Sydney, Australia vs. Toronto, Canada
#1
Just Joined
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Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 1
Sydney, Australia vs. Toronto, Canada
Hi all,
There's been a few posts here and there, in this forum and others, comparing Sydney and Toronto. I thought I would chime in and offer my two cents by starting a new post.
I grew up in Toronto and have lived there all my life. I'm in my 30s now, and recently moved to Sydney for work. I've been in Australia for a year now. I also want to say that I've lived in Chicago, Hong Kong, and London, so I have experiences living elsewhere.
But frankly, hands down, I prefer Toronto over Sydney. Here are my reasons why:
Sydney is very pretty, much more prettier than Toronto, that's for sure. The harbour, the beaches, the Opera House. But honestly, that's pretty much it. To me, having been in Sydney for a year, it's a very "superficial" city in that there's nothing underneath. Think of the Opera House for a moment. It's strikingly beautiful, but the Sydney Symphony is second rate, and there is no resident opera or ballet company. There are multiple sports teams (rugby, Aussie rules football, etc.), but there are no arts. Yeah, the Lion King is playing, but that's it. The Opera Australia and Australian Ballet come to Sydney every few months. The Opera House is beautiful but there's no substance underneath.
The weather. Toronto beats Sydney hands-down too. Here's why. Yes, there's snow in Toronto, for almost half a year. But honestly, there's a lot of beauty to snow. The classic image of Christmas is "white Christmas". To drink a cup of hot cocoa, hot coffee, hot whatever in winter has a unique feeling that can't be matched drinking the same beverage on a beach or in hot weather. And honestly, Sydney for most of the summer is too hot anyways. I read one survey with Britons recently that they consider the "best" weather to be between 20-25 Celsius. Toronto fits in that range for summer, and nearly a large part of spring too. Sydney? Yeah, it's hot, but much hotter than that. It's unbearable during the summer, and even during the spring too. And if you love to tan yourself, then Sydney's good in that respect. But honestly, Sydney is way too hot.
And speaking of weather in Sydney, during the winter, it's hell, in the sense that it can be extremely cool at night or in the morning but can go up to 18 or so during the day. There's no way to dress properly. (Reminds me of London in that respect).
Culture and diversity. Yeah, Sydney has great beaches, but again underneath, there's no substance. In Toronto, we have festivals that celebrate everything -- and it's different every week (during the summers at least). One week might be salsa, the next week might be a Chinatown festival, the next a Greek food festival, the next Caribbean culture, and so forth. What's in Sydney? There's wonderful "markets" -- Glebe, Rozelle, Bondi, and so forth. But it's the same each friggin' week. Seriously. You go to the market twice, and you've seen everything. Nothing changes.
Of course, these are my personal experiences. I'm single, and don't have kids. So I can't comment on schools. I also live pretty close to the CBD/downtown, so I haven't used transit as much. And I also don't think it's wise to compare cost of living, as this depends on so much more beyond the city. It's linked to the country, so I won't compare cost of living.
But honestly, I've been here for a year, and it's boring. Well, I shouldn't put it this way. I love going to Bondi and walking around the Opera House and the harbour in general. But to me, there really is no substance underneath all this beauty. Which is a shame, really, as Sydney doesn't really live up to its potential.
I'm sorry, Sydney. You're cool. But you're not *that* cool.
My two cents.
David
There's been a few posts here and there, in this forum and others, comparing Sydney and Toronto. I thought I would chime in and offer my two cents by starting a new post.
I grew up in Toronto and have lived there all my life. I'm in my 30s now, and recently moved to Sydney for work. I've been in Australia for a year now. I also want to say that I've lived in Chicago, Hong Kong, and London, so I have experiences living elsewhere.
But frankly, hands down, I prefer Toronto over Sydney. Here are my reasons why:
Sydney is very pretty, much more prettier than Toronto, that's for sure. The harbour, the beaches, the Opera House. But honestly, that's pretty much it. To me, having been in Sydney for a year, it's a very "superficial" city in that there's nothing underneath. Think of the Opera House for a moment. It's strikingly beautiful, but the Sydney Symphony is second rate, and there is no resident opera or ballet company. There are multiple sports teams (rugby, Aussie rules football, etc.), but there are no arts. Yeah, the Lion King is playing, but that's it. The Opera Australia and Australian Ballet come to Sydney every few months. The Opera House is beautiful but there's no substance underneath.
