Toronto: You Belong Here

So last month I went on a trip with some friends to New York. This was my second visit, and while I didn't really spend any more time than usual there, I did spend a little more time paying attention to the city and taking in all the visuals it offered. I came to the following conclusion.

New York is a rather ugly city.

That's not to say it isn't interesting, or that I don't like it. I think it's a great city. But it's just not aesthetically pleasing. I can't really put my finger on what it is that's so off-putting for me, but I came away from New York with a renewed love for Toronto.

Many times I've heard people from the US comment on how European the city of Toronto feels, and I've never understood what they meant until I came back from NYC. Now I get it.

While it's not as steeped in history or as architecturally interesting as many European cities, Toronto is definitely not like your typical big American city. There are no slums in Toronto. There are certainly bad areas, but you'd never know them by simply looking at them. Many times the difference between a nice area of the city and a bad area can be put down to a fresh coat of paint, or new siding on the apartment building balconies.

The majority of NYC felt like a slum (at least the areas I walked around in, and I was in the upper west side of Manhattan!) while I've never felt safer in a big city than I do in Toronto.

For the past few years I've been feeling like I want to move away and find somewhere else to call home. While I still want to travel more, I am content to call Toronto my home. It took the cold streets of NYC to make me find the beauty in my city, and for that I want to thank New York.

You're an intriguing city, but Toronto has much more to offer.