Exploring TO - Sports: Blue Jays

I decided to switch gears today and provide some input on things to do in Toronto.  As I try a new restaurant or event or store, I’ll write about it when it is fresh.  Then I can jump back to the other key Toronto learnings in between.

Last night I went to my first Blue Jays game (vs the NY Yankees!) at the Rogers Centre (formerly the SkyDome).  I bought the tickets on Stub Hub for $40, while the Blue Jays website wanted $52 for essentially the same tickets.  Keep in mind when buying tickets some games are more expensive than others depending on the opponent.  I think this type of pricing is pretty common now.  

When we first arrived, we went to gate 5 because that is what our tickets said, but the line to get into gate 5 was incredibly long!  We didn’t think it could possibly be people waiting to get into the game because it stretched so far down Bremner Blvd, but it was.  So we just went in gate 6 next door because there wasn’t really a line.  I have no idea why so many people just sat in line waiting to get into the game (at game time) when there were other open gates.  Maybe this is another example of “peace and order”.  Definitely don’t do that; go to a gate that isn’t as busy and you can get in just fine!

Turns out we picked the perfect game.  I’ve heard there can be very low attendance at Blue Jays games, but that was not the case last night.  The crowd was great.  The stadium was packed because it was the last home game of the season and Cito Gaston’s last home game as Manager.  They did a nice ceremony for him and then the game started pretty late.  The weather was perfect so the roof was open.  Blue Jays won so depending on who you were rooting for, that could be a good thing!

Some of the reviews on Yelp said that the food was terrible and the lines were long.  After my experience last night my question to them was “Have you ever been to a baseball stadium besides Rogers Centre before?”  I’m no stadium connoisseur, but it was pretty much just like every other one I’ve been too on those two fronts.  Yes we had to wait in line a little for food, beer, bathrooms but that is normal.  And no, the food isn’t top chef, but for stadium food it was fine.  In fact, I thought they had a good selection of different foods available (stir fry, gyros, sushi, chicken fingers, sweet potato fries).  In true Canadian style, the beer selection is really great – Bud, Bud Light, Bud Light Lime, Stella, Alexander Keith’s, Labatt).  Plus have you seen the beer cups they have?  Lids are fantastic!

We were on the first baseline just past first base, and I thought our seats were awesome.  We could see everything.  But, I think it would have been cool to be on the 3^rd baseline instead because I’m pretty sure you could see the CN Tower above the stadium.  We couldn’t see it from our seats, but I did get a great picture of the sunset (above).  There is a hotel in the Rogers Centre that has some hotel rooms that overlook the stadium.  Sounds pretty cool as long as it isn’t another Standard Hotel situation (people behind us said it is actually illegal here).

Only negative is many of the beer stands ran out of beer around the 6^th inning.  I found that odd, but maybe they weren’t prepared for such a large crowd?  I’d definitely recommend checking out a game if you’re a baseball fan.  And, maybe next year they’ll even be contenders for the playoffs!

Expensive Toronto

No matter how you slice it, Toronto is an expensive city to live in.  The information varies greatly depending on which index you look at, but often you'll find Toronto to be the second most expensive city in North America after New York (sometimes LA, San Fran, and Vancouver show up in there as well).  I found a comparison website that was easy to use:  http://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-living/comparison/toronto/new-york-city.  As I mentioned in the last post, rent is definitely cheaper in Toronto than NY.  And, since housing tends to make up a

large portion of your expenses, the total cost of living is less.  The City of Toronto has some interesting points on housing that I think are worth reading.  My takeaway is that most people reading this probably will be paying more for housing than averages would lead you to believe.

I wasn't expecting prices to be so high.  I guess we figured it had to be cheaper than New York (we didn't have a car then though).  Several things I've seen that are noticeably more expensive in Toronto are:  

• Gasoline: Current price is around $3.70 USD per gallon compared to prices in the US around $2.70.
• Car insurance: We're paying at least double the closest plan in NYC, and we did shop around.
• Wine:  I have yet to find a decent bottle of red wine under $17 (don't worry, I'm not giving up yet).  In the US and especially NYC, you can find a lot of good bottles in the $9-13 range.

I'll keep looking and will let you know as I find more examples.

