Going To Toronto, What Should I See/Do

[Rhosfelt]

Hey all you Canadians, I am going to Toronto, and I haven't been there in a while. I am excited to go, I always like trips in general, but I don't really know anything about Toronto, or what there is to do there.

So any suggestions, or ideas would be awesome.

 

[OttawaGuy]

I like this little magazine - you can find it in many hotels and restaurants.

http://www.where.ca/toronto/
http://www.where.ca/toronto/jump_hottip.htm

 

[Abstract]

The big pointy thing, and the hideous domed building beside it.

Queen Street (for shopping)
Bloor Street (shopping for expensive stuff)
"The Beaches"
AGO
Science Museum (not joking)
Apple Store
Steamwhistle Breweries
The Esplanade (a short street with good pubs/bars. The best is The Bier Market)
Does Toronto FC play now? Go watch them.
The Blue Jays
Hockey Hall of Fame

 

[juanster]

coming on your own? family? kids? "someone" ...?

 

[Rhosfelt]

Family and friends Sorry, and 19 so I'll be in a pub at least once or five times.

The big pointy thing, and the hideous domed building beside it.

Queen Street (for shopping)
Bloor Street (shopping for expensive stuff)
Science Museum (not joking)
Apple Store
Steamwhistle Breweries
The Esplanade (a short street with good pubs/bars. The best is The Bier Market)
Does Toronto FC play now? Go watch them.
Hockey Hall of Fame

What is this?
AGO

The Apple Store is a must, and yeah the shopping sounds nice I haven't been to Toronto in ages, the last time I went I saw the Lion King put on.

 

[Teh Don Ditty]

HOCKEY HALL OF FAME.

That is all.

 

[Rhosfelt]

HOCKEY HALL OF FAME.

That is all.

well of course, HHoF and the Apple store are musts!

 

[Teh Don Ditty]

well of course, HHoF and the Apple store are musts!

I'd smack you if you went to Toronto and didn't go to the HHOF.

What about a Blue Jays game? (if they're in town) Could be fun, maybe.

 

[Rhosfelt]

I'd smack you if you went to Toronto and didn't go to the HHOF.

What about a Blue Jays game? (if they're in town) Could be fun, maybe.

Honestly unless they are as cheap as Pirate tickets (like 5$ for behind home plate), it wouldn't be worth it to me. I find baseball to be the most boring sport on the face of the earth.

 

[Teh Don Ditty]

Honestly unless they are as cheap as Pirate tickets (like 5$ for behind home plate), it wouldn't be worth it to me. I find baseball to be the most boring sport on the face of the earth.

I'm sure you could find cheap tickets up there. Alas, the Pirates just suck (though they are hovering near .500) so they can give those seats away.

You could always go to a casino. Those are fun.

 

[Abstract]

Niagara Falls, and that crazy street with all the haunted houses and kids games. One of the haunted houses, "Nightmares", made my friend "wet himself". He and 2 female friends couldn't even finish it. Too scary.

CNE (Canadian National Exhibition.....whenever that starts)

AGO = Art Gallery of Ontario. Ok, not fun if you hate art...

 

[Rhosfelt]

Niagara Falls, and that crazy street with all the haunted houses and kids games. One of the haunted houses, "Nightmares", made my friend "wet himself". He and 2 female friends couldn't even finish it. Too scary.

CNE (Canadian National Exhibition.....whenever that starts)

AGO = Art Gallery of Ontario. Ok, not fun if you hate art...

I have been to niagara a bunch of times, and that street (Cliffton Hill, I believe) was getting really old, which is why (I think) we want to go to toronto.

I do like art, but Modern art is my favorite. haha of course an Apple fan liking modern art..

 

[heehee]

Niagara Falls, and that crazy street with all the haunted houses and kids games. One of the haunted houses, "Nightmares", made my friend "wet himself". He and 2 female friends couldn't even finish it. Too scary.

CNE (Canadian National Exhibition.....whenever that starts)

AGO = Art Gallery of Ontario. Ok, not fun if you hate art...

I have to admit "Nightmares" is pretty good and I dont like these stuff.

You should check out "Distillery District" too if you are by The Esplanade.

 

[Raid]

There's quite a bit to do around here if you want to do the touristy things. It really all depends on the ages of your family members and where you are staying (and if you can get around the GTA).

Abstract's list covers most of the main highlights, but I'd also add:

Amusment Parks
Canada's Wonderland ... or whatever they are calling it now. - It's a little north of the City up highway 400 about 20? minutes or so. It's huge, and has all sorts of rollercoasters and amusments for both young and not-so-old. Includes a waterpark too.

Toronto Island -Centre Island has a small amusement park that is well suited for young kids (ages 3 to 8) there's also lots of picnic areas in the islands and the residential area reminds me of a rather tightly packed cottage area... oh and it does have a nude beach to on the west side (so something for the adults to enjoy too )

Ontario Place - a good water park and other kid activities good for kids from about age 6 to 13.

Clubs
Well the heart of the entertainment district is John and Richmond, there are way too many bars to list, and it's been years since I've bothered to go out to a club. But if that's what you want, you should head down there, almost guaranteed to find the type of club you want there in a 3 block radius.

