It's funny how easy it is to overlook the best parts of a place when they're just a part of everyday life. When I lived in Toronto, I probably spent too much time noticing the annoyances and general chaos rather than what the city was actually giving me. Which is a shame, now that I can look back on it all with some distance.
It wasn't until I moved abroad that a lot of those things came into focus. While living in France certainly has its perks, it's also made me realize how many little luxuries I had completely normalized simply because they were always around. I still don't think Toronto is perfect, per se, and I don't necessarily miss everything about it, but I do appreciate it much more now. And hey, who knows, maybe I'll move back one day and fall in love with it all over again.
All the green spaces
One thing I really didn't appreciate enough about Toronto was how green it actually is. For such a dense city, there are parks everywhere. And the huge ravine system? Incredible. Even outside the obvious places like High Park, we've got trees lining residential streets, long stretches of grass and little parks tucked between houses and buildings galore. I think I assumed that was normal growing up there, but y'all, it absolutely is not.
Believe it or not, the TTC
Obviously the TTC has its problems, and there is a heck of a lot of room for growth. But after living somewhere with much more limited public transit, I've developed a begrudging appreciation for it. Toronto is actually pretty well connected, and most of the time, I could rely on the TTC to get me where I needed to go.
The bike lanes
Toronto drivers and cyclists may remain locked in an eternal blood feud, but I have to admit, the bike infrastructure is decent. I didn't fully appreciate how many protected lanes and trails I had access to until, of course, I moved somewhere where cycling is straight-up terrifying.
In Toronto, I could actually use my bike as transportation. In Marseille (where I'm currently based), not so much. It is possible, but it's way scarier. Now, I'm not saying the lanes in Toronto are perfect — there are definitely still some big gaps, but being able to ride across huge stretches of the city on designated routes is a luxury I took for granted.
Lake Ontario
How did I grow up beside an enormous body of water and somehow treat it like background scenery? Idk, because Lake Ontario is genuinely incredible.
From Toronto, you can stand at the waterfront and look out at water stretching so far that you can't see the other side, which is a pretty wild thing to have sitting at the edge of a major city. It really changes the whole atmosphere of Toronto, too, whether I was meandering along the waterfront or sitting on a beach. All the vibes.
The standard of restaurants
Toronto completely spoiled me when it comes to restaurants. I knew the food scene was good, but I don't think I understood just how high the baseline was until I left.
There are so many Toronto restaurants where the food is superb, even when they're not particularly fancy or expensive. And the range is ridiculous. Korean, Ethiopian, Vietnamese, Caribbean, Indian, Italian, Japanese, Mexican, Chinese — you name it. I really miss being able to crave something uber specific, and then simply, magically, find it.
All the different gyms and fitness studios
Toronto is absurdly good if you like trying different workouts. I'd bop between spin, barre, Pilates, kickboxing, strength training and whatever new boutique fitness obsession had just appeared on any given day. There was always a new studio to try out it seems.
Brunch culture
Don't get me started on Toronto's brunch scene. I miss it way more than I expected to. It was so satisfying to go to a morning workout class and then immediately refuel with French toast or shakshouka. Not to mention the debrief sessions of whatever we'd done the night before. It was basically a weekly check-in with the gals conducted over delicious breakfast food. I miss that whole ritual of it, for sure, and wish I'd appreciated it a little more when I had it.
That goes for most things on this list. You don't know what you have, until it's gone.
The opinions expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Narcity Media.