The Move to Toronto Options

[ClinicallyInsuff...]

Hey everyone,
I've been a bit busy lately, so I haven't really been on these boards as much, but as some of you have already noticed from my Facebook statuses, I've finally settled on a place in Toronto and have a moving date. My girlfriend and I will be renting out the basement of a house just off of Sheppard Ave W, a few minutes walk from Downsview Station. The place looks nice, is affordable, I believe it is along a direct bus route to campus, and the subway station will be nice for when we want to get downtown. I plan to arrive there on August 17th so that I will have a couple weeks to get settled, explore, and enjoy the city before my classes start. I'm quite excited.

I was starting to think that I was having bad luck for all of the concerts I wanted to see in Ontario. The Pearl Jam show had sold out, and I learned that the Ontario V Fest isn't going to be in Toronto this year (which was really disappointing, because The Pixies are playing, and I love them). I cheered up a bit last night though. I ordered tickets to go see Placebo in October. They're not as high on my list as Pearl Jam, but I've been starting to listen to them more lately and I like them (about a year or two ago, the only song I knew by them was Pure Morning, which must be over 10 years old by now).

Hopefully everyone is having a good weekend so far. We finally got some sun during the week here, but it's back to rain it seems tonight.

[lafiestamugs]

Hiya Justin!
Your place sounds great - although I'm not too familiar with the area. The transit system is awesome though and easy to navigate.

As for VFest - it's about 45 minutes north of where I live. It really isn't too far, mind you I'm used to the hour long drive into the city......but if you are reeeealy interested in going, I'm also pretty sure there are all kinds of ride share programs going - their focus is going green pretty much like everywhere else.
I'd offer a ride, but I'll be away that last week in August - we booked a holiday in South Carolina. Looks like we'll have to go south in the dead of summer to find some WARMTH and SUN
The weather here has been - and still is - unbelievably bad, cold and wet and COLD. Did I say cold? COLD.

Thanks for the update - if there's anything you need or anything I can do, just let me know, okay?
I hope one of these days we can finally get to say hello in person!
You'll have to keep me posted on any shows you're going to (there's LOTS here and I will too

Have a GREAT week, everyone!

[ClinicallyInsuff...]

Hi Laura!
Yes, I don't know much about the neighbourhood either, other than what I could learn through maps and bus routes. My girlfriend's friend went to check it out for us though, and he thought it was pretty nice. Who knows, we may not like it, but we run that risk no matter where we go.

I'm sure we could probably work something out for the V Fest if we really wanted, but it would most likely just end up costing us a lot of money and hassle. There will be other big concerts to see, I'm sure . I know what you mean about the weather. It's been pretty terrible out this way as well. It's strange for my friends and I to try and have get-together in mid-July and end up huddled around a fire with blankets because it was so cold that night haha.

Have fun on your trip, and yes, I'm sure that some time after I move we will get the chance to say hello in person at a concert or something.

[steffieluv]

hey guys!

so that area, i used to work down the street. its not bad, but not the best. i've never felt unsafe there though. its affordable and fairly clean. it IS on the direct bus route to york, there are 3 busses from downsview station that go straight to york. its only a 15 min bus ride from there, 25 in traffic.

if you guys ever want a grand tour of toronto, i'd be more than happy to take you! i love this city and everything it has to offer. not being from here originally really pushed me to explore everything about it. of course, there are those favorite spots, but i make a point of every summer pushing myself to go to an area i've never been to!

enjoy every moment of it!

[ClinicallyInsuff...]

Hi Stef!
Thanks for the information! I'm glad to hear that it's at least a safe neighbourhood. That was a pretty important factor for me so I didn't need to worry every time my girlfriend walked to and from the bus stop. In retrospect, I should have asked you to recommend some areas before searching rather than asking you about each spot afterward haha. We'll see how it goes here though, and if it doesn't work out, I will just start looking again next summer. I also appreciate the info about bus times. Although I can look up routes on a map (which sometimes just confuse me even more ), I wasn't sure how much time that translated into.

I might end up taking you up on the offer for a tour, but I'll have to wait and see how those first couple weeks go when I arrive. I might end up being a bit busy getting ready for school and picking up things for the apartment. I'll have to get back to you on it. Either way, I hope to also do some exploring!