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Post by Habs_fan_in_LA on May 18, 2005 15:00:09 GMT -5
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Post by blaise on May 18, 2005 15:13:29 GMT -5
Not a bad selection of cities. |
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Post by jkr on May 18, 2005 18:39:46 GMT -5
TO supporters are already making their excuses.  |
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Post by M. Beaux-Eaux on May 18, 2005 18:53:36 GMT -5
TO supporters are already making their excuses. No excuses needed. No city is an island. Capice? Let's see in a couple of years or so, how many people are singing, "Montréal is sinking, and I don't want to swim." |
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Post by Cranky on May 19, 2005 1:08:00 GMT -5
LOLOLOLOLOLOL! Do you KNOW where the guys who own the site live? IN MONTREAL! Do you know how I know? Because I know some of them. LOL! It's like asking the mother of the ugly duckling who is the best looking baby.....  |
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Post by M. Beaux-Eaux on May 19, 2005 2:53:44 GMT -5
LOLOLOLOLOLOL! Do you KNOW where the guys who own the site live? IN MONTREAL! Do you know how I know? Because I know some of them. LOL! It's like asking the mother of the ugly duckling who is the best looking baby..... Does this "poll", then, account for the last of the Adscam money?  |
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Post by Disgruntled70sHab on May 19, 2005 7:43:28 GMT -5
I've been fortunate enough to have visited some of these cities HFLA. Here's my take on them; 1. Montreal; - I don't think I've ever been in a more bilingual city in my life. It doesn't matter which official language you speak, people are friendly almost to a person.
- Body-shooters are the norm in most nightclubs. Even in winter you'd think it was summer just by what the girls are wearing (God love 'em all).
- If you want a steak you can get it. If you want smoked meat, or a steamed hot dog and chips, you can get it. And their all within walking distance of each other.
- A shrine? A monument to great memories? The old Forum I says!
- It has the best, ahem, gentlemen's club I've ever been to ... Chez Perée rocks dude!
2. Frankfurt- An airport with security that totes lots of semi-automatic and automatic weapons. If you're not used to it, it might be a shocker the first time you see it.
- Good food and beer ... but's that's just about anywhere in Deutchesland.
- Don't know the nightlife at all.
- Very well signed. If you have to get somewhere in Frankfurt, you'll get there.
3. Paris- Overpriced
- Arrogant
- A major tourist rip off
- Confusing
- Great wine but average beer
4. London- If you want to meet English people you might want to bypass London. Lots of tourists.
- We never stayed in London because of the hotel prices. We took a bed and breakfast in Windsor and drove to Slough daily where we took the tube into London. As a matter of fact, the best place we stayed at was a B&B right off the M1. 8 quid and night.
- Best food is in the pubs. Note: if your beer glass isn't filled to the brim you have the right to complain.
- Don't confuse Tower Bridge with London Bridge.
- Don't know deep-fried bread until you've tasted it. If it's done right it tastes great.
- Nice folks.
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Post by blaise on May 19, 2005 11:09:35 GMT -5
I find London great but way too expensive.
New York (that is, Manhattan) has the best of many things but there are times when you can't even walk at a normal pace because of the gapers and the cell phone addicts who stop in the middle of the flow to chitchat.
I'd take Köln and München over Frankfurt. Berlin will be fabulous once the construction is completed.
Sankt Peterbourg has much to offer. It has come a long way since my first visit to that city. That's because it's Putin's home town and he's put a lot of government money into restoration of the center.
Prague is delightful.
Montréal is wonderful. So is Vancouver.
Seattle, Cambridge (Massachusetts), and San Diego appeal to me.
Bogota leads all I know in rudeness, sullenness, and pickpocketing, while Mexico City leads in kidnaping.
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Post by Habs_fan_in_LA on May 19, 2005 11:25:41 GMT -5
I've been fortunate enough to have visited some of these cities HFLA. Here's my take on them; 1. Montreal; - I don't think I've ever been in a more bilingual city in my life. It doesn't matter which official language you speak, people are friendly almost to a person.
- Body-shooters are the norm in most nightclubs. Even in winter you'd think it was summer just by what the girls are wearing (God love 'em all).
- If you want a steak you can get it. If you want smoked meat, or a steamed hot dog and chips, you can get it. And their all within walking distance of each other.
- A shrine? A monument to great memories? The old Forum I says!
- It has the best, ahem, gentlemen's club I've ever been to ... Chez Perée rocks dude!
2. Frankfurt- An airport with security that totes lots of semi-automatic and automatic weapons. If you're not used to it, it might be a shocker the first time you see it.
- Good food and beer ... but's that's just about anywhere in Deutchesland.
- Don't know the nightlife at all.
- Very well signed. If you have to get somewhere in Frankfurt, you'll get there.
