mlm59

We will be staying at the Days Inn on Carlton. I have read that driving in Toronto is a pain. We have 2 days and want for sure to see the zoo and Casa Loma, which appears we can do via subway. Is the subway easy to use? Is a stop near the Days Inn? We also would like to walk to some interesting areas or neighborhoods that are nearby. In which direction should we go? My daughter loves to shop and would like to go in the evening to Eaton Centre. What is the best way to get there from our location?

Kate_W

You're very well-situated to walk, shop and connect to subways and streetcars to sightsee. It would be best for you to do a combination of walking and riding, so that you can see the most of Toronto neighbourhoods.

You'll be half a block from the College stop on the Yonge-University-Spadina subway. Hop on, head south, and ride it around the loop either to Dupont (and then walk up a short steep hill to Casa Loma), or St Clair West (and walk further - probably 10 minutes, but flat and downhill).

You're about 4 blocks from the Eaton Centre (1 subway stop). If you get on the Carlton/College Streetcar (runs past your door), you can head west to the top end of Chinatown, then Kensington Market, then Little Italy (it would be about a 30 minutes walk), and then walk north into the Annex neigbhourhood (funky university-oriented area), or head south toward Queen Street West. If you took the streetcar east, you'd go through a rundown area (Regent Park) but then you'd see in quick succession New Chinatown, Little Vietnam and then Little India.

BAK

If you have a car, driving to the zoo and, perhaps, on the same yrip, to the Ontario SCiience Center, would be a good idea.

Both are in the dame general direction, a long way east of downtown.

Other than that, foot and the subway and streetcars are easy.

To ocnfuse people, Toronto gave the same strewet two names. Yonge Stret is the main north-south street, and east of it, your street is called Carleton, and west of Yoinge, the same street is called College.

Other east-west streets have East as part of the name, or West, based on crossing Yonge. i.e. Queen Street East and Queen Street West start at Yonge.

To get on a strteetcar, you need a token, a ticket, or exact change, of $2.25 per adult. Drop the money or ticket or token into a box. If you want to get on another streetcar, bus, or subway, ask for a transfer. This slip of paper lets you get on other transit vehicles, b ut only as part of your same trip. You can't stop and shop for an hour, and then use the transfer to go somewhere else.

At subway stations, you can buy tickets or tokens, or pay cash, or buy day passes, and also get good transit route maps. In subway stations, get a transfer from the red box. You need to get the transfer where you geton the subway, not where you get off.

But, overall, taking the streetcar or bus is easy.

So is walking, and your hotel is a very short walk to EAton Centre, and a longer but interesting walk to Bloor and Yonge, and tghe Yorkville expensive shopping neighborhood.

All in all, a good location. Plus, Winners, in College Place, half a block west of the hotel, has a lot of fashion bargains for men, women and even kids, plus other good stuff to buy.

Kate_W

"If you want to get on another streetcar, bus, or subway, ask for a transfer."

Actually, if your journey originates on the Queen Streetcar, you must be sure to get a transfer because it is a "proof of payment" system. This streetcar is so busy (it's two streetcars attached to each other), people with transfers and passes are permitted to board by the rear doors, so if your journey starts on this car, you must take a transfer to prove that you've paid your fare (to distinguish you from the scam artists who boarded by the rear doors without paying).

mlm59

Thanks so much for all of the advice. Subways can sometimes be confusing so I appreciate the detailed information. I'm glad we chose the Days Inn. The price was the best I could find. I booked it for $109 Canadian. I'm not sure what amount that is in U.S. currency. Sounds like a good deal for such a great location.

We are history buffs and considering a visit to Fort York if time allows. Is it accessible by subway, or would driving be better? We will have a car.

BAK

Assuming it is easy to get your car out of the hotel garage, I'd drive to Fort York. There's easy parking there.

You can get there by transit, but it's more trouble than it's worth, if you have the car. And for that matter, if you go to Casa Loma the same day, the car would be good for this, too.

Among the non-car things -- you might like Campbell House, and old Toronto home open for tours, at Queen and University Avenue. Easy enough walk from the hotel, plus there's lots else to see in the neighborhood.

BAK