Canada province/city impression thread

Québec:
Montréal . Where I have lived all my life. Beautiful, lively, vibrant, cultural, exciting city. European. Big enough for there to be lots of new things to do and places to visit ... small enough not to be overly anonymous and intimidating. Beautiful people. Fucking cold at the moment. And better than Toronto.

Québec City . Old and French. Good place to go for school trips. Like Old Montréal but bigger. Lots of cobblestones and cafés. Beautiful historic city.

Laurentians . I have family in the Laurentians and my parents both lived in Ste-Adele for a while when growing up. Lots of mountains, great for skiing. Close to the city. Getting overcrowded.

Eastern Townships . My grandparents used to live just outside of Mansonville near Owls Head so I have spent a lot of time there. Beautiful mountains and lakes. Great skiing though it's further from montréal. Less hustle and bustle than the Laurentians.


Ontario:
Toronto . What is that smell? .... Seriously though, people in Toronto are mean and scared of interpersonal contact. Never try to talk or hug a Torontonian ... and don't even try doing the two cheek kiss thing with new people you meet there (may be normal in Montréal but Toronto people will get scared and hostile).

London . Actually a fun little university town though I imagine it can get quite boring. Hung out in what must be the only gay bar in the whole city. Or region. They also have a bar that lets you pay in Canadian Tire money once a year.

Parry Sound / Georgian Bay . Where I've spent all my summers. The most beautiful and magical place I have ever been. Very important place to me.

Barrie . My grandparents used to live here. Don't remember too much about it but I think that's a good thing. Passing through on a voyager bus last summer, I was surprised at the number of strip clubs / liquidation sex shops.


Unfortunately, I haven't travelled too much in Canada.

North Bay - Cold and boring. Literally nothing to do about 90% of the time. And the windchill right now is a balmy -41C.

I'm in Calgary, and the previous impressions seem pretty dead on. Both Calgary and Edmonton are bizarre places, as they're both fairly large cities but feel like smaller towns. There's little nightlife to speak of, and there's this odd sense of space absolutely everywhere. Tricky to explain, but I'm sure that anyone who has been here gets what I'm talking about.

Anyway, I've always been interested in going to Montreal, but everyone around here seems to be under the impression that everyone from Quebec will treat you like dirt if you aren't a fluent French speaker. Does the rumour have any validity, or is it just useless paranoia?

Got you beat, it's -44 here. Brrrrrrrrr ....

Isn't it sick when you're looking forward to -20?

I believe it's a chilly, wintry 70 degrees Fahrenheit here in Miami.

Brrrrr.

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Originally Posted by Riptwo

Anyway, I've always been interested in going to Montreal, but everyone around here seems to be under the impression that everyone from Quebec will treat you like dirt if you aren't a fluent French speaker. Does the rumour have any validity, or is it just useless paranoia?

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There is no validity in that. I live in a predominately French neighbourhood and although my French is not very good (I very much want to improve) and almost always speak English I have never had any problems.

As long as you treat people with respect they'll usually treat you the same way. Make an effort and be friendly and you'll find most people are the same way. I think people who have problems must bring it on themselves by acting obnoxious or disrespectful.

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Originally Posted by Andrew

Do you know that some people in our region say P-dot for Pickering, and A-dot for Ajax?

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Yep. I was one of them. Now it's Pick-city.

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Originally Posted by icepop

Québec:
Ontario:
... and don't even try doing the two cheek kiss thing with new people you meet there (may be normal in Montréal but Toronto people will get scared and hostile).

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Sad cuz it's fucking true.

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Originally Posted by icepop

[...] doing the two cheek kiss thing with new people you meet there

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:wtf:

Quote:

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Passing through on a voyager bus last summer, I was surprised at the number of strip clubs / liquidation sex shops.

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*makes note*

i've been to vancouver and the coastal island next to it...Queen Victoria Island I believe? Both were very pretty places with generally friendly people. I really liked the fact that hardly any litter was to be found in the streets of Vancouver, the air was very clean I can recall as well. Yup, great place that.

Ontario

Ok, about Barrie. There is ONE strip joint within 2 seconds walking distance from the bus terminal, and 2 sex/lingerie stores in the immediate vicinity. (oh and i guess theres two porn stores visible from the highway as you drive through town) NOTHING to write home about, or make notes about. Trust me. The good stuff is on the outskirts (heh, ok, fine, at the tail of the horse in our one horse town) of town. I live here, I don't plan on being here forever, but it's a nice place to raise your kids and live in fear of the Blacks and Asians moving up from Toronto and ruining your property values. (NOT my sentiment. But if there are rednecks in Alabama, there sure as shit are Rednecks in Ontario too. We just dont go for the sibling love and stuff). Also home of Canada's largest pot bust! Take an abandoned beer brewery which serviced a large portion of the province, buy it (with federal help no less) for the purpose of making "beverages" then use the vats to grow weed. Amazing ingenuity, and they only got caught cuz somebody phoned in a tip. It's down right Vice Cityish.

Toronto: grew up there, wish i was still there. will be again (McArthur/Error: I shall return) And of course we get pissy if you try to hug us or kiss us on the cheek. It's called personal space, look into it. Also, you think Toronto smells? Let me let you in on a little secret, it isn't the city, its YOU. Still, their hockey team cracks me up and it's fans annoy me. Ah well, could be worse. It could be PEI.

Hamilton: Shithole. Think Pittsburg, only smaller.

Niagra Falls: Hear the roar of the falls...see the majesty of the falls...feel the power of the falls...now leave a minute later wondering why you spent the past 2 hours getting there, and wtf else is there to do in this place? (unless you brought a chick. then its just obvious)

Newmarket: Has an Arbys. reason for going +1

OK, thats it for me and Ontario.

Quebec:

Montreal: Passed through when young, not much to say really, didnt stop.

New Brunswick: OMFG It's ALL trees!! Everywhere Trees!!!!

Nova Scotia: Home of Alexander Graham Bell apparently. Also home to the realization that if you can't drink and you haven't hit puberty there is less and less to do in Eastern Canada the farther East you go.

PEI: HOLY SHIT, IS THIS PLACE BORING! If there was EVER a reason to own a portable game system, it's PEI.