Belgian wrote:I dropped by here a minute tonight on my stroll of Harbourfront, massive, not a bad looking place with a fun, somewhat sportsbar feel, the patio looked way cooler. I don't know how people carry rents in this town. Area reeks of developer-mania.
Harborfront in general both attracts me with its potential and annoys me with its inherent douchebag factor. I always sorta feel like the money got there so much sooner than the sense of taste did, and the latter is forever caching up, if it ever will. So many nice waterside towns in Europe where I just spent a month, great planning or at least some planning involved.
Leave it to Belgian to tactlessly insult a neighbourhood that another BT'er lives in (as mentioned on the previous page), then claim
other people are douchebags.
We chose the area precisely for its lack of hipsterdom and douchbaggery, proximity to some of T.O.'s best beer spots (Bar Hop, Amsterdam, beerbistro, Loose Moose, Against the Grain, C'est What), great range of takeout restaurants and attractions, walkability (even during construction), proximity to the ACC and Rogers Centre since we have partial seasons for the Leafs and Argos, and easy access to the highway and island airport. When the streetcar returns in August, transit will be back to normal. But I tend to walk most places so it hasn't been a problem for me.
There's a lot of young couples, families, and tourists in the area, which I'll happily take any day over hipsters, snobs, and dude bros. Besides the city/Waterfront TO work, the only new development I've noticed is a condo/office tower near Bay and Lakeshore. Affordability is a subjective thing based largely on income, but compared to other global cities downtown Toronto rents are reasonable.
In terms of planning, I think traffic congestion and a lack of transit are the biggest issues facing Toronto right now.
"Bar people do not live as long as vegan joggers. However, they have more fun." - Bruce Elliott