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Going to Toronto for the Weekend, Eh?Sleep With Friends! (Swim at a nude beach, too!)By David Currier
Toronto is....well, Toronto is just hot!
Bars and nightclubs are teeming with spirited patrons of all ages ready to meet you, greet you, and make new friends and party!
Neighborhoods and activities:
Facing inland from the shore of Lake Ontario at the Westin Hotel, up behind the CN Tower are the Entertainment District (cinemas, theaters, bars and restaurants and a Holiday Inn), and the Financial District. Roy Thomson Hall is home of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (www.tso.on.ca).
Though not overly Italian anymore, Toronto’s Little Italy is a great center of youth culture. Found on College Street, between Palmerston and Ossington, this cool/hip collegiate neighborhood remains the home of some of Toronto’s first and currently hippest Italian restaurants.
Greektown promotes itself at www.greektowntoronto.com among others. Actually east of Downtown, “across the river”, it’s also known as “The Danforth”. Bloor Street becomes Danforth and the action is at Danforth and Pape. The ever popular “Taste of The Danforth” presents home-tours, music and great food, and is summer event to be seen (http://danforthtoronto.com/tour/index.shtml). Toronto takes pride in its GLBT gayborhood, situated in the heart of Downtown. http://toronto.rezrez.com/entertainment/gaytoronto/index.htm. June’s annual gay pride celebrations draw over a million participants (www.torontopride.com). Straight or gay, a hotel or B&B within a few blocks of the area of Church and Wellesley Streets is the perfect location for your pied à terre. It’s easy to get anywhere in the city from here. Coming back toward the center of Downtown, Toronto’s Eaton Centre is a mega shopping center located on the west side of Yonge Street between Queen and Dundas. Insider tip: For the traveler wanting to be ‘there’ when it’s just happening, check out the Distillery District. A neighborhood of some of the best-preserved Victorian industrial architecture in North America, opened in May, 2003, this area has become a center of galleries and artisans. And franchise stores are not permitted! Weekly events promote this new development. Get the latest news at www.thedistillerydistrict.com.
Even with all Downtown Toronto offers, a weekend vacationer can arrange a half-day trip to Niagara Falls; Mother Nature directed a more spectacular Canadian production than she did in the USA (www.city.niagarafalls.on.ca). At the falls, charter a helicopter ride above the falls and Niagara River (www.skywayhelicopters.com). Might be the highpoint for your family’s vacation, eh? A more down-to-earth experience would be a boat ride under the falls on Maid of the Mist (www.niagarafallslive.com/niagara_falls_maid_of_the_mist.htm). But don’t rush. Make it a daytrip and include visits to some of Ontario’s famous wineries (www.wineroute.com). If you have not tried it, spend a few greenbacks on a fine Canadian icewine to impress your enophile friends at home. These VERY late-harvest wines provide the perfect ending to a delicious meal.
Music Toronto presents exciting world recognized performers at the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts (800-708-6754, Arts www.stlc.com). Their 2003-2004 schedule begins in October. Moordale Concerts (416-922-3714, www.mooredaleconcerts.com) also presents a season of “classical music for everyone”. The Art Gallery of Ontario (www.ago.net) provides, in addition to its gallery exhibits, courses, lectures and performances. Tickets are available at 416-979-6608. AGO has a large collection of “Group of Seven” (an unusual grouping of Canadian artists) paintings. Other art links include: Canadian Opera Company (www.coc.ca), National Ballet of Canada (www.national.ballet.ca), CBC’s Glenn Gould Studio (glenngouldstudio.cbc.ca), Mirvish Productions – Broadway stuff (www.onstagenow.com).
Historic Spadina House, with its beautiful gardens, is next to Casa Loma.
Island beaches (particularly Hanlan’s Point with an official clothing optional section) are worth the trip. Rent a bike or a quadricycle to tour the 2.5-mile long islands. (www.city.toronto.on.ca/parks/island/. Centre Island has extensive amusement areas for the kids (www.centreisland.ca).
Dining:
Café du Marché (181 Bay Street, located in BCE place and above the largest food court in the world), is a fascinating market-restaurant combo inside an architectural must see – historical and modern architecture are blended to preserve a Canadian landmark and enhance the quality of a commercial neighborhood (http://glasssteelandstone.com/CA/ON/TorontoBCEPlace.html).
