Are you talking about Toronto or Montreal when you're talking about an ugly city located in ugly countryside on a sewer of a lake?
Most people who I've talked to think Toronto is gorgeous. I've never been there personally, but I have to take their accounts seriously.
I HAVE been to Montreal, and although it has its beautiful parts, when you go towards the city center all you see is "For Sale" and "For Rent" signs (in both languages). If you're trying to start a small business or rent out a good apartment to live in the heart of Montreal, you will struggle mightily. That city is flat-out impoverished in places.
Montreal does have a saving grace though which a lot of people don't know about: Their delis make AMAZING sandwiches...that's the best food in Montreal for sure.
Holy shit, lad, Toronto gorgeous??!!! These people that you talk to, are they just out of the pen? Got to be from Buffalo or the no-go part of Pittsburgh.
Toronto's cleanish, relatively safe and well-run. It also used to have a thriving economy, although that's lately in question. After that, it's downhill.
Montreal is kind of the opposite. Dirty, a shambles (highways always seem to be under construction), economically challenged, a mafia stronghold. But its got a soul, all kinds of character and yes, some of the best restaurants you'll find. You're right about the delis.
Rushian's post on a visit to the Forum is dead-on. Montrealers are passionate about Les Habs and if you're born there you're automatically a fan, no matter where you live after that. When they play in any other city in Canada, half the crowd is in Habs' jerseys. Which also explains the "For Sale" signs you saw. It's biggest export is people.
Hope you caught last night's game: Canucks 6 Blackhawks 2, a shellacking. Cloutier let in his customary top-corner goal but with this year's rules one goal is never going to be enough. It's all run-and-gun, which team can outscore the other. Seeing what changes to the offside scenario (no red line, bigger zones) can do for a game, you have to wonder if it's time to re-thing football's (soccer's) offside.