Lost in Toronto

A city's downtown -- usually around the financial/corporate districts -- tend to turn into ghost town on Sundays. That's true of DC's government building concentrations, Chicago's Loop, and I'm finding out tonight, Toronto's downtown area is no exception.

First night on my own in a strange city never fails to be a rather lonely experience. (This is usually a common experience for the first week of a new client project, where instead of travelling out on Monday mornings as usual, I often travel out the night before -- Sunday -- to start the new project in a clear state of mind.) Toronto turns out to be a double whammy: clearing customs is not a common experience (makes you REALLY feel like a stranger) and my cell phone doesn't seem to be getting service here. The Web is the only connection I have with my life on the State side at this moment.

After chucking my carry-on bag on the bed and picking up an advertisement-infested tourist map from the hotel's concierge, I stepped into the streets of downtown Toronto. The concierge told me to check out the cafe-lined stretch of King Street, but I ended up walking a few more blocks to Queen Street where I found a much more bustling stretch of 10-15 blocks, full of cool restaurants, ecclectic cafes and inviting bars. I wasn't dressed for the chilly wind and the 30 F temperature, and after about six blocks or so, at every intersection, I was torn between continuing exploring the increasingly enticing-looking stretch of Queen Street or just doubling back and duck into one of the many restaurants I considered along the way. I gave up after ten or more blocks with a vow to resume the exploration on a warmer evening (that is, if the project's schedule permit it).

Fueled by a quick dose of sushi* and warm sake (my choice of first-night-in-a-strange-city dining experience), instead of taking the shortest path back to the hotel, I decided to check out Yonge Street which turned out to be a mistake. The temperature had obviously turned down a notch while I was sucking down my sake with my meal, and after its warm effect has worn off just a few blocks into the mid-March chill, it was a sheer misery, walking about 15 more blocks of what turned out to be mostly deserted office district.

A few more (practical) things I noticed:

• There are A LOT of Subways in downtown Toronto. Quiznos is a close second. There are about two Subways for every McD's.
• Street-cart hotdog vendors a aplenty along Queen Street. This is a promising prospect on the quality of nightlife there; you can always tell that people are having a great time if you see lines for a street dog at 2 AM.
• Tim Hortons (http://www.timhortons.com) seem to be a combination of Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts (e.g. doughnuts and sandwiches served in an upscale decor) and just like Starbucks, there's one in nearly every corner.
• Toronto's got a lot of elements of what reminds me of NYC and Chicago. The way retail shops and office buildings blend into the city scene and some of the more bohemian-looking places remind me of how things appeared to me in Manhattan, but the general temperament (I cannot quite place a finger on it, yet) is closer to Chicago.
• There is a wide diversity of ethnic backgrounds in the residents, and especially for the young (teens/twenties), they seem to be a lot better harmonized -- I spotted a lot of mixed-race couples and groups. Definitely cool.

I can't wait to see how the scene changes once the city comes to life again on Monday morning.

* Is trying sushi in a place called, 'i love sushi' (http://www.ilovesushi.ca/) a bold decision or a stupid folly? True to their claim, the ingrediences seemed fresh (but this, I'll have to see if it's generally fresh in Toronto), but just like most of the offerings from sub-par sushi joints, the rice portion was WAY too large for the size of the fish -- both for the sushi and hand roll -- and they seemed to have tried to compensate for this by making the rice slightly sweeter than usual. They say being crazy is doing the same thing repeately, expecting a different outcome each time. When will I stop being lured in by too-cheap-to-be-good prices on the menus plastered on the windows?