Couple going to Toronto? What should we do?
 

My fiancee and I will be in Toronto April 16-18. It is our first time visiting Toronto and we would like to have a beutiful and memorable trip. Does anyone have any recommendations of what or where we should go in Toronto. We are staying in the Crowne Plaza in the downtown area. Money is not an issue. Thanks!

This is going to sound trite, but it will keep your posting on top while we wait for a local with some specifics. With the location that you're basing from and the time that you have, you can go for a walk and you will find more than enough to keep you busy and entertained for all of the time you have. Downtown Toronto is a wonderful, cosmopolitan city with tons of cafes, coffee shops, stores and watering holes. Try poutine (but order a "small"!) Access the underground tunnel system and you'll find another whole world to explore that you wouldn't have seen from street level with more than a thousand businesses and a bustle of activity. Go to the Hudson Bay store. Grab the tourist guide in your room and head out the door. You'll be out of time long before you exhaust a fraction of the ideas you'll find. Toronto is one of North America's greatest cities and it is filled with some of its nicest people, too. You'll love it and you don't need a plan. Specifics, someone? That shoe museum maybe? :o)

Not only is there a shoe museum, it turns out there is a fabric museum, too.<BR><BR>It always helps if posters give us even a tiny clue as to interests.<BR><BR>But you're right about walking.<BR><BR>They should leave the hotel, walk west to the CN Tower, go up, come down, head north from the CN Towerfront door, up John Street to Queen Street West. Turn left and walk along Queen Street West across Spadina iuntil bored. Turn around and walk back to Spadina, turn north and walk to signs indicating Kensington Market., Walk aroudn there fro a while, back to Spadina, back south toe Dundas, east on Dundas past Chinese stores to Art Gallery of Ontario. Spend two hours there.<BR><BR>Go out front door back onto Dundas Street and walk east again, to Eaton Centre shopping center. Visit stores, walking south within the building. Cross Queen Street at the south end, and enter Hudson Bay ccompany store. <BR><BR>Grab a cab back to the hotel.<BR><BR>BAK

As the others havepointed out, it does help to know what your interests are. If you're interested in theatre, both Lion King and Mamma Mia are currently in Toronto. The bad news is that both are extremely popular and it's tough to get tickets. But who knows - you could luck into something. Both shows are fantastic. A good website for Toronto is www.toronto.com - you can find lots of info on what's going on in the city.

Why mention poutine? That's something we get in Quebec. Try the hop-on, hop-off bus for your sight-seeing. You can stay on the bus for the narrated tour or get off at something you want to spend more time seeing like Casa Loma.<BR>The previous posters have given you some good suggestions. Yorkville- Bloor area is good for restaurants and trendy shops. Enjoy!

I mentioned poutine in the interests of cultural awareness, on the assumption that our visitors are not from Canada and won't be going to Quebec or the Maritimes. Poutine seems to be essentially unknown outside of the eastern half of Canada and since you CAN find it in Toronto, I offer it in the interests of promoting a "Canadian" experience. As an outside observer, I consider poutine to be something of a cultural icon. :o)

Definitely start with the CN Tower. Bring a map with you and you will be able to get a great feel for the layout of the city. From there, most of your exploration should be done on foot. Kensington Market combined with the Art Gallery would make a great half-day. You could walk out along Queen Street as far as Bathurst, then turn up and come back on Dundas. That way you will pass through the heart of Queen West, a good shopping area. Once up on Dundas, you will hit Kensington Market, Chinatown, and then the AGO. Some other suggestions: High Park is Toronto's equivalent of Central Park (though it's not quite as central). Two weeks from now, spring weather should make this park quite beautiful. For a nice evening, try vsiting Greektown (on the Danforth east of the Don Valley Parkway) or Little Italy (College Street west of Bathurst). These are hip fashionable areas with lots of good restaurants and nightlife. If you are a theatregoer, I can recommend Mama Mia as a lot of fun (haven't seen the Lion King, but I've heard good things about it as well). The biggest recommendation I have is not to spend much time in the downtown core (aka the Financial District) which is just filled with big towers and doesn't have a lot of interesting stuff (the underground shopping area is not worthwhile, either). Toronto is a collection of neighbourhoods, and you have to get out to them to discover the unique side of our city.

Thanks for all your responces!! Any more would be great!!

If you're in Chinatown and looking for somewhere good to eat, I recommend Swatow, at 309 Spadina Ave, right in the heart of Chinatown. It's my absolute favourite Chinese food in the city! It's very small and simple, but the food's awesome and the prices are excellent! It's won a few Best-of-Toronto awards over the years. Try it! :-)

Oops, sorry, I just noticed the date of your trip. I guess you've come and gone by now...oh well, I hope you got to Swatow! :)