Going to Toronto! Now what?

In My Humble Opinion
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Mrs. Genghis and I are going to Toronto soon for a long weekend away. We’ve been there before with the little Genghis, and done the usual - Casa Loma, Science Center, Royal Ontario Museum.

But this time, we’re going sans-kids; whoo-hoo!

So . . . where should we stay? And what should we do?

We’re looking at hotels via AAA, and the Royal York looks nice - they tell us we’ll be able to see the lake from our room if we want (and we do). It’s a get-away, so we’re willing to pay for Really Nice. When we travel, we like not having to lift a finger - we wanna be pampered, and now! Are we on the right track with the Royal York? Any other suggestions?

As to what to do - we’re considering seeing Wicked. Other than that, we’re open to suggestions.

Torontoans, urban junkies and well-travelled Dopers, tell us how to have a good time in Toronto!

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If you have a hankering for some Chinese food, check out Goldstone Noodle Co. in Chinatown.

The Royal York is a fine place to stay I’ve heard. Never been there myself. Considering the weather lately, staying there and going to see show might be all you WANT to do over the weekend :smiley:

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See the Lake from the Royal York?? Lake Ontario??

I’d take that with a grain of salt if I were you. First of all it’s not “on the lake”, so you’re going to have to see the lake over the train station, the train tracks, the Air Canada Centre, the Gardiner Expressway, the “Queen’s Quay” and about 100 condos that are currently in development right there. The FRY is tall, but I don’t know how good a “view” of the lake you’re going to get. You can get a nice view of the CN tower however. Here’s a map. The Royal York is where this map reads “Union Station”. The blue is the water. It’s not far, but certainly not on the lake.

The hotel itself is ***beautiful ***though. I totally recommend it, but not for the view. You’re on the right track if you want somethign along the lines of the Plaza in NYC. It’s about as “classic upscale” as you’re going to find downtown.

I can’t recall what shows are on right now, apart from Mamma Mia which doesn’t interest me in the slightest. If you’re into sport, the Toronto Raptors are playing and the Blue Jays start up in the spring if you’re coming then. Sorry, hockey is closed. :mad:

The AGOhas a Christo exhibit on right now.

This site lists a bunch of shows and things coming through town.

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Or try the King Edward - it’s a beautiful hotel.

For a good walk around, try the St. Lawrence Market - it’s a great place to shop and an interesting building in all. Shopsy’s has the BEST CHICKEN SOUP with matza balls you have ever had.

Also, if you get a chance (and you like oysters), try Starfish Oyster Bar on Adelaide Street. A pint of their special brew with oyster liquor and stout will have you sighing (well, as a beer lover, I do anyway!).

Will post as I think of things. I’m sure Kytheria will be along shortly.

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Westin Harbour Castle is over the lake, I believe. Upon re-reading your OP, I realized that’s where you wanted to be.

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wink and smooch to Canadiangirl

Seconded to the St. Lawrence Market, with the addition of: buy thee a peameal bacon sandwich there–it is one of the most delicious things you can ever imagine!

The ROM and the AGO are obvious choices… Harbourfront is pretty good. The Grange is definitely worth a second glance, and you can’t miss the Flatiron Building. Get to the CN Tower if you have a spare afternoon.

Catch a show at the Princess of Wales, if you can, and a symphony performance at Roy Thompson Hall; Fort York is a great time.

I’ll think of more later, I know it. :slight_smile:

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As a former T.O. resident…

The Royal York is nice and within walking distance of most downtown attractions. If you don’t mind walking that is. A walk to the Royal Ontario Museum up University to Queen West, and north again on Bathurst through China Town will take the better part of 30 minutes or so, depending on your gate and if you don’t actually stop to shop. It is a bit cold these days so dress appropriately.

For dinner… Greek: (Top Notch in T.O.) go to the Danforth (short cab ride) and ask for the best place from the locals. <envy>

Italian: Il Fornello on King West near University. I know it’s a chain but the quality is excellent and that particular location is within a few block of your hotel and most thearters. The restaurant itself is very hip.

For a quick bite on the go, the local hot dog vendors sell excellent Polish and Italian sausages grilled to order. Yum!

Have fun. Dress warm. Enjoy.

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YES, I forgot about Greektown!!! THE BEST, BEST, BEST saganaki you will ever eat!!! Opa!!! And wine, and souvlaki, and dolmades!

