to_l
Active Member
By the way, The Second City is also a possible evening activity; it's on King Street, south of Queen. They used to, and may still, have a free 15 minute show after the main show.
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Toronto Vacation Help - September 2013
- Thread starter DM4
- Start date
DM4
New Member
Thanks, Ill have to check that out and see whats happening closer to the vacation date.
And in case this got lost on the last page.
Jonny5
Senior Member
Your Friday plan is sorted out pretty well. There's lots of cheap pizza places on Yonge Street, quality varies, but Pizzaiolo is a good standby, with several locations right on Yonge and their menu even has an explicit vegan pizza section, though they might not have those as individual slices for takeout.
Almost every office building connected to the PATH has its own food court. First Canadian Place has Kupfert and Kim, which has a vegan snack and salad menu. Very close by in the same building is Longo's, which is sort of a grocery store, but this particular location focuses on prepared foods for takeout and definitely has vegan items your girlfriend could grab for lunch or a snack, and all kinds of takeout like bbq chicken and ribs, personal pizzas, panini sandwiches, etc...
Restaurants get quite crowded around Yonge/Dundas sqaure on a Friday evening, especially since Ryerson University is directly beside it with 30,000 students. There are lots and lots of options though, it is one of the busiest parts of the city with the most visitors and tourists, so beware getting gouged.
Your Saturday plan is ambitious, maybe too much so. Heading out to Casa Loma will use up a fair amount of time and energy. That is one spot for which I would splurge and take a taxi, either one way or both. There are always lots of taxis floating around downtown, and some hotels and office towers will have taxis waiting in front to pick people up. You can also just waive your arm to hail one on the street if you see it's empty. From downtown it would probably be a $13 ride to Casa Loma, one way. Tip $1 or $2 on top of that.
The St. Lawrence Market is absolutely a must see, especially on a Saturday (it's closed Sunday and Monday) and there is a lot to see along Front Street to the west of it as well, including some of Toronto's oldest commercial buildings.
The Distillery District can be interesting, but it is a bit isolated, with mostly residential surrounding it or land under heavy construction for new developments. That isolation also makes it a bit of a tourist trap. It gets crowded on Saturdays, and the shops and restaurants in the District are noticeably more expensive. That being said, it is a unique area in the city, and you don't have to eat there or buy anything. If you are short on time and have to drop one thing, I would make it this.
The "main street" of the Harbourfront is Queen's Quay (that's pronounced the same as key, most vistors get that wrong
) and it is going through a major redevelopment project at this time, but I think enough will be done by the time you arrive that it won't cause much inconvenience, however the streetcar service to the Harbourfront will definitely still be suspended for track replacement and replaced with buses.If you go to Chinatown and Kensington Market I would do them together on Saturday, early afternoon. A big part of what makes these neighbourhoods interesting is the liveliness of all the people walking around shopping on Saturday, especially if the weather is nice. It dies down noticeably by the evening and indeed many of the shops will be closed by eight. Monday's aren't very busy either.
Helpful hint: There is a sales tax (called HST) of 13% applied on almost everything except food in grocery stores. The tax is not included in displayed prices, with the exception of gasoline, taxi fares, and alcohol bought in stores (but not restaurants).
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to_l
Active Member
Check out Salad King on Friday for dinner. It's just a bit north of the Eaton Centre.
You could do St.Lawrence/Distillery Saturday a.m.; maybe grab breakfast at the market, explore, then walk over to Distillery. And as mentioned before, Distillery is skippable if you're short on time; it's mainly architectural and it is actually a very small area. If you do go on Saturday though, you'll probably run into at least one bridal party =p
You could do St.Lawrence/Distillery Saturday a.m.; maybe grab breakfast at the market, explore, then walk over to Distillery. And as mentioned before, Distillery is skippable if you're short on time; it's mainly architectural and it is actually a very small area. If you do go on Saturday though, you'll probably run into at least one bridal party =p
W. K. Lis
Superstar
A TTC Day Pass for $10.75. If you use it on a weekend, however, then more than one person can use it during that day. See this link for more information on purchasing TTC fares.
greenleaf
Senior Member
Fresh has good vegan options I believe. I think the service at their spadina and bloor location is best.
I see you are planning to do a boat tour, but if it's not too cold, it might be worth a brief trip to the Toronto Islands on Monday morning. You get a fantastic view of Downtown from there. I'd take the Ward's Island ferry and meander around the houses and to the beach on the southside before coming back. It's a unique thing to Toronto.
I really like the Distillery and think it is another unique place to Toronto and worth going to. Walking there and back via King and/or The Esplanade from Church or Jarvis St is a nice walk.
I see you are planning to do a boat tour, but if it's not too cold, it might be worth a brief trip to the Toronto Islands on Monday morning. You get a fantastic view of Downtown from there. I'd take the Ward's Island ferry and meander around the houses and to the beach on the southside before coming back. It's a unique thing to Toronto.
