Paging all Canadians (and anyone else who knows canada i guess...)

[chillin@thebellag]

So I'm getting a little bored of my current residence and thinking it might be time to switch things up, I figure what better place to get some input than a LV message board. I'm only looking to be away for 3-4 months and for some reason Canada struck my fancy, I'm thinking Toronto, Montreal, or Vancouver (these are the only big cities I know, are there any other good ones?).

I'm guessing it wouldn't be too hard to find a furnished house or apt. in any city, so I just want input on which city has the best nightlife (i.e. clubs, concerts), good restaurants, isn't a dump and would be a good place to live for a while. I'm 23 so I'd prefer a place with a lot of young people (so don't send me to the retirement capital of Canada or anything). Thanks.

[dnix]

montreal is in the US

[Cisco419]

montreal is in the US

Only sometimes remember!

[Keebler]

montreal is in the US

Hahahaha...

[justaguy]

Of the three places Toronto has the best nightlife, with Montreal a really close second, and Vancouver is a distant third (still a lot to do there, its just a much more laidback city).

Finding a place in any of the cities would be pretty easy, however the housing market in Toronto, and Vancouver are pretty expensive.

If you don't speak French, Montreal might be a little bit of a problem (its not a requirement to speak French, however there are a lot of people there who don't speak very good english). I was there a couple months ago for a UFC fight and I was surprised at the amount of people who spoke little to no English (or refused to speak English).

[Keebler]

My vote would go to Toronto or Vancouver. I guess it all depends which side of the country you want to be on. Ive been to both and have had fun in both.

[blibblab]

Of the three places Toronto has the best nightlife, with Montreal a really close second, and Vancouver is a distant third (still a lot to do there, its just a much more laidback city).

Finding a place in any of the cities would be pretty easy, however the housing market in Toronto, and Vancouver are pretty expensive.

If you don't speak French, Montreal might be a little bit of a problem (its not a requirement to speak French, however there are a lot of people there who don't speak very good english). I was there a couple months ago for a UFC fight and I was surprised at the amount of people who spoke little to no English (or refused to speak English).

Really? When I was up there, I didn't have a problem at all speaking to others [though, I can speak/read French a little bit]. Regardless, Montréal's a blast - great scenery, lots of things to do, great restaurants, nice nightlife... even has a casino (though the Casino de Montréal is very eh compared to LV's).

[sydneygirl]

Of the three places Toronto has the best nightlife, with Montreal a really close second, and Vancouver is a distant third (still a lot to do there, its just a much more laidback city).

Finding a place in any of the cities would be pretty easy, however the housing market in Toronto, and Vancouver are pretty expensive.

If you don't speak French, Montreal might be a little bit of a problem (its not a requirement to speak French, however there are a lot of people there who don't speak very good english). I was there a couple months ago for a UFC fight and I was surprised at the amount of people who spoke little to no English (or refused to speak English).

+1 on most of that. Haven't been to Toronto, i like Vancouver but it doesn't really seem like a party town. Montreal is great, but yeah i had a bit or trouble too, my french is really bad, & I have a french surname so people expect me to be able to speak it.

One thing i really loved about Montreal was the clothing. People seemed to generally dress a lot better than Vancouver.

[justaguy]

Montreal definitely is a beautiful city, but I still think Toronto has much more to offer as far as nightlife goes. The language barrier isn't as bad as I may have put it, but its definitely there.

If you are only going to be here for a few months, I would say come to Toronto and if you feel like it you could make the drive down to Montreal for a weekend.

[blibblab]

Montreal definitely is a beautiful city, but I still think Toronto has much more to offer as far as nightlife goes. The language barrier isn't as bad as I may have put it, but its definitely there.

If you are only going to be here for a few months, I would say come to Toronto and if you feel like it you could make the drive down to Montreal for a weekend.

Would the train from Toronto to Montréal be viable? I think it's five or six hours, downtown-downtown?

[partyinvegas25]

I love montreal! Never really had trouble with the language, except in rural areas of Quebec. I loved the nightlife there too, but I also went when I was 19-20 b/c I could legally drink, so maybe it wouldn't be as "cool" to me now. I also really want to go to Toronto, I've heard its great....

[tangoplus]

Ah ha... sorry for noticing this thread a little late.

All three cities are good. Toronto is definitely the busiest city of the three. We have a very diverse crowd here. And lots of events.. Carabana.. Gay Pride (if you're into that sort of thing, hee hee).. and lots of ethnic celebrations. We have "Taste of the Danforth" which is a celebration of the Greek culture.. and also something for Italians, Portugese and Chinese.

If you are into the cularnary scene, then it's a pretty good city to be in as well.. there's "summerlicious" and "winterlicious" events, which lasts about two weeks. And basically all the top restaurants in the city drop their prices.. usually in a 3 course meal type of thing.

I would say some of the downsides of Toronto are limited public transportation (compared to other cities).. and strict laws (bars/clubs closing at 2am, no smoking, etc).


A couple of good websites for what's happening in the city...
http://www.blogto.com
http://www.toronto.com


Montreal and Vancouver are great cities too. Montreal is less big on club scene, but they have great patios. I find that you have to search for the right places there. But their architecture is stunning. And Vancouver has great scenary.