1 day/night in Toronto:suggestions?
 

Hi,

My husband and I will be in Toronto for one night, arriving on Wednesday mid-morning, 3/30 and leaving the afternoon of 3/31. We are staying to the Raddison Skydome, and I wanted ANY suggestions regarding restaurants, activities (we will be doing the CN Tower, included with our hotel)for such a brief visit in the winter.

Thanks!

You could have dinner at the top of the CN Tower at sunset; it's an excellent restaurant and a wonderful time of day, assuming the weather is clear.

Yourhotel is close to harbourfront, and close to the entertainment district, which is packed with restaurants. Three of toronto's best are close -- expensive. Senses is in the Soho Metropolitan Hotel, and serves all kinds of fancy new food things. Avalon is at Adelaide and John Streets, and serves European and modern trendy food. Ruth's Chris Steak House is a little further away, in the Hilton, and is a full-line high-end steakhouse.

But there's another dozen nearby restaurants in the $100-200 for two for dinner range.

You're close to a lot of innovative shopping, designer shops, etc., along Queen Street West on either side of Spadina.

Do you have serious hobbies? Tell us, and we'll send you somewhere you can indulge your interests. Toronto has two of the best camera stores in North America, for instance.

BAK

Thank's for your suggestions! This is our first trip away from our daugther, and I can't remember WHAT we were interested in before we had her! My husband loves music, and I love to window shop....and eat (am 5 months pregnant!) and I can't stand/walk for too long of a time. We might wait at to TOTIX place for matinee show tickets, but other than that I wasn't sure what else to do. Casual dining would be best for us, I can't fit into any fancy/nice clothes these days. We both love japanese and spanish food....any suggestions?

Toronto is packed with Starbucks, Timothy's, Second Cup and Tim Hortons coffee shops, with chairs, so you can take lots of breaks.

Fune is a favorite Japanese restaurant of one friend who takes me out to lunch, and its only a few blocks from your hotel, at Simcoe and Adelaide.

And in the high-rent Yorkville area, there are several Japanese restaurants but I usually end up at Yamotoa, for lunch, courtesy of another friend who has an office around the corner.

Can't help at all in regard to Spanish food.

Toronto has several excellent music stores -- CD, sheet music, instruments for sales. for classical, the music shop inside Roy Thomson Hall, home of The Toronto Symphony, iis a good choice, close to the hotel, at King and Simcoe.

HMV and Sam's, next to each other on Yonge just north of Dundas (near the Eaton Centre) are the two biggest full range music (cds) stores in the city.

There's a lot of live music in Toronto, inclduing several excellent jazz clubs, at various points on the economic spectrum.

My favorite casual (semi-expensive) dining spots close to the SkyDome hotel are Kit kat, on King Street near John, and Milestones, on John between Adelaide and Richmond.

BAK

There is an amazing Spanish Tapas restaurant in Bloor West Village (actually a little past Bloor west)which is about a $25 cab ride from your hotel. Its called Casa Barcelona - great food and great wine and amazing Sangria to be had! For Japanese food, besides Fune, there is Nami which is very good..its pretty close to your hotel ( Adelaide and Jarvis). If you want to really splurge try Susur (only open for dinner) - its on KIng West, its truly an experience albeit it can get pricey. Susur has a "cheaper" restaurant next door called Lee which is good as well and is open for lunch and dinner.Toronto has great restaurants at every nook and corner. I would recommend looking at www.torontolife.com for more suggestions.

You're getting great advice here.

The only thing I would add is that I tried to go to Fune about 10 days ago and it was closed for renovations. The high-end Asian-fusion restaurant next door, called Monsoon, was having a special prix fixe lunch for $13, so my friend and I went there instead and it was fabulous. So, I would also recommend Monsoon.

Fune's renos might be done by the time you're there, but I would call ahead just in case.