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Why do Torontonians constantly compare themselves to New York City? I recently heard gay, left wing, Toronto councillor Kyle Rae defend a recent anti-car initiative the city passed as justifiable because...

"If you go to Manhattan, you'll find nobody drives down there, people take public transit. That's what we're trying to do here."

Talk about delusions of adequacy!

To paraphrase a great American political figure....

I've been to Toronto and New York. Kyle, you're no New York.

Toronto is kidding itself if it thinks it's the Big Apple. Toronto doesn't have the pace, the night life, the international stature, the population, the style, the culture or the restaurants NYC does. NYC has both Andy Warhol's works and an Aircraft Carrier! Now that's true diversity!

Toronto's latest claim to fame is that it's a "Multicultural City." But NYC was host to vibrant Italian, Irish, Jewish, Russian, and Black neighbourhoods as far back as the US Civil War. Let's remember that as recently as the fifties, Torontonians considered anyone who lived west of Bathurst Street and didn't attend the Orange Day Parade to be an outsider!

If Torontonians insist on comparing themselves to American cities, I would suggest Chicago or Detroit would be better examples. On that front, T.O. may have a shot at the crown.

After all, like Toronto, Chicago is an often under-rated, ignored "second-city" to New York (hence the name of the theatre troop.) Further, like Toronto, Chicago has crappy weather, and sits on a Great Lake.

Yet, unlike Chicago, Toronto can't lay claim to great R&B legends or tasty BBQ restaurants!

Compared to Detroit however, I think Toronto could win out. Detroit has a decrepit downtown, an appalling crime rate, few tourist attractions, crappy weather, ugly people, pollution, a gutted, rusted out industrial base, and no infrastructure to speak of.

Compared to Detroit, Toronto looks pretty good.

But then again, at least Detroit has the legacy of "Motown."

Still, I would rank Toronto ahead of Detroit, but behind NYC, Boston, Phillie and pretty much any major US City with a warm climate.

What does everyone else think?

   

I think Toronto can't adequately be compared to American cities, it's completely different, It's Canadian.

I would say Toronto is like Chicago more than any other city

   

I think people just compare the 2 because they are both the respective countries largest city.

New York is New York and Toronto is Toronto, they both have things to be proud of.

I have to admit, the intrepid carrier is awsome, been there. Too bad Canada sunk its cold-war era carriers?

   

You can see a battleship in Toronto though. Or at least you could when I was there.

   

Trust me, they're not comparing New York to Toronto in Manhattan.

There, Toronto is just another Minneapolis.

   

Yeah, but Torontonians are so arrogant they don't even bother comparing themselves to other Canadian cities. Torontonians like to think of their cousins in Calgary, Montreal or Vancouver as country bumpkins uninitiated in the ways of the world.

Yet, the irony is, as Toro pointed out, New Yorkers don't differentiate between Vancouver, Toronto, Minneapolis, Winnipeg, or Peoria Il for that matter. It's all Podunk to them.

At least Vancouver has mountains and ocean, Montreal style and Calgary a rodeo.

What does Toronto have?

   

It was a destroyer actually. The HMCS Haida to be exact. She sunk two German U-boats on the North Atlantic in 42-43. And by way of a bit of history....

Following WW2, the good burghers of Toronto decided to set up a living museum on the Toronto lakeshore across from the Princess gates in memory of our gallant WW2 heroes. As a result, for 50 years, the park hosted the Haida, a Lancaster bomber, and a Sherman tank.

In 1989, Toronto city council sold off the Lancaster for scrap.

In 1994, the tank disappeared.

And in 2003, the Haida moved to Hamilton harbour where it is now part of a museum there.

Airy-fairy, lefty Councillors Rae, Macconell and the current mayor were the main forces behind the moves. They were never fans of our military heritage.

Unlike hogtown, NYC is grown up enough to handle both military stuff and the arts.

   

It is Canada's New York City. No other Canadian city comes closer to that comparison.

   

People with brains. Perhaps you should move there. Learn a little.

   

20% of Canadians live in the Toronto area
6% of Americans live in the NYC area

So, no Toronto is not Canada's NYC, it is moreso.

I'm not saying that the two cities are comparable, but in the Canadian scale, Toronto is NY++

   

New York City is a pretty good model for any city to aspire to. Do we have to be New York? ..... no, we are Toronto and that is good enough for most Torontoians.

   

Well, from personal experience I'd say Torontonians could take a big lesson in friendliness from New Yorkers. For that matter they could take lessons from Montreal too.

   

Born and raised in New York City and have visited Toronto a myriad of times.

No, Toronto is not New York.

But that's the point, isn't it?

It's Torontians that have a fetish for comparison.

Personally, I have found Toronto dull. Montreal is a very exciting city. Vancouver can always hold its own.

   

if you hate it so much why work here

   

Hah, usual Anti-Toronto hate...

Here's my argument... Toronto may not be New York, but it's the closest damn thing to it in this entire country, and if you want something to do, Toronto's the place. It's got more crap then the rest of the country. What's wrong with the centre of the universe? Bad trip there? To much traffic? What?

   

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