Author Topic: Toronto Vs. Vancouver.  (Read 8794 times)

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my pregnant head

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Toronto Vs. Vancouver.
« on: June 03, 2012, 06:17:54 AM »
So, me and a couple of friends are planning on moving to canada for like 6 months or so early next year and remain kind of undecided about which of the two cities to base ourselves in. Just wondering which of the two you guys would recommend as the "better" of the cities to go for. I don't necessarily mean in terms of spots/skate stuff as either is guaranteed to be better than Dublin but more so just for bars/food/general vibes.  I know it's all very subjective and everything but any opinions or guidance at all would be greatly appreciated.

Eschaton

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Re: Toronto Vs. Vancouver.
« Reply #1 on: June 03, 2012, 07:17:45 AM »
I wasn't a huge fan of Toronto. Everything was crazy expensive and it seemed to me like every spot was capped.

pile

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Re: Toronto Vs. Vancouver.
« Reply #2 on: June 04, 2012, 09:05:47 PM »
if you're moving in 6 months, i would definitely say vancouver. the west coast has bad weather during the winter months, but it's not nearly as bad as the east coast.

i've never actually been to toronto, but i'll meet people from there, who are glad that they've moved to vancouver. vancouver isn't exactly cheap, you must be picky about what area you choose to live in when you decide to come, and watch out for fake craigslist apartment scams if that's how you plan on finding a place.

if you're actually going to do it, and need some help getting the wheels in motion, let me know. i'd be glad to help.

rudigarsucks

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Re: Toronto Vs. Vancouver.
« Reply #3 on: June 05, 2012, 03:18:43 AM »
I'm west coast biased so you have to take my opinion with a grain of salt, but Vancouver is leaps and bounds better than Toronto. You're coming from the UK so aside from skating I imagine you're coming to Canada to see what real nature actually looks like. While Ontario does have some nice lakes, British Columbia is a plethora of mountains, rivers, lakes and beaches that you could never come close to seeing all of in a lifetime. Vancouver is a wonderful city with a handful of decent spots yet to be capped and countless great skate parks, but beyond this it is the gateway to one of the most varied and beautiful places you could dream of.

I've never lived in Toronto, only visited, and I know there are great things about it as a city, and I'll give it that, Toronto is likely a much more exciting city to live in, but beyond that I don't think it has as much to offer you in terms of a memorable 6 months.

The time of year you're talking would be a pretty grim start in Ontario, but in BC you could get some snowboarding in at Whistler and the coastal mountains before the weather gets good, then hit the parks lakes and beaches. I would recommend coming as late in the year as you can, winter sucks in both cities. March or April would be best to start.

It is a matter of opinion for sure, just be clear about why you're coming to Canada and what you expect out of your time there and people can give you an idea based on that. If you pick Vancouver message me with any specific questions, I'm actually living in London at the moment, but can still help a bit and might be back there by then anyways.

Good luck.

my pregnant head

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Re: Toronto Vs. Vancouver.
« Reply #4 on: June 05, 2012, 05:28:51 PM »
Thanks for the help, guys. Yeah weather is for sure important and we haven't put much thought into it, still very much early days though so the time of year that we leave and stuff kind of remains undecided. To be honest in the last few days we are leaning more towards toronto because we are gonna have a bunch of friends staying in new york for the year and it'd be nice to maybe pay em a visit a few times without having to essentially cross a continent though you're being pretty persuasive about vancouver. But yeah thanks again for the advice/ kind offers etc etc still a lot of stuff to consider.

ice nine

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Re: Toronto Vs. Vancouver.
« Reply #5 on: June 06, 2012, 09:25:01 AM »
Vancouver, it's not even close. I'd rather live in 500 other cities or towns before toronto though.
I;m sure i;m not the only dc/monster/subaru type guy here

busey

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Re: Toronto Vs. Vancouver.
« Reply #6 on: June 06, 2012, 10:52:09 AM »
if you tie your shoes like this


then go to vancouver.
I rolled my ankle jacking off on a ladder.

Dontfearthereefer

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Re: Toronto Vs. Vancouver.
« Reply #7 on: June 06, 2012, 11:30:05 AM »
I've never been to Vancouver, but I've been to Toronto a couple few times and i can say that it's pretty insane skating wise, and there is tonnes of smaller cities within a couple hours that are also fun to skate and have some interesting spots.

To be honest though, if you're planing on living in a city for six months id choose between Montreal and Vancouver

pile

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Re: Toronto Vs. Vancouver.
« Reply #8 on: June 06, 2012, 07:07:48 PM »
I've never been to Vancouver, but I've been to Toronto a couple few times and i can say that it's pretty insane skating wise, and there is tonnes of smaller cities within a couple hours that are also fun to skate and have some interesting spots.

