toontown

I am traveling to Toronto in a few weeks and I am looking for advice on a nice hotel around 5500 Yonge Street.

I will be in Toronto from a Monday to a Friday and on a course during the day, but I would like to explore a little and shop in the evening. Any suggestions here? I know that the Eaton Centre is on Yonge Street, but I believe it is at the other end. How is transit to go back and forth? I am traveling alone so safety is important too.

Thanks!

hdm

I believe that 5500 Yonge Street is between Sheppard and Finch and there's a Novotel up there. There's also subway stations at both those cross streets which will take you right downtown. You can exit the subway at the north end of the Eaton Centre (Dundas station) or the south end (Queen Station). It's a safe city so you can pretty much relax about that.

If you get off the subway at Bloor, you can explore the very pricey Bloor/Yorkville/Cumberland neighbourhood.

Are you looking for any particular kinds of shops or restaurants? Will you be spending the evenings with colleagues from your course or exploring on your own? I'd be happy to make some specific recommendations, if you'd like.

The area your course is in isn't particularly interesting so you're wise to come downtown in the evenings.

toontown

Thanks for your reply HDM, I would love to hear your recommendations.

There are no stores in particular that I am looking for. Women's clothing (Banana Republic, Mexx, etc.) and shoe stores are always good.

It looks like I am taking this course without any colleagues joining me this time around so I will be on my own. I will likely hit the take out restaurants or food courts (unless I get together with other people who are taking the course.

Thanks for your suggestions.

BAK

Assuming Google Maps is accurate, 5500 Yoinge Street is six or seven blocks north of the Novatel. And that's the nearest decent hotel, with nothing else even to consider within walking distance.

That said, 5500 Yonge Street is only a couple of blocks fromthe Finch and Yonge subway station, meaning it is very easy to get to via the subway.

So maybeyou could stay elsewhere, and just take the subway to and from the meeting location.

Does the building you are in have a special name? Xerox Centre? North American Life building?

Any hotel on the subway route means you just need to get on and ride.

BAK

hdm

Hi Toon,
The Eaton Centre is a big shopping mall with stores ranging from cheap to expensive. At the north end, there's a Sears store and at the south end, not part of the Eaton Centre but right across Queen Street, is a big department store called The Bay. The Eaton Centre has a few restaurants in it (the City Grill, Baton Rouge, Mr. Greenjeans, Eggspectations, to name a few) but if you're shopping and want a quick bite there are several food courts. Personally, I think the food areas at the south end on the lower level are the best.

Normally, I wouldn't recommend mall shopping just because I think if you're visiting a city it's nicer to be out and about. But since you'll be in meetings all day, your best option for finding the most stores open at night would be a mall and you might as well come to the Eaton Centre which would at least get you downtown. You'll find pretty much every store you're looking for there plus the two department stores.

BAK, I understand what you're suggesting about toon staying elsewhere but since she's only going to be here from Monday to Friday and be at her course all day, I think she might as well stay as close as possible to that (re getting there on time, being close to her hotel room if she wants to take a break during the day, etc.) and hop on the subway to come downtown in the evenings.

Toon, if you're looking at Novotel as a place to stay, make sure you're looking at the right one. There's one downtown too. Have the people who are running your course made any lodging recommendations?

SallyCanuck

My mother lives at 5430 Yonge in a seniors building (and that's about how exciting that area is) so I'm curious about what company is at 5500? Xerox (5650 Yonge) and North American Life are right at, in fact, connected to the subway stop at Finch. I thought the next large building north of my mother's is yet another condo.

Still to save time in the mornings, I'd say stay at Novotel which is at North York Centre subway stop and a 10 minute walk to 5500 or one subway stop north to Finch; there is a somewhat crappy food court on the lower level of the mall the hotel is connected to but the hotel has a restaurant; a good library with free internet should you want it, and across Yonge Street there are a couple of better restaurants, a movie complex, a supermarket with prepared foods which is handy when you're on your own. And it's an easy ride down to brighter lights - even get off at Eglinton stop. There's a small mall but lots of street life and restaurants in that area.

For a better view of the city then sitting in a subway tunnel, take the bus down Yonge from the hotel - the stop is on the northwest corner of Park Home which is the street the hotel faces on the north. If you take bus Route 97 Yonge South (the only bus that runs long there), you can get off around the Sporting Life store and walk - lots of shops and coffee places and a safe neighbourhood. This is the site for bus route: www.toronto.ca/ttc/schedules/index.htm

hdm

Sally,
I prefer the bus too (and coincidentally live near the corner of what my friend calls Yonge and Sporting Life) but unless it's rush hour, isn't that bus pretty infrequent? I agree that Toon will see much more of Yonge Street on the bus but the subway will get her from Finch to Queen so much faster.

If the movie theatre you're talking about is Empress Walk, yes, there's a big Loblaw's supermarket on the lower level and you can get lots of take-out stuff to take back to your hotel, if you wish. There are actually some interesting little restaurants in that neighbourhood (lots of Middle Eastern, Korean and Japanese in particular) but I'd be hard-pressed to think of any names.

SallyCanuck

The 97 Yonge runs about every half hour so with a schedule which shows the time it's due at Park Home its an alternative if you want to see the area - I'm a non-driver so I take it fairly often from my mother's when time isn't an issue.