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Toronto-Age |OT2|

Biscuits

Member
Here is the first draft render of the new buildings:

http://i.imgur.com/j2mrF.jpg[IMG]

Looks amazing to me. If it even ends up half as good as "8 Spruce Street" that Gehry designed in Manhattan, then it will be a real treat.[/QUOTE]
I admit that the actual towers do look good. Faith restored somewhat.

[quote="Willectro, post: 42715376"]Kings Crown is one of the best meals to split with a friend in Toronto.[/QUOTE]
Split a plate of Greek Nachos the first time I went a few weeks ago and that was pretty great.
 
Haven't posted a photo in a lil while:

MbZoC.jpg

source
 

Azih

Member
New Museums to replace the theaters are a reasonable deal. Plus I like weird looking buildings, the weirder the better.

Princess of Wales is a nice old looking place though and we don't have many of those around the cityy
 

Hieberrr

Member
I wish the city had more old colonial type buildings with a hint of contemporary design. Didn't that old Bank near Yonge and Queen get a remodeling plan?
 

Willectro

Banned
On the topic of real estate, what site is preferred for looking for rentals?

As mentioned, Viewit is great. I used it a lot when looking for my current place, however, I ended up finding it on Kijiji. Your best bet is to decide what you are looking for specifically (location, budget, etc) and then search Viewit, Kijiji, and Craigslist as much as possible. I've mentioned a few times in this thread that the place I found was a steal (imo), but they put the ad up on kijiji and then only let a few people come check it out. Any place you want to live will be competitive (depending on your budget a bit). In several instances I've heard that if you went to view a place and wanted it, they wanted the first/last that day to secure it. I'm not going to lie, looking for a new place sucked but it paid off when I didn't have to settle for a shit hole.
 

Fuzzy

I would bang a hot farmer!
Here is the first draft render of the new buildings:

j2mrF.jpg


Looks amazing to me. If it even ends up half as good as "8 Spruce Street" that Gehry designed in Manhattan, then it will be a real treat.
I heard on City News that they said it would take 12 years to build because they would be going up in phases and that the Princess of Wales wouldn't be torn down for 10 years from the start. Add that it'll still take another 1-1.5 years to go through all the city zoning stuff and that means the last tower won't be finished until 2026 at the earliest. :lol
 

EvilMario

Will QA for food.
I heard on City News that they said it would take 12 years to build because they would be going up in phases and that the Princess of Wales wouldn't be torn down for 10 years from the start. Add that it'll still take another 1-1.5 years to go through all the city zoning stuff and that means the last tower won't be finished until 2026 at the earliest. :lol

Still might beat the Eglinton LRT.
 

IISANDERII

Member
Thanks almost everybody.
As mentioned, Viewit is great. I used it a lot when looking for my current place, however, I ended up finding it on Kijiji. Your best bet is to decide what you are looking for specifically (location, budget, etc) and then search Viewit, Kijiji, and Craigslist as much as possible. I've mentioned a few times in this thread that the place I found was a steal (imo), but they put the ad up on kijiji and then only let a few people come check it out. Any place you want to live will be competitive (depending on your budget a bit). In several instances I've heard that if you went to view a place and wanted it, they wanted the first/last that day to secure it. I'm not going to lie, looking for a new place sucked but it paid off when I didn't have to settle for a shit hole.
Hey thanks.
What do you mean "Any place you want to live will be competitive"?
 

EvilMario

Will QA for food.
Thanks almost everybody.Hey thanks.
What do you mean "Any place you want to live will be competitive"?

Popular neighbourhoods will have lots of people viewing a unit. ie; Terrible wet dog smelling hole in the wall apartment on Roncesvalles had a dozen people viewing it, many with cheque in hand ready to rent.. even after they saw the condition of the unit, because it was on Roncesvalles.

You can rent without hassle in parts of the city. You could walk into my building and rent a one bedroom most months of the year. It's a clean building with great landlords, and next to transit. But it's on the west end of the High Park and generally hidden away from the more desirable Bloor West and Roncesvalles in the area.

So if you're looking for any place in the core, the Annex, Roncesvalles, the Junction, Yonge and St Clair, Yonge and Eg, you might be competing with others when it comes to renting.

One of your best bets is to simply walk around neighbourhoods you like and look for RENTING signs and just property management signs. If you can get in before they start advertising everywhere, you'll give yourself a much better shot. And there are the few weird buildings that don't list online much at all.

Even with all the competition for renting in the desirable spots, don't rush into something if you have questions about the building. Cross check bedbugregistery online, and make sure the building is up to code. But when you find a building you do like make sure you can get a certified cheque from your bank ASAP.

Good luck!

He means you won't be the only person trying to rent it if it's a good place.

Not always the good places.. see Roncesvalles story above. :p
 

Willectro

Banned
He means you won't be the only person trying to rent it if it's a good place.

Exactly. It is true what EvilMario said above, but with many of the places I pursued, the landlord had their pick of tenants. I wouldn't be pushy with trying to give the landlord first and last (as everyone does these days, gets annoying). What I did was provide them with a resume style document outlining anything they would ask on an application with a recent letter of employment and a list of references. Some people will say this is overkill, but if you really like a place it will pay off. Don't be surprised if they want to run a credit check on you as well. It sucks, but at least it keeps the idiots out of the building for the most part.

