meow85 said:

We crow about our tolerance and open-mindedness all the while it being a poorly-kept secret that certain whites avoid buying or renting in suburbs with too many South Asian people. There's no such thing as a city without racism, but we cling to our myth of inclusivity the way few other places do.

No different than NYC.

Ace said:

JustErin said:

Toronto is looked at in a similar light.

Uh, no.

There are about as many hippies here as in Manhattan. And from what I've read (and I'm told), Vancouver is a haven for strung-out bums. There are (of course) some panhandlers in Toronto - as there are in any major city - but there is no rampant junk problem among them.

Deny all you want, but that is how Toronto is looked at, along with dirty and obnoxious.

JustErin said:

Ace said:

Uh, no.

There are about as many hippies here as in Manhattan. And from what I've read (and I'm told), Vancouver is a haven for strung-out bums. There are (of course) some panhandlers in Toronto - as there are in any major city - but there is no rampant junk problem among them.

Deny all you want, but that is how Toronto is looked at, along with dirty and obnoxious.

Oh, I've heard all kinds of Toronto-bashing (of course, it's all from playa-hatin' Canadians who don't live here), but I have never heard anyone say that it was full of hippies and junkie panhandlers. Or dirty. In fact, Americans are always remarking on how fucking clean it is.

Now, "obnoxious"? Never heard that one either. But I can see how Canadians in less-awesome cities (read "all of 'em") might feel that bragging like mine might be so.

It's so cute how provincial you non-Torontonian-Canadians are!

Ace said:

JustErin said:

Deny all you want, but that is how Toronto is looked at, along with dirty and obnoxious.

Oh, I've heard all kinds of Toronto-bashing (of course, it's all from playa-hatin' Canadians who don't live here), but I have never heard anyone say that it was full of hippies and junkie panhandlers. Or dirty. In fact, Americans are always remarking on how fucking clean it is.

Now, "obnoxious"? Never heard that one either. But I can see how Canadians in less-awesome cities (read "all of 'em") might feel that bragging like mine might be so.

It's so cute how provincial you non-Torontonian-Canadians are!

My point has been made.

JustErin said:

Ace said:

Oh, I've heard all kinds of Toronto-bashing (of course, it's all from playa-hatin' Canadians who don't live here), but I have never heard anyone say that it was full of hippies and junkie panhandlers. Or dirty. In fact, Americans are always remarking on how fucking clean it is.

Now, "obnoxious"? Never heard that one either. But I can see how Canadians in less-awesome cities (read "all of 'em") might feel that bragging like mine might be so.

It's so cute how provincial you non-Torontonian-Canadians are!

My point has been made.

Ace said:

CarrieLee said:

I want to go to Vancouver soooooooooooooooo bad. It looks absolutely gorgeous there.

Yes, I hear that if you're into damn, dirty hippies and aggressive, junkie panhandlers, it's a sight for sore eyes!

I don't care about the people that live there, I care about seeing shit like THIS:

[img:$uid]http://www.canada-photos.com/data/media/1/horseshoe-bay-ferry_102.jpg[/img:$uid]

and THIS:

[img:$uid]http://www.hotelsbycity.net/blog/can_british-columbia_vancouver/files/2007/04/mt-gardner-view-north-summit.jpg[/img:$uid]

[Edited 6/3/10 6:03am]

CarrieLee said:

Ace said:

Yes, I hear that if you're into damn, dirty hippies and aggressive, junkie panhandlers, it's a sight for sore eyes!

I don't care about the people that live there, I care about seeing shit like THIS:

[img:$uid]http://www.canada-photos.com/data/media/1/horseshoe-bay-ferry_102.jpg[/img:$uid]

and THIS:

[img:$uid]http://www.hotelsbycity.net/blog/can_british-columbia_vancouver/files/2007/04/mt-gardner-view-north-summit.jpg[/img:$uid]

Nature.

Ace said:

Lammastide said:

This is intriguing. I'm interested to know what you don't like about Canada that, apparently, Toronto gets correct.

Its un-Torontoness.

No wonder then you don't like the rest of Canada. We're not self-important yuppies.

