Miss Clinique

Westfields shopping centre in London is not better that the Eaton Centre. Westfields is just like every other shopping centre full of high street stores with a few extra's and the odd designer.

I live in Maidstone - Kent I can tell you that there is nothing about London England that is cosy. It is dirty, full of rude people, and guess what emigrants!! You can spend all day in London and very rarely hear an English voice.

I say to the OP take off your rose tinted specs. I found Toronto to be clean, with friendly people, and the customer service you receive in Canada can not be seen anywhere in England.

Cant believe I have just taken the bait of a troll

ShawnMcCrea

Not sure why you visited in the first place? If you looked up even 1 picture online you would see Toronto has similar architecture to other North American cities unlike that of Europe. People hold these strange high expectations and offer the idea "that they can do better". As a designer myself im not sure what kind of trained eye your looking from, but to some old bricks look nice, and to others modern glass skyscapers.

Your trying to compare apples and oranges and there never going to be the same species. Best to stay where you are and leave your opinions to a night of beers with friends.

christmasoompa

And just to show the everybody has a different view, I find exactly the opposite! People were much ruder in Toronto and it certainly wasn't cleaner than London when I was there. Haven't visited Westfield but the Eaton Centre was certainly full of high st stores too - just Canadian ones!

Give me London over Toronto anyday. Different strokes for different folks etc.

rwin

I thought London was okay too. Except for that one guy on the subway :curse:

Butch Cassidy

Agreed.

skyturner

Nah, not really.........just that I worked in an occupation that had me dealing with the seediest parts and people. so I have a blinkered image to a degree. Yorkshire is a beautiful part of the country and has a lot of history and great buildings. I am getting itchy for my immigration to BC.

JonboyE

Yes, but White City is such an attractive part of London, isn't it?

dboy

What did you expect big ben and the palace? Having spent a couple of weeks in Toronto myself - i loved it. I thought it was a pretty happening place compared to vancouver - but god was is it hot. Wouldn't use the word cosy to describe London.

dboy

christmasoompa

Is that where it is?! Not being a shopping fan I have no idea. What a picturesque area they chose then.

newshoney

I watched Westfield being built as it's directly opposite the BBC TV multi-storey car park. It was a redevelopment of old industrial land between the railway and four-lane feeder road between Holland Park roundabout and the A40 (on the one side) and Wood Lane (on the other). It's a huge, huge improvement on the wasteland that was there before and a decent enough example of the mega indoor shopping mall. It's true though that the whole Shepherd's Bush area is somewhat seedy (as are many parts of London).

You'd think though that Toronto, being a relatively recent construct, would be better planned than a 2000+ year-old hodgepodge.

Miss Clinique

I think What I am trying to say is, that they are both big city's, love em or loath em.

I think it unfair to attack Toronto when in my oppinion London is not the great place the OP seemed to think it is. London is a very big city and I have seen alot of it, the good and the bad.

JamesM

I just wanted to add that when I first visited Toronto back in March 2004 the place was lost on me. Everybody dissapeared underground, I struggled to find the nightlife and the -8 temperature completely caught my wardrobe off guard.

My opinion completely changed after living there for a year. Toronto in the winter and Toronto in the summer are very different and visitors to the city during either season will have very different experiences.

I think if on my first visit I had had a Toronto Native to help me around the place it would of been a much easier experience as the nightlife and tourist attractions certainly aren't as obvious as London.

There is something very rewarding about wrapping up in your fleece, ski jacket, woolly hat and gloves and then trekking out in the the icey cold winter to a bar and having a beer.

Anyway with out going of target and into a rant I will close by saying that Toronto is a much better place to live and work than it is as a tourist destination. I think for London it is more likely to be the other way round. I live and work in London and love the city but I am fortunate to earn what I do. I would hate to earn less than £25k and live in London where as on $45 to $50k in Toronto I would be much happier. The standard of living of Toronto for the common working man is definately higher in Toronto than London.

el_richo

I notice you live in Crapham. I'll be driving through there this afternoon on my way to Dulwich Village

I also agree with part of what you say. London is an awesome city if you can afford it. Same goes for may cities no doubt. I'd hate to live in London on what i would consider a low wage for sure.

JamesM

El-richo we are practically related

I will be dropping my car at Dulwich Audi for a service on Monday first thing!