paulbrec's VirtualTourist Home Page

A bit about me:
My name is Paul. "paulbrec" is my online name. I live in the eastern part of Toronto, in the borough of East York. I have lived in Toronto for seven years, and I love it.
I work at the distribution center of a major sporting goods manufacturer, as a logistics coordinator. ( I track customers' orders and returns)...and , no, its not an easy job. You try it.
A bit about this great city:
Toronto was founded in 1834, and was originally called Toronto. Later, the name was changed to York, because it was then part of York region. In the late 1800's council decided to change the name back to Toronto. In the mid-1970's some of Canada's major banks decided to set up their head offices in Toronto. Soon after, many other companies did the same. By the late 70's, Toronto had become the business center for Canada. Toronto's population has also increased in size by about 600 percent since 1970. In 1970 the population of Toronto was 650,000. In the latest census, 2001, the population is 3.5 million. That's about half the size of New York!
Up until 1997, the area was known as Metropolitan Toronto, and was made up of six boroughs, sharing only police and transit services. In an effort to save money, the six boroughs were amalgamated into one city.
Toronto's economy is currently very strong, thanks to business, tourism, and film/TV production. This is noticable as prices are high, crime is low, and standard of living for the most, is above average. People who live here appreciate the high living standards, and lower crime. Downtown Toronto is one of the safest places in North America.
Toronto is very vertical. The tallest building in Toronto is First Canadian Place, which houses the Toronto Stock Exchange, and the Bank Of Montreal Tower. This familiar Toronto landmark can be recognized by the giant red "BMO" on all four sides of the building.
The second tallest building is Scotia Plaza. An office tower which houses the Bank Of Nova Scotia head offices.
Another familiar landmark is the Canada Life Building, at Queen and University. Recognized by the neon weather indicator on its roof. Green=good weather, Red=rain, White=snow, Flashing=storm, The indicator underneath indicates a temperature change. Steady=no change, Down=drop, Up=rise.
Interestingly, not many people know what that indicator means. Now you do.

I rarely travel outside of North America, though one time I did take a ski trip to Switzerland. I tried to learn how to ski, but on my way down a tree jumped into my path. I decided that this was probably not my sport.

One summer when I was in college, I took a Greyhound through the eastern portion of the United States. I travelled at night, and visited some cities during the day. Some of the places I visited were: Buffalo, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Atlanta, Jacksonville, Miami, Richmond (VA), Washington, New York. It was a nice trip. You can read my travelogue about this trip under "Miami".
I was only able to spend a few hours in New York, so I'd like to go back for a week or so. Any advice about New York would be appreciated.

Places I'd like to visit:

New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago, Wilmington (NC), Vancouver, Sydney, Berlin.