ilovetotravel29

So I received some excellent info from all of you about fun things to see in Toronto. One list was very extensive, but a bit on the too posh side for me....

What would be the true heart and soul of Toronto? I want to do <i> some </i> touristy things, but I also want to see how everyday Toronto people live....I want to see the down to earth places, eat in the more homestyle restaurants, and get a feel for the real pulse of the city.....

An example would be that Fisherman's wharf and the cable car and union square are what a lot of tourists see when they visit SF. But the true heart and soul of the city is in the Mission District, the Fillmore, the Tenderloin.....

So, what places in toronto would be the best areas to get a true feel for the area....to see Toronto from the viewpoint of a potential place to relocate to.

thanks in advance everybody!

MikeT

I took the streetcar to &quot;The Beaches&quot; and found it to be very non-touristy. The ride there had lots of places you could have jumped off to see how people in Toronto really live. I've also found the area around the Danforth (the Greek neighborhood) to feel less touristy.

laverendrye

Toronto is a city of neighbourhoods, each distinctive in its own way. The Beaches and the Danforth are two interesting ones of many. There's Kensington Market, Little Italy, Chinatown (the downtown one), Cabbagetown and so on. For an overview of Toronto neighbourhoods, check out this site:

http://www.torontotourism.com/Visito...Neighbourhoods

Daniel_Williams

Laverendrye said it best. Toronto does have many sides to it and I think has more character in parts that people give the city credit. To my eyes, Toronto's not as touristy as SF but I would say the CN Tower area is more like the Wharf and Kensington Market, Chinatown, Little Italy, Pape/Danforth area etc... is more like the 'hoods of SF (although very different architecturally). (I'm lucky to have friends who lived in the last two for visits!)

Explore and enjoy! DAN

SallyCanuck

Yonge and Eglinton (Eglinton subway stop) is non-touristy; Leaside on Bayview Avenue between Davisville and Eglinton West is also a &quot;neighbourhood&quot; where you're unlikely to run into tourists - subway to Davisville, transfer (free) to Davisville/Bayview bus one flight up from the subway platform; also Bloor West Village, subway stop is Runnymede; - in these 3 areas, you'll run into people doing their weekly shopping, browsing, going to the library, chatting with neighbours, etc. and no one likely to be taking photos.

semiramis

get on the streecars and ride - they all pass through interesting &quot;real&quot; neighbourhoods
My personal favorites are the Queen St car - both east and west and the Dundas St car (east and west)

MikeT

I agree that you will see alot on the streetcars, and you can easily jump on and off. I've been to Toronto often (although never been to the CN tower). Except near the Waterfront and around the Eaton Center, I've never found Toronto to feel all that touristy. When you walk around, you see a lot. I was hunkering for fish and chips and heard raves about a place on Queen St. West beyond the usual haunts. It was great, and very neighborly.

SallyCanuck

The 506 streetcar starts at Main station on the Bloor/Danforth line and goes east to end up in High Park, passing through/by the Upper Beach, Little India, a Vietnamese area, Broadview Chinatown, Regent Park, Cabbagetown, Carlton Street, Allan Gardens, Maple Leaf Gardens, crosses Yonge Street, past the labs and hospital along College Street, Queen's Park with the Provincial Legislature, the U of T; the edge of Kensington Market, Little Italy, one of the Portuguese neighbourhoods, past Roncesvalles Avenue and into the park. All for $2.75 or cheaper if you buy some sort of pass or tickets.

kodi

What a great idea to take the Queen Street car! YOU'll see lots of different areas.

Sally beat me to it... go to Yonge and Eglinton, but also walk east on Eglinton and walk down Mt.Pleasant. Lots of cute shops... then you could walk east along Davisville to Bayview and head north back up to Eglinton.

You could take the subway to Royal York and wander along Bloor St in this very nice area...and up some of the side streets to see beautiful homes.

Also, as others have stated, there are many many ethnic areas. Just take your pick! Let us know if there are any you are really interested in and we'll try to lead you in the right direction.