Imagine It in Toronto

How typical is it to go north for a winter vacation unless you are a skier or snowmobiler? Not very typical. Nevertheless, my husband and I "did" Toronto for the holidays and were quite surprised by the quality of life in this metropolitan area of 4.4 million people.

As we walked the neighborhoods and streets, tried out ethnic restaurants and talked to local residents at an evening pot luck, we discovered a whole new world free of distractions from the usual sightseeing repertoire and instead learned something about life in this popular Canadian city that is very appealing.

The most significant impression I had of Toronto is that its people are so civilized.

Imagine that people in the fifth most populated city in North America actually praise themselves for their tolerance of ethnic and racial differences, which are evident everywhere you go.

Imagine a place where over 100 languages are spoken and neighborhood utility poles don signs advertising language classes in the expected Spanish and the unexpected Persian, Urdu and Turkish. Street posters also declare that "literacy is a right."

Tolerance for differences is exhibited in other ways. In the St. Lawrence Market you see Asian women making French crepes. Stores and shops are largely staffed by young immigrants. The bank ATMs include directions in Chinese characters. We ate a lovely Thai meal to the tunes of the Supremes' hit "Baby Love" and the "Dirty Dancing'" theme song, "Time of My Life."

While it's not unusual to hear other languages spoken in a major urban area, it is a delight as well as a shock to walk clean and litter-free streets.

Imagine seeing a man on a subway escalator accidentally drop a small wad of paper from his pocket and then pick it up.

Incidentally, trash baskets are separated into litter, recycled newspapers, and recycled bottles and cans. And when the trash overflows, you see empty coffee cups neatly placed on the top of the container.

Recycling bins are everywhere, even next to people's front porches should their home not have a backyard.

Environmental and public health concerns abound in Toronto. Imagine a small fish market with a sign that not only recognizes an endangered species (i.e., Chilean sea bass) but warns customers that it will not sell that fish.

Imagine holiday TV commercials with information about the World Wildlife Fund, improving your water IQ, joining Alcoholics Anonymous, or considering police your best friends on New Year's Eve night.

Smoking is not allowed in public buildings or even in restaurants and bars. So those who do smoke are doing it as they walk or as they stand outside a building. I saw one woman in the celebrated Annex Neighborhood where we stayed sitting on her front porch at 10 p.m. without fear of thieves, murderers or terrorists! Instead, she watched other people walking down the street at night as she took her cigarette.

Actually, she wasn't the only one out at night as it appears to be a Toronto custom to sit on the patio during the winter (at home and at some pubs and grills) sipping drinks and talking to friends. Even the residents of a neighborhood senior citizens complex did it. (And that building was smack in the middle of the neighborhood, not separated from the rest of the city.)

Imagine that 40 percent of the downtown population walks to work or that a clean, safe, and efficient streetcar, bus, and subway system moves 1.4 million passengers each work day. (Curious that there were not many obese people walking the streets either!)

Imagine a night-time window shopping excursion where people crowd the well-lit holiday-clad streets inspecting beautiful outdoor displays of fruits and vegetables, CDs, DVDs, clothes and housewares. Restaurants are jammed with people and storefronts advertise yoga classes, palm reading, massage work and herbal medicine consulting.

Although I am describing Chinatown on Spadina Street, there are plenty of people out at night on the quirky Yonge Street strip, the Bloor Street upper-end commercial district and the eclectic Queen Street West area. Recognize that street life is free entertainment as well as an experience of vibrant urban life.

And imagine all this activity going on and it being relatively quiet. No boom boxes. No high fidelity-sound cars. No wild teenagers hanging out of cars jeering at passers-by. Just people walking outside being a part of the scene, even if they are alone.

Imagine living in a city where there were only 84 homicides in 2007.

Although I am admittedly starry-eyed about Toronto, we met some residents who pointed out the city's downsides: the metro system breaks down all too frequently (it happened one time to us); the cost of living is high; the streets are a little dirtier than they should be.

The downtown grates host several street people, b ut you know, EVERY resident, even the homeless, has access to health care. The people of Toronto have obviously invested in their city, especially in their neighborhoods, and they are willing to pay the price for the services. For example, some neighborhoods ensure their safety through the protection of private police but the sidewalks and streets of every neighborhood were all shoveled from snow to accommodate walking and bicycling.

Old houses are beautifully decorated and well-maintained, an indicator of the citizens' respect and appreciation for the past. Downtown buildings sport this same sentiment as the old Victorian brick edifices sit comfortably next to modern office and condo skyscrapers.

OK, so the Torontoans didn't formulate an urban revitalization plan and the Gardiner Freeway that hugs the lakeshore is an obvious eyesore on stilts. At least developers and city officials didn't wipe the past right off the map as Americans did when we replaced our cities with freeways and glass and steel buildings.

As far as I'm concerned, Toronto serves as both a model and an inspiration for cities because it illustrates that what it takes to "make a village" is for the people who live there to summon the political will to determine what urban life can and should be.

It would be an easy decision to go to Toronto to live (barring tough immigration restrictions) or even to move to the many wonderful American cities that offer their residents a good life. However, don't we owe it to ourselves and our families to invest in our own communities where we are and to make them good places to live?

Let's get to it!