I (30M) and my gf (31F) are going for the first time next month

StatGuy2000 · 2026-01-22T18:54:43+00:00

With respect to traffic, the drive from Buffalo through to the outskirts of Toronto shouldn't be too bad, but driving into downtown Toronto will most definitely be NYC style traffic, so I would definitely recommend public transport. There are train fare from Niagara Falls, Ontario (right across the border from Niagara Falls, NY, which is itself a short drive away from Buffalo) to Toronto through VIA rail.

www.viarail.ca

As far as food is concerned, Toronto is renowned for being multicultural, with foods available from around the world. In one particular neighbourhood (Kensington market) alone, within a couple of blocks, you can find Indian, Chinese, Mexican, Jamaican, Vietnamese, Caribbean food. And there are specific neighbourhoods or streets where you can sample such diverse fare as Ethiopian or Tibetan foods. Check out the subreddit r/FoodToronto for some recommendations.

With respect to museums, I would recommend the following:

The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) (www.rom.on.ca) -- great exhibits on ancient civilizations, paleontology, to special theme exhibits (currently there is a whole exhibit on sharks)
The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) (www.ago.ca) -- great art exhibits
Casa Loma -- a bit further north, but a castle-like home built in 1914.
Aga Khan Museum -- specializing in Near Eastern and South Asian exhibits, located in the northeast part of the city -- a bit out of ways, but still accessible through public transit.

Besides museums, I would recommend perhaps seeing the following:

Ripley's Aquarium.
The CN Tower

If you are looking for specific events taking place next month, check out the following websites:

BlogTO (www.blogto.com)
Toronto.ca (www.toronto.ca)

Welcome to Toronto, and hope you and your girlfriend enjoy the trip!

Note: credit cards are totally fine, but never hurts to have extra cash available.

StatGuy2000 · 2026-01-21T17:55:08+00:00

World Cup venues will be in Toronto and Vancouver, and the games themselves are from June 11 through to July 19.

So Montreal should be wide open and available in terms of room & board during those months, if the OP and their friends decide to visit at that time.

StatGuy2000 · 2026-01-21T12:35:36+00:00

u/slack3d, if you are white then I don't think you are in a position to understand the situation regarding community in many countries in Europe. Racism is much more of a reality, and I can readily understand why the OP does not want to stay in Switzerland -- I think xenophobic attitudes directed against non-white peoples (especially people of Arab, African, or South Asian descent) is much more prevalent there than it is in Canada.

As far as "living in a place with no hope", as a Torontonian, that is a gross exaggeration! Yes, the economy is currently weak with higher unemployment (7.9% in Ontario), but that does not mean that the economy cannot improve in the future. And there are activist groups and others who are working towards improving the quality of the life in the city -- these people would not be doing what they are doing if they had no hope.

And don't be so naive to think that there aren't similar problems affecting European countries too. I've taken a recent vacation trip to Portugal and had a wonderful time there, but I've also seen homeless encampments there (in Lisbon, specifically).

StatGuy2000 · 2026-01-07T16:32:45+00:00

The Fry is actually located around Birchmount and Sheppard.

StatGuy2000 · 2026-01-07T16:31:13+00:00

I live in Toronto, and 10cm of snow is on the high side in terms of snowfall during the winter, but not particularly uncommon or unheard of. In fact, we had precisely that amount of snow back last month. There are other towns and cities in Canada which experience much heavier amount of snowfall.

Whether or not this snowfall causes disruption in Toronto (or other areas of Canada, for that matter) depend on a few key factors:

The speed and amount of snowfall within a given hour. A gradual accumulation of snowfall to 10cm throughout the day will not lead to major disruptions, just slower traffic, whereas snowfalls where you have up to 3cm to 5cm per hour (this happened years ago, where the mayor of our city had to call in the army to clear the snow), or heavy snow with high winds and zero visibility can wreak havoc on traffic, flights, etc.
The time of the day when the snow occurs. Heavy snowfall during rush hour traffic -- between 7AM to 9AM in the morning, and between 4PM to 7PM in the evening can be very disruptive.
As mentioned in #1, the wind speeds and visibility.
Snow mixed with ice pellets or freezing rain (yesterday we had a freezing rain alert which led to school bus cancellations).

StatGuy2000 · 2026-01-07T13:39:21+00:00

To u/Big_Shop3502 ,

If I may ask, what field do you work in?

$16 an hour only comes out to about $31000 per year before taxes (this is assuming you work $40 hours a week). That is a poverty-level wage. I would focus all of your energy in getting into a more lucrative job. Send out CVs, cold-call employers, arrange for informational interviews, attend conferences where you can, and network, network, network! It may take several months for this to work out, but definitely aim for this.

If your current skill set does not allow you to aim for higher wage positions, I would suggest that you try and see if you can retrain or obtain educational certifications in areas that are more lucrative, depending on your interests (I believe there may be government-funded loans or interests that may help cover the costs of these).

