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Irish Couple Moving to Toronto.. Any advice?

It looks like everyone has you covered already. I just can add we moved here in December and love it. Also we live east of Jarvis and the reputation is far worse than the reality.
 
Dilla: I am fully aware of what the Orange order means-Toronto has that WASP reputation and I believe most of the recent Irish immigrants in the NYC area are from the Republic.

Laura: I will second Mustapha and say that I like Irish accents myself-especially if you would like my LI accent! (joking,of course)
I feel that you will enjoy Toronto and make friends there judging by these posts. LI MIKE
 
Yonge and Eglinton - lots of entertainment, activity, night life, but at the same time it's cleaner, safer, and quieter than downtown. Being a 10 minute subway ride away, downtown is close enough that it's well within reach. But it's also far enough that you can leave it all behind you when you come home.

The down side is that many people would call Y+E a bland neighbourhood. It's much more down to earth than say Queen St. West.
 
I just want to second BuildTO's warning about Craigslist. It has become quite problematic for apartment rentals, with a very high ratio of scams. If you're interested in living in an area, just walk around and ask the building manager for spots. I can personally recommend the Jarvis, Bloor, Yonge, Wellesley quadrangle. I lived in the area for three years, and it is great. Close to the Village, Yonge Street, the subway, etc.
 
I also have to thank Laura and the posters for the overview of Toronto here because I too am coming to TO, also gay, coincidentally, finally getting permanent resident status when my last paper work is processed- takes awhile, whew. Immigrating back to Toronto from San Francisco after many years. I came across this site by lucky accident. I learned a lot browsing here.
 
Thanks to everyone for your responses!
It has really made both us of feel comfortable and optimistic about coming over judging by how friendly everyone has been on here! :)

I'm definetly going to look into some of the area's that have been suggested, it's great to have a starting point at least!

As for the Irish accent, now that we know it might be a hit, we'll have to start hamming it up! 'Top of the mornin' to ye' and all that!!

Since I have it in my head to work in a coffee shop or a bookshop maybe for a few months, don't suppose any of you would have an idea where to start there? Would I be as well off just wondering around and calling into places?
 
Chuck said:
Yonge and Eglinton - lots of entertainment, activity, night life, but at the same time it's cleaner, safer, and quieter than downtown. Being a 10 minute subway ride away, downtown is close enough that it's well within reach. But it's also far enough that you can leave it all behind you when you come home.

The down side is that many people would call Y+E a bland neighbourhood. It's much more down to earth than say Queen St. West.
Click to expand...

Lived in the area for 12 years. It's one of the least culturally diverse areas of Toronto. As I consider the cultural mix to be the strongest feature of the city, I would never consider moving back there. If I were looking for "down to earth", I'd be more inclined to look at the Annex, Cabbagetown, Kensington...
 
Laura1013 said:
Thanks to everyone for your responses!
It has really made both us of feel comfortable and optimistic about coming over judging by how friendly everyone has been on here! :)

I'm definetly going to look into some of the area's that have been suggested, it's great to have a starting point at least!

As for the Irish accent, now that we know it might be a hit, we'll have to start hamming it up! 'Top of the mornin' to ye' and all that!!

Since I have it in my head to work in a coffee shop or a bookshop maybe for a few months, don't suppose any of you would have an idea where to start there? Would I be as well off just wondering around and calling into places?
Click to expand...

Chapters/Indigo is a chain of big-box bookstores, usually with a Starbucks located within. If that sounds like your cup of tea, they have postings for 'Customer Experience Reps" on their website, chapters.ca (doing some digging under company->careers). If you want to work in a quainter bookstore or coffee shop, I think you'd be better off walking around. If you're interested in Tim Hortons (fast food-style coffee), you should be able to get a job quite easily, and they are located just about everywhere. I'm not sure I recommend working there, but I have never done so.
 
For coffee, there is also Balzac's.


Or to be adventurous with your time and money, you can always try bring in a Bridgehead from Ottawa (but that's getting way ahead of things...).
 
Go visit Niagara Falls, but be careful. You might get swept away or smashed on the rocks in trying to access that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

(Ah, lame ethnic humour.)
 
We're booking our flights today, so there is no turning back now!! Woohoo:D I've also let them know at work today that I will be leaving in about 8 weeks.

We're arriving on the 15th of August, decided to wait a month because there is a difference of €450 (aprox $600) in price of flight compared with the middle of July! That €450 will go a nice way towards first months rent!

What kind of weather can we expect when we arrive, and how quickly does it start to get cool? Would love to get a bit of sunshine, considering I am now looking out at a typical Irish 'summer', rain and wind! I passed a bus load of tourists this morning on my way to work ( I work right next to one of our main airports) and I was thinking the poor things I hope they've brought their rain gear!!

If any of you are every considering relocating to Ireland, I'm your woman for tips! I've really appreciated all of your help. There is nothing like honest local advice on a city!
 
You are now committed to a Toronto move...

Laura: Now that you are "taking the plunge" and moving to Canada I will mention that mid-August is a good time to arrive-you will miss the heat and humidity of July and get to Toronto when the Summer peak begins winding down. September can have some nice weather and October begins Fall-a nice time of year.

I will suggest also checking out Niagara Falls(as Adma mentions) and Hamilton-other UT posters can suggest exactly where. If you decide to cross the border into the US you would have to have a passport. The time you arrive may be good to find a job-the college crowd will be returning to schools around that time period.

I was wondering which part of Ireland you were from-which County? You mention an airport nearby-Shannon or Dublin? I myself have thought of going over there and looking up my ancestors-who were originally from County Monaghan-and people I know have even mentioned since I am single-"How about going to Ireland,settling down and finding yourself a wife?" Good thought-for this 5th generation descendant in the USA. Some info on cities like Dublin would always be welcome-and if Northern Ireland would be as good as the Republic.

Thanks alot and keep in touch on how things go here-LI MIKE
 
Oh darn, why didn't I (or anyone else) think of Ireland Park. (Maybe because it's easy to forget, a year after it opened, or for that matter a year after one visited it...)
 
Laura, we'll be moving to Toronto together this summer. I'm making arrangements with a friend to try and move this June. This may be the time I finally get to stay.

You'll fall in love and NEVER want to go back. ;)
 
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