In Defence of Yonge & Eglinton

Paved pointed out this Ask Metafilter thread where someone asked for opinions about whether they should move to Midtown or the West End. I was very surprised to see no one speaking up to sing the praises of Midtown, because I cannot fathom why anyone would want to live anywhere else. I'm not a Metafilter member, and I'm not going to join just so I can get in a pissing match with people who are dissin my hood. Oh no no no. That's what blogs are for!

So, ladies and gentlemen, I give you: Yonge & Eglinton

It isn't hip, it isn't trendy, it isn't edgy.

It is easy, it is comfortable, it is convenient.

Yonge & Eg has everything. Every single product or service you could possibly want is available here, all within walking distance. I can go to the drug store, bank, library, post office, LCBO, and grocery store, all on foot, and be back home within an hour. I can do my errands on the way to or from work without going more than a block out of my way.

To travel north-south, we have the Yonge subway line. To travel east-west, we have about 10 bus routes. If you aren't going too far east-west you can get on just about any bus, so you don't have to wait more than 2 minutes for a bus.

My commute to work is 17 minutes, door-to-door. I can leave the apartment at 5:45 for a 6:10 class, and have time to do my homework on the subway and before the prof arrives to class. I can leave the apartment at 1:00, and be on a GO bus departing Union station at 1:30.

Despite its location in the dreaded "north of Bloor", this neighbourhood hasn't surrendered to the seductive charms of the car. You can do your shopping without ever having to walk across a parking lot. You can walk straight into stores from the sidewalk. Even the stores in the Yonge-Eglinton Centre have outside storefronts. There are enough chain stores to be convenient, and enough small independent stores to keep things interesting.

Despite its location at the intersection of two major arteries, the neighbourhood still retains the best aspects of its former life as a suburban bedroom community. On small, quiet, tree-lined side-streets, you can find detached houses, duplexes, townhouses, low-rise apartments and high-rise apartments, for rent or for sale. You can step out your front door and see a familiar neighbour walking their dog, then walk two more minutes and be in a subway station. I feel perfectly safe walking down the streets at night because there are so many businesses open that I could just duck inside a pub or restaurant if things got weird. There are so many people out and about at all hours - not just people going to and from bars and clubs, but people walking dogs and jogging and going out for a late-night coffee run - that I'm never walking alone along a dark street.

This is a neighbourhood for people who want to spend their time doing whatever they want, whenever they want, instead of spending their time getting there. That may not be what everyone is looking for in a neighbourhood, but that's why I love it here.