Hockey Hall of Fame if you’re into it…

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Kythereai - you’re right! THE best peameal bacon sandwich (why do I always read these threads before lunch?). Boy, T.O.'s got the best of stuff!

(Except we lost Quicksilver - prrrrrrr - did you see his picture in photo thread?)? :wink: Ooops, kinda wandered there for a minute…Also the Distillery Distrct - have to go the Mill STreet Brewery (again, the same subject :smack: ) and the oyster bar.

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Royal York it is. We called the Westin and the Royal York. Westin first; we asked our usual stupid questions (“can we see the water from your rooms?” “Can we get a non-smoking room high up?” “What are your rates?”). Faster than you can say “we don’t need no stinkin’ customer service”, we found ourselves transferred to a reservations center somewhere in the Midwest.

So we called the Royal York. The nice lady there looked out the window and told us what we could expect to see; told us all about the various rooms, the views, how much each kind would cost us, how high up we could be (I really like being high in a building), what the various restaurants are like, what’s within walking distance, showed us pictures of her niece and nephew from Saskatchewan (okay, maybe not that) – in short, was wonderfully informative and nice, and now is in possession of our sworn promise to spend our long weekend with her and all her friends. I’m willing to peer over a few buildings to see water, if I know I’m among nice people.

Serious, folks: a helpful, friendly attitude makes all the difference in the world, if you want my money.

We’re definitely going to see Wicked. I read the book, and I’m real interested to see it realized on stage. The St. Lawrence Market sounds interesting; we love to shop, and we love interesting buildings.

We’ve done the ROM once, but what’s the AGO?

Does anyone recommend the Shoe Museum? I’m not at all interested, but I’m intrigued by the fact that somebody finds shoes fascinating enough to devote a museum to them. Or is that a Canadian “thing”?

Hockey Hall of fame? <sigh>; now I’m sad. We’re Detroiters, which is as close as you can get to being Canadian without surgery, hockey-wise (“remember kids, it’s all fun and games until somebody loses a tooth; then it’s hockey.”) I may have to go have a beer to make me feel better.

Say . . . what’s at the top of the CN Tower? Is there a restaurant? Nothing would be cooler than sitting way up, drinking some really good wine and watching the lights come up in the city. Is such a thing possible?

Thanks everyone for your input; we’re storing it all away, and we’re going to work our way through all your ideas on this and subsequent trips!

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Yes there is. Excellent food, and prices are, I thought, quite reasonable. Unless the weather is foggy well worth the trip.

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Art Gallery of Ontario. It’s where they keep artwork, as opposed to the cultural artifacts at the ROM. By the way, ROM is currently being remodeled, and many of the exhibits are in storage/being moved/closed (I have a three-year old who wants to see the dinosaur bones and cannot, so I’m a bit bitter).

In addition to the one on the CN Tower, there is another resturant at the top of some other tall building. I was told what it was, and promptly forgot, and I’m hoping that someone else can remind me. It is one of the taller buildings in the area, and the price of the elevator ride is deducted from your meal, should you eat there. I was told it is a better deal than the CN tower. Sorry to be so vague.

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I’ll echo the recommendation for the St. Lawrence Market. It’s fun to browse in, and maybe snack if you are so inclined.

I enjoyed the AGO. It also has a terrific gift shop. I staggered out of there with two gigantic shopping bags ful on my last trip to Toronto. Speaking of shopping, down at Queen’s Quay there are some nice shops, and you can have a nice view of the waterfront.

The Theatre District is great. If you are at all inclined towards antiques, there is an antiques mall that I make a point to get to. It’s right along the Canada Walk of Fame. Also, handily in the Theatre District there are dozens and dozens and dozens of excellent restaurants.

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The ROM has been in a state of remodeling since those dinosaurs walked the earth. It’s always two thirds of a great museum.

Genghis, if the weather turns out to be unusually mild during your stay, may I recommend a visit to the Toronto Zoo? No better time to see the big animals than cool weather. And it’s one of the finest zoos you could possibly visit.

By the way, if you DON’T go up the CN Tower, you haven’t really visited Toronto.

