Toronto must sees
Jun 4th, 2003, 11:27 AM
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Toronto must sees
I will be in Toronto for a conference at the end of June. I will have a little free time.
Please tell me what are the must sees and dos. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Please tell me what are the must sees and dos. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Jun 4th, 2003, 01:05 PM
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Female, and I will be with a female co-worker, so I wont be alone. Arts, culture, sightseeing, tourist havens, I can take or leave shopping. We will be staying at the Quality downtown and wont have a car. I saw they have these double decker on/off tour buses. I have done this in Chicago and it was pretty interesting. Is the one in Toronto any good? Is it safe to just walk around the different neighborhoods and so which ones? Thanks again for any help. Also, we are coming from South Louisiana where it is very hot and humid right now. What should we expect for Toronto weather?
Jun 4th, 2003, 01:29 PM
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Toronto is very safe to walk around in. You can also safely ride the subways, busses, streetcars in most neighbourhoods. Check out Greektown. Take the Bloor subway to Danforth. There are a lot of Great restaurants including Pappas Grill which I noticed in "My Big Fat Greek Wedding". There are also other ethnic neighbourhoods such as Chinatown. Kensington market is fun. There are a lot of activities at Harbourfront, and it is nice to go down there just for a walk. Queen st. E is also a fun place to shop. If you like museums check out the ROM. They have a website with a lot of info. A lot of tourists like to visit the CN tower and the Hockey Hall of Fame. There is some neat shopping near Bay and Bloor ex. the Roots store, Harry Rosen other upscale stores. You can probably get a good deal on theatre tickets as well. Check out the Mirvish website. Have a martini in the martini bar at the Royal York, beware however, they cost $10. Have fun!
Jun 4th, 2003, 03:58 PM
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log on to www.tripadvisor.com and type in "Toronto" -- you'll have instant acsess to about 40 pages of information and reviews by tripadvisor board readers! It includes many website links to Toronto attractions.For advice on restaurants, check the Toronto message board at www.chowhound.com.
Jun 4th, 2003, 04:19 PM
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True stories:
Yesterday an 82 year old Texan from San Antonio walked, to the extent he can, through Chinatown with his son, then went to Csa Loma, and was heading to Greektown for dinner in a Greek Restaurant.
On Friday a Chicago woman and her husband are walking along Bloor Street West from Bathurst almost to Queen's Park Circle and then walking south through the university grounds to lunch at Agora in the Art Gallery of Ontario, and then touring the gallery.
On Sunday morning, a gourmet from New Orleans, (he knows Emeril), a photogapher and his wife (the studio manager) from Houston, a couple of New Yorkers, and some of us from Toronto are having Dim Sum at Bright Pearl, on Spadina Avenue.
The Chicago woman will probably, on Saturday, tour the gardens in the park bounded by Jarvis, King and Adelaide, which is a block or so from your hotel.
According to the tour desk at the Sheraton Centre when I asked yesterday, the Double Decker bus deal gives you a ticket good for two days, on and off the bus wherever you want. If it was me, that's the tour I'd take.
Yes, it is safe to walk just about anywhere you want, in the daytime, and almost anywhere, at night. In your case, I suggest you keep yourself west (towards downtown) of your hotel after dark, but there's nothing east of it worth going to see, anyway.
If you are here Saturday morning, walk south on Jarvis to the St. Lawrence Market, get a sandwich from one of the food sellers, and eat it for breakfast on the balcony beside the market. It's a couple of blocks walk. I expect the Chicago woman will do that.
Got a serious hobby? Go to some Toronto store or gallery or whatever that focuses on that hobby. Tell us your hobby and we'll provide directions. Sewing? Have we got fabrics!!!! (Queen and Spadina, then north, and Queen west of Spadina.
There was a mistyping above (not mine, but I do type badly) The window shopping trip, if not a spend-money trip, should be on Queen Street West, not east. (Unless you want to buy a camera on Queen Street East) Queen West, from University to Bathurst, then north on Spadina to Kensington (mentioned above)then east on Dundas to the Art Gallery of Ontario, is a multi-cultural walk of fascination and enthrallment, assuming that's a word.
Bring walking shoes.
BAK
Yesterday an 82 year old Texan from San Antonio walked, to the extent he can, through Chinatown with his son, then went to Csa Loma, and was heading to Greektown for dinner in a Greek Restaurant.
