Not a 24 Hour City

[TOreality]

First, I'd like to say hello to everyone. This is one of my first posts. I've been trolling around here for quite a while so I thought I would join. Anyways, I'm still pretty new to the city and like it so far but it definitely does not compare to some of the metropolis cities out there. I've spent a lot of time in NY for example and hope to move there in the near future. Toronto does have potential but still, not even close. First of all, I had a medical test that was scheduled in the middle of the night last week and I was shocked that Downtown TO, right in the heart, you cannot get a coffee at 12:30am. Starbucks is my first choice and every single one of them, closed. Tim Hortons in College Park closed. The one on Bay was open though. I just couldnt believe, a city with over 2 million people, how much it sleeps after midnight. The subway really also needs to be 24 hour. It doesnt need to have the same service, even a train every 20 mins or so.. something at least. Some students also would probably love to have a local starbucks or something open when its night, and quiet. It kinda seems like its a big city with a small town mind.

 

[origin]

Yeah the 9am start for TTC trains on Sundays is pretty ridiculous. At least make it 6am like other days.

 

[EnviroTO]

I don't think the TTC could run the subway all night but perhaps the replacement service could be improved. There really needs to be an area which is pushed as Toronto's 24 hour zone where you can go and know that there will be an open Second Cup or Starbucks with internet, there will be a Kinkos, there will be a sub shop that is open, there will be a 24 hour grocery store, etc. There are those facilities now somewhere in the city, except for the coffee joint which did exist on Yonge (a Second Cup run by Japanese) but no longer stays open, but they are not in a single place designated 24 hours. If a place with many businesses was marketed as 24 hours then people would go there in greater numbers knowing they could count on things being open.

 

[Torontovibe]

There is really only one city in North America that's a 24 hour city and that is New York. I would put Montreal and then Toronto as second and third but they are way behind New York. If you think Toronto is dead after midnight, go to Chicago or Boston. Toronto is thriving compared to both of them. Most restaurants close at 7pm in Chicago's Loop. I was quite surprised.

 

[SunriseChampion]

What? I can get beef patties at 4am, 7 days a week, pick up some lube at 430 at the Shoppers, grab mix and breakfast food at Sobey's at quarter to 5, have booze delivered at 530, and get laid at 6.

That's 24 hr enough for me.

 

[tkip]

The only thing I can add is that....

We need earlier subway service on sundays and for places like Second Cup and Starbucks to stay open later in areas where there is a active night life. I cannot believe that in the middle of the Entertainment District, that they all close around 11pm when thousands of people are still walking the streets.

 

[ShonTron]

The subway hours could be improved, but I'd at like to see an earlier Sunday morning start. Even trains starting at the terminals an hour earlier (approx. 7:50-8:00 instead of (8:45-9AM) would help a lot.

The Blue Night network is really the envy of most North American systems. Montreal is really bad in comparison.

The only change I'd make is have 24 hour service to York U (perhaps extending the 329 Dufferin via Wilson and Keele to York), and 24 hours on the big five 905 routes - Dundas, Hurontario/Main, Yonge, Highway 2, and perhaps Burnhamthorpe.

Though I have been screwed twice - one from a transfer from the 320 Yonge to a 319 Wilson (one bus decided he'd go out of service, the next bus, 30 minutes later caught on fire, but a late deadhead to Arrow Road decided (out of the goodness of his heart) to provide a ride to anyone going as far as Jane Street. The second time was a severely overcrowed 310 Bathurst after the previous trip failed to show after Nuit Blanche 2008.

For all the hype, New York is not even a 24 hour city - the city starts to get very quiet after midnight, apart from the Times Square/Theatre Districts and a few nightlife areas. Much like Toronto.

I agree, select coffee shops and restaurants in a few areas need to stay open later. That still does not necessarily make s 24 hour city.

 

[kettal]

I could be imagining it, but it seems more Tim Hortons and Country Styles close early now than a few years ago.

 

[Logan]

Vegas is the only real 24-hour city in North America. They were built for 24-7.

 

[confusion]

Don't worry, myself along with many others have shared in your frustration. Toronto is not a 24 hour city, but if it was it would benefit so many people. You never know, money is always a factor in many of these decisions and perhaps Toronto just isn't quite big city big enough to support those services throughout the night... financially speaking.

 

[calimehtar]

Not that I disagree, but here are two examples of businesses open 24hrs:

iKlick internet cafe - not only are most or all locations open 24hrs, they're also a really good internet cafe - their computers are up-to-date, function smoothly, and you can install software on them if necessary.

Jack's portuguese bakery - http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/624069
I have no idea why they're open 24hrs, but it's a very good bakery. Almost makes up for the lack of decent pubs in the area.

 

[jn_12]

Does anyone know why the Spadina Street car doesn't run all night? Is it simply because it enters directly into stations at both ends? I know there are gates at Spadina that prevent people from entering the Subway platforms after the subway has closed, so a similar thing would just need to be done at Union. Spadina is one of those roads that could be our 24 hour area (really, it's already pretty close) and making the streetcar stretch down to Union (or at least the Queens Quay loop to make sure the waterfront and Cityplace are serviced) would really help.

 

[SunriseChampion]

Every damn Metro and Sobey's in the suburbs of Durham is 24hrs as are most Subways, most gas stations, a handful of Shoppers Drug Marts . What's "big city big"? There's a 24hr Metro at the very edge of what is built-up Ajax up at Taunton, east of Harwood. It faces fields and forests. "Big city big" as a concept just doesn't make sense to me when this is the reality.

The only thing I miss in my life (and I'm quite the 24 hr person) is a later last call (4am) and better 24 hr transit , by which I mean 24 hr subway, more frequent Blue Night service, and 24 GO Transit service. Do you know how many times I've wanted to go to Durham or Halton at 3 or 4am? Probably too many, but that's besides the point.

All the shops and services that I could ever possibly need at 4am are readily available to me throughout the GTA.

 

[Jaye101]

On Eglinton West you can see barbers cutting hair and restaurants jerking chicken past 1am. There are some really good ideas in this thread, especially the one about extending the 329.

 

[kettal]

Don't worry, myself along with many others have shared in your frustration. Toronto is not a 24 hour city, but if it was it would benefit so many people. You never know, money is always a factor in many of these decisions and perhaps Toronto just isn't quite big city big enough to support those services throughout the night... financially speaking.

It's also due in part to the high minimum wage. Not saying it's too high, just too high for a business to justify staying open all night.