Toronto's nightlife blamed for Rap's failure

[kyam]

I'm not trying to make excuses for TFC's post season failure. Clearly the ball is in the clubs hands, but I read this article about the Rap's failure to get into the post-season.

Whats the possibility that the nightlife in Toronto, impacted TFC's performance on the field as well? (I'm looking at the likes of Laurent Robert, Rohan Ricketts, even the lack of production by Cunningham etc...)

Article Highlights:

- Toronto #1 Party Town for Pro's, confirmed by Wall Street Journal survey of Pro-athletes

- An events coordinator in Toronto is considered one of the top party planners hired by players in the NBA

- A player with the Raps was suspended for his after-dark lifestyle

- Raptors practice court is based downtown, most players live downtown and close to the club district

- Raptors have a strong line-up on paper, but team is filled with under-achievers

Common Themes:

- TFC also plays and practices downtown and is fairly close to the clubland.

- TFC had many strong MLS players that under-achieved

- TFC lost many games in the final minutes, something good conditioning should have solved, one would conclude that Winsper either failed, or the players partyed their energy away.

http://www.thestar.com/sports/basketball/nba/raptors/article/798282--feschuk-did-partying-cost-raptors-too-many-games?bn=1

[Mr.Impact]

Night life in Toronto? What did they do, stay up till 12:00 am?

[MTL_4_LIFE]

night life in toronto? What did they do, stay up till 12:00 am?

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

[gigi riva]

Toronto nightlife doesn't it start at 10:00pm and ends at 12:30am, The problem with the Raptors no Defence.

[ag futbol]

This article is pretty hilarious on all levels. Forget that practically everybody on the raptors this year played above their historical level of play (exception Turkoglu). The team simply doesn't have enough talent. Good luck trying to compete on a team that only spends to the cap when more and more of the teams going deep are way over it.

As usual Dave Feschuk needs a negative story to fill, throws together some poorly supported facts and juicy tag line. Truth be dammed.

[kyam]

Night life in Toronto? What did they do, stay up till 12:00 am?

Wow, you obviously haven't been to Toronto lately. Coming from somewhat of an impartial... I have lived/studied (York & UdeM) in both cities, but I'm from neither.

The whole image of "Toronto the Good" died in the 1980's. The city has since gotten bigger and has become one of the top 3 most diverse in the world. Diversity generally breed's good nightlife (unless your Dubai, where alcohol is illegal)... Toronto's night life is just as good, if not better than Montreal, IMO.

Subways in Montreal shut down at 12:30, still remember pub-nights @ 737 or Cafe Campus, half the under-25 crowd leave at 12:30 and heads back to campus...lol, whats left are cougers and greesy 30+ types (well, nothing wrong with Cougers if your into that...)

Subways in Toronto run til at least 2AM (Important for poor, debt-ridden students). I also find the club district in Toronto a lot larger, more choice, larger clubs and are generally full.

Montreal has cheaper boos, but cheap boos doesn't necessarily mean better clubs. The only thing Montreal's nightlife has over Toronto, and this probably won't change are the stripe clubs

At the end of the day, when comparing my favorite clubs in both cities (737 v. Circa), Circa was definetely a much better club. I'd rate it as high as some of the clubs I've seen in Barcelona or NYC... either way, not into the club scene anymore so I guess it doesn't matter

[Mr.Impact]

To each is own. I prefer my women withg teeth, but thats just me.

[Trident]

Subways in Montreal shut down at 12:30, still remember pub-nights @ 737 or Cafe Campus, half the under-25 crowd leave at 12:30 and heads back to campus...lol, whats left are cougers and greesy 30+ types (well, nothing wrong with Cougers if your into that...)

Subways in Toronto run til at least 2AM (Important for poor, debt-ridden students).

Easier to roll on 2 lines than 4.

[MTL_4_LIFE]

Toronto's night life is just as good, if not better than Montreal, IMO.

