Hello fellow travelers, <BR> <BR>I was the lucky recipient of a trip to Toronto, won through my office. We live in Tennessee, and have never been there. I have done some research on the web, and the City looks absolutely beautiful. We will be staying at the Four Seasons Hotel in Yorkville, and have plans to see The Lion King at the Princess of Wales Theater, and to go to a baseball game at the Sky Dome (how's that for diversity!). <BR> <BR>We will have four days total -- any other suggestions as to things we must see? I would love suggestions on restaurants as well. <BR> <BR>Thanks in advance. <BR>Marsha

You may want to go to www.toronto.com (a fabulous website) for the link to purchasing tickets online to Lion King forthwith and check ticket availability for your dates. They sell out quickly. The Fodor's Citypack Toronto is a fabulous slim, but packed with information, tour guide with an amazing map (even includes the bus/streetcar routes).

What a great prize! The Four Seasons Hotel is lovely. Have you booked your Lion King tickets as they're in short supply? <BR> <BR>Following are a couple of previous <BR> messages I had posted to similar questions. You might want to <BR> search "Restaurants <BR> in the "Ontario" forum for more suggestions as well. <BR> <BR> Following are my suggestions (all are very near or <BR> downtown unless noted) <BR> <BR> 1) Rodneys Oyster House on Adelaide Street East - sit at the bar <BR> <BR> - eats lots of oysters (or other shellfish) and join in the party) <BR> <BR> 2) Champion House on Dundas Street West (One of Toronto's <BR> many Chinatowns) - very good szechuan - Peking Duck is always <BR> <BR> available and very good. <BR> <BR> 3) Hiro Sushi on King Street East - service is awful - sushi is <BR> sublime <BR> <BR> 4) Scaramouche on Benvenuto Place (just off Avenue Road - <BR> a little north of the Four Seasons) Lovely view of the city - pricey but <BR> delicious - ask to be in Roberto's section <BR> <BR> 5) Grano - Yonge Street just south of Eglinton - North of <BR> downtown but readily accessible by subway - the owner is a <BR> charming gentleman from Tuscany (another Roberto) - lots of <BR> great antipasto you mix and match and the fried and grilled <BR> combo platter of calamari is great <BR> <BR> 6) Canoe - Top of the TD Centre. Specializes in 'Canadian' <BR> cuisine - lots of indigenous ingredients and a great view - pricey <BR> <BR> 7) Oro - on Elm Street near <BR> <BR> Eaton Centre <BR> <BR> 8) If you like Mexican there's a nice little restaurant on King Street <BR> <BR> West at Tecumseth Street (pronounced Te-Cum-See) called <BR> Jalapenos - authentic (whatever that means) Mexican cuisine - <BR> relatively inexpensive <BR> <BR> Zagat has launched <BR> a Toronto Guide with over 500 restaurant reviews. Their top 10 <BR> list is as follows: <BR> <BR> 1. North 44 - on Yonge North of Eglinton (so it's north of <BR> downtown but not a long way) I didn't mention this because, <BR> although the food is very good, I had horrible service there and <BR> am punishing them! <BR> <BR> 2. Scaramouche (as mentioned in my previous posting) <BR> <BR> 3. Canoe (as above) <BR> <BR> 4. Boba - on Avenue Road very near the Four Seasons - haven't been there but have been to the owner's <BR> other restaurants and they're always good <BR> <BR> 5. Centro - near North 44 - Good Cal/Ital <BR> <BR> 6. Truffles - located in the Four Seasons - exceptional, but expensive (although your US dollars will go a long way here) <BR> <BR> 7. Auberge du Pommier - too far North <BR> <BR> 8. Avalon - on Adelaide Street - haven't been but hear good <BR> things <BR> <BR> 9. Chiado - in the King Eddy Hotel - got a terrible review in the <BR> Globe and Mail this past weekend - take a pass <BR> <BR> 10. Mercer Street Grill - on Simcoe Street near the Dome <BR> Stadium - haven't eaten there, but the martinis are good <BR> <BR> Also, here are a couple of other suggestions: <BR> <BR> In the Royal Ontario Museum (in Yorkville and worth a visit) <BR> there's a restaurant open for lunch called Jamie Kennedy at the <BR> ROM. He's considered one of Canada's fine 'young' chefs. <BR> <BR> Also in Yorkville (actually kitty corner to the Royal Ontario <BR> Museum, behind the church) is an Italian restaurant called Prego <BR> - they have a great patio in the spring/summer. <BR> <BR> College Street near Clinton is full of Italian restaurants - Gian <BR> Carlo is excellent. <BR> <BR> There are a number of Thai restaurants in Toronto - Golden Thai <BR> is on Richmond Street East - all are good. <BR> <BR> Here's a wild card - if you feel like a simple meal look for "Swiss <BR> Chalet" (it's a chain - there's lots of them). <BR> Roasted chicken and great fries - a Canadian tradition! <BR> <BR>Regarding things to do - Niagara Falls is about 2 hours away - there's lot of bus tours available. <BR> <BR>Have a great visit!