Additionally, you have to take taxes into consideration. Sales tax in Toronto is 13% (certain things are exempt, check this website for more information).  This hurts a lot especially on large purchases.  Income taxes are also high when compared to most places in the US.  2010 rates are listed on:  http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tx/ndvdls/fq/txrts-eng.html.  But for us we actually will pay almost the same amount as we did in NY since there is also a large city income tax in NY.  And, remember your taxes in Canada will cover your health care.  One thing I learned the hard way as well is that unfortunately if you have student loans from another country, the interest will not be deductible from your Canadian taxes.

I'm off to my first Blue Jays game tonight.  They happen to be playing the Yankees:)  I've heard mixed reviews about the Rogers Centre, but I'll be sure to give an update afterwards!

Where to Live in Toronto?

Interactive Neighborhood Map

As I mentioned in the first post, one of the best things about Toronto is that it is really a collection of different neighborhoods.  This is great because there will be a place that is suited perfectly for you.  Each neighborhood varies greatly in type of housing (condos, houses, and apartments), type of people (age, interests), cost of living, type of businesses, access to public transit, etc.  The following link has a good starting point for you to learn about the neighborhoods http://www.blogto.com/neighbourhoods/. Do your homework, then be sure to get out and explore before you settle on a neighborhood.  TTC has a daily pass which gives you unlimited rides for $10, or if you know people in Toronto, ask them to take you around on a tour.

When choosing a neighborhood our priorities were proximity to public transportation, safety, walking distance to stores and restaurants, and general fit with the neighborhood.  We toured the city and explored some of the different areas by spending some time with professors that lived in the areas.  At the end we decided to rent for at least a year since we liked several neighborhoods and wanted more time to explore before buying.  We decided to start out close to the U of T and focused mainly on Yorkville and the Annex. 

In order to find apartment listings, we primarily used View it.ca and Craigslist, but the MLS listings are also available to the public.  Our priorities in a new apartment were good light, open layout, outdoor space, fireplace, gas stove, and building with only a few units.  Everything but the fireplace and gas stove were pretty easy to find, and we ended up having to forgo a working fireplace.  Moving from New York, we were happy to get all of the space and some amenities, but we were surprised that rents were still very expensive.  We had for comparison our place in Minneapolis, our place in NY, and our friends’ places in Chicago.  We found rents in similar neighborhoods to be higher than Chicago, but less than NYC.  We ended up getting an apartment in an old house in the Annex, and actually the thing that hooked us the most was that we are close to the strip of great restaurants on Harbord Street – they are just our style! 

Hire Movers or Do it Yourself?

Leaving New York was difficult, but one positive thing was that U of T would pay for our move.  I could hire movers!  What a relief since moving is such a pain and I’d never splurged for professional movers before.  We ended up hiring a company recommended by the university.  I quickly learned that long distance moves work much differently than in-town moves.  They load up your things one day and then they wait to fill a full semi-truck in route to your destination (I suppose they’ve figured this to be the best use of their resources).  They commit to deliver your things to your new location within 3 to 21 days (varies slightly depending on the moving company).  What?!  3 to 21 days!  What kind of range is that?  Eventually I got used to the idea and just figured it was the only option.  So the next thing to plan was what to take with us in the car that we would need while waiting for our things to arrive, but it couldn’t REALLY take 21 days could it?  Well, actually it can even take longer!

Sparing you the details we actually moved things from both MN and NYC, and at the end of the day here is what each move looked like: 

• Day 0:  Movers come (took over 6 hours to pack our 380 sq. ft. NYC apartment & they ripped siding of the house in MN).
• Day 1:  We drive to Toronto with our car loaded with necessities. 
• Day 21: Last committed day for our things to arrive, but they don’t. 
• Day 25:  The driver arrives with our things so we drive out to clear customs.
• Total Cost:  $3,600 USD 
• 25 days without our things

Some of the things to keep in mind with a full-service mover:  (1) The moving company will provide you with a list of goods they are moving for you; you need to have this list of your goods when you arrive in Canada.  (2) The moving company can be a resource for you regarding customs regulations.  (3) You will need to meet the driver to clear your things through customs on the day they arrive in Canada if moving from another country; this is about 30 minutes outside of Toronto.  Overall, I wouldn’t recommend the full service moving company approach.  It is hard enough to move to a new country and not know anyone, but to not be able to get settled was the toughest thing for me.  But is there an alternative?!  I haven’t found a full service moving company that seems like a true alternative, but if I had to do it over again here’s what I would have done: 

• Rent a U-Haul 
• Hire people to pack and load in NYC 
• Drive U-Haul to Toronto 
• Hire people to unload in Toronto 
• Estimated cost:  $2,000 USD 
• Plus your things arrive with you!!!

