Moving to a new city can often be chaotic, but when the world is under attack from a dangerous virus, navigating your new home becomes a complex matter. Getting to know Toronto has been a work in progress since I moved here almost 4 months ago. What makes Toronto unique? What kind of person does the city attract? What contributes to the city’s cultural identity? Finding the answers to these questions has been both frustrating and invigorating. Covid-19 has meant that it is not as simple as visiting the famous galleries and bars. Instead, I’ve spent time looking at the lifestyles and attitudes of socially distant locals.
Main Attraction: The Coffee Shop
My first port of call was the staple of any great city: the coffeeshop. I was lucky that my move coincided with some of them opening their doors to curb side pickup. It became clear that Canadians are passionate about the ever-reliable Tim Hortons, with Toronto being perhaps the only big city I have visited where Starbucks is overshadowed. Toronto also has a wide variety of stylish and quirky independent coffee shops. My favorite quickly became Cafe23 in the Queen Street area (voted by Vogue magazine as the second coolest neighborhood in the world), and I regularly enjoy their signature matcha pandan latte: a sweet matcha vanilla delight infused with the classic green tea latte.
Big City Essential: The Food
Next on my list of socially-distant ways to get to know the city was the food and drink and I found myself scouting out restaurants and bars with eye-catching exteriors. Observing the range of food and drink available for takeaway, it soon became clear that Toronto excels at range. It’s one of the most multicultural cities in the world and you only have to walk down the street for 5 minutes to see different cuisines up for grabs. I have tried several different sushi takeaways – all of which have been divine – and have added glamorous restaurants and bars serving delicate food, such as Lavelle, to my list of places to go once lockdown is over. Quirky independent food joints are scattered around most neighbourhoods, and small bakeries such as Bloomer’s, which serves a delightful vegan rose-pistachio donut. To balance this out, I’ve witnessed my housemates devour ‘half-price on Mondays’ chicken wings from a traditional pub called Gracie’s, and I’m told I must try the infamous beavertail: a fried dough pastry topped with anything sweet and delicious you can imagine, from nutella rocky road to the classic strawberry cheesecake. Toronto truly does cover all the bases.
High Priority: The Fashion
Fashion is a large part of any big city, but when I first arrived clothing stores were simply inaccessible. The desperation to go shopping was only heightened by the trendy Torontonians: from girls embodying instagram-model-chic in their cycling shorts and crop-top gym wear co-ords, to denim-wearing, doc-martin-sporting men sipping on their kombucha. There were women in high heels doing their supermarket shop, and high-fashion tracksuits showcased in local parks. Walking through my local neighbourhood I saw tiny vintage shops, and a brand called The Latest Scoop that combines elements of Topshop with H&M and Zara.
City Culture: The Lifestyle
Finally, I considered the overall lifestyle of Toronto. What do the people here prioritise? In my first week, I’d spotted several wellness spas and juice bars. The bike is a popular mode of transport, and local parks are speckled with socially distant yoga groups. Paradoxically, I noticed many people day drinking as the weather got nicer, and indulging in glorious summertime food from food carts, like poutine and large cones of Sicilian gelato. Marijuana is legal here, and the queues for liquor stores are always the longest. In Queen Street there are several tattoo parlours, and while nightclub doors remain firmly closed, I’ve noticed that Torontonians enjoy blasting loud music from speakers wherever they go. The city strikes a real balance between the holistic and the hedonistic.
So, What’s The Verdict?
Considering my experience thus far, it seems to me that Toronto is a city of acceptance, of multiculturalism, and of creative expression. Everything that contributes to the city’s identity is full of paradox and contradiction in the best and most enticing way. Ultimately I’ve discovered that Toronto is so diverse in its citified culture that you are in fact invited to find your own identity, and as a side note, getting to know it throughout lockdown has also given me a passion for the city that I may have never had if I had moved here under regular circumstances. I am beyond eager for the world to return to normality so that I can experience this unique city to its absolute fullest.
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