Butch Cassidy

Rich,

Whilst I largely agree with you points, where do you think the Jews in Cheetham Hill and various 'Ghettos' of london came from???
Why are there Russian and Eastern Orthodox Churches in many Industrial Cities in the UK.

Pretty Flowers

wow Dbd... you'd think you never went downtown... I think Toronto has an incredibly diverse downtown. As for no one every going there, just check out the entertainment district at the weekends, the Eaton centre on Saturday afternoons, Kensington market, pretty much 24/7. Do you actually live in the same city as me?

If by downtown you mean the financial district, then its pretty quiet at the weekends, but the definition of downtown toronto is pretty much bigger than that.

as to no one ever going , well, I'd guess just if the traffic jams and public transport congestion are anything to go by, that a significant proportion of the GTA actually works downtown Monday to Friday

Personally, whenever I drive to the US, which is fairly frequently, I can immediately tell that I'm in a different country, and that's nothing to do with the American flag.

I see very distinct differences. You only have to drive down a street in Batavia to see that...

Rich_007

Ottawa

Rich.

Novocastrian

Well there you are. That's the Canadian way. If you two were in the US arguing about something equally pointless, you would be ranting on about each other's mother and threatening mutual violence involving firearms by now. See, it is different here.

iaink

Could be the britishness more than the canadianess? Ill admit to be being at least partly canadian now in public....where as dbd would probably rather gouge out an eye with a rusty spoon than go that far

dbd33

Ha! I'm not Canadian. I just have the passport.

iaink

I dont have the passport, but I am (a bit) canadian... go figure.

dbd33

Obviously Batavia aint like the Kensington market but Toronto, as a whole, is very much like Chicago. I don't say that every square inch of Canada and the US is like every other, just that for someone coming from the UK, diversity is not a feature that can reasonably be claimed for North America. If diversity was what was wanted staying at home or going to India would be a better choice.

dbd33

I can't say I know Hamburg but, if your point is that proximity and land access has caused the cities to be similar (and both being ports) then I'd expect that to be true. Does Hamburg have myriad art galleries and museums?

ultranaut

Its very big. Very very big. You have to really see it to believe it.
Even though we all speak english (and/or french) its not England. If you visit and stay in a larger city it can feel very familiar in some respects but if you go to the smaller towns they are very small and really not at all like an english 'village'.
Whilst we often feel overly familiar with the 'North American' way of life through a shared language and thus entertainment industry (film/tv), both the USA and Canada are completely different countries to England.
If you come expecting a different country with its own peculiarities, ways of life, culture and customs then you won't be dissapointed.
If you come expecting a cleaner, bigger England without any problems you will be dissapointed.

R2D2

Just to change the subject completely.................I've just seen my "doppleganger"

Girl in the middle (winter pic), could be my twin sister !!!!! Bizarre !!!

Alberta_Rose

What is Canada like?



mmmmm maybe I'm not answering the question too well ...... ask another?

oceanMDX

Boston Pizza is a Canadian franchise with an American name which was started by a Greek immigrant who jumped ship in British Columbia (Vancouver) and moved to Edmonton where he started selling Italian food.... now that's diversity.

oceanMDX

No he doesn't ..... Canada is next to France as the province of Newfoundland & Labrador is next to St. Pierre and Miquelon.... they're less than 16 miles apart.

dbd33

I've actually been to St. Pierre (and to France!). St P&M isn't like France.


I thought of you last evening ocean, the driver of the tram in front of ours was punched by a passenger and the police were called. Since all the trams run on the same track we all had to wait for the cops even though the violent passenger had run away. After about forty minutes and much discussion with the union rep the driver calmed down a bit and agreed not to wait any longer for the police but to resume work and we all went on our way. While we were waiting a tourist asked the driver of our tram how often this happens "often enough, once a week or so". (Presumably not to the same driver though there is one who tempts even me).

This is the sort of thing that, like the beggars on every corner, you can't see from Mexico.