Two other fine dining experiences await you at Le Petit Liban, 580 Church Street, (more Mediterranean than Lebanese) and The Looking Glass, 582 Church Street (www.thelookingglass.ca) – both located one block north of Wellesley at Dundonald. For exquisite French dining, make your reservations a week or so in advance for Célestin (416-544-9035) at 623 Mount Pleasant. Usually packed with a branché (connected) crowd (as the Québecois would say), dinner for two may run US $125. Célestin is among Toronto’s top five restaurants. Canoe, another restaurant among the top five, located on the 54th floor of the Mies-van-der-Rohe-designed TD Centre, offers a spectacular view, particularly at sunset. Canoe is a bit pricier than Célestin (416-364-0054 www.canoerestaurant.com). One of Toronto’s strengths is the diversity of food choices. In particular, Toronto offers extremely good Asian food at good prices. At the high end, enjoy world-class sushi at Hiro (171 King E at Jarvis, 416-304-0550). For a more casual experience in a hip setting, try Spring Rolls’ flavorful Thai food at one of two Spring Rolls restaurants (www.springrollsonline.com). Extensive restaurant information may be obtained at www.torontolife.com. Lodging:Major hotel chains are all represented in Toronto (many near Yonge Street). However, for easy access to much of Toronto's nightlife, to walk or subway to Jarvis & University, Bloor and Front Streets, consider a B&B in the northwest quadrant of Downtown.
There are B&Bs located on the Toronto Islands, too, for those travelers with a marine bent. Transportation:
The exchange rate of the US dollar makes a visit to Hot Toronto a Hot bargain that should not be missed, and airfares are available for less than US $200 round-trip. Visit a favorite airline-specific site now, or a discount site like www.bestfares.com, www.hotel.com, www.hotwire.com , etc., and book your trip today. If your plans keep you within the city, you do not need a rental car. To get from the airport to downtown, there are several options. Check this site for services and rates in Canadian dollars: http://www.toronto.com/feature/324/6.html#ByAirportExpress As in many cities, immigrant communities operate the taxi companies. Most cabs queue up to pick up customers. There is a flat rate between the airport and the city of CA $36. A1-Airline Car (800-884-5860) provided excellent service. Drivers may be Sikhs wearing their traditional turbans and beards, so your kids may be intrigued. Many of the larger chain hotels offer shuttle service for their customers between the airport and their hotel. Air Canada also offers a downtown shuttle. Toronto’s subway system provides excellent north-south transportation for CA $2.25 a ride. Streetcar and bus connections are a snap. For those coordinates not served, taxis are available for about CA $5-$7 within the Downtown area. The easy-to-use subway is a few blocks at most from anywhere in the city center. There are three lines – the Yonge-University-Spadina Line, the Bloor Line and the Sheppard Line. The latter is outside the tourist area. Two routes of the Yonge-University Spadina Line run north and south in a big “U”. It also goes to the Harbourfront.) and the Bloor Street line and the newest Sheppard line go east and west. Thus you can easily get south to the lake, St. Lawrence Market, the Mövenpick Marché, CN Tower or the historic and soaring St. James Cathedral (www.stjamescathedral.on.ca ). Or subway north to Casa Loma. (Unfortunately, one of Toronto’s biggest letdowns is that the subway does not serve the airport.) Check out the family pass for the subway at www.toronto.ca/ttc/family_pass.htm. Since Detroit automobile manufacturers successfully purchased and destroyed the streetcar network in essentially every American and Canadian city, visitors may be intrigued to ride a Toronto streetcar. The streetcar takes you right back to Mr. Rogers’s neighborhood. The streetcar also connects with the subway at Union Station, with cars running along the waterfront to Spadina and the Exhibition (http://transit.toronto.on.ca/transit.cfm?tt=streetcar). Streetcars are a great way to visit Little Italy, Chinatown, Queen Street or the waterfront. Toronto’s waitin’. So start your trip here and now. Eh! www.city.toronto.on.ca. Images by author and special thanks to the City of Toronto, Ric Tremaine and Michael Swann. |
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TM
A weekend in Toronto? It's not just the CN Tower (at
1,465 feet, the world’s tallest freestanding structure) (
Trees are green. People fill the streets, the European
inspired crafts-vegetable-cheese-and-meat markets (
The City of Toronto's cool, too! In North America, the
multi-cultural population is matched by few other cities. The many races and
cultures that call Toronto home tack together the dynamic quilt-of-life that
is Toronto (
Toronto is Canada’s largest population center with over
2.5 million city-zens. The city center, however, is not overwhelming with
around 600,000 people that call the core of the metropolis home. Downtown
Toronto, as the core is known, is divided into several important
neighborhoods, each of interest to travelers. Let’s explore Downtown
Toronto in a somewhat clockwise fashion.