To be honest though, if you're planing on living in a city for six months id choose between Montreal and Vancouver

if you're looking to be close to your friends in new york, do montreal for sure.

my pregnant head

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Re: Toronto Vs. Vancouver.
« Reply #9 on: June 06, 2012, 08:24:22 PM »
We were considering montreal for a while but the french thing kinda threw me. I don't speak french and I know obviously everyone speaks english and stuff aswell but (don't take this the wrong way any montreal dwellers..) I got the impression that alot of people there might be kinda uppity about people not really having any french/their own perceived "frenchness". Maybe that is totally untrue and just an unfair representation based on the limited information I've had access to and at the end of the day the sort of people being interviewed about being from montreal are probably the very sort of people that would be super into the whole french aspect and thus I'm getting a skewed idea of how big a part of the city it actually is. To some extent that in it's self is probably being informed by my own personal biases, I spent a little time in france and the french fucking hate me,I have a pretty prominent ginger beard/hair and obvious irish accent so essentially there is no mistaking me for a french person. I was genuinely amazed at the amount of open hate I got just walking around over there just for being foreign to the extent that maybe it has just soured me anything with a french association, ridiculous I know. Thanks again for the help and suggestions.

ice nine

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Re: Toronto Vs. Vancouver.
« Reply #10 on: June 06, 2012, 08:33:15 PM »
10 people i used to know moved to montreal from vancouver this year together, none speak any french and love it.  if i ever had to move to another city in canada it'd be montreal for sure, its the arts mecca for canada.i still see absolutely no reason why you would pick toronto, regardless. just do any amount of research and you'll surely decide otherwise
I;m sure i;m not the only dc/monster/subaru type guy here

my pregnant head

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Re: Toronto Vs. Vancouver.
« Reply #11 on: June 06, 2012, 08:40:13 PM »
To be honest man I've been looking more into it the last few days and am leaning more and more towards montreal than anywhere else. My suspicion was kinda based on groundless personal bias and the closeness to New York is a real plus.

holden caulfield

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Re: Toronto Vs. Vancouver.
« Reply #12 on: June 07, 2012, 01:03:48 PM »
I have been to all of those cities many many times, and I would say Vancouver is EASILY the best of the 3. Great weather, great city, great atmosphere, ocean, good weed...I could go on.

However it depends how important it is for you to be close to NY. If it is very important, then go for Montreal, which is still better than Toronto by a mile. And dont even worry about the language barrier, everyone speaks english anyways.

bakingsoda

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Re: Toronto Vs. Vancouver.
« Reply #13 on: June 25, 2012, 02:41:29 AM »
I'm from Toronto so I'll chirp in.

It's statistically the most multicultrally diverse city in the world so there's lots of exposer to other culture within the city, food from around the world etc.

It's much larger then the other cities especially Montreal, but Montreal is much more of a party city.

The city ends up looking really differently depending on the end of town you're in wether it be in the west end or far east in the beach, core downtown, old toronto etc.

I hear mixed impressions from people who visit the city, more opinions discribing the people of Toronto as sort of unfriendly jerks, it's always either that or the polar oppisite. But I do know that almost everyone in Canada who's not from Toronto seems to really fucking hate Toronto. Hahaha.

Toronto has tons of galleries and a really lively art scene as well if you're intrested in that. ? 


I think Montreal has the cheapeast cost of living, Vancouver is the most expensive. Montreal has beer at corner stores, Toronto doesn't.

Don't be too turned off by Toronto because there's only been one other poster in the thread from Toronto and like I said most people not from the city hate it for whatever reason. I love it. If you do go for Montreal, which is also great try to fit in a trip to Toronto, I think You'll like it.
« Last Edit: June 25, 2012, 02:43:41 AM by bakingsoda »

pile

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Re: Toronto Vs. Vancouver.
« Reply #14 on: June 25, 2012, 10:27:42 PM »
go to montreal. said it before, it's fucking rad for skating and if you're into partying and that it's also super great for that. it's canada's fake new york.

Zurg

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Re: Toronto Vs. Vancouver.
« Reply #15 on: July 04, 2012, 10:01:47 AM »
ive lived my whole life in Toronto, but id still maybe lean towards montreal. only deterrent would probably be the harsh winter, but you might be thicker skinned than i. its definitely the cheapest of the 3 cities and the beer flows like wine, so maybe i dont even need to go on?

