Toronto, Canada

Go to Montreal. It’s actually fun.

Toronto sucks.

OP likes Butternut bread.

TO can be lovely but 6 nights? Four is about right. Toronto has everything... but nothing spectacular. First see what's happening in Toronto during your visit. Check the events websites. The restaurants, while very good, are pretty much the same as any other big city. What stands out is the variety. Ask yourself what you want to eat or what kind of cuisine have you always wanted to try... then look it up.

Toronto does not require 6 nights as a tourist. Go to Montreal too.

I used to date a guy in Montreal. Been there 15 times already.

OP

If you go to the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Textile Museum is a 10 minute walk east and is worth a visit. It's small, but rarely crowded and has a nice gift shop.

R2, I prefer sourdough, actually.

That's a good suggestion, R6. Thanks. OP

Approximately how many Nunavutians live in Toronto?

6 nights is maybe a little too much for Toronto. It’s a very strange, dystopian place. Blade Runner North.

Everything is either two stories tall, 100+ year old Victorian red brick and falling apart, and occupied by seedy stores, or eighty stories tall glass and steel and built yesterday. Enormous Asian population (South and East) adds to the peculiar feel (not being racist, it’s just unusual.)

[...]

I figure six nights because one day is getting to Toronto and another day is for my tour of Niagara Falls. That leaves me with 4 days of seeing the city.

gay nude beach on Toronto Islands

brewwery district

Kensington Market on Spadina Ave

CN Tower of course. You can skip Casa Loma, it's disappointing

Charlie Puth live at Ontario Place....

The Ontario parliament. If you think American politicians are uniquely stupid, it will be an eye opener.

The beaches!

SkyDeom.

[quote] "Go to Montreal. It’s actually fun. Toronto sucks."

I've never been to either, but have always thought Montréal would be immensely more entertaining than Toronto. That said, I'm sure OP will find the boys AND the boys in Toronto. But what else does one need?

[quote] "boys AND the boys"

I think we know what I was going for here. 🍻

What’s “SkyDeom”, precious? What’s “SkyDeom”?

You're right on the money, R16. I hope to sample some of the cute guys when I'm there.

OP

If you never appreciated the restraint shown by Julia Morgan at Hearst Castle, this dump should convince you she worked miracles with that lout WRH.

Go to the beach.

OP. I have lived in Toronto for most of my life. It is a great place to live, but a bit harder to appreciate as a tourist. If you let me know what your interests are, I can add some more ideas. A couple of suggestions: 1). Little Canada. It is a miniature version of parts of Canada. The details are amazing. It is at Yonge Dundas Square. 2) Street festivals. Each weekend in the summer there is a different street festival. They are free and fun to walk around.

Canuck, I love cultural activities, like the ballet (seeing two shows), museums, and learning about history of the places I visit.

I'd be sure to take the ferry out to Toronto Island. It's a park like many others, but it's a beautiful spot to chill and look at the city from a distance.

One morning, go to breakfast at St Lawrence Market and get a peameal bacon sandwich.

Walk around Queen Street West, which has a lot of arty/quirky shops

As for restaurants I'd check the suggestion above for Reddit, or look at Xtra or Now Toronto for suggestions. There's been such a huge amount of change and turnover there, I'm not sure what to suggest. One of my faves was a place called Sassafraz. There was a Little Korea section but I think the segmented areas of TO have blended together to a degree.

Wellesley and Queen was the gay section but that, like Boystown in Chicago, has been overtaken by straights and gentrification.

Yonge Street can be sort of fun to walk down just to people watch and see some of the grittier tourist parts of town, but for a bit, not the whole stretch LOL.

Niagara is pretty boring and tedious, to be honest, beyond the 5-10 minutes you'll be looking at the falls. I'd sooner stay at Niagara on the Lake or just do that stop on the way to Toronto. If you're flying in, don't waste 3 hours of your time (round trip) driving to the falls and back.

I live in NYC and before the first of my extended work trips to Toronto people told me I’d love it, and how very clean it was.

I’ve come to realize saying a city is “clean” is equal to saying a gal “has a great personality.”

