My friend/fellow student Brian posted his own take on the entry from a few days back regarding my love/hate relationship with Toronto, which included mention of Richard Florida, a social and economic theorist and author of Who's Your City?. He was the keynote speaker at a conference Brian recently attended, where he discussed how, "place is evidently quite important, despite how common it is for people to travel between cities and work from various remote locations." (They also noted how during his speech, he recommended that a good way to choose a great city is to look at "where the gays go," which is actually really worthy if you think about it: Amsterdam, San Francisco, Montreal, New York, Sydney, Berlin...)

Anyway, this all really interests me right now, for obvious reasons, and I checked out Florida's book's website, which has a great feature that involves a series of questions that help you decide what city may or may not be a good fit for you. Its obviously not the end-all of knowing where you should end up, but I did it with the 5 communities I have either lived in or know well enough to answer the questions: Toronto, Montreal, Halifax, Trenton (Ontario, where I grew up), and New York.

My results were a bit too close to call:

You should definitely consider staying in Montreal, Quebec
final score:80 (amongst the highest scores)

You should definitely consider moving to New York, New York
final score:81 (amongst the highest scores)

You should definitely consider moving to Toronto, Ontario
final score:74 (amongst the highest scores)

You should probably not move to Halifax, Nova Scotia
final score:58 (below the average [62.2] score)

You should definitely not move to Trenton, Ontario
final score:12 (way below the average [62.2] score)

photo taken from Toronto Islands Monday, June 9, 2008

I read this interview in The Guardian with Rufus Wainwright a few days in which he, among other things, answers the "fill in the blank" question I'll never go back to... with:

Toronto. I can't stand it - the place drives me mad. I'm allowed to say this because I'm Canadian. I have friends there, I work there, but I find it really hard to like. I will have to go back there, but I wish I didn't have to. It's trying to be the New York of the Midwest. I much prefer Montreal.

Immediately I agreed, as I have always tended to over the past few years. I brag to Torontonians that I live in Montreal, and I wear a big chip on my shoulder doing it. But maybe I'm being unreasonable. And annoying.

For any urban Canadian, this kind of mentality is probably very familiar. They even made a documentary about it, Let's All Hate Toronto, by Albert Nerenberg and Rob Spence, that made the festival rounds last year.

I'm currently in Toronto for a week, and have for the most part spent the last two years dividing my time between it and Montreal (I'd say 80% Montreal, 20% Toronto, to be more precise). I've witnessed many people switch cities, and have comparative conversations about the two cities many a time. So I feel I am well suited to give an opinion.

For any young, English-speaking Canadian, especially those in cultural industries, there is likely an overwhelming force drawing them to Toronto. Vancouver is the next viable option, but certainly much less so, and for those on the Eastern side of the country, its very far away. I moved to Toronto in 2002, and spent the next 4 years there doing my undergrad at the University of Toronto. When I finished, I'll admit one of the main reasons I applied to grad school was so that I had a reason to leave. Otherwise, why, and how, could I? The jobs were right there, and I didn't exactly have money saved to move anywhere for no practical reason. So I went to Montreal. For an anglo-Canadian, I'd imagine 80% of people move to Montreal for school. Another 15% to be an indie rock star. And the other 5% for various other reasons.

Nobody ever wants to leave. Nobody I've met. But if you don't speak French, and even if you do, Montreal is a tough occupational world to navigate. But it also makes life seem so easy. Cheap rent. Cheap transit. Cheap beer. A ridiculous abundance of dirty fun everywhere you look. So, feasibly, Montreal is an option even when there are not much jobs around. Eventually, though, for an unlucky majority, the realization that Montreal is a fantasy world of stunted young adulthood for any Anglo comes creeping up. This isn't always the case. But it is, as I countdown my last months of living there, for me.

So Toronto you go. Unless you have a lot of money, or a drastic sense of irresponsible adventure, its inevitable. Not that there's not other options: smaller communities (there are many great ones), other cities, other countries if you've got hook-ups... But the major opportunities are in Toronto. And here's the catch: Toronto is no Montreal. I have to admit I do understand Wainwright's claim. And will expand on it by suggesting that Toronto is a bizarre city in that it really has no real identity. I think of it as one of those people who just copies everyone else, buys music they think is cool but don't even like, wears clothes they see someone else wearing. And sometimes those traits are evident in much of its population as well. And in most of its festivals (TIFF aside), which compared to their more organic, more easy-going Montreal counterparts seem forced, sterile and corporate. And, briefly, some other negative characteristics: Bars close at 2am, the waterfront is a tragic mess, the rent is often ridiculously expensive, the transit system will make you want to gauge your eyes out and much of the newer architecture is very ugly.

