What one thing does Toronto do better than anywhere else?

[King of Kensington]

Having visited Chicago many times in the last ten years this statistic always flummoxed me. In the parts of Chicago I visited I saw nothing any more scary than you’d see in downtown east Toronto.

Have you been outside the downtown or prime lakefront areas?

 

[SunriseChampion]

My European friends (Eastern at that) find that politeness and niceness extremely aggravating because they view it as fake. One of my friends couldn't stop freaking out at all these 'random people laughing at me' (the smiling threw him off).

I lol-ed.

I can picture a bunch of Slavs walking around wondering why so many people are out to get them. "Wtf do they want from me?"

The best friend I told you about is from Russia (been here about 18 years now) and he friggin tripped out when he first moved here at 19 from Moskva, no less hahahaaaa.

 

[SunriseChampion]

In many places in the world (where I would not like to live) - as you have noted, smiling at strangers is considered to be fake and a sign of something wrong. I have experienced this in Eastern Europe is the worst I have experienced. In Latin America, people are smilier.

If some gopnik within 2 km of a train station is smiling at you.....beware!

 

[Admiral Beez]

Have you been outside the downtown or prime lakefront areas?

Just the burbs, including Schaumburg. I’ve often flown into Midway via Porter and thought that area was a little sketchy, but safe enough.