I really like the Distillery and think it is another unique place to Toronto and worth going to. Walking there and back via King and/or The Esplanade from Church or Jarvis St is a nice walk.
Ex-Montreal Girl
Active Member
I think your sked is way too ambitious. I am not sure there's all that much of interest on your Friday sked. I would leave that for Monday as a back-up.
When I have friends visiting, the first thing I do is buy TTC passes and get on the Queen St. streetcar. Ride it all the way to one end and then back, preferably at at time when it's not too busy. Nothing conveys a sense of the city better than that, plus the pass allows you to get on and off at various points of interest. Starting from the east terminus/loop, the Beaches and the boardwalk, Leslieville and Riverside, downtown/Yonge and Eaton Centre, Queen West area, the Drake and the Gladstone Hotels, both former flophouses redone into boutique type bars and restaurants. The Toronto Star did a neat interactive guide a few years ago.
As for pizza, forget Danforth pizza. It's strictly bread and meat. Magic Oven has vegan and organic options and there are several locations.
If you do venture to Greektown on the Danforth (between Broadview and Pape), you'll find plenty of Greek restaurants with vegan options such as hummous, gigantes beans, skordalia (garlic mashed potatoes), eggplant puree etc. Also Mocha Mocha has great choices. Lots of outdoor patios and many of them will be heated. and warm enough to enjoy at the time you are there. One easy way to access this area from the Queen streetcar (#501) is either the King car (#504) from Broadview or the 72 bus at Carlaw. Both run very frequently and are worth the diversion for lunch.
When I have friends visiting, the first thing I do is buy TTC passes and get on the Queen St. streetcar. Ride it all the way to one end and then back, preferably at at time when it's not too busy. Nothing conveys a sense of the city better than that, plus the pass allows you to get on and off at various points of interest. Starting from the east terminus/loop, the Beaches and the boardwalk, Leslieville and Riverside, downtown/Yonge and Eaton Centre, Queen West area, the Drake and the Gladstone Hotels, both former flophouses redone into boutique type bars and restaurants. The Toronto Star did a neat interactive guide a few years ago.
As for pizza, forget Danforth pizza. It's strictly bread and meat. Magic Oven has vegan and organic options and there are several locations.
If you do venture to Greektown on the Danforth (between Broadview and Pape), you'll find plenty of Greek restaurants with vegan options such as hummous, gigantes beans, skordalia (garlic mashed potatoes), eggplant puree etc. Also Mocha Mocha has great choices. Lots of outdoor patios and many of them will be heated. and warm enough to enjoy at the time you are there. One easy way to access this area from the Queen streetcar (#501) is either the King car (#504) from Broadview or the 72 bus at Carlaw. Both run very frequently and are worth the diversion for lunch.
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mistercorporate
The Fruit of Discipline
I don't know why everyone just recommends Queen street (it's nice if you're into the bohemian thing). On a weekend night, nothing beats King Street West!! That whole area West of Bay Street all the way past Bathurst Street is buzzing with young and beautiful people hitting the town. It's the coolest and most buzzing part of Toronto on evenings, especially weekend evenings.
Ex-Montreal Girl
Active Member
Agreed, if you are into bars and, especially, if you have the bucks for Brassaii, Crush, my personal fave Lee etc. It tends to be a little too self-consciously trendy, IMO.
But try Queen West west of Spadina to see some interesting little spots, a city in transition. More the young hipster scene as opposed to the Beamer or Liberty Village condo types.
In any case, I was thinking the entire Queen 501 route as a sub for a paid bus tour.
W. K. Lis
Superstar
If you have time for a movie, there is the Scotiabank Theatre at John & Richmond (one block south of Queen West), Cineplex Odeon (formerly AMC) at the corner of Yonge & Dundas, the TIFF Lightbox at 350 King Street West, the Revue Cinema at Roncesvalles Avenue & Howard Park Avenue, and many, many others.
adHominem
Senior Member
At Yonge & Dundas, another vegan food option is Urban Herbivore, in the Eaton Centre food court. Rice/quinoa bowls, sandwiches, stews, salads. Depending on how much the two of you typically eat, it's possible to get one meal and split it, to save some money.
to_l
Active Member
They don't drink though and aren't really into bars =)
Northern Light
Superstar
A few thoughts for you, rather than focusing on other areas you could see (though I'll mention 1 or 2 at the end), some suggestions on what to do in areas where you are already looking to go.
Yorkville: - Make sure and stop by Yorkville Park, located on Cumberland street, between Bellair and Avenue Rd. Its small, but quite interesting, a great place to people watch or sip a soda in the shade (has tables, sitting rocks and giant rock from Northern Ontario you can climb up and sit on)
- If you enjoy fine food, but don't want to blow the budget, you might try D'Lish cupcakes in that area, wonderful product, very inexpensive (takeout), I'm going to guess there is egg in them, so not vegan though.....
