Help! We're going to Canada!

[bubie2.5]

My partner, a cousin, his wife and I are visiting Toronto for 4 days in a couple of months and I'm clueless. What places are a must see? Recommendations? Weather?
We’ll be renting a car, so we’re free to go anywhere. Any ideas?

 

[solotraveler]

Well, let's see if I can help.....

Obvious Tourist Stuff:

-- CN Tower. Kind of pricey, but it's kind of a "must do." Great views of the city and worth the time. Go early in the day.
-- Roger's Centre for a Blue Jays game. If they're in town, it's a great way to spend an evening. (If for no other reason that seeing the stadium)
-- Bata Shoe Museum. On Bloor St-- one of the more interesting museums in Toronto. Worth a look see.
-- Casa Loma. www.casaloma.com A little out of the way, but very cool and worth a visit. Great views of the city as well.
-- Kensington Market. Shopping market and more west of Chinatown. Be sure to visit on the weekend, as it's pretty desolate during the weekdays. Speaking of which...
-- Chinatown. There are actually eight on them in the city, but the main one is centered on Spadina. Not as big as SF's, but worth a visit.
-- The Islands. Take the ferry out to Hanlans or Centre Island. Nice beaches and a great way to spend the day.

Avoid:
-- Paying the admission to the Royal Ontario Museum. If you are up shopping on Bloor, definately check out the architectural marvel that is the new building BUT half the galleries are not even open. At $20 a head, not worth it right now, IMHO.

Shopping:
-- Bloor St, Queen West and West Queen West are all cool areas. Eaton Centre is a very nice mall with tons and tons of stores.

Dining:
Pricey in TO, but there is always pubs, Asian restaurants and Pickle Barrel. If you are looking for a good meal, I've got some places I can recommend. Right off the top of my head: Xacutti on College near Bathurst (Indian fusion).

"Family" stuff:
Most of the bars/etc are centered on Church Street between Alexander and Bloor. There is a small area of new bars in Queen West that are cropping up as well. I love Woody's and Byzantium. If you head into Woody's, tell the bartender the Michigan Boys sent ya. (We are there too much, clearly). Nice eateries in the area too....

If you have any other questions, I'd be glad to help!

Kevin

 

[Cruiser1969]

My partner, a cousin, his wife and I are visiting Toronto for 4 days in a couple of months and I'm clueless. What places are a must see? Recommendations? Weather?
We’ll be renting a car, so we’re free to go anywhere. Any ideas?

See if you can get tickets to We Will Rock You playing downtown (or any other show you might like)

 

[Cruiser1969]

Oh Ya, and the Titanic exhibit is on at the Ontario Science Centre

 

[bubie2.5]

Thanks Kevin!

Obvious Tourist Stuff:
-- CN Tower. Will go. How early does "early" means?
-- Roger's Centre for a Blue Jays game. We're not into sports, so it's a no.
-- Bata Shoe Museum. Shoe as in shoes?!?!?! OMG!! I NEED to go.
-- Casa Loma. www.casaloma.com Will look into it.
-- Kensington Market. Will do.
-- Chinatown. Will do.
-- The Islands. Will look into it. Living in a Caribbean Island here, so I’m actually trying to get a far as I can to any beach.

Avoid:
-- Paying the admission to the Royal Ontario Museum. Good to know, it was almost a sure stop.

Shopping:
-- Bloor St, Queen West and West Queen West are all cool areas. Eaton Centre is a very nice mall with tons and tons of stores. A MUST!

Dining:
Xacutti on College near Bathurst (Indian fusion). Are reservations needed? If you know of at least two more places, let me know.

"Family" stuff:
No "family" stuff on this trip, the thought of my partner going with us is "family" enough for my cousin. The poor man needs time to "digest" the idea of me having a female partner.

Are there any non-touristy places that the locals visit?

 

[bubie2.5]

Oh Ya, and the Titanic exhibit is on at the Ontario Science Centre

Yes!! My cousin will love that!!

OMG!!! How did I forget about the shows?!?! DP loves the theatre.