3. Paris- Overpriced
- Arrogant
- A major tourist rip off
- Confusing
- Great wine but average beer
4. London- If you want to meet English people you might want to bypass London. Lots of tourists.
- We never stayed in London because of the hotel prices. We took a bed and breakfast in Windsor and drove to Slough daily where we took the tube into London. As a matter of fact, the best place we stayed at was a B&B right off the M1. 8 quid and night.
- Best food is in the pubs. Note: if your beer glass isn't filled to the brim you have the right to complain.
- Don't confuse Tower Bridge with London Bridge.
- Don't know deep-fried bread until you've tasted it. If it's done right it tastes great.
- Nice folks.
My additions: 4. New York Fast paced Selfish unfriendly harried citizens Traffic rules are only suggestions, cab drivers routinely ignore police Great for people watching Museums, theatre, clubs 24/7 10. Rio Most fun you can have anywhere anytime Beautiful women on beautiful beaches Most beautiful city in the world Hot as hell! Most crime I've ever experienced anywhere 1,000,000,001 Toronna Bland Safe Big Boring Clean Has a big tower, spend time at the tower, there's not much else to do but look at it |
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Post by Disgruntled70sHab on May 19, 2005 12:07:01 GMT -5
I find London great but way too expensive. Ditto. Like I was saying the best tasting food is in the pubs. There are exceptions but for the most part pub food is reasonably priced. My wife and I visited Munich three times. Each time we rented a B&B in Dachau and took the train in from there daily. Munich has a lot to offer. The most 3-d city I've been in. Honourable mentions; Edinburgh. Think history and your always welcome in Scotland. Salzburg. Again think history. We went to Molzart's birthplace while we were there. There are still masses held in the catacombs beneath Salzburg castle. Cheers. |
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Post by FormerLurker on May 21, 2005 2:47:18 GMT -5
I find London great but way too expensive. Ditto. Like I was saying the best tasting food is in the pubs. There are exceptions but for the most part pub food is reasonably priced. I've had two stints living in London, for two years in the early '90s and the current one since late '01. From my experience, pub food is hit and miss. While always reasonably priced, some pubs just don't do good food, preferring to concentrate on beer. The AskMen article suggests that there have been culinary improvements here in recent years, implying that the food is still not great. I disagree. London has everything you could want in the way of food, from £ to £££ and from local to international. My own part of London, Crystal Palace, is a microcosm of the city. Within a five minute walk of my front door, I've got four Thai restaurants, two Indian, Nepalese, Spanish, Portuguese, several Italian, Japanese, Chinese, Ethiopian, Moroccan. There are three pizza joints, fast food, kebabs, fish and chips. There are two pubs within 60 seconds and a half dozen more within five minutes. There are noodle bars, takeaway, bring-your-own-bottle, vegetarian, and "eclectic European". Spoilt for choice is indeed an understatement. Planning a trip to London? Send me a PM and I'll take you to Golden Tiger, my Crystal Palace favourite. Great Indian and Pakistani dishes, reasonably priced, washed down with your own beer or wine. Yummm.... |
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Post by jkr on May 21, 2005 8:05:19 GMT -5
TO supporters are already making their excuses. No excuses needed. No city is an island. Capice? Let's see in a couple of years or so, how many people are singing, "Montréal is sinking, and I don't want to swim." My comment was made because some Torontonians will look at this list & fret about not being on it. Toronto is a nice city but I find they try too hard to want people to like the city. It's really annoying to hear the phrase "world class" in reference to Toronto's aspirations. Toronto is like that bothersome acquaintance that thinks if he only had more stuff that people would like him more. And if you have to boost yourself by running down someone else than you have a problem. Why don't they relax and let the city stand on its own merits. |
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Post by M. Beaux-Eaux on May 21, 2005 8:56:18 GMT -5
No excuses needed. No city is an island. Capice? Let's see in a couple of years or so, how many people are singing, "Montréal is sinking, and I don't want to swim." My comment was made because some Torontonians will look at this list & fret about not being on it. Toronto is a nice city but I find they try too hard to want people to like the city. It's really annoying to hear the phrase "world class" in reference to Toronto's aspirations. Toronto is like that bothersome acquaintance that thinks if he only had more stuff that people would like him more. And if you have to boost yourself by running down someone else than you have a problem. Why don't they relax and let the city stand on its own merits. My objection, and it's not personally directed toward you, is that a lot of people—and I include many Montrealers—base their opinions of Toronto on stereotypes that had truth to them two decades ago, or more. Toronto, *is* a vibrant, extremely cosmopolitan city, moreso than Montréal (which has as its hallmark the distinction of being home to the largest populations of Canada's two founding peoples). Toronto's curse and blessing is that is a