Just to add a comment to the excellent advice from the previous respondent: Jamie Kennedy's restaurant is called JK Rom and it's wonderful. He does a terrific Sunday brunch. I've also heard that he is opening, temporarily, a cafe on the ground floor to go along with the Egyptian exhibit that's going to be happening there, but I don't know if that will still be on when you're here. But I would strongly recommend Sunday brunch.

You're getting good advice. and you'relucky. The Four Seasons is as good as a hotel gets. <BR>Late evenings, when you are near the hotel. One night cross over Avenue Road to the Hyatt, and take the elevator to the roof-top bar, and have a drink while lookng down over the lights of the city. <BR>Another evening, leave the hotel via the Yorkville Avenue door and walk half a block east (away from Avenue Road) and have a fancy oice-cream or pastry dessert at Movenpick. (I had the Grand Colibri last night. Good choice.) <BR>For a walking around snack, get an order offrenchfries from the tiny stand on Belair, just south of Cumberland (a block east of the hotel, along the street on the south side of the hotel) <BR>If, by any chance, you really love shoes, there's a great shoe museum about three blocks west of the hotel, on Bloor Street. As regular museumes go,the Royal Ontario Museum a block from the hotel is great, and if youliek ceramics, there's another museum right across the street from the ROM. <BR>BAK

The Royal Ontario Museum, as mentioned above, is very good. You didn't say whether you have kids, but the museum does have a good dinosaur collection, including a T-Rex. Since you live in Tennessee, you may not be interested in hockey, but even if you just have some knowledge of it, the Hockey Hall of Fame is a lot of fun for 2-3 hours. The CN Tower is great if the weather is clear. There is a lot to do in Toronto, but you may also consider a day at Niagra Falls.

Just want to say "thanks" to everyone who took the time to respond. I appreciate it very much, and am very much looking forward to my time in Toronto! The "Lion King" tickets were part of our package, and I booked the time several weeks ago, as I know those go very quickly. Thanks again for all the help. Marsha

O lucky you. Toronto is a great weekend city. Lots of great restaurants. Any of the malls and walkways throught the city have food courts that are reasonable for a quick lunch bite and not at all like what we experience here in Tennessee. There are wonderful ethnic restaurants all over the city. <BR> <BR>Toronto is a walking city and the train is the best way to get around town and it's easy. Pick up a map when you get to town. All of the tourist info has the nearest train stops listed. Fodors tour book is a good investment. It has good walking tours in the travel books. <BR> <BR>I love the Kensington Market on the waterfront. It is a feast for the eyes. The produce, flowers, meat, fish and people are fun to look at. It is a great place to pick up some fruit and cheese for a snack or try a pastry from one of the many stalls. It's also a good place to get your maple syrup. <BR> <BR>There also is the Bata Shoe Museum that is suppost to be really interesting. O have a wonderful time.

cecil mentioned trains we call them streetcars ( simular to san frans ) only closed in . kensington market is along way from the waterfront like 10 to 15 blocks ( city ) cecil might be thinking of queens quay which has a walking trail ( she was right there ) that follows lake ontario for miles in either direction and i mean miles. we also have hundreds of city parks all safe , also major friendly people to help you on your way. www.toronto.com as mentioned before . nat