Why anyone would voluntarily choose to live anywhere in the area of the GTA completely eludes me.
Hallefreakinglujah!! I couldn't imagine living downtown anywhere, I don't care if its Paris, Tokyo, Saskatoon or Toronto....no thank you. Way too people-y for me thanks. The thought of living in a busy downtown in an apartment is about the closest to hell I can think of.
Different strokes and all that.
Friends of ours just moved to Montreal and live right on Notre Dame West, a ten minute walk from the Bell Centre. They love being walking distance to all sorts of great bars and restaurants, shopping, etc.
If you have to live in or near a big city, you might as well live somewhere where you can take advantage of the big city amenities instead of living the hell that is commuting from some far-flung suburb.