Very few people I know who live in Toronto are happy that they do. However, some are. And they are usually people I regard as the most optimistic in life, and I also fear those people are going to hate me for saying all this. I don't mean to undermine their home, or the reasons they love it (and there are reasons, despite what I've suggested thus far). But in my defense, I will fully admit that this is just my opinion based on my observations, and the relationships we have with our cities are so personal and so imbedded in the experiences we have there. A city means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. I was 18 when I moved here, and unfortunately had to do a lot of growing up in the process, much of which involved making many a mistake. As a result, there's lots of people in Toronto I have complicated, or even completely destroyed, relationships with. I associate bars and streets and neighbourhoods with things, good or bad, I don't care to return to.

But I'll have to return. Just like Rufus. I have so many lovely friends here. But unlike Rufus, it doesn't make me that angry. As time goes on, and I spend years partially away from it, I actually really enjoy coming here as a short-term resident. 2 weeks in Toronto? Works for me. 2 years? That, I could not handle. Yet.

I think the real reason a lot of young Canadians hate Toronto - though I've made some valid specific points as well - is that if Montreal represents a fun fantasy, Toronto is a drab reality. But if you want to be successful in a certain sense of the word, and you aren't extremely privileged financially: You have to work hard. You have to spend a lot of money you don't want to spend. You need to network. You need to be home by 3. And as I grow closer to coming to terms with the fact that I do eventually need to behave like an adult, Toronto becomes a cold comfort farm for this kind of acceptance.

Besides, as I mentioned, there are good parts: Their weeklies (NOW and Eye) kick Montreal's weeklies ass. So do their movie theatres and subsequent film selection. The Toronto Islands are an amazing and close by escape in the summer. Some neighbourhoods (personally, I adore the Annex, even though fear of ex-boyfriends usually makes me avoid it) are great, great places to live or play. So its really not all that bad, and maybe I don't actually HATE Toronto, as I have definitely suggested time and time again. Or am I just convincing myself this to pad my own eventual fall?

My former roommate and forever friend, Meagan, be featured in this week's Eye Weekly... on of all things, her knick-knack collection. Check out the article here. Please note its mention (and photo) of three-legged cat Walter, who I used to have to throw out of my bedroom on a daily basis and was never particularly nice too. But now that he's a known name, I take it all back.

More from Hot Docs here.

I'm in the middle of third day in Toronto enjoying Hot Docs. My first dispatch is posted on the main site, and I'll likely not end up posting much additionally on this blog (I'm only here for 4 days, and all I get out of it will be saved for the dispatches). But being here is wonderful. Besides the it-feels-like-Miami weather (80 degrees in Toronto in April is not normal), the whole festival has a great homecoming vibe. Hot Docs was one of my first jobs in the industry (I was their volunteer coordinator in '06), and my experience working there was totally influential in my decision to keep going in this direction (It helps that the staff were, and from I can tell this time around, still are, really lovely and passionate people). The festival runs for another 8 days, and there a ton of events in addition to the screenings, all of which seem very worthwhile. So check out their schedule if your in or around Toronto.

The trailer for the Edward Norton starring-written by-and final cut chosen by The Incredible Hulk was released today. Last summer when I worked at TIFF they shot the thing a few blocks away, and it doesn't look like they hid it too well. Check out the trailer below (which looks pretty lame.. and don't mind the Spanish subtitles) if only to spot Toronto landmarks like strip club Zanzibar, pizza haven The Big Slice (a former lunchtime classic for me) and the old Sams as the Hulk slams his way down an undisguised Yonge Street. I hope they at least Norton made sure they computer edited out the CN Tower and various Canadian flags in the final cut. Or maybe I don't.

While Jason Reitman was somewhere in California prepping for his next film with fellow "Canadian" Jim Carrey, Sandra Oh hosted the 28th annual Genie Awards in Toronto. Rightfully, the very Canadian and very good "Away From Her" swept the major categories, including best picture, director, screenplay acting awards for Gordon Pinset, Julie Christie and Kristen Thomson. Winning 7 awards overall, the film tied David Cronenberg's "Eastern Promises in its haul. "Promises" won a slew of technical awards as well as best original screenplay and best supporting actor Armin Mueller-Stahl. Francophone films were almost entirely left out of the winners for the first time pretty much ever.

And while the Genies are generally a bit of a snooze fest that obviously fail largely in comparison to American counterpart Oscar's production or entertainment values... We have officially kicked Oscar's ass in one regard: When did a female-directed picture ever sweep your awards?

No TV and America-centric web usage led me to find out about this just now. Only blocks away from my "second home", a giant fire took down what seems like a whole block on Queen Street West between Spadina and Bathurst. Thankfully no one's been injured, but among the destruction: Suspect Video, Preloved, National Sound and Duke's Cycle.

Says The Globe and Mail:

A massive fire that erupted near a busy Toronto intersection early Wednesday morning gutted several buildings and left the road slick with ice as dozens of firefighters battled for hours on a frigid day to extinguish the six-alarm blaze.

At its height, 150 firefighters and 30 fire trucks were on the scene battling the flames amid a wind chill of -20 C, local TV station CP24 reported.