Don

Planning a trip to Toronto in July. Staying at the Courtyard by Marriott on Younge. Is this a nice area and hotel? Will I need a car to get around the city? Any recommendations on restaurants in this area? Also, if I take a day trip to Niagara Falls is it best to take it during the week since it is in July? Also, is a day enough time to take a trip to the falls and maybe a stop in Niagara-on-the-Lake. I know there are several tour buses out of Toronto thatmake this kind of trip.

Judy

Courtyard by Marriott is on Yonge and College,the area is Ok, but several blocks north near Bloor area is more trendy.Subway and buses are very convenient in Toronto, you won't need a car in downtown. There are any kind of restaurants you can imagine around that area. If you could specify your preferance, it would be easier to suggest. Niagara falls is 1 and 1/2 hours drive from Toronto, There are tours from hotels to these places, or you could rent a car for one day to explore the Niagara area.It is very beauiful in July.

Susan

BTW, it will take maybe 10 minutes to walk from College & Yonge to Yonge & Bloor. You're also about a 5 - 10 minute walk from the Eaton Centre. I agree with previous poster - you definitely don't need a car to get around.

Don

I like any kind of food(from gourmet to ethnic to homey). As far as restuarant, just some place with good food and a nice atmosphere (not fast food)

Beth

Hi Don, <BR>C by M is nice, and a good location. On Yonge Street you will find a Hard Rock cafe, a cool deli called the Pickle Barrel (I think?) and a ton of other good restaurants... down Queen Street a few blocks west of University are my personal favorites, The Queen Mum Cafe and Tiger Lily (both I found in an old Fodors guide ages ago). Also there's a Movenpick not far, a must for brunch or a late dinner, sit outside on the patio. Take the subway to the Danforth area and get some of the best Greek food you'll even have (outside of Greece!). Or try Little Italy (need a cab for that one, I think). Or head to Bloor/Yorkville, lots of trendy and somewhat pricey spots there. Over in the theatre district are many other great places to eat, take your pick. If you like jazz, try Montreal Bistro on Sherbourne St. Great jazz and awesome desserts. You won't need a car. I have done the bus trip to Niagara Falls, albeit 20 years ago, and it was worthwhile. Don't know if there's a trip that combines it with NOTL, but you could always rent a car. At the C-by-M you're really only a few blocks from the Greyhound terminal. HAVE A GREAT TRIP!

Susan

Beth gave some great advice. Re Little Italy, that's very easy to get to from where you'll be. You can take the streetcar westbound on Yonge & College and you're right there, so you wouldn't need a cab. One restaurant I like there is Bar Italia, but there are lots of terrific restaurants. Danforth is also a great area, especially for Greek. You'd take the subway there. Queen Street West is good (I too like the Queen Mother, but also the Rivoli and Le Select are nice). King Street is the entertainment district - loads of bars and restaurants in the area. You can walk to Queen or King Street. <BR> <BR>There's an annual jazz festival going on sometime in July in the Beaches. That's Queen Street East. Basically the street gets blocked off to vehicle traffic and there are many bands set up along the street. It's a lot of fun, we usually try to go on the Friday night. I don't know which weekend it is though.

Neil

Hi <BR> <BR>I was in Toronto for three months last year. Where you are staying is fine the only bad bit in Toronto is around the Greyhound bus station and even this is nicer than most cities in the western world. A really clean safe city with loads to do. All the advice you`ve been given so far is spot on. Downtown Toronto is small enough and interesting enough to walk round and you`ll soon get to know the layout of the streets. I won`t bore you with all the stuff to do downtown but needless to say if you know what you want to do you can do it in Toronto. I would strongly advise visiting the different ethnic suberbs, an intergral part of Toronto`s charm with Little Italy being my favourite, this is easy to reach on a streetcar. <BR>As far as Niagra falls is concerned if you can rent a car, its just over an hours drive away and while the falls are a must see they soon become a little boring and tacky but you can the drive up the road to Niagra on the lake which is just beautiful. <BR> <BR>Hope I haven`t went on too long its a great city have fun.

rob

Don, <BR> <BR>Might I suggest a visit to torontolife.com. It's a local magazine that publishes some excellent restaurant guides. On the home page, just click the "Cityguides" link, and you'll see guides for everthing from restaurants, to golf, to housewares. All the restaurant reviews have a map link too. <BR> <BR>Another good place to look for restaurants is toronto.com. <BR> <BR>Give it a whirl. <BR> <BR>Rob