Pigeons, expensive booze and boredom: Torontonians unleash their ‘petty complaints’ about the city  – NOW Toronto

No city is perfect, and social media users are letting Toronto know that it is far from it. 

A Reddit user asked Torontonians to share their petty complaints about the city, and residents aren’t holding back on unleashing the little things that grind their gears. 

Pigeons are a topic that got many people going. 

“They act like they own the sidewalks,” a user said about the urban pest. 

“How about the people that feed the pigeons!? It’s bad enough that they’re around, but now we have human beings walking around and leaving food out for them,” another user added. 

One user complained about the insufficient amount of hole-in-the-wall type of restaurants downtown and often being forced to overpay for drinks.

“Not enough greasy spoons near me,” the user said. “And every time I want a cocktail it’s like $20 each.” 

“Getting $7 Long Island iced teas and $5 beer nights in Peterborough clubs spoiled me. Now I maybe get 1 drink when I go out,” another user responded. 

The lack of pedestrian spatial awareness was also another thing of collective annoyance. Many recalled daily occurrences of being forced to step aside because others won’t move out of the way. 

“I’m sick and tired of groups of people who absolutely refuse to walk single file to let individuals going in the other direction through,” one user complained. “Like why am I having to step onto the road/bike lane/grass because four people can’t stop walking shoulder to shoulder taking up the entire sidewalk for three seconds to let me pass?”

“This drives me absolutely nuts,” another user replied. “I will purposely bump into the person walking the opposite direction if they don’t move into a single file.”

A major issue many related to was the city not having a lot of 24-hour hangout spots available. For a metropolitan hub, the vibrant downtown area seems to have no vibes after a certain time. After a lively night out, some wish it was easier to go to grocery stores, restaurants and coffee shops to feed their post-club energy. 

“I miss going to the grocer at 2 a.m., slightly tipsy from the bar and wanting to grab snacks or things to make a meal,” one user reminisced. 

This sentiment rang true especially for night shift workers. 

“I worked overnights for like 5 years and there was a time when I had no problem doing groceries or getting food or whatever at like 3 a.m. or a steak for breakfast at 6 a.m.,” another user chimed in. 

A lot of users attributed the reason for a decrease in late-night joints to the city not bouncing back after the COVID-19 pandemic. Many have noticed that after hours, a once-bustling downtown core has become low-energy and “boring” to some. 

“The city has not come back to life since March 2020. It has become a very sleepy place with very little going on and everything looking so homogenous,” a user explained. 

“All the streets downtown used to be full of people until 3 a.m. You could stumble into the most amazing events just by walking or biking by. I remember there used to be so many late night eats. Now you’re lucky to find a fast food place open.”