If you are in the Front St. / Esplanade area (my neck of the woods BTW) the Bier Market is quite good but might be full or just not your scene. If that's the case (and you're craving an out-of-the-ordinary beer) then I would go up to Front St. and check out the restaurant "C'est What" it's a much mellower/casual vibe then the Bier Market, with lots of micro-brewery offerings and quite often has live music.

If you'd want to get a better idea of the city's history and where things are, I suggest going on one of the 'hop-on/hop-off tour bus companies that zip around the downtown area. I commonly see red double deckers and yellow double deckers in my area, I think the yellow ones have a ticket stand at the South West corner of the Yonge-Dundas square (right in downtown toronto).

These are just a few suggestions ... let us know what you're more inclined to do and we'll try to point you in the right direction.

 

[Rhosfelt]

Raid and Abstract thank you very much BIG help! I am not quite sure when we are going, but hopefully I can get my iPhone before we go (so after july 11th of course) So I can make use of the GPS and google maps hahaha

But thank you very much again, it looks like there is a lot more to see and do there than I remembered!

 

[iJohnHenry]

Go the the AGO for sure, even just for the escalator ride.

 

[Surely]

Go the the AGO for sure, even just for the escalator ride.

^^^^^^^^That isn't the AGO, that's the Toronto School of Art. The AGO is next door though.

The AGO is under construction (at least it was when I moved away back in February. But I think it's still open.

Here are a couple of restaurants:

Salad King: for the BEST Thai food and green curry chicken in the world. It's cheap and it's fast. Great for lunch or dinner, closed on Sundays.

King's Noodle House: excellent Chinese Food in Chinatown. Get the black bean chicken, the vegetable chow mein and start with the Won Ton Noodle Soup.

Go to Yorkville- check out Remy's or Hemingway's for drinks on Thurs, Fri, or Sat night. Cool rooftop patios. The Pilot is also a very cool rooftop patio- it's a block east of Yorkville. Go to Sushi Inn for sushi.

Go to the St. Lawrence Market on Saturday morning/afternoon. You could start the day there, have breakfast or lunch, and then walk over to the HHOF. I used to live in the St. Lawrence Market 'hood before I moved to Los Angeles. Right next door to the market, in fact.

Go to the Danforth for Greek food. If you don't care about fancy, check out Asteria (not Astoria). It's this little family run place, but has the BEST Greek food on the Danforth. The lamb chops dinner- mmmmmmmmm........
If you want atmosphere, go to Christina's (belly dancers) or Avli.

If you're going to be north of the city at all- Thornhill or Richmond Hill- then you MUST go to Centre Street Deli for the best damn smoked meat sandwich (Old fashioned smoked meat- kind of like pastromi, but way better) you will ever have in your life. The Chicken Knish and the split pea soup are also fantastic. Grab a box of Moon Cookies on your way out for dessert.

Malls: Eaton Centre and Yorkdale. Both have Apple Stores.

Do a lot of walking. You can walk up Yonge street, west on Queen street (great shopping), and around Bloor and Yonge. Lots to see, lots of shops.

Casa Loma. It's a castle! In Toronto!

If you're gay (or even if you aren't), checking out Church Street is a must. A cool part of the city, has some great restaurants. Maple Leaf Gardens is on the corner of Church and Carlton.

The Royal Ontario Museum (The ROM)

The Richmond club district has the highest concentration of clubs in North America. If you want to go to a club (and see some women), go there on Thurs-Sat night.

Drinking age is 19......

Hope that was helpful...... PM me if you want more advice on anything (more restaurants, shopping, etc) or if you have some questions.

 

[Raid]

^^^^^^^^That isn't the AGO, that's the Toronto School of Art. The AGO is next door though.

The AGO is under construction (at least it was when I moved away back in February. But I think it's still open.

The AGO is closed, I just had lunch with one of my friends (who lives right across the road from the 'shoe box on pickup sticks' in iJohnHenry's pic). She said it won't be open till November!

Salad King: for the BEST Thai food and green curry chicken in the world. It's cheap and it's fast. Great for lunch or dinner, closed on Sundays.

Had lunch there today! I play it safe and only go up to 5 chillies in my dish, the record for my friends is a 10 chilli dish (but the crazy bastard said he'd try 15!).

Go to Yorkville- check out Remy's or Hemingway's for drinks on Thurs, Fri, or Sat night. Cool rooftop patios.

I'd go to Hemingway's it's the most reasonably priced place on that strip and the Roof top patio is pretty nice.

Go to the St. Lawrence Market on Saturday morning/afternoon. You could start the day there, have breakfast or lunch, and then walk over to the HHOF.

Well I always thought the St. Lawrence market didn't have a lot to offer the tourist, but on Saturday mornings the building to the north has a farmers market with lots of goodies (including fantastic samosas) that would be perfect for a person on the go. If you're there closer to lunch go to the St. Lawrence Market and head downstairs to the veal sandwich shop... for about $7 you can get fantastic sandwiches that are so huge you'll have a tough time eating the entire thing in one go!

