Toronto, like all big cities, has many things to offer: culture, shopping, attractions, etc. However, compared to other large cities, I find it's a bit.....cold. There isn't really anything unique or special about it (relative to other major cities).
Toronto is a good city to visit. I like the CN tower. Theres always a good show to go to. Lots of book stores. But I wouldn't want to live there. To much violence. Plus I like to get to the country easily. Cant do that in Toronto.
I was pleasantly surprised by the atmosphere downtown. Lots going on. I also like the Royal Ontario Museum. The transportation system was efficient and perhaps only second to Montreal's. It also doesn't have the cultural ambiance of Montreal but beats Calgary. Toronto seemed kept up well and bouyant over all.
Like gonzo, however, I like to get out of the city. That's why like Calgary and all the nearby wilderness areas to hike, backpack and so on .
Living close to Toronto all my life, I have thought about barricading it. Isolating it so that whatever peculiar disease it is that motivates people to live there can't spread. A noble effort! Certainly, folk in Ontario were elated when it was mentioned awhile ago that some Torontonians wanted the city to be a political unit, a province, on its own. This would free the rest of us of the crippling weight the city imposes on us through its constant subterfuge in provincial and federal election campaigns. Ontario suffers Toronto. I guess it's a bit like our own Hezbollah.