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The Bata Shoe Museum is GREAT… I used to take kids there all the time… They always complained until they got there… It’s absolutely fascinating! And I’m NOT a shoe kind of guy…

I second the Peameal Bacon Sandwich at the Market…

Since you’re staying at the Royal York, you can try to find your way through the underground malls all the way to City Hall… Good luck trying to follow the “Path” though… Weekends the malls are pretty dead, but during the week, you can follow all the thousands of workers from all the office buildings… An interesting view of Toronto for sure…

Greek food on The Danforth is really great… I miss it terribly… I think My Big Fat Greek Wedding was filmed near “Carrot Common” on the Danforth…

If you’ve ever watched Queer As Folk, check out Church and Wellesley to see where they film alot of their outdoor scenes… It’s the centre of the Gay neighbourhood.

And for a less touristy, and pretty interesting area, jump on a Queen Street Streetcar and head east until you get to “The Beaches” (Known by people who live there as “The Beach”)… A nice place to walk around, lots of restaurants, and a very “Toronto” way to spend an afternoon… and the streetcar will let you see a lot of “off the beaten path” things on the way there and back… Just ask the driver to let you off when you’re in the middle of The Beaches…

Have fun! I miss home just writing about it!

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This isn’t intended to be hostile, but I’m gonna recommend not going through the Path - it’s bland and terribly laid out. The stores and sights and people downtown are worth wearing a warm coat for.

I agree as far as Greek restaurants on the Danforth - our family tends to go to Avli on special occaisions.

The Beaches are generally fun, whether you’re talking about the surrounding off-kilter area or the beaches themselves. If you don’t feel like sleeping, there’s nothing like staying up all night near the beach with a loved one on the lifeguard posts, sipping coffee or tea from a thermos.

The AGO’s interesting. If you’re at all interested in some extremely odd and annoyingly pretentious but occaisionally inspiring and mind-expanding modern art, check out the PowerPlant down in the harbourfront area. It’s cheap, too, and near the water, in case you want to visit the Toronto Islands or the CN Tower (I recommend them both).

I’m a vegetarian, and if you’re willing to try a meatless meal, Fressen and Cafe 668 are both outstanding. Eats_Crayons introduced me to Caffe Volo and it’s a very nice place to get coffee or tea (which they actually know how to make), and the food’s good, if a tad pricey in spots for what you get.

Be sure take some time to visit Kensington Market and Chinatown for some extremely interesting shopping and dining. Kensington gets a tad dodgy after dark, though.

Above all, enjoy your stay in the city of the space needle that isn’t. :slight_smile:

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if you want chinatown, it’s spadina between appx queen & college, not bathurst that you should be walking up.

as for great places to eat, may i suggest the korean grillhouse, on queen at mccaul.

if you are looking for some after-entertainment eats, i say ask around in chinatown for a place that serves “cold tea” (there are too many to list.)

and if you are checking out bata, might as well do some exploring in the annex (bloor between spadina & bathurst) and kensington (to the south & west of college & spadina) as well.

and if you are coming when its warmer, don’t forget the c/o beach on centre island! (but please, leave your camera behind if you stop by there.)

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While you’re on Bloor, you might take the opportunity to briefly window-shop between Philosopher’s Walk and Bay (where a “sale” means marking it down from thousands to hundreds), and check out Cumberland Street for a combination of quirk and ritz. Then, for the kitschiest, unclassiest experience ever, go to Honest Ed’s. :slight_smile:

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Oh, one more thing I thought of, when you’re walking west on Bloor Street, if you go to Madison Avenue, there’s a pub (geez, Canadiangirl, can’t you think of anything else :smack: ) there called, believe it or not, the Madison Avenue. They have attached five georgian/victorian houses together - two pubs, a small, beautiful little hotel and a great deck. It’s a great pub and they serve some local brews.

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Queen St. East (where I live. Yes, the Beach) is fun to shop in, with way too many coffee shops, nice stores, and eighteen billion friendly dogs. Just get on the Queen streetcar downtown, heading east, and get off when you count five Starbuck’s in one block. Many pubs, but the food situation isn’t great unless you’re a sushi addict.

Queen West (between University and Bathurst) is hip, trendy, and fun. Lots of music shops, independent restaurants, bars, and fun clothing stores, especially vintage and independent.

If you want to look at buildings, the U of T downtown campus is quite pretty, and near the Bata Shoe Museum. And you can see Robart’s, the univ library shaped like a giant concrete turkey!

Enjoy your visit.