R22, I’d love to visit Little Canada for its portrayal of Nunavut alone.

I have to say I loved, loved, loved visiting Toronto on several occasions prior to 2008 or so.

When I went back circa 2016-2017 the city had just changed so much in so many ways. Development was off the chain. A lot of the neighborhood feeling of so many places, at least in the city itself, had disappeared.

It wasn't torture to be there by any stretch but the natural charms I'd experienced before were replaced by a lot more tourist claptrap and annoyances.

(We were also there when that fucking Pokemon Go game was everywhere and so many people were out blocking places with their fat asses trying to score a Pokemon.)

Steamworks

Spa Excess

Nice mid-size ceramics museum near the university. Good restaurant on the top floor.

Good food? Culture?

Organ grinder pizza restaurant, you sit inside a pipe organ...

R17 what?

[quote] Walk around Queen Street West, which has a lot of arty/quirky shops

Toronto is really about its neighbourhoods and less about specific tourist attractions.

I would add to that Dundas Street West and College Street. Lots of interesting shops, restaurants, bakeries and covers areas such as Little Italy, Little Portugal/Brazil.

Walk east on Bloor Street and across the Prince Edward Viaduct, then down Broadview toward Riverdale Park to get a spectacular panoramic shot of downtown. Riverdale itself is a beautifully neighbourhood with many charming old Victorian homes. I’d move there in a heartbeat if I had a spare $2M or so… likewise Cabbage town located on the other side of the Don River.

Another neighbourhood easily accessible by streetcar on Queen Street East is The Beaches, so-called for the huge stretch of sandy beaches on Lake Ontario. The water is very clean and completely safe for swimming in (although maybe not right after a rain storm). Rent a bike and ride along with waterfront trail.

From the air and the ground Toronto appears very flat, but what you don’t see is the negative space - the deep ravines crisis-crossing the city, all accessible by walking trails. I highly recommend walking through the Rosedale Ravine, you can access it from a number of locations but if you’re staying downtown start at Bloor and Sherbourne Streets. If you’re lucky you’ll spot a deer or two; unluckily you’ll run into a coyote. An amazing variety of wildlife found in the heart of the city.

The Distillery Historic District - popular tourist spot located on the site of the largest collection of brick 19th century buildings in North America.

I lived here for 25 years now and still enjoy it but I’d be lying if i didn’t say it can be challenging at times. Traffic is brutal most days and the city has been CONSTANTLY under construction. There are cranes in the sky everywhere you look and the roads are in rough shape due to the constant pounding from dump and cement trucks, there’s a new subway line under construction that has closed major intersections for YEARS. I guess this is all better than a city in decline and depopulating though.

Thanks for all of the great suggestions, everyone! I will come back to these suggestions when I am there.

OP

Also if you're going to Niagara Falls, Niagara-on-the-Lake and the surrounding wineries are a must-visit.

Try the poutine.

Pearl Restaurant Harbourfront for great dim sum:

R20 Casa Loma is also the location of the Blueblood Steakhouse restaurant, Don Alphonso. Bring lots of money with you if you plan to eat there.Beautiful surroundings.

OP, you could also try AI. It seemed to have trouble finding that many days worth of things to do in Toronto, as would a person. Here are the first two days that ChatGPT gave me. I don’t know how real the answer is.

Day 1: Downtown Toronto

9am: Start your day with breakfast at Eggspectation on Bell Trinity Square. They serve an extensive breakfast menu from classic egg dishes to pancakes and smoothies.

10:30am: Visit the Royal Ontario Museum. It's one of the largest museums in North America with a diverse collection of world culture and natural history.

1pm: Lunch at Momofuku Noodle Bar. This place is known for their delicious ramen and pork buns.

2:30pm: Walk around the University of Toronto campus. The area has beautiful architecture and green spaces.

4:30pm: Visit the Art Gallery of Ontario. It houses an impressive collection of over 95,000 works.

7pm: Dine at the CN Tower's 360 Restaurant. It offers revolving views of Toronto while you dine.

9pm: End your day with a walk around Harbourfront Centre. It's especially beautiful in the evening.