never been to vancouver, but a lot of my friends have gone for extended periods of time and the reactions seem to be completely split down the middle on whether they preferred toronto or vancouver. from what i gathered vancouver is amazing for everything nature, but you need a car to get the full experience(most people ive talked to said they had the best time taking short trips out of the city)

i'm not a wilderness guy, so i cant really give any opinion on camping or doing stuff outside of toronto. however i think the city is tons of fun to live in. great skating, lots of not so obvious untouched spots. im not much for parks, but theres a decent amount(i think vancouver has it beat by a lot in that department though). Party wise, i really like toronto, there never really seems to be a shortage of stuff to do

so that was more of a rant than anything, but it might help you out a little. also, since you mentioned new york, think about what other cities you'd want to visit. Toronto and Montreal are close to each, as well as new york, philly, washington dc, detroit and chicago. If youre more interested in checking out seattle, portland, sf and if you wanna make the mission, southern california. then go to vancouver

ice nine

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Re: Toronto Vs. Vancouver.
« Reply #16 on: July 04, 2012, 04:29:36 PM »
^I appreciate you making toronto sound like shit, but vancouver is so damn isolated its not even funny. Seattle is the only one that's a day tripper, and that is 3-4 hours if u get lucky at the border. Is over an hour waitimes commonplace across canada for crossing the border?

I;m sure i;m not the only dc/monster/subaru type guy here

pile

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Re: Toronto Vs. Vancouver.
« Reply #17 on: July 04, 2012, 07:53:47 PM »
^I appreciate you making toronto sound like shit, but vancouver is so damn isolated its not even funny. Seattle is the only one that's a day tripper, and that is 3-4 hours if u get lucky at the border. Is over an hour waitimes commonplace across canada for crossing the border?



get a nexus pass man no waits whatsoever.

Bloody Matt

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Re: Toronto Vs. Vancouver.
« Reply #18 on: July 05, 2012, 02:26:49 AM »
Oddly enough, me and my girl have been talking about where we might move next. We're thinking back to Canada and have been weighing out the pro's and con's of the only three cities that matter. I think that Montreal might be a good choice for you. It's is a pretty nomadic town. Lots of college kids coming from all over, it seems. There's a pretty decent D.I.Y. punk scene there (Omegas!), too. Not sure about skating as the times I've spent in Montreal were during a long hiatus from my skateboard.
I lived in Toronto for about 10 years before moving over here. Like anywhere there's good and bad. I could see someone moving there and being sort of bummed on the place if you don't know anyone. It's becoming more and more conservative (like the rest of the western world) and the current mayor seems like a huge A-hole. I really miss the food there, though. The food situation is sort of sad.
We're considering moving the Vancouver or even the Sunshine Coast mostly for the weather and the fact that we could drive down to California. I kind of wish I could trade my EU passport for a California pass.
So yeah, this message wasn't too informative. Sorr. Move to MTL! Whomever said it's "Canada's art mecca" is a little confused, though. Canada has an art mecca? All the young up-and-comers are based in Toronto, anyhow.

pile

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Re: Toronto Vs. Vancouver.
« Reply #19 on: July 07, 2012, 08:08:59 PM »
Oddly enough, me and my girl have been talking about where we might move next. We're thinking back to Canada and have been weighing out the pro's and con's of the only three cities that matter. I think that Montreal might be a good choice for you. It's is a pretty nomadic town. Lots of college kids coming from all over, it seems. There's a pretty decent D.I.Y. punk scene there (Omegas!), too. Not sure about skating as the times I've spent in Montreal were during a long hiatus from my skateboard.
I lived in Toronto for about 10 years before moving over here. Like anywhere there's good and bad. I could see someone moving there and being sort of bummed on the place if you don't know anyone. It's becoming more and more conservative (like the rest of the western world) and the current mayor seems like a huge A-hole. I really miss the food there, though. The food situation is sort of sad.
We're considering moving the Vancouver or even the Sunshine Coast mostly for the weather and the fact that we could drive down to California. I kind of wish I could trade my EU passport for a California pass.
So yeah, this message wasn't too informative. Sorr. Move to MTL! Whomever said it's "Canada's art mecca" is a little confused, though. Canada has an art mecca? All the young up-and-comers are based in Toronto, anyhow.


i live on the sunshine coast. great place to live with a good atmosphere and the best scenery but, there isn't a whole hell of a lot to do besides work, and work is hard to find.

Bloody Matt

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Re: Toronto Vs. Vancouver.
« Reply #20 on: July 08, 2012, 10:42:18 AM »



i live on the sunshine coast. great place to live with a good atmosphere and the best scenery but, there isn't a whole hell of a lot to do besides work, and work is hard to find.

I spent a few weeks out there a couple of years ago. It was right before Christmas and the air was nice and fresh. I wasn't working then and I'm barely working now but... we somehow always manage to figure it out. Maybe I'll just move to France instead.