I need to figure a way to cram everything in our schedule, we arrive on a Saturday and leave for NY on a Wednesday. Are some places close to each other?

 

[ConcKahuna]

So the title of the thread totally made me think you wanted help because you were going to Canada, not seeing stuff there.

 

[Kevin&Randall]

I haven't been there in a while, but I remember a small set of shops leading to a 360 degree movie. It seemed a bit dated, but the music was nice.

But you should try the restaurant! It was awesome! The Filet Mignon was elegant. And they had these great pretzel breadsticks.

Oh, and the gardens in the area were quite lovely.

I do miss the Beaver Tails though.

Randall

 

[bubie2.5]

So the title of the thread totally made me think you wanted help because you were going to Canada, not seeing stuff there.

I haven't been there in a while, but I remember a small set of shops leading to a 360 degree movie. It seemed a bit dated, but the music was nice.

Sounds familiar... I hope the movie wasn't as dated as the one I saw on a trip to "Mexico".

 

[Princess Stitch]

:I need to figure a way to cram everything in our schedule, we arrive on a Saturday and leave for NY on a Wednesday. Are some places close to each other?

You can get to pretty much everything inside of half an hour driving. The CN Tower, Eaton Center, Downtown Bars and Theaters are all within pretty close walking distance of each other. Casa Loma and the Science Center are more out of the way (Although Casa Loma will probably only take you a couple hours on a self-guided tour). Just try to avoid any driving during rush hour (infact, if you're in the downtown core you'll even find walking or eating during rush hour to be a task)! If you don't want to pay the horrendous parking prices downtown you'll find you can get most places walking or taking the subway. Where will you be staying and when are you visiting? It can start to get a little chilly in October, though last year it was nice here until after Christmas!

If you're looking for shopping come out and visit Square One in Mississauga. It has pretty much all the same shops as Eaton Center, plus many more! Also, if you've never been and can squeeze it into your schedule, set aside a day to see Niagara falls.

Hope you enjoy your trip!

 

[A (squared)]

I definitely also recommend the Bata Shoe Museum, it was fun and pretty unusual. I will say that you don’t need to plan on being there for that long - when my partner and I took her parents, we didn't rush at all and still got out of there in 2 hours or so.

Another unusual attraction that you don’t see in every city is the Toronto Music Garden, which is on the downtown riverfront. Essentially it’s a set of connecting gardens that were inspired by Bach's Suites for Unaccompanied Cello. I don’t know much about classical music, but there are signs to tell you why each garden layout and flower choices fit with each section, which definitely helps. You used to be able to rent headphones and a player to listen to the music while you walked through the garden, but I’m not sure if they still have that. I thought it was pretty neat, and the classical music aficionado and professional violist I went with both absolutely loved it. I’d recommend it, and if anyone in your group particularly enjoys classical music or gardening, I wouldn’t miss it. While it’s nicer in the spring and early summer, because of the flowers, I’m pretty sure it’d be nice in the early fall as well.

The CN tower is pretty cool (if ridiculously overpriced), but to be honest, I’m not sure it’ll mean as much if you don’t have someone with you who lives in the area to let you know what you’re looking at and just how far away it is. That said, if you go, make sure it’s a clear day so you can see as far away as possible.

I’d also suggest Greektown, which is east of downtown. There are some pretty good restaurants (and street signs in Greek, which always amused me) and I’ve been told by Greeks living in other cities that a lot of what they have there is pretty authentic.

One general suggestion that I’d make is to take the subway, at least for some of the excursions into downtown. It’s a pretty simple system (only 2 major lines), and you can get pretty close to most of the downtown activities without having to deal with traffic or parking. If you use it, be sure to look into getting a day pass - depending on the time of day you’re going and how many stops you’re planning on making, it can be a pretty good deal. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend trying to deal with the bus lines though - they’re better than in a lot of cities, but nowhere near as convenient as the subway.

Hope you have a great time!

 

[drag n' fly]

My partner, a cousin, his wife and I are visiting Toronto for 4 days in a couple of months and I'm clueless. What places are a must see? Recommendations? Weather?
We’ll be renting a car, so we’re free to go anywhere. Any ideas?