- If you like looking at expensive baubles, pop through Holt Renfew, its sorta of Canada Answer to Sak's 5th...., right on Bloor Street, just east of Bay, three levels of mostly over priced, but nice goods.
- Want a nice place to grab something vegetarian in a quaint setting, try 7 West, its on Charles Street, just west of Yonge, its in a old Victorian House, its also open 24 hours, if you need something early or late.
- Fancy food (grocery), pop into Puseteri's, its a mini-supermarket, on Bay @ Yorkville, (only about 5,000sq feet) but has some very interesting stuff.
- Book lover? pop by the Toronto Reference Library, on Yonge @ Yorkville, nothing much to look at on the outside, but a palace of good reading material inside.
********
Yonge Street
To be honest, south of Yorkville, but north of the Dundas area, its mostly humdrum, though there are a few 'jewel' stores.
But I would tend towards getting down the street to the Dundas area, where more interesting retail can be found.
Consider popping into the Hudson's Bay store (corner of Queen and Yonge and connected to the Eaton Centre), one of the largest department stores anywhere, 9 floors to keep you amused.
For buying books, one the uglier but better stores you'll ever find is the 'World's Biggest Bookstore' on Edward, looks very blah, but it does have a very large number of titles (though not the largest in the world by a fair margin)
If you enjoy heritage buildings, consider Old City Hall, which is just beside the Eaton Centre on Queen Street west...........
or for modern architecture, consider new (current City Hall) just across Bay street, with Toronto's main public square in front of it.
****
In the Financial District, don't miss walking through Brookfield Place, at the ground level, it has a corridor connecting Bay Street to Yonge Street with a wonderful skylight feature, one of the better indoor public spaces, and quick glance is a but a minute's time. Its located in the block bounded by Bay/Wellington/Yonge and Front.
From the outside, TD Centre (King and Bay, and Scotia Plaza (Adelaide between Yonge and Bay) are among the more interesting bank towers.
****
Distillery District
- Soma Chocolate is very nice
- Balzac's coffee as well
But mainly a walking/event area
****
St. Lawrence Market
- A must see, Saturday morning, hitting both the Farmer's market (non-descript building on the north side of Front street @ Jarvis) and the main market on the south-west corner.
- While there, stroll down Market Street (west side of Market), then along the Esplanade.
- I would use the Esplanade to walk between the Distillery District and St. Lawrence, its the nicest route, while Front just west of Jarvis is also nice.
- One of the best photo corners in the City (views) is Church and Front (1 block from St. Lawrence), interesting angled heritage building you may have seen in the opening sequence of the show Shark Tank, and great views of the CN Tower and Financial district beyond.
****
Your schedule is already quite full.
But aside from endorsing the various suggestions made Kensington Market, Chinatown and the Islands.......
I will put a one or two more out there, depending what interests you, old buildings?? Stroll through the University of Toronto campus, focus on King's College Road/Circle, and then the path known as Philospher's walk, running from Hoskin to Bloor (behind the Royal Ontario Museum or ROM.
The Islands are nice, great City views (good beaches if the weather is warm enough), and some lovely nature as well, but.....it is a fair time commitment between the ferry schedule and a good walk.
Enjoy 'ethnic' variety? consider Koreatown, Little Italy is also nice, though not all that Italian anymore, there are many other 'cultural' shopping areas, however most are well outside the downtown core and would entail sizable travel times.
***
On vegetarian, but not necessarily vegan food choices, consider this list from a local blog (Blog TO) of Toronto's best Vegetarian places.
Take this and any list from them with a grain of salt, but there are often some legit. gems.
http://www.blogto.com/toronto/the_best_vegetarian_restaurants_in_toronto/
Hope that's helpful.
Yorkville: - Make sure and stop by Yorkville Park, located on Cumberland street, between Bellair and Avenue Rd. Its small, but quite interesting, a great place to people watch or sip a soda in the shade (has tables, sitting rocks and giant rock from Northern Ontario you can climb up and sit on)
- If you enjoy fine food, but don't want to blow the budget, you might try D'Lish cupcakes in that area, wonderful product, very inexpensive (takeout), I'm going to guess there is egg in them, so not vegan though.....
- If you like looking at expensive baubles, pop through Holt Renfew, its sorta of Canada Answer to Sak's 5th...., right on Bloor Street, just east of Bay, three levels of mostly over priced, but nice goods.
- Want a nice place to grab something vegetarian in a quaint setting, try 7 West, its on Charles Street, just west of Yonge, its in a old Victorian House, its also open 24 hours, if you need something early or late.
- Fancy food (grocery), pop into Puseteri's, its a mini-supermarket, on Bay @ Yorkville, (only about 5,000sq feet) but has some very interesting stuff.
