On Tue, 28 Sep 2004 08:29:29 -0400, Dave Smith
> wrote:

>LM wrote:
>
>> I'll be in Toronto, Canada in a couple weeks with some time on my hands.
>> What would people recommend doing/seeing/eating while there?

What sorts of things are you interested in? Would help to know that.

>> Can't be anything very expensive tho, we'll be on a budget.
>> We'll have a car, but would prefer to use public transport, and we'll be
>> staying in a hotel not too far from the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

Um, if you are used to or are willing to get used to riding in urban
traffic, bring your bicyles. (this is really worthwhile if you are
here longer than one weekend) The downtown has many bicycle lanes, and
it's a very quick and easy (and much less expensive!) way to get
around downtown. During the day,you move at car traffic speed or
faster. I'm a west end innerr suburbanite, just over the Humber River,
and I frequently ride into the corewhen going out to do fun informal
stuff. http://www.toronto.ca/parks/maps.htm

There are a lot of off road cycling paths through the city, up both
river valleys, most of the creeks, and along the waterfront. You can
also take your bicycles out to the Toronto Islands ($5.00 Cdn, fare
covers both directions) and stop and have lunch or dinner at the
Rectory Cafe, _or_ pick up a boxed lunch at the Queens Quay Loblaws
and have a picnic out there. Ward's Island and Algonquin Island have
year round residents, and if you dance, therre are generally dances
out at the community halls most Saturday nights, being organized by
one or another of the city dance groups.

>You will certainly have lots of options. Toronto is a very ethnically
>diverse city. You budget will probably preclude your eating at or near the
>convention centre. If you like Chinese food, one of Toronto's several
>Chinatowns is just a few blocks north of the Convention Centre. Between the
>CC and that Chinatown you will find Queen St. West, which has a nice variety
>of restaurants,

Oh yeah. And art galleries, and clothing designers, and oh my! It's
just a little piece of urban shopping paradise. Fabric shopping isn't
what it used to be, but if you're into that, the more design oriented
shops are still doing a good business, and you can find some gorgeous
stuff there. Oh, right, budget.

There is a Mondriani exhibit opening at the Art Gallery of Ontario
this week http://www.ago.net/navigation/flash/index.cfm on Dundas, two
blocks west of University, (and while there, peak down McCaul St at
the new matchbox in the sky addition to the Ontario College of Art &
Design, http://www.galinsky.com/buildings/sharpcentre/), there is a
exhibit on pearls at the ROM http://www.rom.on.ca/ at University &
Bloor, couple of small museums the Bata Shoe Museum
http://www.batashoemuseum.ca/ at St. George & Bloor.

Depending on when you are here, Heritage Toronto runs historical
walking tours up until October 16th. They are informative and fun.
(I do a few every year)
http://www.torontolife.com/cityguide...isting_id=7664.

Theatre ticket prices (the smaller productions) are quite affordable.
See http://www.canstage.com/2004-2005/index.asp &
http://www.passemuraille.on.ca/ for starters.

There are a series of used booksales at the University Colleges
throughout October: http://www.booksalefinder.com/utvictoria.html
Serious chance to pick up cheap Canadiana. The lineup are a great
place to talk books.

>and most are quite reasonable. If you like Greek food there
>is a "Greek Village" on Danforth.

Go to Avi, (sorry, no address, was there after contra dancing on
Saturday night.) Entrees in the $13 - 20 dollar Cdn range, appetizers
$7,00 Cdn and up, and pretty darn good. I didn't try their wine list.
Go to Pape Station on the Bloor Danforth line, exit, walk down to
Danforth Ave., and walk east along the south side. You should see it
within a block, IIRC (I was coming at it from the other way) Myth
(Myst?, also on the south side is a little pricier, and is kind of
nouvelle Greek

The city is lousy with coffee shops.

The By-the-Way-Cafe, on the north side of Bloor, is in the Annex area.
Pretty decent food, and good people watching. Is open for brunch from
about 10 am on. Is on the edge of the Annex neighbourhood, and you
never know which important Canadian figure you'll be eating next to.
(Last time I was there, it was an important jurist - my companion, who
lives in the neighbourhood , knew, I didn't!)

I'd also recommend Easy, on the south side of Queen, just east of
Roncesvalles, in the second hand furniture/antiquey area, and if they
are full (they do good brunch) go to Luna-by-the-Lake, which is around
the corner and up Roncesvalles on the east side.

>Hope on the subway and take the
>Bloor-Danforth line east and get out at the Broadview stop or the next one.

That would be Pape.

>There are several reasonably priced restaurants in the area of the St.
>Lawrence Market. Papillon servers French and French Canadian dishes and is
>not at all expensive.

Hugh's Room on Dundas St just South of Bloor (Dundas West Station on
the Bloor Danforth Line, and don't ask, Dundas St. started off as a
cowpath and wanders quite a bit on it's way west) is the city's
biggest non-concert folk music forum. http://www.hughsroom.com/

Baldwin St, from Yonge Street, to where it runs out, some where around
Spadina, is full of good cheap eats. I especially like the section
from University west. Also used CD and record stores, bits of this,
bits of that. It's nicely crumbly around the edges.

Toronto's strength is it's neighbourhoods off the main drags. (some of
the main drags can be butt ugly) Take the Queen 501 streetcar out to
the Beaches, and wander around the board walk. Finish up with a
mochachino in Queen St. East, and window shop until you drop.

Wander through the Annex. Oh and ah at the brick Edwardian Romanesque
and Queen Anne architecture. Wander down along Harbord St. west from
St. George. Ooh and ah at the rare book dealers and second-hand
bookshops. Try not to get sucked into Ms. Emma's Designs. Wander into
the neighbourhoods,and walk south to Queen St. W.

Gerrard St East, between Jones and Woodbine, is Little India East. Try
some spiced and limed roast corn from one of the street vendors, or
try one of the many restaurants. I especially like Upadi Palace. It's
kind of cafeteria looking in a well scrubbed tiled sort of way, but it
has piping hot vegetarian meals that will fill you up and then some.
It's a great place to wind up a long bike ride. And I've never met a
lassi I didn't like there.

If you feel like serious wealth envy, take the subway north on the
Yong Line, get out at Rosedale Station, and take a walk through
Rosedale. Turn of the century mock tudor and georgian never looked so
good. (it's pretty nice, twisty streets, human scale, and as I found
out during last year's garden tour, the best kept secret is the
ravines tucked behind many properties)

There is also film... TIFF is over but many of the larger pictures are
still running, and there is a topic specific film festival running
pretty well every weekend from March to November.

There is so much more.... hope all that helps.

Shirley Hicks
Toronto, Ontario



"A liberal is a conservative who's been through treatment."
- Garrison Keillor