Post this on our friendly Canadian board and you will get loads of suggestions!:

 

[bubie2.5]

You can get to pretty much everything inside of half an hour driving. The CN Tower, Eaton Center, Downtown Bars and Theaters are all within pretty close walking distance of each other. Casa Loma and the Science Center are more out of the way (Although Casa Loma will probably only take you a couple hours on a self-guided tour). Just try to avoid any driving during rush hour (infact, if you're in the downtown core you'll even find walking or eating during rush hour to be a task)! If you don't want to pay the horrendous parking prices downtown you'll find you can get most places walking or taking the subway. Where will you be staying and when are you visiting? It can start to get a little chilly in October, though last year it was nice here until after Christmas!

If you're looking for shopping come out and visit Square One in Mississauga. It has pretty much all the same shops as Eaton Center, plus many more! Also, if you've never been and can squeeze it into your schedule, set aside a day to see Niagara falls.

Hope you enjoy your trip!

Thanks for your help Princess!

We’ll be there in September. Chilly? How “chilly” are we talking about? We only have two seasons where I live (summer and Hell) so what others might consider a warm breeze to me is an icy Nordic blast of air.

I guess we’re stuck paying the parking prices and walking as much as we can from there. I totally forgot about rush hour!

As far as shopping, you know how it is, we never really “plan” on shopping, but we’re bringing extra luggage just in case. Would Square One be a better choice than Kensington Market.

 

[bubie2.5]

I definitely also recommend the Bata Shoe Museum, it was fun and pretty unusual. I will say that you don’t need to plan on being there for that long - when my partner and I took her parents, we didn't rush at all and still got out of there in 2 hours or so.

Another unusual attraction that you don’t see in every city is the Toronto Music Garden, which is on the downtown riverfront. Essentially it’s a set of connecting gardens that were inspired by Bach's Suites for Unaccompanied Cello. I don’t know much about classical music, but there are signs to tell you why each garden layout and flower choices fit with each section, which definitely helps. You used to be able to rent headphones and a player to listen to the music while you walked through the garden, but I’m not sure if they still have that. I thought it was pretty neat, and the classical music aficionado and professional violist I went with both absolutely loved it. I’d recommend it, and if anyone in your group particularly enjoys classical music or gardening, I wouldn’t miss it. While it’s nicer in the spring and early summer, because of the flowers, I’m pretty sure it’d be nice in the early fall as well.

The CN tower is pretty cool (if ridiculously overpriced), but to be honest, I’m not sure it’ll mean as much if you don’t have someone with you who lives in the area to let you know what you’re looking at and just how far away it is. That said, if you go, make sure it’s a clear day so you can see as far away as possible.

I’d also suggest Greektown, which is east of downtown. There are some pretty good restaurants (and street signs in Greek, which always amused me) and I’ve been told by Greeks living in other cities that a lot of what they have there is pretty authentic.

One general suggestion that I’d make is to take the subway, at least for some of the excursions into downtown. It’s a pretty simple system (only 2 major lines), and you can get pretty close to most of the downtown activities without having to deal with traffic or parking. If you use it, be sure to look into getting a day pass - depending on the time of day you’re going and how many stops you’re planning on making, it can be a pretty good deal. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend trying to deal with the bus lines though - they’re better than in a lot of cities, but nowhere near as convenient as the subway.

Hope you have a great time!

Welcome to the Dis A!!

The Music Garden sounds great, I googled it and it looks beautiful. My partner and CIL love nature and my cousin and I love music but HATE walking, so it seems like a better choice for us, since is not a gigantic place. How much time should we allot for it?

 

[bubie2.5]

Post this on our friendly Canadian board and you will get loads of suggestions!:

Thanks for the invite dragn'fly! I promise to visit the Canadian Board after I make a daft of the schedule, as I’ll need to know reasonable it is.

 

[Princess Stitch]

Thanks for your help Princess!

We’ll be there in September. Chilly? How “chilly” are we talking about? We only have two seasons where I live (summer and Hell) so what others might consider a warm breeze to me is an icy Nordic blast of air.

