The Cellar - View Single Post

01-22-2002, 09:09 AM

When I think of Toronto, I have a wholly good image in my head. In the two weeks I was there (October 4-19, 1999) I ate some great food, went to them movies 6 times, walked more than I'd care to do again, and spent lots of money.

One thing I noticed is that regular foodstuffs are cheaper there - or rather, at least there were where Vanessa and I shopped (Vanessa was the friend I was visiting while I was there). I bought toaster strudels for some $1.98 CDN, which, at the time, was roughly $1.33 USD. This was for the box of six. Back here, they were about $2.50 (the cheapest I saw them) for the same box - and that was USD. However, where they gouge you is the GST - Goods & Services Tax. Nic can correct me on this, but I think it was something like 13%. I bought a CD for Vanessa and it ended up being dollars more than the sticker price.

One thing I enjoyed was the little cafés everywhere - they generally serve food, and although they weren't always cheap, it was always good. I'm not a coffee drinker, so that wasn't real important to me.

There were plenty of music stores, which was good. One place, Second Spin, had all used CDs, all of which were under $10 CDN ($6.65 USD at the time). The ones I bought were in great condition, so that was definitely a bonus. As for new-music stores, I remember (maybe Nic knows where I'm talking about) an HMV and a Sam's (not Sam Goody's, but something else) really near each other in downtown. They had a large selection, of course. I spent plenty of money there.

There were some chess tables near there as well, and I sat down and played for a while. I used to be a big chess player (2nd place at the DC area Youth Tournament in '97), but I hadn't played in years. Well, I haven't felt as invigorated as I did that day in Toronto. Just playing there with some guys who I'll never see again. I think that's probably pretty indicative of my feelings on Toronto as a whole - an amazing place where I felt alive. If I had to live one place in the world, it would be Toronto.

01-22-2002, 09:09 AM	#4
dave Guest Posts: n/a	When I think of Toronto, I have a wholly good image in my head. In the two weeks I was there (October 4-19, 1999) I ate some great food, went to them movies 6 times, walked more than I'd care to do again, and spent lots of money. One thing I noticed is that regular foodstuffs are cheaper there - or rather, at least there were where Vanessa and I shopped (Vanessa was the friend I was visiting while I was there). I bought toaster strudels for some $1.98 CDN, which, at the time, was roughly $1.33 USD. This was for the box of six. Back here, they were about $2.50 (the cheapest I saw them) for the same box - and that was USD. However, where they gouge you is the GST - Goods & Services Tax. Nic can correct me on this, but I think it was something like 13%. I bought a CD for Vanessa and it ended up being <b>dollars</b> more than the sticker price. One thing I enjoyed was the little cafés everywhere - they generally serve food, and although they weren't always <b>cheap</b>, it was always <b>good</b>. I'm not a coffee drinker, so that wasn't real important to me. There were plenty of music stores, which was good. One place, <b>Second Spin</b>, had all used CDs, all of which were under $10 CDN ($6.65 USD at the time). The ones I bought were in great condition, so that was definitely a bonus. As for new-music stores, I remember (maybe Nic knows where I'm talking about) an HMV and a Sam's (not Sam Goody's, but something else) really near each other in downtown. They had a large selection, of course. I spent plenty of money there. There were some chess tables near there as well, and I sat down and played for a while. I used to be a big chess player (2nd place at the DC area Youth Tournament in '97), but I hadn't played in years. Well, I haven't felt as invigorated as I did that day in Toronto. Just playing there with some guys who I'll never see again. I think that's probably pretty indicative of my feelings on Toronto as a whole - an amazing place where I felt alive. If I had to live one place in the world, it would be Toronto.