Ace said:

JustErin said:

Deny all you want, but that is how Toronto is looked at, along with dirty and obnoxious.

Oh, I've heard all kinds of Toronto-bashing (of course, it's all from playa-hatin' Canadians who don't live here), but I have never heard anyone say that it was full of hippies and junkie panhandlers. Or dirty. In fact, Americans are always remarking on how fucking clean it is.

Now, "obnoxious"? Never heard that one either. But I can see how Canadians in less-awesome cities (read "all of 'em") might feel that bragging like mine might be so.

It's so cute how provincial you non-Torontonian-Canadians are!

Depends how you define dirty.

If you mean actual dirt, as in that stuff on the ground, Vancouver's got everyone beat.

If you mean dirt as in pollution and garbage, Toronto's the winner.

Ace said:

CarrieLee said:

I want to go to Vancouver soooooooooooooooo bad. It looks absolutely gorgeous there.

Yes, I hear that if you're into damn, dirty hippies and aggressive, junkie panhandlers, it's a sight for sore eyes!

I know you're being facetious, but since I assume that reference to aggresive junkie panhandlers was one to the DTES, I've got to step up and defend it.

Yes, it's the poorest neighbourhood in the country. And yes, there is a lot of poverty, drugs, and street-level prostitution.

But it's not scary. It's bark is worse than it's bite, and a lot of it's reputation as a dangerous 'hood is undeserved. There are a lot of good people living in the DTES, and a lot of young families.

To be quite honest, as a resident of the city who'd spent a lot of time here even before I moved to the Coast, I'm more afraid of being in upper class neighbourhoods like Yaletown and Point Grey after dark, what with their gang leaders and drug dealers, than I am of walking down Hastings at night.

English Bay

[img:$uid]http://martingoodman.com/soyouwanttobeawriter/uploaded_images/English%20Bay-768170.JPG[/img:$uid]

A footbridge in Stanley Park in the winter

[img:$uid]http://www.notsorry.com/photos/gm_16909.jpg[/img:$uid]

Our magnificent and completely ridiculous Central Library

[img:$uid]http://www.greenroofs.com/projects/librarysq/librarysq01.jpg[/img:$uid]

The apparent beverage of choice

[img:$uid]http://scrapetv.com/News/News%20Pages/Business/images/starbucks-coffee.jpg[/img:$uid]

An alley off Hastings in the DTES

[img:$uid]http://boppin.com/photoblog/images/20071207143144_082902-019.jpg[/img:$uid]

Unarguably the greatest vegetarian cafe in the entire world, Cafe Deux Soleils.

[img:$uid]http://www.bridgeandtunnelclub.com/bigmap/outoftown/canada/britishcolumbia/vancouver/eastvancouver/commercialdrive/122096commercialdr.jpg[/img:$uid]

The Rickshaw. Punk gigs aplenty

[img:$uid]http://images.clubzone.com/company/images/21250.jpg[/img:$uid]

Skytrain. Like a subway, but most of it's up in the air.

[img:$uid]http://rigsamarole.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/vanc-skytrain042-near-stadium1.jpg[/img:$uid]

meow85 said:

Ace said:

Its un-Torontoness.

No wonder then you don't like the rest of Canada. We're not self-important yuppies.

Self-important? Yes. Yuppie? Not I.

Not that I necessarily feel there's anything wrong with being a yuppie. It's slang for a "young, urban professional", no? Whatever. They're no more douchebaggy than the rest of us.

Ace said:

meow85 said:

No wonder then you don't like the rest of Canada. We're not self-important yuppies.

Self-important? Yes. Yuppie? Not I.

Not that I necessarily feel there's anything wrong with being a yuppie. It's slang for a "young, urban professional", no? Whatever. They're no more douchebaggy than the rest of us.

I'd argue that point.

meow85 said:

Ace said:

Self-important? Yes. Yuppie? Not I.

Not that I necessarily feel there's anything wrong with being a yuppie. It's slang for a "young, urban professional", no? Whatever. They're no more douchebaggy than the rest of us.

I'd argue that point.

How so?