Don't be discouraged when you go view a place and ten other people are there to view it too. It's amazing what some people will say to prospective landlords ("Yea I've been a student for the last 6 years, I have 4 kids, 2 dogs, 3 cats, and I play drums in a band. I hope everything will fit in this one bedroom apartment.").
 

Mr. F

Banned
Contemplating moving next year but I'm hesitant to get back into the stress of house hunting, and my current place might be too big a steal to let go of so soon...decisions.
 

Sober

Member
How is High Park this time of year? Always wanted to go in the fall but the leaves this time of year don't want to turn orange, which is kinda what I wanted - at least here in Markham. All I have is mostly green, the occasional yellow and some purple here.
 

EvilMario

Will QA for food.
How is High Park this time of year? Always wanted to go in the fall but the leaves this time of year don't want to turn orange, which is kinda what I wanted - at least here in Markham. All I have is mostly green, the occasional yellow and some purple here.

High Park is still pretty green. Wait at least a couple of weeks and check back in.

And as the weather gets cooler, less people are in the park. Just don't go alone at night.

I personally recommend the west side of the park. It's much more rural and gives you some really love views. Also the home of most of the cherry blossoms in the Spring.
 

Divvy

Canadians burned my passport
So EvilMario, do you wear your outdoor shoes inside your home? Did you use to when you were American?

I only ask this because it is a national security issue.
 
I don't know if anyone here likes The Pinball Cafe but I love the place and thought the only thing that is missing was a liquor license.
...and today I noticed on their facebook that they are doing a kickstarter type thing to raise the money to apply for the license:
Pinball and Hooch

I haven't put my money in yet because I haven't decided the amount I will pledge. I'm seriously considering doing the $500 to get free pinball for life! Not sure yet though because I have no problem continuing to pay to play either because this is one of my favorite spots in Toronto. I'm a pinball fanatic so I thought I'd post this here in case there are any more like me out there.
 

EvilMario

Will QA for food.
So EvilMario, do you wear your outdoor shoes inside your home? Did you use to when you were American?

I only ask this because it is a national security issue.

I've adopted the Canadian way of life, even though it was tough. Growing up, we wore shoes around the house at all times; On the hardwood floor, on the carpet, everywhere. It was very much like an American sitcom where people didn't take their damn shoes off. My parents think bag milk is pretty smart, but they think the shoe thing is weird.
 

Fuzzy

I would bang a hot farmer!
I've adopted the Canadian way of life, even though it was tough. Growing up, we wore shoes around the house at all times; On the hardwood floor, on the carpet, everywhere. It was very much like an American sitcom where people didn't take their damn shoes off. My parents think bag milk is pretty smart, but they think the shoe thing is weird.
The family I have in the US is the same way with their shoes. My mom would never let me play on the floors when I was a kid when we visited because she said it was like playing on the sidewalk because they never took their shoes off in the house.
 

whitehawk

Banned
I don't know if anyone here likes The Pinball Cafe but I love the place and thought the only thing that is missing was a liquor license.
...and today I noticed on their facebook that they are doing a kickstarter type thing to raise the money to apply for the license:
Pinball and Hooch

I haven't put my money in yet because I haven't decided the amount I will pledge. I'm seriously considering doing the $500 to get free pinball for life! Not sure yet though because I have no problem continuing to pay to play either because this is one of my favorite spots in Toronto. I'm a pinball fanatic so I thought I'd post this here in case there are any more like me out there.
$500? Are you crazy? You would have to go there every single day for like 2 years to make your money's worth.

Embarrassing if you can't afford $1000 for a liquor license. Tells you something about how well the business is doing. That place just seems like a worse version of snakes and lattes.
 

Divvy

Canadians burned my passport
I've adopted the Canadian way of life, even though it was tough. Growing up, we wore shoes around the house at all times; On the hardwood floor, on the carpet, everywhere. It was very much like an American sitcom where people didn't take their damn shoes off. My parents think bag milk is pretty smart, but they think the shoe thing is weird.

The family I have in the US is the same way with their shoes. My mom would never let me play on the floors when I was a kid when we visited because she said it was like playing on the sidewalk because they never took their shoes off in the house.

I see I see

Very interesting.

That thread in the OT is surreal because I never knew such a thing existed. I don't think I or anyone I've known has ever given it a thought since it's culturally ingrained here.
 
That place just seems like a worse version of snakes and lattes.

but I hate board games and I love pinball.

Although I do walk past Snakes and Lattes with my 3DS to get streetpasses. haha


Also, If I donate money, it will be because I like the place and want them to stay open. Obviously you are right that they must be hurting for money to have to resort to this but that just makes me want to help more because I love the place and don't want it to close down.
 

EvilMario

Will QA for food.
Probably should wait for the liquor license to come through first! haha


hey that reminds me.. what happened to roto? Banned??

He'll be unbanned this weekend. Which means he'll be here for about three days and then he'll be banned again. He's been on quite a roll.
 

zroid

Banned
Anyone know of any decent places to eat walking distance from the Sony thing's venue?

