So I've lived in Toronto for just over a month now after moving back from the Big Apple - the city I've lived in for five years. For those of you wondering how I'm adapting to life in the 6ix here are some questions, thoughts and impressions that have popped into my head during this adjustment period.
Where are all of the police officers?
Okay, so I realize that a city with 3 million people may not warrant the same amount of officers as a city of 8.6 million people but seriously, where are the cops? I loved having officers around all over Manhattan - directing traffic, strolling the streets, giving you a friendly toot toot when going by on their bikes. It was nice. And it makes you feel safe. And then you get to know the ones who stick around your neighborhood! I miss you, Officer K. Freely.
It's clean, but not that clean?
I feel like everyone in NYC who has visited Toronto came back to tell me that Toronto is like New York but smaller and cleaner. Perhaps I've been spoiled with living in the Upper East Side for five years and for working in Midtown East but I really never found New York dirty. Toronto is certainly clean but I don't find it cleaner than NYC.
There are like, zero rodents.
I can't explain how nice it is to be walking along a sidewalk at night knowing full-well there will be no mice zipping across the ground in front of me. I seriously haven't seen a mouse since I was in New York. And there are no rats in the subway stations! I SWEAR. There are no rats in the subways!!! How??? It feels odd not to stare down the station platforms, checking out how many rats I can count before the next train arrives. This is an oddness I can get used to. Also - no cockroaches. Biggest bug I've seen here was a daddy long-legs. I feel like I have an anti-arachnophobia super power after living in NYC.
The subways are cool and higher-tech but less convenient.
The new subways that run along the 1 track don't have separate cars. You can be in the very front of the train and see alllllllllll the way down to the very back of the train. It's wild. I also love what I affectionately call the Pesto card (actually called the Presto card.) You just have to tap the card (you don't even have to remove it from your phone case or purse!) on the entrance payment devices for the little doors to swing open for you.
So yes, the subways are cool but they are not as convenient. The 1 and 2 tracks don't quite bring you everywhere you need to go. I miss you, Q, 4, 5, 6, 1, 2, 3, B, D, M, A, C, E, G, L, 7, N, R, M72 and dare I even say... the F train.
Seagulls are way cuter than pigeons
There are hardly any pigeons here in the GTA? Instead, lots of seagulls. For some reason I had never noticed this before but heavens, seagulls are majestic in comparison to the rats with wings.
People are nice here but warmer in NYC.
New Yorkers are often given a bad rep but truthfully, I think they're the friendliest people I've come across in my life so far. They are the quickest people to help fellow Manhattanites (be it helping them up after slipping on ice, or guiding those who are trying to get their bearings back from emerging from the subway stations.) So far it seems like Torontonians are quite friendly, too, most especially the seniors here. Seriously, almost every old person has smiled at me and said "good morning" or "good afternoon." Can't quite say the same for the rest of the population but they seem nice enough. There is just a genuine, camaraderie-induced warmth that Manhattanites encompass that I feel is unique to NY.
Central Air is beautiful
The weather is pleasant here! Or is that I'm not coming home each night to a humid apartment? Having central air is a blessing and I shall try not to take it for granted.
Where is everybody?
The streets seem soooooooo much quieter in Toronto. It could be that the quietness is because of people fleeing the city during the summer - but regardless, weeknights at 5:00pm here seem to have the equivalent traffic of weeknights at 11:45pm in NYC. This could actually also be because people don't walk to destinations as much here(?) Toronto does seem to be quite spread out with patches of desolate areas sprinkled throughout, so perhaps people are less inclined to walk from one end of the city to the other (something I did at least once a week in Mahattan.)
In the end, there are pros and cons to both cities. It's abstruse, but I both miss New York and am happy to be in Toronto all at the same time. I'm lucky that they are so close and that NYC is a short flight away.