On Friday a Chicago woman and her husband are walking along Bloor Street West from Bathurst almost to Queen's Park Circle and then walking south through the university grounds to lunch at Agora in the Art Gallery of Ontario, and then touring the gallery.
On Sunday morning, a gourmet from New Orleans, (he knows Emeril), a photogapher and his wife (the studio manager) from Houston, a couple of New Yorkers, and some of us from Toronto are having Dim Sum at Bright Pearl, on Spadina Avenue.
The Chicago woman will probably, on Saturday, tour the gardens in the park bounded by Jarvis, King and Adelaide, which is a block or so from your hotel.
According to the tour desk at the Sheraton Centre when I asked yesterday, the Double Decker bus deal gives you a ticket good for two days, on and off the bus wherever you want. If it was me, that's the tour I'd take.
Yes, it is safe to walk just about anywhere you want, in the daytime, and almost anywhere, at night. In your case, I suggest you keep yourself west (towards downtown) of your hotel after dark, but there's nothing east of it worth going to see, anyway.
If you are here Saturday morning, walk south on Jarvis to the St. Lawrence Market, get a sandwich from one of the food sellers, and eat it for breakfast on the balcony beside the market. It's a couple of blocks walk. I expect the Chicago woman will do that.
Got a serious hobby? Go to some Toronto store or gallery or whatever that focuses on that hobby. Tell us your hobby and we'll provide directions. Sewing? Have we got fabrics!!!! (Queen and Spadina, then north, and Queen west of Spadina.
There was a mistyping above (not mine, but I do type badly) The window shopping trip, if not a spend-money trip, should be on Queen Street West, not east. (Unless you want to buy a camera on Queen Street East) Queen West, from University to Bathurst, then north on Spadina to Kensington (mentioned above)then east on Dundas to the Art Gallery of Ontario, is a multi-cultural walk of fascination and enthrallment, assuming that's a word.
Bring walking shoes.
BAK
Jun 5th, 2003, 09:15 AM
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If you like art walk along Dundas Street West of Avenue Road - small galleries and the Ontario Art Gallery - keep walking further West and you will be in the heart of Chinatown (great restaurants and fascinating stores - stop at a Chinese bakery - yummy).
Jun 5th, 2003, 09:47 AM
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More info, corrections, etc.
About the Double Decker Bus; I stopped one a few minutes ago and got a brochure from the driver.
Fare is $34 regular, kids (under 12) are $18. Ticket is good for on and off, for two days. Official start is kitty-corner from the Fairmont Royal York, at University Avenue and Front Street. but it goes by most major downtown hotels and will pick you up.
Looking at the map, it'll take you to most of the best places to see, including the Bata Shoe Museum.
Direction correction: There is no Avenue Road and Dundas intersection. You want University Avenue and Dundas, at the St. Andrews subway station, and then walk west to Art Gallery of Ontario, a few commercial galleries, and then into Chinatown.
If you eat in the expensive/fancy Agora restaurant in the AGO, you get free admission to the galleries, in effect reducing the lunch price to reasonable. I'm eating there Friday, and may report back.
Regarding "yum" in a previous message. I'm optimistic. I'm eating Sunday at Bright Pearl, which is www.brightpearlseafood.com because several people have recommended it. Bringing a New Orleans gourmet. It's on the west side of Spadina, a couple of blocks north of Dudas. Bright yellow building with lions out front.
But if you want art galleries near Avenue Road, walk east from Avenue Road along Cumberland Avenue and Yorkville Avenue, just north of Bloor Street. Cumberland and Yorkville bracket the Four Seasons. And walk north on Hazelton Avenue for more galleries.
About Avenue Raod; it is weird, and changes names twice. Starts up north in the city; runs south for a while and stops. The starts again one block east of itself, and runs south again to Bloor Street. Crosses Bloor and changes to Queen's Park Circle in front of the Royal Ontario Museuam, and continues with this name around the Parliament Buildings (in a park in the middle of the northbound and southbound lanes) to College Street. Changes its name to University Avenue, and runs south to, son of a gun, Front street, right where the Double Decker bus tour starts.
And, College Street is west of Yonge and changes its name to Carleton Street East of Yonge.
