Why I live downtown
<p>Recently, someone asked me rhetorically why I lived downtown, if I didn’t eat out, if I didn’t go out, and frankly, if I didn’t work crazy hours into the evening. The original discussion aside, I’ve thought about this for a few days. There are a couple of reasons that immediately come to mind, such as friends and commute, but do those really justify the exorbitant rent, the lack of community, and the shootings that seem to plague every major North American city center?</p>
<p>The most obvious drawback to downtown living for me is the rent: it costs double what it does to live in Toronto compared to even in an affluent suburb, for less space. An extra thousand dollars a month is a lease, insurance, and gas on a very nice car — a Mercedes E-class is just over seven hundred. It is also a weeklong vacation to a banana republic or a weekend trip to continental Europe if I scrimp. It is thirty dollars extra for food a day if I never wanted to cook again. It is also $12,000 of post-tax income, which is a substantial portion of my salary, in savings only! These numbers become even more substantial when applied to more expensive metropolitan areas: hearing how much my friends in New York are paying pains me.</p>
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