very young city. Over the last couple of decades it has been gestating and forming its own identity—it is now far from the image of the teetotaling, no-fun, bland, boiled-beef-and-potatoes, city that some still cling to as their mental picture. The truth is very much otherwise—what once seemed to be barren soil is now fecund, fertile. Do some Torontonians have the gall to trumpet the virtues of their city? And why not (this is no longer a divine right of Montrealers)? The city in the past has borne being the focus of nationwide malice, and the butt of jokes, with admirable equanimity. There's a younger, brasher, take-no-guff Toronto, dismissively brushing that hokum aside. And high time, too, that it is awakening from its—to borrow a phrase from the late Douglas Adams—long, dark tea-time of the soul. Fret not, people will be hearing more and more from Torontonians, and others, both from Canada and abroad, about the rich (there's a word that sticks in the craw of many when associated with Toronto) cultural mosaic that is Toronto. BTW, I spent the first 60% of my life in Montréal (and I've been around for a while), and am glad to have pieds à terre and many friends in both world class cities. |
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Post by jkr on May 21, 2005 9:20:08 GMT -5
Do some Torontonians have the gall to trumpet the virtues of their city? And why not (this is no longer a divine right of Montrealers)? The city in the past has borne being the focus of nationwide malice, and the butt of jokes, with admirable equanimity. There's a younger, brasher, take-no-guff Toronto, dismissively brushing that hokum aside. And high time, too, that it is awakening from its—to borrow a phrase from the late Douglas Adams—long, dark tea-time of the soul. Montreal is sometimes the victim of stereotyping by English Canada. As a former Montrealer myself I find myself defending the city against these sterotypes held by English Canadians - usually centred around language. However, I find the the media in Toronto invite scorn. As an an example the Toronto Star recently had a front page story entitled ( I'm paraphrasing now) Why the ROC doesn't like us. My guess is that the ROC doesn't think about it a lot but when someone stops to ask you this question you will come up with an answer. As I said in my previous post, Toronto should be more like other large cities. Do your own thing, do the right thing and stop worrying about being popular. |
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Post by M. Beaux-Eaux on May 21, 2005 9:44:37 GMT -5
Montreal is sometimes the victim of stereotyping by English Canada. As a former Montrealer myself I find myself defending the city against these sterotypes held by English Canadians - usually centred around language. I find myself doing the same from time to time. Stereotypes are for lazy, ignorant people, who are hard of hearing. I am always curious as to why the ROC doesn't like Toronto. It's a bit of a parlour game. I wouldn't call it worry, certainly not preoccupation—more bemusement. But, when Toronto does its own thing the ROC gets snippy about it not paying attention to them—"How very typically self-absorbed and Torontonian." I have had people outside Toronto (in Canada) involuntarily shrink a bit when I give that city as my answer to, "Where are you from?" OTOH, declaring Montréal as my city of origin has on occasion provoked a reaction (in the ROC) something like—to coin a phrase—"Thanks for denying me my country." * Montréal Toronto |
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Post by Habs_fan_in_LA on May 21, 2005 13:42:22 GMT -5
Toronto reminds me of Los Angeles while Montreal reminds me of San Francisco, cosmopolitan, busy, walkable downtown, character, vibrant. Toronto is Los Angeles without the beaches, good weather, palm trees, movie stars and convertables. Toronto is the sprawling Los Angeles without the places to drive to like Malibu, Hollywood, the OC, mountains, desert, Pasadena and Venice Beach. Toronto has the freeways, but nowhere to go except home for a BBQ and beer with your neighbors after work. Montreal is Swensons ice cream in 31 flavors while Toronna is Dairy Queen with vanilla and sprinkles for variety.  What's wrong with stereotypes? Blacks are tall, athletic and play basketball. Asians are short, wear glasses and study engineering at UCLA. Everyone gets upset at the stereotypes as racist, but what is socialogy if not racism. It is the observation of trends and statistics. If I said asians were tall and played basketball (Yao Ming) there wouldn't be the same reactions because the element of truth is missing. It does NOT mean that any particular race is inferior or that individuals can not be exceptions like Nash or Bird. |
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Post by M. Beaux-Eaux on May 21, 2005 14:53:15 GMT -5
Toronto reminds me of Los Angeles while Montreal reminds me of San Francisco, cosmopolitan, busy, walkable downtown, character, vibrant. Toronto is Los Angeles without the beaches, good weather, palm trees, movie stars and convertables. Toronto is the sprawling Los Angeles without the places to drive to like Malibu, Hollywood, the OC, mountains, desert, Pasadena and Venice Beach. Toronto has the freeways, but nowhere to go except home for a BBQ and beer with your neighbors after work. Montreal is Swensons ice cream in 31 flavors while Toronna is Dairy Queen with vanilla and sprinkles for variety. Case in point. Thank you very much. |
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