What are you smoking?!?! Can i have some. Toronto as agood as a nightlife has montreal. sh*t when i went to TO this pasted september with 4 friends everything started to close at 12 and it was a friday night. No one on the streets what kind of city cgoes to sleep at 12? Do you people forget it's saturday the next day or they have to workthe next day. Don't compare MONTREAL's great nightlife to toronto's cuz they have nothing on us.

just ask ASKMEN.COM

[kyam]

What are you smoking?!?! Can i have some. Toronto as agood as a nightlife has montreal. sh*t when i went to TO this pasted september with 4 friends everything started to close at 12 and it was a friday night. No one on the streets what kind of city cgoes to sleep at 12? Do you people forget it's saturday the next day or they have to workthe next day. Don't compare MONTREAL's great nightlife to toronto's cuz they have nothing on us.

just ask ASKMEN.COM

I dunno where u were but u weren't in Toronto. Toronto's notorious for its 3-4AM traffic jams cause people are leaving the clubs and bars... I don'T know ANY bars that close at 12 any day of the week, nevermind Friday... not a single one. Your argument has no credibility whatsoever...

Besides, NBA star's are known to party hard. They wouldn't rate ANY CITY highly for its night life if everything closes at mid-night... Toronto's Club District has the highest concentration clubs/bars per Sq/KM in N.America. Half the people in these clubs don't even line-up til 12 mid-night!

Just cause you made one visit to Toronto, probably to a borough or suburb far from the downtown core doesn'T mean you've been to Toronto.

Was in Montreal 3 weekends ago to visit friends in Kirkland. The bar we went to kicked us out at 11PM... so if I used your logic, Montreal shuts down at 11PM? Toronto's a city thats nearly twice the size, the down core is far more dense. Do you seriously believe that all the nightlife dies at mid-night on a Friday? Even Ottawa opens later than that, and Ottawa is a pretty sleepy town.

I think your blinded by your civic pride! Honestly, I've actually lived in both cities. Their isn't much of a difference in night life. You can assume all you want. Their's a reason why more Montrealers move to TOronto than the contrary and its not cause the town closes at 12 (nor can u blame the PQuists anymore)

My gf is born/raised in Montreal, loves her town but even she thinks you claim holds no credibility. I have similar arguments with Torontonians, who think Montreal's an economically depressed city with shops closing left-right-centre... their arguments hold no ground, just like yours holds no ground either.

[kyam]

Easier to roll on 2 lines than 4.

Don't get me wrong, Montreal has an awesome Metro. I just hated the fact it closed so early, ESPECIALLY the Blue line, where the UdeM campus was...

Back to your point, Toronto has 69 stations over 68.3 KM over 3 lines. By 2011-12, they will have over 75KM, and by 2015, it will be over 80KM, making it the largest in Canada. On the map, Montreal appears larger cause of the way the lines criss-cross, but in reality, the TTC is larger.

They are currently constructing 8.6 KM line & 4 stations to Vaughn and another line to Richmond Hill that would add 6 stations. This doesn'T include the underground LRT they are building along Eglinton (33KM).

So the whole 4 line theory just doesnt hold any water. If anything, STM can close some of the lesser lines early, but keep the orange and green line open past 12:30!!...

I remember last year, some Toronto Transit board members were contemplating automating the subways (the Union's put a stop to that), and running the system 24/7, 365 days a year.

[mulliganl]

To each is own. I prefer my women withg teeth, but thats just me.

Although I disagree with the "Toronto has no nightlife" crowd, this is pretty funny.

[kyam]

Although I disagree with the "Toronto has no nightlife" crowd, this is pretty funny.

Hey, your from Kingston, nice little down, always stop by on my road trips to Toronto... I was wondering, what do you think of Ottawa? U guys are pretty close to us, we're pretty much your closest "big city"

Which city do you travel to most? Toronto, Ottawa or Montreal?

