
  Fashion has become paramount to everything else over the past few years, but unlike Stockholm, Paris or London, Toronto tries far too hard.
  So what’s there to see in Toronto? Well, it’s quite easy to be a tourist in Toronto because there are only a few streets where stuff actually happens. Start with the trendy Queen Street, the birthplace of hipster Toronto. Then move on to College Street in the heart of Little Italy for some great dining and clubbing. If you’re a Top-40 kind of person, you might want to visit the Club District on Richmond and King streets. It has not really been my scene, but I’ve been there enough times to avoid it.
  For the true tourist in you, make your way to Yonge and Dundas Square. It has been transformed the past few years to a Tokyo-meets-New York City kinda neon vibe. It can only be described as Canada’s version of Times Square. It’s a little cheesy, but still a pretty amazing thing to see.
  And, when in Toronto, how could one avoid the CN Tower? It — for now at least — is the world’s tallest freestanding structure and the epitome of inferior thinking. Like a giant penis, it jettisons out of the city’s Business District. You know those guys with small cocks that buy really nice cars to compensate? Yeah, the CN Tower is Toronto’s nice car. This is the part where I would like to say it’s stupid and cheesy, but I can’t because the CN Tower really is an awe-inspiring piece of 1970s architecture.
  For a bustling metropolis, Toronto is quite a bargain — but that is changing with the ever-rising Canadian dollar!

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