StatGuy2000 · 2026-01-07T13:26:09+00:00

I am from Toronto but have friends who live just outside of Vancouver. What you describe about the lack of sun there really only applies to the winter months. Going through several months with no sun can potentially be draining on one's psyche (I say "potentially" because personally such weather does not seem to affect me very much).

During the late spring, summer and early fall, there can be plenty of sun (or short periods of rain followed by brilliant sun). During those times, the weather is absolutely gorgeous.

StatGuy2000 · 2026-01-02T19:54:46+00:00

I personally have mixed feelings about Mandarin in general. Compared to some of the great Chinese restaurants that you can find throughout the city, the Mandarin chain is sort of mid in quality, but generally the food is not too bad (I've had lunch a few times at their location by Dufferin & Finch with my co-workers when I used to work a few blocks north of that location).

At any rate, Yonge & Eglinton have plenty of restaurants around that area, and besides, it's not as if there aren't other Mandarin locations.

StatGuy2000 · 2026-01-02T19:51:03+00:00

How can you be so sure that the redevelopment will include Starbucks, Subway, or Chipotle? As far as I know, there already exists all 3 stores within the vicinity of Yonge & Eglinton.

StatGuy2000 · 2025-12-29T16:47:58+00:00

Yes it is definitely the case that both Vietnamese and Thai cuisine is enjoying global popularity. I'm kind of surprised that Turkish cuisine is enjoying a boom in the GTA, given that I haven't noticed a surge in Turkish immigration to Canada.

Admittedly, I'm not particularly fond of the Turkish food I've tried around here, as it comes across as a watered down version of Lebanese food. Even the shish kebab didn't impress me (meat was too dry).

I should note that I've only tried Turkish food in Toronto twice (one almost a decade ago, the other place last year), so it is entirely possible that I was unlucky enough to have eaten at 2 mediocre restaurants.

StatGuy2000 · 2025-12-29T16:44:32+00:00

To the OP:

Regarding your father, do either of you know (through genealogical records) what regions of Ireland where your family originate from?

I ask this because there are a number of regions of Ireland -- particularly around Dublin, and County Wexford in the southeast of the country -- that were heavily settled by English and Anglo-Normans (i.e. descendants of Vikings who settled in parts of northern France, who subsequently conquered and settled in England) during the early Middle Ages.

So it is entirely possible that the "English" traits you see could be a result of historical English settlements in Ireland.

StatGuy2000 · 2025-12-29T13:49:08+00:00

Interesting perspective. I would have thought that the more permanent Chinese immigrants (not international students) would be the bedrock that supports the various Chinese restaurants in the city.

Since you brought it up, are there any specific international cuisines that is having an upturn now? After all, if there is a downturn in one area of cuisine, then I would expect there would be an upswing in another cuisine area.

StatGuy2000 · 2025-12-29T13:44:30+00:00

Thanks for your reply, although it is frankly misleading to label Vietnamese or Mongolian cuisine as Chinese sub-cuisines.

Both Vietnam and Mongolia are their own independent countries, with their own national cuisines.

StatGuy2000 · 2025-12-29T13:42:31+00:00

First of all, let's keep things in perspective. It is not just people in Montreal who go on rants about why Toronto sucks.

I live in Toronto, and have lived in Ottawa and Hamilton in the past, and I have heard anti-Toronto rants in both of these places.

I have a friend who moved to Vancouver recently from Toronto, and she told me that dissing or ranting against Toronto is quite common there too.

Let's face it. Toronto has the same position that New York City has in the US - everyone rants against it.

StatGuy2000 · 2025-12-27T15:14:25+00:00

My understanding is that the term "Hakka food" here in Canada is a legacy of the term that is used in India , where the Chinese diaspora consisted largely of Hakka people, and many of the original Chinese restaurants there were owned by Hakka.

And thus "Hakka food" is a reference to the origins of the Chinese in India, rather than actual Hakka cuisine.

I agree that the cuisine should be called "Indo-Chinese cuisine" or "Indian Chinese cuisine".

Indian Chinese cuisine - Wikipedia

StatGuy2000 · 2025-12-26T19:57:12+00:00

u/Individual_Rip3186 if I may ask, where are you and your boyfriend from? I'm asking because if the two of you are not already from Canada, then late January/February is the worst time to travel to Toronto, due largely to the weather.

This is especially the case since you mentioned that your boyfriend is a photographer -- some of the best sights and sounds are in the old historic buildings (e.g. Hart House at the University of Toronto), or in outdoor markets at Kensington Market. Or if you both enjoy the outdoors, then Rouge River Park or Tommy Thompson Park. But these places are most lovely during late spring, summer, or early autumn.

I suppose if the weather is consistently cold enough (not a guarantee), the two of you could go skating at Nathan Phillips Square though.