[Grizzly]

I will try to be objective here and do have to say that the nightlife scene in Toronto and even Ottawa for that matter is not as bad as people in Montreal like to say it is and while the bars do close an hour earlier they don't close 3 hours earlier as some are saying. The Montreal scene is definitely wilder than that in the other two cities though. As far as the metro goes, Montreal has an excellent metro system but it inexplicably shuts down way too early and the bus system particularly the night buses is pretty crappy. I can't understand why they can't simply run night buses parallel to the metro lines instead of going part of the way on the line to a metro station and then making you change and wait 20 minutes for the next bus that will take you further along the line. Can't say too much about the Toronto metro system due to limited use but my impression is that it is a lot slower than the one in Montreal, ie. the trains don't travel at the same speed. Ottawa has no metro but the bus system is very good.

[loyola]

I think our MNT players should settle the debate, apparently they know a lot about those 2 cities nightlife!

[Grizzly]

I think our MNT players should settle the debate, apparently they know a lot about those 2 cities nightlife!

Forgot about that but apparently they like the nightlife in both cities since they went out partying in both despite poor performances and results in each game.

[kyam]

Can't say too much about the Toronto metro system due to limited use but my impression is that it is a lot slower than the one in Montreal, ie. the trains don't travel at the same speed. Ottawa has no metro but the bus system is very good.

I'm a bit of a transit geek... I know as a fact that the trains in Montreal run faster and are quieter cause of the Rubber wheels. Max speed is 65 KM an hour, versus 60KM per hour in Toronto. Of course, these are only Maximums.

For some reason, Toronto Subway operators don't run them at full speed, unless your in the northern suburban lines. Might be due to the frequency during rush hour, but that still doesn't explain why it runs so slow during non-peak hours. I remember reading a Montreal City Council Transit Committee report, that compared service levels to Toronto. It found that Montreal trains run 20-25% faster than in Toronto (including delays at the station)

[kyam]

Forgot about that but apparently they like the nightlife in both cities since they went out partying in both despite poor performances and results in each game.

Was partying on Ste. Catherines in my first summer after moving to Montreal (2003), and saw some of the Toronto Lynx players some wearing their jackets hanging out near by one of the clubs.

[TFC07]

Montreal nightlife is overrated! Montreal lacks diversity (both in women and music....your hip hop scene sucks and there’s no international music scene like west Indian or east Indian gigs in your town!). I take Toronto over Montreal simply because Toronto has everything in terms of music and women.

[Admin]

What are you smoking?!?! Can i have some. Toronto as agood as a nightlife has montreal. sh*t when i went to TO this pasted september with 4 friends everything started to close at 12 and it was a friday night. No one on the streets what kind of city cgoes to sleep at 12? Do you people forget it's saturday the next day or they have to workthe next day. Don't compare MONTREAL's great nightlife to toronto's cuz they have nothing on us.

just ask ASKMEN.COM

All this says is you know nothing about the city. Nothing else.

[Admin]

Although I disagree with the "Toronto has no nightlife" crowd, this is pretty funny.

Oh, I agree. Having lived in both cities, it is nothing but a continuous joke to hear people's high school grade whining about other cities.

The real reason I find less people in Toronto complain about Montreal, is they have actually been there.

When I was living in Montreal I traveled a lot to Toronto because my brother lives there. People would take every opportunity to crap all over it cause I was going there for the weekend. It became clear over time that they just knew nothing about it. The things people would say would be so absurd... there are no live theaters, no art galleries, bars close at midnight... ect.. all of which make them feel good about themselves. Hence the high school nature of the *****ing.

The biggest problem Toronto has is that 'stuff' is spread out. It's biiiig. Montreal is compact and I really like that. In Montreal you can stumble across things easier. There are lots of good things in Toronto, but you have to know where to go.

[kyam]

The real reason I find less people in Toronto complain about Montreal, is they have actually been there... It became clear over time that they just knew nothing about it.