Food for thought.  But, if you’re going to do it yourself, make sure you understand what will be required at the border before you pack!

Getting our Work Permits

One of the first things that should have keyed me into the fact that I wasn't just moving to another state was going through the process of getting work permits in order to move here.  I guess our experience was fairly painless so it didn't quite register with me.  But, if you are moving to Canada indefinitely or to work - no matter what your status - refugee, student, worker, family of a Canadian, etc. you will will have to get some sort of approval to enter the country.  The Citizenship and Immigration Canada website is really helpful, and provides the information you need.  Keep in mind depending on your status this may be a long process, so start early.

Since the website is so comprehensive I'll just share our experience and a few learnings that may be helpful for others in the future.  My husband got a job as  professor with the U of T who sponsored his work permit, and I got one as his spouse.  Our intention was to move with the work permit and apply for permanent residency from Canada.  We needed a Labor Market Opinion (sorry but I can't write labour)so we filled out the documentation and sent the supporting information to a company that U of T hired to help.  We received a positive LMO so we met the criteria to apply for work permits when arriving in Canada.  We took the LMO and all of the documentation to the immigration office at the airport when we flew in to obtain our work permits.  This process was also painless (except the bullet proof vests that the officers wear always make me nervous).  After a 15 minute wait, we met with an officer and presented the documentation.  Then she stapled the work permit to our passports,  we paid a fee, and that was it.

I've learned a few things that may be helpful for others in the future:

1. The date you get your work permit is typically considered to be the first date you moved to Canada.  However, I got mine when visiting my husband since he moved earlier than I did.  I thought it would be a good idea to get it out of the way, but in the end it didn't gain me anything, and in retrospect I would just have gotten it the day I moved.  In order to get health insurance, I've had to provide separate documentation of my move date which in my case is a little tricky.  Our lease started when my husband moved and my passport didn't get stamped at the border when I actually moved(in fact I don't think it ever has), so I eventually used the customs declaration to bring our car into Canada to show the date I immigrated.  Just something to keep in mind.
2. The name that goes on your work permit is the name that will be used moving forward for all government services.  I encountered some headaches because my passport lists my maiden name and was amended at the back of it to show my married name.  However, Canada does not accept the amendment of your passport as proof of a name change.  So, my work permit was issued in my maiden name.  This has been a pain because for all other services (health insurance/driver license, etc.) they will reference your work permit name as well.  So, the only way around this is to bring your marriage certificate to prove the name change - ideally when you go to immigration to get your work permit.  Make sure you don't pack the marriage certificate with the movers!

It would be great to hear of other related experiences.  If you have one, leave a comment!

Toronto is NOT New York

A lot of people told us Toronto would be just like New York, except cleaner.  It isn’t.  In fact, I don’t even understand what people mean when they say that because New York is actually very clean (ok compared to suburban Minnesota I see what you’re saying – but understanding what 8 million people create it is very clean), and my personal opinion is that NYC feels cleaner than Toronto.  Cleanliness aside, Toronto has some similarities to New York but many differences as well.  Toronto is a lot smaller than NYC (2.5 million vs. 8.4 million), the public transportation system isn’t as extensive, and it is generally colder (around 6 degrees F cooler than NYC depending on time of year).  However NYC does seem like the best US city to compare it to considering it is the largest city in Canada and the financial and fashion (sorry Montreal) capital of the country.

A lot of people also told us that Toronto is a wonderful city.  Now this I can understand.  I’ve been learning more and more about the city, and while it isn’t NYC or any other city for that matter below are some of my favorite comparisons to NYC that make Toronto great in its own right – and some things that are different about Toronto that also make it great.

