Quick straw poll; Toronto?

[curgoth]

Quick poll for the readership: can folks name anything about Toronto that has gotten better in the past five years? Ten years?

I'm just thinking about gentrification and the corresponding death of music and unselfconscious weirdness. Various cons relevant to my interests have either withered or flat out died. Neighbourhoods I am used to thinking of as "my" neighbourhoods to hang out in are unrecognizable.

But surely I am focusing on the negative, as is my wont? Can anyone on my flist think of some place, event, or organization that is more fun than it was in the past? Surely, there must be something out there that has gotten niftier?

Comments

[misslynx.livejournal.com]

Some of the things that came to my mind have already been mentioned - more interesting public arts events, more vegetarian/vegan restaurants (and alternatives at not-specifically-veg restaurants), more intersting independent cafes, etc.

I'd also add: a huge growth in farmers' markets, and more consciousness and availability of local and/or organic and/or fair-trade food in general. Also, more bike lanes and other bike-accommodations, though I suppose that's not to everyone's tastes. Also, more interesting geek enclaves like Hacklab, LinuxCaffe, and (to a certain extent, anyway) the Centre for Social Innovation.

I do agree about the decline of the club scene, though, or at least the type of clubs many of us are/were most interested in. It's kind of sad to think that Toronto doesn't really have any goth/industrial clubs any more - just occasional events at other clubs. Then again, I think that's because a lot of the people who used to go out to them weren't going clubbing much any more even before they all closed... I remember the last night I went to at Savage seeing all kinds of old familiar faces - and hearing everyone talking about how they didn't get out to clubs much any more due to work/marriage/kids/other life stuff, but just had to come out to this one, and realizing that was exactly why it was closing. And knowing that I was as much a part of that as anyone else. :-/

[curgoth]

Yeah - I'm willing to accept that the goth scene is dying because new goths aren't into anything that resembles what we old folks think of as goth. What had me panicked was the thought that when goth goes away, all that will be there to replace is is coffee shops, organic vegetable stands and yarn stores. Conscientious consumption, while a good idea, is not a replacement for night life.

[50-ft-queenie.livejournal.com]

Come out to Neutral some night. It's good fun!

Also, there *is* an honest to gawth old skool goth night every week - it's on Sunday, which is a shame, but the DJ really knows his stuff. It's called The Devil Made Me Do it.