The weather. Toronto beats Sydney hands-down too. Here's why. Yes, there's snow in Toronto, for almost half a year. But honestly, there's a lot of beauty to snow. The classic image of Christmas is "white Christmas". To drink a cup of hot cocoa, hot coffee, hot whatever in winter has a unique feeling that can't be matched drinking the same beverage on a beach or in hot weather. And honestly, Sydney for most of the summer is too hot anyways. I read one survey with Britons recently that they consider the "best" weather to be between 20-25 Celsius. Toronto fits in that range for summer, and nearly a large part of spring too. Sydney? Yeah, it's hot, but much hotter than that. It's unbearable during the summer, and even during the spring too. And if you love to tan yourself, then Sydney's good in that respect. But honestly, Sydney is way too hot.
And speaking of weather in Sydney, during the winter, it's hell, in the sense that it can be extremely cool at night or in the morning but can go up to 18 or so during the day. There's no way to dress properly. (Reminds me of London in that respect).
Culture and diversity. Yeah, Sydney has great beaches, but again underneath, there's no substance. In Toronto, we have festivals that celebrate everything -- and it's different every week (during the summers at least). One week might be salsa, the next week might be a Chinatown festival, the next a Greek food festival, the next Caribbean culture, and so forth. What's in Sydney? There's wonderful "markets" -- Glebe, Rozelle, Bondi, and so forth. But it's the same each friggin' week. Seriously. You go to the market twice, and you've seen everything. Nothing changes.
Of course, these are my personal experiences. I'm single, and don't have kids. So I can't comment on schools. I also live pretty close to the CBD/downtown, so I haven't used transit as much. And I also don't think it's wise to compare cost of living, as this depends on so much more beyond the city. It's linked to the country, so I won't compare cost of living.
But honestly, I've been here for a year, and it's boring. Well, I shouldn't put it this way. I love going to Bondi and walking around the Opera House and the harbour in general. But to me, there really is no substance underneath all this beauty. Which is a shame, really, as Sydney doesn't really live up to its potential.
I'm sorry, Sydney. You're cool. But you're not *that* cool.
My two cents.
David
#2
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 14,040
Re: Sydney, Australia vs. Toronto, Canada
You are right. Winter should have snow - what's the point of doing it half arsed.
#3
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 1,230
Re: Sydney, Australia vs. Toronto, Canada
Cheerio then. All the best back in Toronto. Definitely a city I'd like to check out sometime.
Did you go to Melbourne? Sounds like you might prefer it there.
LOL at Sydney winters being 'hell'
Did you go to Melbourne? Sounds like you might prefer it there.
LOL at Sydney winters being 'hell'
#4
Re: Sydney, Australia vs. Toronto, Canada
One's f**king hot
The other's f**king cold
Same, same but different
The other's f**king cold
Same, same but different
#5
Re: Sydney, Australia vs. Toronto, Canada
Hi all,
There's been a few posts here and there, in this forum and others, comparing Sydney and Toronto. I thought I would chime in and offer my two cents by starting a new post.
I grew up in Toronto and have lived there all my life. I'm in my 30s now, and recently moved to Sydney for work. I've been in Australia for a year now. I also want to say that I've lived in Chicago, Hong Kong, and London, so I have experiences living elsewhere.
But frankly, hands down, I prefer Toronto over Sydney. Here are my reasons why:
Sydney is very pretty, much more prettier than Toronto, that's for sure. The harbour, the beaches, the Opera House. But honestly, that's pretty much it. To me, having been in Sydney for a year, it's a very "superficial" city in that there's nothing underneath. Think of the Opera House for a moment. It's strikingly beautiful, but the Sydney Symphony is second rate, and there is no resident opera or ballet company. There are multiple sports teams (rugby, Aussie rules football, etc.), but there are no arts. Yeah, the Lion King is playing, but that's it. The Opera Australia and Australian Ballet come to Sydney every few months. The Opera House is beautiful but there's no substance underneath.