You sum up exactly how I feel, as somebody that's lived in both cities, but not from either. Except in better words. However, a lot of Montrealers live in Toronto, so theirs obviously enough Montrealers enough about the city to want to settle their permanantly.

The biggest problem Toronto has is that 'stuff' is spread out. It's biiiig. Montreal is compact and I really like that. In Montreal you can stumble across things easier. There are lots of good things in Toronto, but you have to know where to go.

U know what, I lived @ Yonge/Eglinton but spent most my time South of Bloor. Toronto is pretty compact if u can afford to live in the core. When it comes to the Arts, its definetely all walking distance to a downtown subway station.

Of course, their are lots of great neighborhoods and shopping districts North of Bloor like Yonge/Eg, Corso Italia or Chinatown East etc..., but in terms of Pro-sports, Art gallaries, clubs and pubs and Festivals (ie: Caribana) I think the vast majority is South of Bloor, West of Pape, and East of Ossington.

[kyam]

Montreal nightlife is overrated! Montreal lacks diversity (both in women and music....your hip hop scene sucks and there’s no international music scene like west Indian or east Indian gigs in your town!). I take Toronto over Montreal simply because Toronto has everything in terms of music and women.

My defense of Toronto was not meant to be an opportunity to trash Montreal. I've lived in Montreal long enough to know they have an awesome music scene... the Montreal International Jazz Festival is 10x bigger than the Toronto Downtown Jazz Fest (and the one @ the Beaches or Beach)

Toronto is a lot more diverse (today, not necessarily in the 70's)... but try listening to French rap every once in a while, they have a solid hip hop scene, that has a big impact on the French hip hop scene internationally! (ie: In France or Haiti or Belgium etc...)

[mulliganl]

Hey, your from Kingston, nice little down, always stop by on my road trips to Toronto... I was wondering, what do you think of Ottawa? U guys are pretty close to us, we're pretty much your closest "big city"

Which city do you travel to most? Toronto, Ottawa or Montreal?

From Kingston, I mostly go to Toronto. I grew up there, have family and friends there, will be moving there in September, etc. However, to Kingston Ottawa is generally considered the 'big city' if you're looking to see a concert (if the band goes through all three cities) or an NHL game. Ottawa is the easiest and cheapest to get to, for sure. Getting to Toronto is easier than Montreal, there always seems to be someone driving to Toronto who has space in their car.

I love Ottawa, lived/worked there this past summer after spending at most 3 days there before May. Great place if you're into outdoors stuff, biking, walking, swimming, all that jazz. Although, it still feels like a big city and has many big city qualities to it. Just like any other city, it has some great nighttime places if you know where to look. Down Elgin street became my preference over the market by the time August rolled around. Just a bit more low key and less serious than the 'Tila Tequila'ites who frequent byward. Also had some fun at the Sandy Hill bars while the students were gone for the summer.

Honestly, I've gone out in all three cities and had fun times. They're just different.

[Mr.Impact]

Oh, I agree. Having lived in both cities, it is nothing but a continuous joke to hear people's high school grade whining about other cities.

The real reason I find less people in Toronto complain about Montreal, is they have actually been there.

When I was living in Montreal I traveled a lot to Toronto because my brother lives there. People would take every opportunity to crap all over it cause I was going there for the weekend. It became clear over time that they just knew nothing about it. The things people would say would be so absurd... there are no live theaters, no art galleries, bars close at midnight... ect.. all of which make them feel good about themselves. Hence the high school nature of the *****ing.

The biggest problem Toronto has is that 'stuff' is spread out. It's biiiig. Montreal is compact and I really like that. In Montreal you can stumble across things easier. There are lots of good things in Toronto, but you have to know where to go.

They've been there and loved it, with reason. People who come to Montreal don't want to leave, and often prolong their stay (ask TFC travelling fans) While people who travel to Toronto can't wait to get the hell out ( Ask Montreal travelling fans).

Toronto is a great city, but there is nothing that distinguishes it from other great North American cities. Name me one Food product thats unique to Toronto?