Hello hello! Monday again, it is time to answer another FAQ. Last week I spoke about the weather in Toronto while answering the all popular loaded question: Hey, so cold is it up there? Today I will continue to talk about Toronto itself as I answer: Hey, so how is Toronto, do you like it? In short, yes! I love it!

I feel like I've spent the entire week thinking of how to answer this questions in words that would perfectly describe why I love Toronto, what I feel and see when I'm there. The first response that comes to mind when I hear this question is that Toronto is a genuinely beautiful city. Maybe not in the same way as an old charming european town, because it is afterall a modern urban area. Apart from the financial district, full of high rises that surpass 60 floors in height, Toronto has a charm of it's own. Surrounding the financial downtown core, we find a great variety of quaint litttle neighborhoods each with a personality and culture of its own. Without further a do, I present the top 5 reasons why I love Toronto (in no particular order):

• A Clean City with Conscious Citizens: I am impressed with the cleanliness of this city. Inspite of it's young population which parties wednesday through sunday, the endless sporting events, musical and cultural festivals, and the constant construction sites, the city of Toronto manages to keep it's streets clean and in good conditions. A part from the fact that there's always municipal workers cleaning the roads, Toronto's citizens are extremely conscious of the role they play in the city's cleanliness. I rarely see anyone dropping trash on the sidewalks or destroying public property. 
• A Safe Place: compared to other cities of simlar size, Toronto's crime rate is quite low and as a women this is comforting. I love being able to go on walks by myself without having to constantly worry about my safety or that I'll turn the wrong corner at any moment. Of course, like any sizeable city, there are areas that one needs to be more careful in, but I rarely if ever have a need to go to these areas, which by the way are well marked and which they city police and government are doing constant work in to improve security. In several studies and rankings, Toronto was qualified as one of the top 5 in "Quality of Life" and "Citiies of Opportunity" in which safety was a major factor being considered. In North America, Toronto ranks as the safest major city to live in!
• Diversity: one of the things that attracts me the most about Toronto is its cultural and racial diversity. With a population of 2.8 million people who together speak more than 140 languages and dialects, and of which 30% speak a third language (after English and French), Toronto has been named one of the most multi-cultural cities in the world. Not only do we experience this when we hear an immense variety of languages just walking around town, but we live it through the plethora of dining options, cultural events, international holiday celebrations or festivals and neighborhoods that are like small settlements of different nations (eg. Little Italy, Little Portugal, Chinatown, multiple Latin Areas, Greektown, etc.)
• Public Parks: sometimes large and important cities can be stifling, especially if they have failed to incorporate or maintain the natural aspect. Luckily the city of Toronto has about 8,000 hectares of green that make more than 1,600 public parks and more than 372mi of hiking trails. That is, if one needs to escape the madness of the city is not difficult to find a park or beach to rest and find some peace. Near the apartment I have at least 5 parks, two of significant size, a bit over a mile away is the waterfront and within 45 minutes I can get to the beach (lake beach). The parks are well kept and many of them have several tennis, basketball, and baseball courts. Others even have recreation centers and swimming pools. People really enjoy the parks and so the government invests in keeping them in good conditions. To me it is a blessing to be able to enjoy the city life I love so much while having places to relax.
• Culture, Sports, Events: there is always something to do. Toronto seems to have a life of its own, its vibrant and alive both day and night. The city of Toronto has four professional teams playing in major leagues (football, ice hockey, basketball, and baseball) and it also has teams in the lower leagues and multiple recreational leagues! People are passionate about the city's teams and these sporting events are usually full (or almost full). In addtion to all the sporting options, there's a great variety of museums and art events. From the Toronto International Film Festival to small galleries that promote local artists, art fanatics can for sure get their fill. All the major bands, popular music shows, and theatrical shows visit Toronto. There are always festivals and theme parties for those who like to go out dancing and for those of us who enjoy good food there is always some sort of culinary festival or foodie event. Despite being the biggest financial city in Canada Toronto does an amazing job promoting art, music and good food. In fact, the topic of food indeed disserves a blog post of it's own.

I hope I answered question! As soon as I get a chance I'll upload photos and videos to give show you guys what TO looks like. Unfortunately most will be wintery ones since I spent the summer and fall enjoying everything this city has to offer "live", in other words, without stopping for a moment to take pictures. Meanwhile stay tuned! Next Monday I shed some light on: Hey, so what do you do all day since you're not working? (although after reading this post you can imagine I'm not in shortage of things to do!)