I’ve never been to Canada… A friend of mine from Windsor, Ontario is going to meet me in Detroit, drive me across the border into Windsor. We will spend a night at the casino there in Windsor. He’s assured me there’s nothing to see in the Windsor area except for the casino, we’re both fairly avid gamblers. He’s then going to drive me to Toronto for a couple days.
I know I’m going to the Hockey Hall of Fame, what other attractions are must see? What’s traffic like in Toronto city centre? Manhattan like nightmare? I imagine we will leave the car at the hotel and use public transit. Is there a craft beer scene? I prefer pale ales or IPA’s, hopefully there’s more than just Molsen. I’m going to try Tim Horton’s, how’s the coffee? Finally, is there a good Mexican restaurant in the city centre? I know that sounds like an odd request, but I ate Mexican food in the UK earlier this year and it’s now a goal of mine to try Mexican in each country I visit.
Traffic in downtown Toronto isn’t quite as bad as Manhattan - but it’s Manhattanesque. You should definitely go with public transportation.
If you’re looking for sites, the Royal Ontario Museum is a great all-around museum. The Toronto Zoo is one of the best in the world. Casa Loma is a really good tour. Toronto has one of the biggest “Chinatown” neighbourhoods in the western world.
Tim’s has the best coffee, period. I make it a point to have it every time I’m home in Michigan (you don’t have to go into Ontario for Tim Hortons, which properly has no apostrophe for Canada-specific marketing reasons).
Do visit the CN Tower, and pay with all of the other tourists to ride to the top. The view is spectacular.
Unless things have changed since I lived there, there’s no real good Mexican food anywhere at all in the Greater Toronto Area.
I always like to take in a show or stage play when I’m in Toronto. And, actually, you’re not going to be that far from Stratford, which is a lovely little village with several very good theaters and so you might want to take a side trip there. And, hey, I’m not a theater type of guy, but I always enjoy going when I’m in the area.
As long as I’m recommending things close-but-not-in Toronto, you know you’ll only be a short drive from Niagara Falls? I’m tired of going there all the time now, but if you’ve never been (especially on the Ontario side), it’s well worth a visit.
There are many independent coffee shops that sell coffee better than Tim’s. Going to a city like Toronto and drinking fast food coffee could be like going to New York and eating Burger King every night. Try it once to say you did but it’s nothing special.
Do the CN Tower.
Toronto had food of high quality of every type.
See a show. Toronto has a lot of theatre. Comedy shows are plentiful, cheap and of high quality.