The weather. Toronto beats Sydney hands-down too. Here's why. Yes, there's snow in Toronto, for almost half a year. But honestly, there's a lot of beauty to snow. The classic image of Christmas is "white Christmas". To drink a cup of hot cocoa, hot coffee, hot whatever in winter has a unique feeling that can't be matched drinking the same beverage on a beach or in hot weather. And honestly, Sydney for most of the summer is too hot anyways. I read one survey with Britons recently that they consider the "best" weather to be between 20-25 Celsius. Toronto fits in that range for summer, and nearly a large part of spring too. Sydney? Yeah, it's hot, but much hotter than that. It's unbearable during the summer, and even during the spring too. And if you love to tan yourself, then Sydney's good in that respect. But honestly, Sydney is way too hot.
And speaking of weather in Sydney, during the winter, it's hell, in the sense that it can be extremely cool at night or in the morning but can go up to 18 or so during the day. There's no way to dress properly. (Reminds me of London in that respect).
Culture and diversity. Yeah, Sydney has great beaches, but again underneath, there's no substance. In Toronto, we have festivals that celebrate everything -- and it's different every week (during the summers at least). One week might be salsa, the next week might be a Chinatown festival, the next a Greek food festival, the next Caribbean culture, and so forth. What's in Sydney? There's wonderful "markets" -- Glebe, Rozelle, Bondi, and so forth. But it's the same each friggin' week. Seriously. You go to the market twice, and you've seen everything. Nothing changes.
Of course, these are my personal experiences. I'm single, and don't have kids. So I can't comment on schools. I also live pretty close to the CBD/downtown, so I haven't used transit as much. And I also don't think it's wise to compare cost of living, as this depends on so much more beyond the city. It's linked to the country, so I won't compare cost of living.
But honestly, I've been here for a year, and it's boring. Well, I shouldn't put it this way. I love going to Bondi and walking around the Opera House and the harbour in general. But to me, there really is no substance underneath all this beauty. Which is a shame, really, as Sydney doesn't really live up to its potential.
I'm sorry, Sydney. You're cool. But you're not *that* cool.
My two cents.
David
There's been a few posts here and there, in this forum and others, comparing Sydney and Toronto. I thought I would chime in and offer my two cents by starting a new post.
I grew up in Toronto and have lived there all my life. I'm in my 30s now, and recently moved to Sydney for work. I've been in Australia for a year now. I also want to say that I've lived in Chicago, Hong Kong, and London, so I have experiences living elsewhere.
But frankly, hands down, I prefer Toronto over Sydney. Here are my reasons why:
Sydney is very pretty, much more prettier than Toronto, that's for sure. The harbour, the beaches, the Opera House. But honestly, that's pretty much it. To me, having been in Sydney for a year, it's a very "superficial" city in that there's nothing underneath. Think of the Opera House for a moment. It's strikingly beautiful, but the Sydney Symphony is second rate, and there is no resident opera or ballet company. There are multiple sports teams (rugby, Aussie rules football, etc.), but there are no arts. Yeah, the Lion King is playing, but that's it. The Opera Australia and Australian Ballet come to Sydney every few months. The Opera House is beautiful but there's no substance underneath.
The weather. Toronto beats Sydney hands-down too. Here's why. Yes, there's snow in Toronto, for almost half a year. But honestly, there's a lot of beauty to snow. The classic image of Christmas is "white Christmas". To drink a cup of hot cocoa, hot coffee, hot whatever in winter has a unique feeling that can't be matched drinking the same beverage on a beach or in hot weather. And honestly, Sydney for most of the summer is too hot anyways. I read one survey with Britons recently that they consider the "best" weather to be between 20-25 Celsius. Toronto fits in that range for summer, and nearly a large part of spring too. Sydney? Yeah, it's hot, but much hotter than that. It's unbearable during the summer, and even during the spring too. And if you love to tan yourself, then Sydney's good in that respect. But honestly, Sydney is way too hot.
And speaking of weather in Sydney, during the winter, it's hell, in the sense that it can be extremely cool at night or in the morning but can go up to 18 or so during the day. There's no way to dress properly. (Reminds me of London in that respect).
Culture and diversity. Yeah, Sydney has great beaches, but again underneath, there's no substance. In Toronto, we have festivals that celebrate everything -- and it's different every week (during the summers at least). One week might be salsa, the next week might be a Chinatown festival, the next a Greek food festival, the next Caribbean culture, and so forth. What's in Sydney? There's wonderful "markets" -- Glebe, Rozelle, Bondi, and so forth. But it's the same each friggin' week. Seriously. You go to the market twice, and you've seen everything. Nothing changes.
