It’s often rare to meet fellow young professionals who actually grew up in Toronto (and by that we mean Toronto proper, not ‘the 905’).
But we’re out there.
And though we didn’t grow up with the biggest backyards (see: 19 Signs You Didn’t Grow Up in Toronto) or sprawling fields to run free, life was still pretty sweet…
Here are 19 signs you grew up in Toronto:
You either had or attended a birthday party at Lime Rickey’s.
It was either that or The Organ Grinder, The Mad Hatter or The Old Spaghetti Factory.
You listened to AM 640: The Beat Of Toronto. Religiously.
Though short-lived, the once hit radio station was both a stereo and alarm clock staple. In fact, Tarzan Dan and Jesse and Gene basically raised you for a while there.
You remember a time of way less restaurant choices.
You can recall the Ossington Strip before it was, well, the Ossington Strip. And Queen East before it magically became the restaurant-packed, family-friendly Leslievillle.
Your first bar was The Brunswick House, My Apartment or The Green Room.
To this day, you can’t drive by ‘The Brunny’ without cringing at the memories (or lack thereof).
The second ‘t’ in Toronto is silent.
It’s a dead giveaway that you didn’t grow up here if you pronounce it. And it bothers you when people do.
You’re never confused by the Yonge line vs. The University/Spadina line on the TTC.
In fact, you could ride the TTC in your sleep. And the smell of Cinnabon will always remind you of Eglinton Station.
You know that no sub compares to a Belly Busters sub.
Your non-Toronto friends didn’t get how excited you were when Belly Busters opened a recent(ish) downtown location.
You had a Canada’s Wonderland Season’s Pass.
Canada’s Wonderland wasn’t a novelty like it was for your cousins who lived out of town. It was the spot you went regularly to meet and flirt with other groups of guys or girls.
You only learned what a stag and doe was a few years ago.
The term ‘stag and doe’ or ‘buck and doe’ only entered your vocabulary when your friends who didn’t grow up in Toronto started having them (in their hometowns, of course).
You know what a big deal it is to make it to the City Finals.
Athlete or spectator, you attended at least one City Final track meet at either Lawrence Park or Central Tech (and the latter was just slightly intimidating).
You left town for university.
And if you didn’t (at least for first year), you wished you did.
You remember when you didn’t have to dial 416 or 647 before a phone number.
In fact, you remember a time before 647 was even a thing… and made fun of the people who got stuck with it on their new (brick-like) cell phones.
You still call it the SkyDome.
It will never be called the Rogers Centre in your heart – and you know exactly who Domer was (RIP).
You either attempted Speakers’ Corner or made funny faces in the background.
Afterwards, you and your friends then tried to be as cool as the green mohawk-sporting older kids on Queen West as you waited for your parents to pick you up.
There was no mass rush to get your license on your 16th birthday.
Your entire class didn’t rush to get their licence the second they legally could. In fact, some of your friend’s still don’t have it.
‘Hooker Harvey’s’ stopped shocking you years ago.
And you know that it’s actually gotten better through the years in terms of its sketchiness.
You know someone who knows someone who went to high school with Drake.
And you’re very aware that Drake didn’t “start from the bottom”…he’s from one of the wealthiest neighbourhoods in Toronto.
You had a fake ID from that place at Yonge and Dundas.
You knew exactly where to go when your older sibling or friend’s ID didn’t work for you. If that didn’t work, there was always Dial-a-Bottle.
The CN Tower is more of an eyesore than anything.
And you’ve only ever been when entertaining friends from out of town (if at all).
We could go on of course (like the silent tear shed when Sam the Record Man closed its doors), but, being from Toronto, we neither have the longest attention span or the time for that…
And we know you don’t either.
#NOTABLE
Cover image from: writtenmyway.com
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