I guess we’re stuck paying the parking prices and walking as much as we can from there. I totally forgot about rush hour!

As far as shopping, you know how it is, we never really “plan” on shopping, but we’re bringing extra luggage just in case. Would Square One be a better choice than Kensington Market.

Well, I have NO tolerance for cold at all. The last two years it has been really nice in September. I would plan on having a pair of long pants and sweater for the evening just in case. Daytime temps SHOULD be t-shirt weather.

As for the shopping, Square One is your typical shopping mall. You'll find a Walmart and a Gap there for example. Kensington market is really a collection of shops along several streets outdoors (so this may be an easy choice if it's raining). They have more specialty clothing and furniture shops. You'll definately find more unique items there if that's what you're looking for.

 

[solotraveler]

Dining:
Xacutti on College near Bathurst (Indian fusion). Are reservations needed? If you know of at least two more places, let me know.

Reservations required. They supposedly have a WONDERFUL Sunday brunch that's booked weeks and weeks out.

A couple other options:
--Tundra (in the Hilton Toronto): Dined here last time up and it's really, really good. Canadian fusion, sort of
-- Rosewater Supper Club (Toronto St at Adalaide): Our "special occasion" fall back restaurant. Pricey, but it's a very interesting international menu. This is a dress-up one, though.
-- There are a lot of very good restaurants along Elm Street between Yonge and Bay. We love 33 Elm (Italian). There's a couple of other Italian places, a Latin American place, a Firkin and Barbarian's (often ranked the best steakhouse in TO, but SPENDY SPENDY SPENDY).
-- Ginger (3 locations, one on Church, one on Yonge, one....somewhere else). Good, cheap, quick Vietnamese. No reservations needed.

Weather should be fairly nice in September yet. Pretty warm, but cool at night. Bring a sweater in case it gets chilly. Much much warmer than our December visits.

I'd vote Kensington over Square One anyday. Kensington is a much more "Toronto" experience in my mind.

Kevin

 

[bubie2.5]

Ok, so shopping at Kensington it is. Thanks again Princess.

Kevin: I'm adding Tundra. You got me at "Canadian fusion".

 

[I<3EvilQueen]

I haven't been to Toronto since 94.

But Spaghetti Factory is a great place to eat and I loved walking around the underground shopping and walkways that exist under the city.

 

[hematite153]

I can probably give you more specific advice if requested, but off the top of my head....

If you're used to caribbean temperatures, Toronto will be COLD in September. The Weather Network says that September temperatures range from 48F to 70F. Expect it to get cold every night and to warm up during the day.

The ROM may not be worth the price of full admission but it can be a fun couple of hours. If you know that you are going to go to the CN Tower and the Science Centre, look into getting the CityPass. The CityPass is cheaper than those 2 attractions and would also get you into the ROM. (I would also add the Toronto Zoo to your list of places to go--especially if you get the CityPass).

I'd like to echo the sentiments of others who have suggested using the subway instead of a rental car. Toronto is not built for tourist driving and it actually has a functional transit system. It will likely take you less time to get around with the subway than with a car and it will definitely cost less. (If you really want to have the car for getting to the 'out-of-the-way' places, then I'd still recommend using the subway the rest of the time.)

The Toronto Islands are nothing like a beach environment. I suppose the 'Island' part of the name explains the image but it actually took me awhile to figure out why you were comparing the Toronto Islands to Caribbean ones. I always enjoy going to 'the Island', but I also think they are not always as popular with tourists. Many tourists come to Toronto for the cosmopolitan atmosphere and the Islands are really more of a laid-back, walking day.

I'd choose Kensington Market over Square One for the 'Toronto feel' but I'd reverse the decision if I was looking to go to a standard mall with lots of choice. That said, I would actually go to Fairview Mall instead of Square One because it is on the subway line. (Some people like Yorkdale--also on the subway--because they think it is a cross between standard mall and trendy shopping. I don't really agree but many of my friends do.)

I'd definitely look into shows. On more than one occasion I have seen the same show in Toronto and NYC with the same primary cast. You may also want to look at offerings at Roy Thompson Hall.