• Diversity:  Both cities are very diverse, and you can hear tons of different languages being spoken as you walk down the street.  Both have communities of every culture, religion, sexual orientation.  Toronto may be even more culturally diverse than New York?!  Try this link:  http://www.toronto.ca/toronto_facts/diversity.htm
• City Layout:  Both cities are a collection of neighborhoods which all offer something different so there is somewhere for everyone.  And if you think Hell’s Kitchen is an interesting name – try Cabbagetown!  (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabbagetown,_Toronto)
• Ease of Meeting People:  Many people who live in NYC or Toronto are not from NYC or Toronto.  This seemed to facilitate meeting people when I lived in NYC, and my limited experience in Toronto seems to indicate it will also be an easy city to meet people in.
• Access to Water:  Toronto and New York are both on large bodies of water – I don’t know if you can compare a great lake to the ocean, but at least there is water and with that boats, beaches, and fish!
• Restaurants:  In my limited experience I’d say that New York has more great restaurants, which is to be expected considering the size and density differences of the cities.  But, Toronto has many excellent restaurants – some that would definitely compete with my favorite NYC restaurants.  More on these in later posts.
• Pests:  NYC has cockroaches; TO has racoons.
• Traffic:  Terrible in both!

Why it isn’t like New York:

• You can buy a home downtown – an actual house.  The closest thing I could compare this to is Chicago (prices could be another topic).
• Gay marriage is legal.
• There is a country music station!

I think the take home message is to embrace it for what it is and not caught up in what it isn’t.  I suppose that is a good thing to do whenever you move somewhere new.

Adjusting to Canada

To be honest, before I moved here I thought Canada was going to be basically the same as the US, and while there are many similarities between the countries, there are plenty of differences as well.  I think recognizing a fundamental difference is critical to being happy here.  If you think you are moving to another state in the US, you have been misled and it will make assimilation much more difficult.

Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness – you surely know these words from the US Declaration of Independence, but do you ever really think about how these affect your daily life in the US?  I didn’t, but after moving to Canada I’ve realized they are truly fundamental to the way we live our lives and the expectations that we set.  However, this phrase doesn’t exist in Canada per se – the corresponding phrase in Canada is “peace, order, and good government” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life,_liberty_and_the_pursuit_of_happiness). This says a lot for how you will encounter things after you move to Canada from government services down to the grocery store experience.  You’ll see it come out in experiences in later posts as well but below are some of the annoying things this brings with it as well as some of the positives

The Annoying Part(I think this is best illustrated through a series of examples):

Example 1:  I was at the grocery store around lunch time when we first moved in, and just as I was going to check out they shut all of the checkout lanes except for one so the cashiers could go to lunch.  I was literally shocked – all these customers now had to wait in a long line so everyone could eat lunch together?   I’m very familiar with rotating breaks, and it seems like that could have been an option if the store wanted to better serve the customer.  But you know what?  Not one customer left, they all stood in the line and waited (talk about peace and order!).  I still don’t understand but now I just know to avoid going there at lunchtime.  But sounds like a business opportunity to me!

Example 2:  I was trying to get a cell phone here in Canada.  I settled on the iPhone 4 from Rogers, but they were out of stock.  I figured they would be, but was willing to wait.  I had to go to three locations before I found a sales person who actually seemed interested in making a sale.  While I put my name on a “waiting list” (basically a sheet of paper with names and phone numbers) at all three locations, I still haven’t heard from the first two (6 weeks later).  The guy working at location #3 was definitely a person who wanted my business and knew he was getting a commission from the sale.  So in the end I got my iPhone 4 after about a three week wait, but my point is what were the first two locations doing?!  None of the three people I interacted at those locations seemed at all interested in making a sale at the end of the day.

 

Example 3:  A Starbucks location had its hours posted.  However one day a friend decided to wander over to get an afternoon pick-me-up to find out they were closed, two hours prior to the posted closing time.  Now granted it was a civic holiday, but the point is the hours were posted and they chose to close at least two hours early.  To my knowledge that would not happen in the US; it just isn’t the way we do business.

If you haven’t caught on, you will quickly once you move here.  These things happen all of the time, but you’ll get used to it.

The GOOD Part:

• People are generally polite.
• Rules are fairly well defined, and there is less personal discretion than in the US so while I find the rules cumbersome, at least once you know them you can count on them not being arbitrarily interpreted by the person helping you.
• If you have an entrepreneurial spirit, I think you could make a killing here.
• As a general rule, I think people here are better at putting family and work/life balance as a priority than the majority of Americans.  Which is possibly a reason why:
• There are lots of civic holidays.
• Parental leave is fantastic! http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/eng/lp/spila/wlb/wppp/02leave_benefits.shtml

Keeping this fundamental difference in mind will definitely make the transition smoother!