Never been out there before.

I've adopted the Canadian way of life, even though it was tough. Growing up, we wore shoes around the house at all times; On the hardwood floor, on the carpet, everywhere. It was very much like an American sitcom where people didn't take their damn shoes off. My parents think bag milk is pretty smart, but they think the shoe thing is weird.

The family I have in the US is the same way with their shoes. My mom would never let me play on the floors when I was a kid when we visited because she said it was like playing on the sidewalk because they never took their shoes off in the house.

Haha, what. :|

I've never experienced this in the States, but then again my family is Indian so that may be a whole other cultural thing.
 

Divvy

Canadians burned my passport
Anyone know of any decent places to eat walking distance from the Sony thing's venue?

Never been out there before.





Haha, what. :|

I've never experienced this in the States, but then again my family is Indian so that may be a whole other cultural thing.

Trevor kitchen and bar is pretty good. Not cheap though.
 

Willectro

Banned
$500? Are you crazy? You would have to go there every single day for like 2 years to make your money's worth.

Embarrassing if you can't afford $1000 for a liquor license. Tells you something about how well the business is doing. That place just seems like a worse version of snakes and lattes.

People think it's OK to "crowd fund" anything these days (see: Double Fine Adventure). I don't really agree with funding an existing business as it really isn't "kick-starting".
 
I don't know if anyone here likes The Pinball Cafe but I love the place and thought the only thing that is missing was a liquor license.
...and today I noticed on their facebook that they are doing a kickstarter type thing to raise the money to apply for the license:
Pinball and Hooch

I haven't put my money in yet because I haven't decided the amount I will pledge. I'm seriously considering doing the $500 to get free pinball for life! Not sure yet though because I have no problem continuing to pay to play either because this is one of my favorite spots in Toronto. I'm a pinball fanatic so I thought I'd post this here in case there are any more like me out there.

They can't afford a liquor license? Hmm... I'm assuming they're going to shut down in a few months then?
 

Azih

Member
$1K and they're asking for $3K. There's no way the stuff they're giving out is worth $2K so they're being greedy. At least they're giving away pinball for life in the top 2 tiers. :p

They say there's a 1700 'advertising fee' as well which sounds like a mandatory thing, have no idea though.
 

Fuzzy

I would bang a hot farmer!
They say there's a 1700 'advertising fee' as well which sounds like a mandatory thing, have no idea though.
Either way, they want all of the benefit of a liquor license without any of the cost out of their own pocket. Greedy.
 

Azih

Member
Huh, looks like Metrolinx got bitchslapped by Stintz:

http://toronto.ctvnews.ca/ttc-to-operate-toronto-four-new-lrt-lines-1.981672

Summary: The track and stations will be privately built and maintained, but publicly owned and operated by the TTC.

I guess the provincial government wasn't amused by Metrolinx's lack of any any idea on how to get a private operator to be seamless with the rest of the transit system.

Metrolinx seems to be run by a bunch of territorial chimps as it's rumoured that they were secretly on side with Ford's plans to junk all the LRT for one faux subway line on Eglinton but honestly transit planning on all sides in Toronto seems to be throwing shit at a wall and seeing what sticks. I'm just glad there's actual real money waiting to be invested for a change that is enforcing some discipline.

Stintz record seems to be 2-1 now (winning on LRT over subway, and now TTC running LRT, but losing over OneCity).
 

Willectro

Banned
Either way, they want all of the benefit of a liquor license without any of the cost out of their own pocket. Greedy.

I agree with you completely. But how is this any different than many other crowd funding things these days? Again I'm not trolling, but an example that quickly comes to mind is Double Fine. Just like this business, they are already up and running but required funding for a new idea since their previous projects did not provide enough revenue to start something new. That being said, I do understand that operating a business can be pretty difficult. And a Pinball Bar would be pretty cool.

Do any "Barcades" exist in Toronto?
 

Stet

Banned
I agree with you completely. But how is this any different than many other crowd funding things these days? Again I'm not trolling, but an example that quickly comes to mind is Double Fine. Just like this business, they are already up and running but required funding for a new idea since their previous projects did not provide enough revenue to start something new. That being said, I do understand that operating a business can be pretty difficult. And a Pinball Bar would be pretty cool.

Do any "Barcades" exist in Toronto?

It's only 3,000 is the big sticking point. Running a cafe is expensive, and a lot of these places need to make that much money per day just to make a profit. Not being able to scrounge up an extra $3,000 when that's probably a percentage of your monthly rent is silly.
 

Fuzzy

I would bang a hot farmer!
It's only 3,000 is the big sticking point. Running a cafe is expensive, and a lot of these places need to make that much money per day just to make a profit. Not being able to scrounge up an extra $3,000 when that's probably a percentage of your monthly rent is silly.
I agree completely. At least it's a smart way to get free advertising though.

The Double Fine thing is different but I didn't and would never give them my money in the form of a kickstarter. If they want me to invest my money then they better treat me like an investor. If they want to treat me like a consumer by not sharing any of the profits then they can wait to get my money and find real investors or fund it themselves.
 
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