(Those last two characters were supposed to be a Unicode cat emoji. Yes, someone, possibly the Japanese, Disney, or Cthulhu, got cat emoji into Unicode…)
That reminds me of the Bakka Phoenix Books, which specializes in science fiction.
Bakka used to be on Queen Street W, across from the Silver Snail, another formerly-great comic shop. I bought many an art book there. But they went more towards gaming, and I went less and less often. Recently I passed along that stretch of QueenStreet, and the Silver Snail was gone, list to gentrification and another condo. (Bakka Books left Queen St long ago.)
Speaking of art supplies, Curry’s is a great place to get pens, pencils, ink, sketchbooks, etc.
And speaking of galleries, thete,'s always the Art Gallery of Ontario on Dundas St W, around the corner from OCAD on McCaul St. OCAD started out as the Ontario College of Art, added a D for “and Design”, and is now a full-fledged university, OCAD U. Part of its main building is raised six storeys off the ground on stilts, and there is a pleasant little park underneath. (The big park in behind,which extends to the AGO, is under construction.) There is another great store for art supplies there.
Protip: if you are at Union Station and want to buy non-restaurant, nin-convenience-store food, there is a Lingo’s grocery store under the Maple Leaf Square condos just to the south. A little expensive, but worth it. Go out the south entrance of Union Station (if you can find it), cross Union Square, enter the condo building by the giant sports bar, walk to the other end of the curving mall corridor to just before the doors onto York St, and go down the escalator.
Speaking of which, the Railway Museum is just across the street, in and around the old Roundhouse.
Silver Snail moved to Yonge and Dundas which is still a fairly lively location.
If you’re driving around Toronto, watch out for the tolls on Highway 407. They’re something crazy like 14c/km, so to take one trip on the highway end to end is around $25 or $30. It adds up fast! There are no toll booths; the system uses transponders. If you don’t have a transponder, it takes a picture of your license plate and tacks on an additional fee. The bill is mailed to the owner of the car, which becomes interesting if the car is a rental. And there are cross-border data-sharing agreements, so don’t think your out-of-province or US plate will let you drive for free…
The highway was sold to a consortium for umpty-yong billion dollars about ten years ago, and said consortium somehow got the Ministry of Transportation to agree to withhold the license renewal of any car that didn’t pay its bill. I don’t know whether that goes for out-of-province plates though.
Tomorrow (June 20, 2016), the first phase of an eastern extension of the 407 opens. This part is owned by the province, but it’s still toll, at almost the same rates. It has standard provincial crown-shaped highway-identification signs rather than the unique lozenge-shaped signs of the privately-owned highway.
In the pre-commercial-internet days, Bakka Books on Queen was a godsend. It had stuff that you simply could not find anywhere else in the country.
407 tolls: much worse than I remembered.
Yes to both - thanks. And we’ll be driving.
They were pretty bad when I lived there. As I recall, I was paying about $20 in tolls to commute daily between Stouffville and Mississauga. And any discrepancies on your bill (e.g. the 407 billed you for a trip you did not take)–well, the 407 started from the proposition that you were wrong and they were right. World’s worst, and surliest, customer service.
Nowadays, whether in a rental car or my own Alberta-plated car, I just stay away from it. EH, you would do well to do the same.
Indeed. The Chicago Tribune agrees: Oh, Canada! Toronto beats Chicago on transit with more riders, funding
Take heart: the Supreme Court of Canada has held that if you go bankrupt, the MoT can’t withhold licence renewal:
407 ETR Concession Co. v. Canada (Superintendent of Bankruptcy), 2015 SCC 52, [2015] 3 S.C.R. 397
407 ETR can no longer deny plates to bankrupt drivers
(And with these tolls, bankruptcy is definitely a possibility. 
)
Another vote for the TTC here. Park your car and take the subway, buses, and streetcars; especially in the old city.
Besides, EH, when was the last time you rode a real streetcar, that ran on rails laid in the middle of the road? Toronto’s streetcars are fun!
I used to park at a mall that had a subway station in its lower levels. You could park your car for free all day in the mall parking lot and then take the subway into the city. Unfortunately, it’s been quite a few years since I visited Toronto so I don’t remember which stop it was and don’t know if the mall is still in business.
Depending on where you’re staying I can recommend parking convenient to a subway/streetcar station.
Lots of great suggestions here, but for the summer I’d also include Queen’s Quay and the waterfront, and this list of summer festivals
There is always something going on downtown in the summer.
I agree with most of the touristy suggestions here, and just wanted to add an off-beat little suggestion: the Bata Shoe Museum. Everything you ever wanted to know about footwear and never thought to ask.
My Dad got a bill from them a couple of months ago for tolls from March. He lives in Ottawa, is disabled, and has not had a car nor a driver’s licence for the last 6 years. My sister had a hard time getting the charges cancelled.
On the other hand, the CPP Investment Board owns 10% of the 407, so the tolls are helping fund your retirement.
[puts Saskatchewanian finger tips together]
Exx-cellent! 
Hi, there - lots of great suggestions here already! I don’t think anyone has mentioned Canada’s Wonderland, which is a large amusement park that may appeal to the teenage contingent, if not to you. One of my 13 year old son’s favourite places on earth… The food is overpriced and not great fast food, so if you have the capacity, bring your own picnic, leave it in the car with a few freezer bags, and do that for lunch.
There’s also the McMichael Canadian Art Collection nearby - my current practice for Canada’s Wonderland is to drive up and drop the kid and a few of his friends at the amusement park, then head a few clicks west to where I can either spend a day with the paintings, or hike the Kortright Conservation Area.
Shaw Festival has been mentioned, but I didn’t see the Stratford Festival spoken of. Canadian Stage company will be performing ‘Hamlet’ and ‘All’s Well that Ends Well’ for this year’s Shakespeare in High Park. Depending on specifics of date and time, you might catch some of the Toronto Jazz Festival (June 24 - July 3), Toronto Fringe Festival (June 29 - July 10), and Soulpepper Theatre will have some of its shows running.
Blue Jays may be playing, the Toronto Argonauts may be playing football, the TFC may be playing soccer…
Pride week will culminate in two large parades on July 2nd and July 3rd; the ‘Dyke March’ and the ‘Pride Parade’. They will be a very big deal this year, as the Prime Minister, Premier of Ontario, and the Mayor of Toronto will all be marching.
The Toronto Islands are definitely worth a visit - they’re a fantastic place to walk around, or cycle. For the most part, there are no cars, and in a heat wave, the islands can be 5 -10 degrees Celsius cooler than the city.
You may be interested in some of the War of 1812 Historical sites that are in Ontario.
Now, I’m rather surprised that we’re 58 replies into this thread, and no one has suggested throwing a Toronto DopeFête in your honour… A few PMs would sort that out, I’m certain.
That’s just off the top of my head…
Sounds like Yorkdale Mall. It’s definitely still in business.
Or Fairview Mall…