nicolavictoria32

Hi all,
I am moving to toronto in canada this year. Need lots of advice. Especially on good places to socialise eg bars, areas to be wary of, advice on travel around toronto. Generally good and bad points. I am going to be working at Sunnybrook hospital so any advice on this would be great also my husband will be working as an electrical technician so any advice on good employment agencies would be good.

Thanks and speak to you soon

dbd33

Up towards Sunnybrook there's a cluster of pubs at Yonge and Eglinton, the Rose and Crown might be a good starting point.

Areas to be wary of : Jane and Finch, Scarborough.

Travel : you need a TTC pass each. That gets you on buses, streetcars and the subway.

iaink

That might be a problem, as its one of those regulated occupations where employers want to see a canadian ticket for safety reasons.

http://www1.on.hrdc-drhc.gc.ca/ojf/o...ofile&noc=7241
or
http://www1.on.hrdc-drhc.gc.ca/ojf/o...ofile&noc=2241

Pretty Flowers

Get yourself down College of a Saturday night too... (or rather Martinis)

dbd33

College and ?

Clinton, maybe, College/Carlton and Church has martini bars but I'd hesitate to suggest them to persons unknown.

Pretty Flowers

As a non Toronto resident, I don't really know what the intersection is, but the part of College in Little Italy is good, as is around Bathurst.

seacreature

Good places to Socialise.....
There are lots of wonderful bars around Front Street East in Toronto's 'old town'. It's a very atmospheric area and very pretty with nice fountains etc.
Also nice is Danforth Avenue around Pape Ave, Little Italy and Yonge/Eglinton. You'll find lots of European style bars and friendly old pubs in these areas.

Areas to Avoid....
Scarborough, some nice bits, but generally bleak, characterless suburbia. Parts are very rough.
When downtown don't go east of Jarvis Street on Queen St or Dundas St!!Both of these streets go through some very run-down housing estates, Moss Park and Regent Park. These are not pleasant areas to say the least and are like skid row come nightfall.
Dundas St East in particular is very dodgy once you go east of Parliament St.
Apart from that, Rexdale and Jane/Finch are not nice, but those areas are far, far away from downtown.

Public Transport....
It's absolutely excellent. You can go anywhere in the city (even the airport) for $2.50. The subway forms the backbone of the system and runs east-west and north-south. Streetcars or buses connect with the subway at each station and run perpendicular to the subway.
This makes it possible to get anywhere in the city.
Just make sure you get a transfer at the station where you START your journey, this allows you to transfer to the tram or bus for free. Otherwise you'll have to pay $2.50 again.
You get the transfer from a red machine in the subway stations, or from the driver as you get on the tram/bus.

As for employment, your husband should ideally volunteer for something as soon as he arrives. There is a bizzare thing here called 'Canadian Experience' and it'll be very hard to get a job without it. Volunteering will count as 'Canadian Experience' and should make it easier to get work.
Generally getting work here is a hassle. You really need to pester people mercilessly just to get an interview.

dbd33

Actually, the College streetcar, taken from one end to the other gives a really good idea of Toronto. Combine that with a bike ride from Balmy Beach to Sunnyside along the lake, diverting on to the Island, and you'd have a pretty good idea of what the city's about.

Pretty Flowers

You mean like public transport AND exercise in the same day....

For heaven's sake. Pour me a beer and put another rib on the barbie instead!

dbd33

Voila !

Pretty Flowers

MMM another fan of the winter barbequeing season!

dbd33

I'd rather it was always summer but BBQ's good anytime. That was a bit cold though, note the outside temperature.

Souvenir

A tad chilly for a barbie, one has to agree. But then, who knows what to expect from a man who takes photos of thermometers. And then shares them.

Pretty Flowers

Last winter as part of my giving up smoking kick (I'm still trying) I made a rule that I could only smoke outside without a coat on.

This lead to much hilarity from the people I work with, and many cigarettes that hardly got smoked at all...

Souvenir

Why do you think they make different lengths?

King-size = summer
Regular size = winter
100's = late spring or early fall (or an iffeminate bloke)