Of course, these are my personal experiences. I'm single, and don't have kids. So I can't comment on schools. I also live pretty close to the CBD/downtown, so I haven't used transit as much. And I also don't think it's wise to compare cost of living, as this depends on so much more beyond the city. It's linked to the country, so I won't compare cost of living.
But honestly, I've been here for a year, and it's boring. Well, I shouldn't put it this way. I love going to Bondi and walking around the Opera House and the harbour in general. But to me, there really is no substance underneath all this beauty. Which is a shame, really, as Sydney doesn't really live up to its potential.
I'm sorry, Sydney. You're cool. But you're not *that* cool.
My two cents.
David
CF=0
#6
Forum Regular
Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 30
Re: Sydney, Australia vs. Toronto, Canada
Each to their own and I have only been to Toronto as a tourist, where I was frankly underwhelmed at the Ice Hockey museum (knowing nothing whatsoever about the game) But in defence of my hometown, there are a lot of theatre companies in Sydney and certainly other musical companies than the Sydney Symphony. Perhaps not as many as Toronto which is famous as a centre of the arts. But many festivals occur in Sydney in the suburbs nearly every weekend and if you got out of the city centre you might find much to interest you. For example last weekend was the City to Surf, this weekend is Ferragosto (Italian Festival) in Five Dock. The Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras has been happening for thirty-five years, there is the Festival of Sydney in January, Chinese New Year celebrations etc etc.
But for people who do have families and especially young children, life to the outsider may appear mundane. Your typical family has one partner working full-time and one part-time, kids in school and no household help since we do not have a source of cheap labour in this country. Weekends comprise grocery shopping, household chores, trips to Bunnings, visits to grandparents and to friends, watching kids sport and dance classes etc. Is this not the pattern of life in much of the western world?
I am sure Toronto is a very fine city in a wonderful country and also, like Sydney, probably suffers from having way too many people wanting to live there. Weather is subjective and what we get used to. I just suggest that you try to make the best of your time in Sydney by getting out of the centre.
But for people who do have families and especially young children, life to the outsider may appear mundane. Your typical family has one partner working full-time and one part-time, kids in school and no household help since we do not have a source of cheap labour in this country. Weekends comprise grocery shopping, household chores, trips to Bunnings, visits to grandparents and to friends, watching kids sport and dance classes etc. Is this not the pattern of life in much of the western world?
I am sure Toronto is a very fine city in a wonderful country and also, like Sydney, probably suffers from having way too many people wanting to live there. Weather is subjective and what we get used to. I just suggest that you try to make the best of your time in Sydney by getting out of the centre.
#7
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Joined: Jan 2011
Location: The REAL Utopia.
Posts: 9,910
Re: Sydney, Australia vs. Toronto, Canada
I am sure both are just big cities and equally unattractive as a place to live. I was totally underwhelmed by Sydney the 2 times we went. Its just a city with horrendous traffic like almost every other city.
#8
Re: Sydney, Australia vs. Toronto, Canada
I've never seen the point of 'comparing' countries/cities. You can like all, some or nothing of a place, and relay your opinions accordingly, but unless the two places you're discussing are the only choices you have to live in - then what's the point?
#9
Re: Sydney, Australia vs. Toronto, Canada
I found the comments on the arts, festivals and weather factually inaccurate.
#10
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Joined: Jan 2011
Location: The REAL Utopia.
Posts: 9,910
Re: Sydney, Australia vs. Toronto, Canada
Different opinions thats all.
#12
Forum Regular
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 30
Re: Sydney, Australia vs. Toronto, Canada
Sydney actually isn't that 'hot' in summer. Minus the odd heatwave it's comparative to a Parisian summer. Overall it's very temperate.
#13
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Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 30
Re: Sydney, Australia vs. Toronto, Canada
http://postimg.org/image/55arzgubr/
Actually there you go Toronto has warmer highs in summer than Sydney!
OP seems to have a massive chip on their shoulder.
Actually there you go Toronto has warmer highs in summer than Sydney!
OP seems to have a massive chip on their shoulder.
#14
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 14,040
Re: Sydney, Australia vs. Toronto, Canada
View image: weather
Actually there you go Toronto has warmer highs in summer than Sydney!
OP seems to have a massive chip on their shoulder.
Actually there you go Toronto has warmer highs in summer than Sydney!
OP seems to have a massive chip on their shoulder.