HairyCunt

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Re: Toronto Vs. Vancouver.
« Reply #21 on: July 14, 2012, 01:08:15 PM »
The only good city in Canada is Montreal. It's not even that good though...on the whole fuck Canada and Canadians. They're as bad as Australians except on the other end of the spectrum.  Just skip Canada and go to NY, why would would you choose Canada??

vancanman

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Re: Toronto Vs. Vancouver.
« Reply #22 on: July 20, 2012, 12:30:29 PM »
I've lived in Vancouver my whole life and spent about 2 months total in Toronto and a week in Montreal. If you want to be on the east coast and have friends in New York if possible stay in New York. If it must be on the east coast in canada then Montreal is waaaaaaayyyy better than toronto. If skating and hanging out are your main priority then Vancouver is the way to go. The best 6 months would be April to September. The mountains are still open to snowboard for a little while and the summer in vancouver is amazing. If it were not for the 6 months of rain and insanely high property value it would be the best city in the world. Within a 45 min drive of downtown there are no less than 35 skateparks. There are also a couple of indoors for when it rains. If you get here and need someone to show you around hit me up.

HairyCunt

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Re: Toronto Vs. Vancouver.
« Reply #23 on: July 20, 2012, 04:53:32 PM »
I've lived in Vancouver my whole life and spent about 2 months total in Toronto and a week in Montreal. If you want to be on the east coast and have friends in New York if possible stay in New York. If it must be on the east coast in canada then Montreal is waaaaaaayyyy better than toronto. If skating and hanging out are your main priority then Vancouver is the way to go. The best 6 months would be April to September. The mountains are still open to snowboard for a little while and the summer in vancouver is amazing. If it were not for the 6 months of rain and insanely high property value,  and all the asians, it would be the best city in the world. Within a 45 min drive of downtown there are no less than 35 skateparks. There are also a couple of indoors for when it rains. If you get here and need someone to show you around hit me up.

Bloody Matt

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Re: Toronto Vs. Vancouver.
« Reply #24 on: July 20, 2012, 05:36:14 PM »
I've lived in Vancouver my whole life and spent about 2 months total in Toronto and a week in Montreal. If you want to be on the east coast and have friends in New York if possible stay in New York. If it must be on the east coast in canada then Montreal is waaaaaaayyyy better than toronto. If skating and hanging out are your main priority then Vancouver is the way to go. The best 6 months would be April to September. The mountains are still open to snowboard for a little while and the summer in vancouver is amazing. If it were not for the 6 months of rain and insanely high property value it would be the best city in the world. Within a 45 min drive of downtown there are no less than 35 skateparks. There are also a couple of indoors for when it rains. If you get here and need someone to show you around hit me up.

Spoken by the man who's lived there his whole life.

vancanman

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Re: Toronto Vs. Vancouver.
« Reply #25 on: July 22, 2012, 11:14:18 PM »
That's true I have lived in Vancouver my whole life. I have spent a week or more in Seattle, SF, LA, Portland, NYC and Miami each and had a great time in all of them. But I have quite a bit of family in the greater Toronto area and have spent a lot of time there over the years and never really got why people there like it so much. I also have 2 close friends who moved from Toronto to BC and have never looked back. Vancouver's only great for a few months a year but it the summer it's incredible. And I mean come on who doesn't root for the home team.

There's got to be a reason why so many skaters movie from the east coast to Vancouver.

filter

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Re: Toronto Vs. Vancouver.
« Reply #26 on: July 23, 2012, 02:21:26 AM »
vancouver is kind of douchey. not that i could ever afford to live there, but i'd still prefer toronto, montreal, and maybe even somewhere in alberta

j....soy.....

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Re: Toronto Vs. Vancouver.
« Reply #27 on: July 25, 2012, 08:53:22 PM »
Canadians love Montreal because it's cheap and not like anywhere else in Canada, it's the closest thing to Europe we have.  If you're from Europe, you may not appreciate it the same way. 

I'm gonna say...if you care about scenery and shit....Vancouver....if you care about cultural shit....Toronto....I don't even really consider Vancouver a major city....it's some sort of glorified village.  No matter what people will be nice to you because you have an accent....be sure to play that up....




Basingstoke

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Re: Toronto Vs. Vancouver.
« Reply #28 on: September 08, 2012, 09:08:56 AM »
if you're moving in 6 months, i would definitely say vancouver. the west coast has bad weather during the winter months, but it's not nearly as bad as the east coast.

i've never actually been to toronto, but i'll meet people from there, who are glad that they've moved to vancouver. vancouver isn't exactly cheap, you must be picky about what area you choose to live in when you decide to come, and watch out for fake craigslist apartment scams if that's how you plan on finding a place.

if you're actually going to do it, and need some help getting the wheels in motion, let me know. i'd be glad to help.

I should be moving to North Van from the UK around Nov/Dec, in case I have to resort to craigslist whhat should I be looking out for ?

vancanman

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Re: Toronto Vs. Vancouver.
« Reply #29 on: September 08, 2012, 05:54:29 PM »
If your moving to North Van you should look for places near Capilano University. There are a lot of places to rent in that area because of the school and there's good access to public transpiration as well. It's also across the bridge from East Van which is kind of the hub for the skate community in Vancouver.