I used to live in the St. Lawrence Market 'hood before I moved to Los Angeles. Right next door to the market, in fact.

Really? Are we talking the apartments above the LCBO or the Condo unit with the Timothy's?... or are you insanely well off and used to live above the Dominion?

 

[nidserz]

yay for us torontonians lol.
the guys above had great suggestions.

hemmingways is great for drinks and having a nice night out in one of toronto's finest areas.

hockey hall of fame of course. CN tower, ROM, Wonderland!

this hasnt been mention, but a Toronto FC game -- or better yet at the end of July the MLS All-Star game (if you are interested in Soccer of course). FC matches have some of the best crowds even if you don't like soccer!

there are a few casinos within 1 hour (2 in niagara, 1 in scugog/port perry), even if you don't want to go to Niagara, i went to Scugog over the weekend - cheap tables (start at $5), won 400$ good times.

bloor street shopping (my fave, apart from the Apple store of course)

if i think of anything else ill be sure to post back. make sure you take pics and share when you get back!

 

[Surely]

Had lunch there today! I play it safe and only go up to 5 chillies in my dish, the record for my friends is a 10 chilli dish (but the crazy bastard said he'd try 15!).

I'm insanely jealous right now. I was a 4-5 chili kind of guy, depending on the day. I crave Salad King. We just can't find anything like it in LA.

I'd go to Hemingway's it's the most reasonably priced place on that strip and the Roof top patio is pretty nice.

Remy's rooftop is larger, so there is a better chance of getting a table. Prices aren't too different between the two. Either place is good, especially for a pint of Keith's. I miss good beer....

Well I always thought the St. Lawrence market didn't have a lot to offer the tourist, but on Saturday mornings the building to the north has a farmers market with lots of goodies (including fantastic samosas) that would be perfect for a person on the go. If you're there closer to lunch go to the St. Lawrence Market and head downstairs to the veal sandwich shop... for about $7 you can get fantastic sandwiches that are so huge you'll have a tough time eating the entire thing in one go!

Really? Are we talking the apartments above the LCBO or the Condo unit with the Timothy's?... or are you insanely well off and used to live above the Dominion?

The breaded veal/eggplant sandwiches at the place you're talking about are awesome, and are also a heart attack on a place. There's a great dessert stand right across from it for brownies....
You don't even really need to buy a big lunch- you could dine on all the free samples that the shops hand out on Saturday.

We had a condo in the building with the Timothy's/Quizno's. It was a very nice building- we had a good sized unit, it has a cool rooftop patio with bbq's and a nice view. Great location.

Oh, and someone above mentioned the Esplanade, which is right around the corner. The Bier Market is fantastic- so many beers, and Fionn McCool's is fun too.

 

[Rhosfelt]

Wow, I am glad I am a member here! The suggestions are really awesome, I am going to talk to everyone today to see when we are going to go (I am going to guess mid-late july) I will keep you guys posted, and I'll even let you know what I plan/went to see.

Thanks again everyone, hopefully I can go for more than a couple days to see and eat everything mentioned so far.

ps - my mom is a big purse fan, any stores like that around, LV, Gucci so on?

 

[Surely]

Wow, I am glad I am a member here! The suggestions are really awesome, I am going to talk to everyone today to see when we are going to go (I am going to guess mid-late july) I will keep you guys posted, and I'll even let you know what I plan/went to see.

Thanks again everyone, hopefully I can go for more than a couple days to see and eat everything mentioned so far.

ps - my mom is a big purse fan, any stores like that around, LV, Gucci so on?

You'll find all those stores for your Mom on Bloor street, between Avenue and Bay streets. One block south of Yorkville- which also has a bunch of higher-end stores.

So I'm hearing rumors that Malkin or Malone may be traded...... I know, off-topic..... what have you heard in Pitt? (feel free to reply in the NHL thread).

 

[Rhosfelt]

You'll find all those stores for your Mom on Bloor street, between Avenue and Bay streets. One block south of Yorkville- which also has a bunch of higher-end stores.

Ah yes, thank you for that, she'll be happy. That is her top priority when we go to New York.

ps - check the NHL thread

 

[brad.c]

hemmingways is great for drinks and having a nice night out in one of toronto's finest areas.

We used to brunch there many times before we moved out of Yorkville. I sat at a table next to Kirsten Dunst during the TIFF in early September, a few years back. Lots of high profile actors walk the streets at that time.

If you're here during the second week of August, go to the Taste of the Danforth for the largest Greek celebration outside of Greece. During July, there are the Caribana street festival.

The Zoo is worth a day, too.

They've put in a glass floor elevator into the CN Tower, if your bowels need loosening. There's also the Toronto Indy if they need tightening.

The ROM has a new modern wing featuring a dinosaur exhibit, which isn't bad for adults, but primarily aimed at kids.

 

[juanster]

ahha i live in toronto and dint even knwo of so many places im goign to go to some of this.... also hall of fame hockey? never been there.... guess i shoudl probably check taht out eh? since its such a big deal for everybody...