Of all the people I've heard putting Toronto down, aside from some rural Ontario types, Maritimers have to be the only ones who do so by telling you all the things that make them legit scared of our city. 'Oh no, the traffic, the crime, the [veiled insinuation about non-white people], I could never live there'.
As a Maritimer, I agree 100%. Our friends and family looked at us with a mixture of pity and disgust when we said we WANTED to relocate to Toronto. They said we were crazy. Maybe so.
But since moving to this fine city a few years ago, I have seen Black Sabbath, Soundgarden, Emmylou Harris with Daniel Lanois, Chris Cornell, The Black Keys, Janet Jackson, Cyndi Lauper, Alabama Shakes, Kings of Leon, Stevie Wonder, Robert Plant, Heart, The Replacements, Iggy Pop, Ron Sexsmith, The Book of Mormon, and probably more than a few other shows I've forgotten. I've also been to a few Maple Leafs and several Blue Jays games, not to mention several exhibitions, conventions, and festivals. I ride subways and streetcars, and have access to the finest entertainment, retail shopping, and health care in the country.
My friends back home, when they do call, never want to hear about any of it.
There are a lot of things I don't like about Toronto, but living here isn't one of them.