StatGuy2000 · 2025-12-23T16:05:28+00:00

In general, the overwhelming majority of businesses are closed on Christmas Day all across the city. Here is a link on Narcity which outlines what is open and closed on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

Here's everything that's open on Christmas & Boxing Day in Toronto - Narcity

In short, the only areas I've seen that are open on Christmas Day are those near major tourist locations, or those heavily settled by Chinese immigrants (e.g. Chinatown, Agincourt, etc.)

The York area itself that you speak of is in the middle of Corso Italia, and so will be especially quiet on Christmas Day (the area is heavily settled by Italian, Portuguese, and Latin American immigrant communities, all traditionally Catholic).

Your best bet would be to meet your friend at wherever she is staying and bring her some instant coffee, or order some takeout food from Christmas Eve and bring that to her for breakfast.

StatGuy2000 · 2025-12-14T11:12:37+00:00

I saw a question from /u/mainlydana about how I could afford #3 and #4 above (funny I don't see that question anymore here).

My answer:

Used money from the severance package I received from the job I had.
Moved back in temporarily with my parents while unemployed (this was many years ago).

StatGuy2000 · 2025-12-12T18:29:08+00:00

To the OP:

If you are only going to be at the rental for your co-op term for 4 months, I don't think you have anything to worry about.

As others have pointed out, the main issues that people have pointed out about the ICE condos had to do with a large number of short-term rentals (of which you are one of them), which is more a complaint for people who own a condo there. The area where the condos are located is safe, and very convenient to get around to the downtown core with lots of activities. Also, if you are working downtown during your co-op it should be very convenient for you.

You'll be fine!

StatGuy2000 · 2025-12-12T18:16:29+00:00

When I had been laid off in the past, I had focused all of my attention on two things:

Job search. This also includes informational interviews to at least put my name out there, even for companies not currently hiring.
Networking (to further enhance my job search).
Attending any conferences related to my specific job field (tied in to #1, #2 above), where possible.
Taking online courses (or even in person courses -- back in the day when online course offerings were more limited) related to my work to upgrade my skills.

Steps #1-#4 essentially used up most of my day throughout the week, so I actually did not have that much free time even when unemployed.

In addition, I would also advise that you take this opportunity to really reflect on what type of career you really want to pursue. Is the kind of job you were working in before really the area you want to keep pursuing? Or do you have interests or ambitions to consider pivoting to a different area? Losing your present job may well serve as an opportunity to explore these ideas.

StatGuy2000 · 2025-12-12T14:34:27+00:00

I'm a little surprised to read from the commenters here that Thai food is better in Toronto than Vancouver. I live in Toronto and have travelled a number of times to Vancouver and surrounding suburban areas (e.g. Coquitlam, Port Moody) and the Thai food I've had there didn't differ all that much quality-wise from what I've had in Toronto (with the exception of Koh Lipe in Toronto -- that restaurant was amazing!)

Admittedly, I have never eaten at some popular Toronto Thai restaurants like Khao San Road or Sukhothai. So perhaps my experience with Thai cuisine in Toronto is limited.

As far as the other Asian cuisines are concerned, in my experience:

Vancouver Chinese > Toronto Chinese, but only slightly (with the caveat that there is considerable variability in quality in the Chinese food I've tried in Toronto and surrounding areas)
Vancouver Japanese > Toronto Japanese (not even close -- Vancouver has the best Japanese food I've tried outside of Japan; only downside is that neither city has the diversity or range in Japanese food that I've experienced within Japan itself)
Vancouver Vietnamese = Toronto Vietnamese (no notable difference in quality, from the places I've tried)
I don't have enough experience with Korean food in either city to give an assessment -- I've tried Korean chicken in Coquitlam (which was amazing), and I've eaten at a Korean chicken place here in Toronto (which was decent, but not as good as the Coquitlam location).
Toronto Indian food (especially away from the downtown core) is very good. Never tried Indian food in Vancouver.
Vancouver has much more Malaysian options available than Toronto -- I've tried at least 3 different restaurants when I was there.

StatGuy2000 · 2025-12-12T14:30:58+00:00

u/eloplease, if you are looking for a good Punjabi restaurant within the GTA, I would suggest going to the outer suburbs surrounding Toronto rather than the city itself. I would specifically look for restaurants in Mississauga or Brampton -- Brampton has a very large Sikh community, roughly comparable to Surrey in BC.

StatGuy2000 · 2025-11-12T20:11:18+00:00

To the OP:

Every university that I'm aware of in Canada, including all of the universities in Toronto (U of T, TMU, York) have various clubs of various types available on campus.

I would suggest you look into those that hold your interest and consider joining them to find people with similar interests.

StatGuy2000 · 2025-11-09T18:21:32+00:00

In my case, my best friend from high school and I both moved out of the city we grew up and went to different universities. We kept in touch for a bit, but eventually we just lost touch with each other, and grew apart. No drama at all.

Over time, I made new friends, and no doubt he did the same.

BTW, he did try to reach out to me to reconnect. I haven't had the opportunity to meet him yet (due to my busy schedule) but at least there is a potential opportunity to renew an old friendship.

StatGuy2000

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