For about US $15, take a ride up the CN Tower for a
spectacular view. Admission (
At 100 Queen Street (west of Yonge) you’ll encounter
the architecturally interesting city hall faced by the Sheraton. Hip
shopping is available along Queen Street going westward through Spadina
Street to Bathurst Street. The club scene is blossoming on Queen between
Spadina and Bathurst to the west, yet most clubs are in the Entertainment
district.
Chinatown takes the stage at Spadina and Queen, just
north of the “Fashion District”. (This fashion district is mostly for
manufacturing not retail sale. Your Louis Vuitton and Chanel fashion stores
are on Bloor Street between Bay and University.) 
At the north center of Downtown sit The Annex (great
restaurants) and the Bloor-Yorkville (shop ‘til you drop) neighborhoods.
Nearby is the aforementioned St. Lawrence Market, a
must see for anybody who spends any amount of time in the kitchen. St.
Lawrence market is source for Toronto’s freshest seafood, meats, cheeses,
fruits and seasonal vegetables. They even carry specialties like fiddleheads
from New Brunswick. 
And speaking of productions, Toronto is second only to
New York for its live theater offerings. For schedules and prices, visit:
One of Toronto’s most fascinating sites to see, because
of the financial and political power, the love story and intrigue associated
with its construction, is Casa Loma. This majestic castle (of Disneyesque
style but no mouse!) was begun in 1911 and built at the cost of US $3.0
million (
Everything to see is not just on the mainland, either.
A 15-minute ferry ride takes you to the Toronto Islands. With nearly 600
acres of parkland, the islands provide the best view of the city.
Insider tip: If you are on the Islands, the Rectory
Café on Ward’s Island serves throughout the week. Recently renovated, this
beautiful and quiet garden café on the lakefront/boardwalk is a spot that is
little known among Torontonians, but cherished by the few who return on a
regular basis to savor the Islander-baked sweets, fresh salads and fruits,
or a light dinner (102 Lakeshore Ave., Ward’s Island, Toronto.
416-203-2152.
Creative chefs are serving up local and ethnic food at
bargain prices in hundreds of what may be the finest and most economical
restaurants in North America. 
You want an outrageous dining experience?! Check out
the menu as well as the bonkers-funny-somewhat gay waitstaff at Zelda’s. A
visit to Michael Swann’s “Zelda’s”, and you’ll think you’ve stumbled into
the casting call for a local production of Broadway’s Hairspray or even
Priscilla, Queen of the Dessert (
With innumerable lodging options, Toronto B&B’s offer
affordable comfort and good taste. A Google.com search for “Toronto B&B”
will give you several selections. 
One of Toronto's friendliest, most comfortable and
affordable locations, is the classic Gloucester Square B&Bs. Comprised of
three Victorian brick mansions, Ric Tremaine provides independence, romantic
settings and casual luxury at affordable prices. With rooms fit for a queen
(Quentin Crisp, perhaps the most regal queen England ever had, once stayed
here.), rates range from US $63 - $286. 
Michael Roussy, the exuberant concierge, along with the
rest of the professional staff will assist you with local travel
arrangements and make you feel at home. And while there, treat yourself to
their spa services including a massage by Oliver Svendsen. Explore their
informative website for rates and specials:
Toronto's non-stop-proximity from many major US
airports makes it a choice destination for that extended-weekend-vacation
invented by yuppies and gen-Xers and adopted by the rest of us who never
have enough vacation days in one year. You can have an exciting,
educational, romantic 2-3-4 day holiday and not break the bank. If you’ve
got a week, great! The people of Toronto will keep you entertained.