Bloor Street changes its name to Danforth Avenue after it cross the Don Valley, just east of downtown, which is why we have the Bloor-Danforth subway. Under the same road, but the road's name changes. And Blue Jays Way, home of Gretsky's restaurant, changes its name to Peter Street.
About theatre tickets. Mamma Mia is closing at the end of June, early July. so if you want toickets, order soon because I anticipate a demand. www.mirvish.com
About the Double Decker Bus; I stopped one a few minutes ago and got a brochure from the driver.
Fare is $34 regular, kids (under 12) are $18. Ticket is good for on and off, for two days. Official start is kitty-corner from the Fairmont Royal York, at University Avenue and Front Street. but it goes by most major downtown hotels and will pick you up.
Looking at the map, it'll take you to most of the best places to see, including the Bata Shoe Museum.
Direction correction: There is no Avenue Road and Dundas intersection. You want University Avenue and Dundas, at the St. Andrews subway station, and then walk west to Art Gallery of Ontario, a few commercial galleries, and then into Chinatown.
If you eat in the expensive/fancy Agora restaurant in the AGO, you get free admission to the galleries, in effect reducing the lunch price to reasonable. I'm eating there Friday, and may report back.
Regarding "yum" in a previous message. I'm optimistic. I'm eating Sunday at Bright Pearl, which is www.brightpearlseafood.com because several people have recommended it. Bringing a New Orleans gourmet. It's on the west side of Spadina, a couple of blocks north of Dudas. Bright yellow building with lions out front.
But if you want art galleries near Avenue Road, walk east from Avenue Road along Cumberland Avenue and Yorkville Avenue, just north of Bloor Street. Cumberland and Yorkville bracket the Four Seasons. And walk north on Hazelton Avenue for more galleries.
About Avenue Raod; it is weird, and changes names twice. Starts up north in the city; runs south for a while and stops. The starts again one block east of itself, and runs south again to Bloor Street. Crosses Bloor and changes to Queen's Park Circle in front of the Royal Ontario Museuam, and continues with this name around the Parliament Buildings (in a park in the middle of the northbound and southbound lanes) to College Street. Changes its name to University Avenue, and runs south to, son of a gun, Front street, right where the Double Decker bus tour starts.
And, College Street is west of Yonge and changes its name to Carleton Street East of Yonge.
Bloor Street changes its name to Danforth Avenue after it cross the Don Valley, just east of downtown, which is why we have the Bloor-Danforth subway. Under the same road, but the road's name changes. And Blue Jays Way, home of Gretsky's restaurant, changes its name to Peter Street.
About theatre tickets. Mamma Mia is closing at the end of June, early July. so if you want toickets, order soon because I anticipate a demand. www.mirvish.com
Jun 5th, 2003, 07:21 PM
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Sherri, go to www.mirvish.com and see what informtion there is there about refunds.
About three minutes ago David Mirvish, the show's toronto producer, was on my television set. Mirvish Productions ran focus groups in two US cities over the past weekend, found US tourists not "ready" to come to Canada to quote David, so the show is on hiatus from early July (the second, I think) to almost the end of September.
There may be the chance to get Lion King tickets instead. Mirvish produces this, too, and it is open over the summer, and then closing in the fall. They may have figured out (I don't know this for sure, but suspect it)that there will only be enough tourists for one show, summer tourists have more kids than fall tourists, so they have the kid-friendly show over the summer, and the adult-friendly show back in the fall.
BAK
About three minutes ago David Mirvish, the show's toronto producer, was on my television set. Mirvish Productions ran focus groups in two US cities over the past weekend, found US tourists not "ready" to come to Canada to quote David, so the show is on hiatus from early July (the second, I think) to almost the end of September.
There may be the chance to get Lion King tickets instead. Mirvish produces this, too, and it is open over the summer, and then closing in the fall. They may have figured out (I don't know this for sure, but suspect it)that there will only be enough tourists for one show, summer tourists have more kids than fall tourists, so they have the kid-friendly show over the summer, and the adult-friendly show back in the fall.
BAK
Jun 7th, 2003, 07:58 AM
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I hope they don't put a travel ban on you either. the majority of us are living our routine lives, unless we have to visit a hospital or doctor, then we are going through a sceening process for SARS. But there's no need to cancel plans because of SARS.
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