- Book lover? pop by the Toronto Reference Library, on Yonge @ Yorkville, nothing much to look at on the outside, but a palace of good reading material inside.
********
Yonge Street
To be honest, south of Yorkville, but north of the Dundas area, its mostly humdrum, though there are a few 'jewel' stores.
But I would tend towards getting down the street to the Dundas area, where more interesting retail can be found.
Consider popping into the Hudson's Bay store (corner of Queen and Yonge and connected to the Eaton Centre), one of the largest department stores anywhere, 9 floors to keep you amused.
For buying books, one the uglier but better stores you'll ever find is the 'World's Biggest Bookstore' on Edward, looks very blah, but it does have a very large number of titles (though not the largest in the world by a fair margin)
If you enjoy heritage buildings, consider Old City Hall, which is just beside the Eaton Centre on Queen Street west...........
or for modern architecture, consider new (current City Hall) just across Bay street, with Toronto's main public square in front of it.
****
In the Financial District, don't miss walking through Brookfield Place, at the ground level, it has a corridor connecting Bay Street to Yonge Street with a wonderful skylight feature, one of the better indoor public spaces, and quick glance is a but a minute's time. Its located in the block bounded by Bay/Wellington/Yonge and Front.
From the outside, TD Centre (King and Bay, and Scotia Plaza (Adelaide between Yonge and Bay) are among the more interesting bank towers.
****
Distillery District
- Soma Chocolate is very nice
- Balzac's coffee as well
But mainly a walking/event area
****
St. Lawrence Market
- A must see, Saturday morning, hitting both the Farmer's market (non-descript building on the north side of Front street @ Jarvis) and the main market on the south-west corner.
- While there, stroll down Market Street (west side of Market), then along the Esplanade.
- I would use the Esplanade to walk between the Distillery District and St. Lawrence, its the nicest route, while Front just west of Jarvis is also nice.
- One of the best photo corners in the City (views) is Church and Front (1 block from St. Lawrence), interesting angled heritage building you may have seen in the opening sequence of the show Shark Tank, and great views of the CN Tower and Financial district beyond.
****
Your schedule is already quite full.
But aside from endorsing the various suggestions made Kensington Market, Chinatown and the Islands.......
I will put a one or two more out there, depending what interests you, old buildings?? Stroll through the University of Toronto campus, focus on King's College Road/Circle, and then the path known as Philospher's walk, running from Hoskin to Bloor (behind the Royal Ontario Museum or ROM.
The Islands are nice, great City views (good beaches if the weather is warm enough), and some lovely nature as well, but.....it is a fair time commitment between the ferry schedule and a good walk.
Enjoy 'ethnic' variety? consider Koreatown, Little Italy is also nice, though not all that Italian anymore, there are many other 'cultural' shopping areas, however most are well outside the downtown core and would entail sizable travel times.
***
On vegetarian, but not necessarily vegan food choices, consider this list from a local blog (Blog TO) of Toronto's best Vegetarian places.
Take this and any list from them with a grain of salt, but there are often some legit. gems.
http://www.blogto.com/toronto/the_best_vegetarian_restaurants_in_toronto/
Hope that's helpful.
mistercorporate
The Fruit of Discipline
Okay, I take it all back
I hit up Queen street to see what the fuss was about last night. I admit I was a little judgemental in the past because outwardly people around there looked more like hipsters to my eyes but at the street level it seems just to be a more casually dressed (scenester and hipster) version of the King Street scene (dressy). I found the people there to be quite friendly and sociable. I can definitely see the appeal now and the restaurant selection there definitely puts King street to shame.Richmond street was also buzzing, but that scene is more about young kids from the suburbs coming downtown to get drunk and dance at industrial clubs
Regardless, I'm really impressed at the growth of the mainstream social scene in that whole district and how the area has virtually tripled in size, I'm old enough to remember the days when it was just Richmond Street and not much else downtown on weekend nights.
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DM4
New Member
Wow thank you for all the new responses. Too many to reply to individually but everything was very helpful. I will take all your advise and will be making a new trip schedule soon. Again I appreciate all the help!
One question though, should we check out Queen St during the day or in the evening?
I am an Urban Planning student with great interest in cities and architecture and I really want to take in the city as much as I can while there. I love very active areas, old(pre1940's)/new architecture (not a huge fan of the 60's through 80's), and areas of great urban design. I also love a good skyline view, even though they have nothing to do with a cities greatness in my opinion.
One question though, should we check out Queen St during the day or in the evening?
I am an Urban Planning student with great interest in cities and architecture and I really want to take in the city as much as I can while there. I love very active areas, old(pre1940's)/new architecture (not a huge fan of the 60's through 80's), and areas of great urban design. I also love a good skyline view, even though they have nothing to do with a cities greatness in my opinion.