Day 2: The Distillery District and St. Lawrence Market

9am: Breakfast at Le Petit Déjeuner. This Belgian-Canadian diner offers waffles, omelettes and more.

10am: Explore the historic Distillery District. It's known for its cobblestone streets, Victorian buildings, and boutique shops.

1pm: Lunch at the St. Lawrence Market. Try the famous peameal bacon sandwich at Carousel Bakery.

2pm: After lunch, spend more time exploring the market. It's full of vendors selling food, crafts, and antiques.

5pm: Visit the Berczy Park. It's known for its beautiful fountain adorned with dog statues.

7pm: Dinner at Terroni on Adelaide Street, serving Southern Italian dishes in a beautiful setting.

9pm: Enjoy a nightcap at Pravda Vodka Bar, a Russian-themed bar with a large selection of vodkas.

R33 I was the one that suggested Queen St West but I also loved Queen St East. At the time I was there frequently (early 2000s) it was way grittier and more "blue collar."

I used to go for a week in the summer and stayed at a cheap guesthouse that was above the Toolbox bar. I walked everywhere and then in the evening I'd come down the stairs and boom, the bar was there. Met a few hot guys there and had a couple of fun evenings. (Modesty prevents me from sharing more.....LOL)

But I love that sort of....let me be a resident of the area for a few days feel vs I need to go see the CN Tower!!!!1111!!!!!! (which, if you love it yay for you, it's not my cup of tea.) So I enjoyed going to the Vietnamese guy near the bar/guesthouse that did fresh fish and chips. Or walking to the farmers market. Walking over the wrought iron bridge. And going to Sam The Record Man on Yonge Street. Ah, old and gone Toronto......

Rosedale ravine trail is really nice. It starts around Younge and St. Clair.

For architecture, there's Brookfield Place by Santiago Calatrava.

There's the library in Osgoode Hall. I don't know if the general public has access.

Yeah, R25, but in some parts of Manhattan, the architecture is so ugly it makes your eyes water.

Commerce Court, 25 King Street West

Hudson Yards most certainly, R44 - it’s like a chunk of Atlanta plopped down here in Manhattan & don’t get me started about the 20+ year debacle that is the Trade Center site. One Vanderbilt hulks over Grand Central in a worse way than the Pan Am building does, and micro-apartments for young people just starting out would have been a better use for the Pennsylvania Hotel than another huge office tower.

The charm of NYC has always been a scattershot mix of buildings anchored by the regularity of the grid - most of the super tall / full block buildings of the last decade don’t do much but clutter up the skyline - it’s a long while since we got some interesting new additions like the Times and Hearst towers.

I actually like Hudson Yards and the World Trade Center site, R46.

I watch a bunch of livestreamers from NYC and there's one spot in Manhattan that is stunningly ugly. I forget if it's around Madison Square Garden or the Hotel Pennsylvania. Anyways, it's obvious that aesthetics were the last consideration when those buildings were designed or the architects had very different aesthetics from mine. I'll make a note of the exact location the next time I see it.

I agree the supertalls ruin the skyline near Central Park, pencil thin buildings sticking out of the regular skyline.

53 Walmer Road is a cute old house but I see it's obscured by vegetation in the summer.

8 Castle Frank Road in Rosedale belongs / belonged to the rich Thomson family.

If you want to see mansions, OP, drive or walk through the Bridle Path neighborhood. Rosedale is another wealthy area but the houses are much smaller and more understated.

R1, you read my mind.

Rosedale is really nice. My favourite neighbourhood in Toronto. I also love Cabbagetown.

French Canadian men are generally hot AF

One Bloor Street

OP I really loved the art gallery of Ontario when I visited. Thought it was beautiful.

The beaches neighborhood was pretty. Queen street west was fun to walk around. Great ethnic food.

People were rude - so prepare for that. I assumed Canadians tend to be nice (ignorant on my part) and Toronto was a huge reality check on that. Hostile as fuck. Very cold weird energy. Completely different from the friendliness of people in Montreal.

And I’m from NYC, so I’m used to assholes, but this was a different breed of miserable.

(No offense to the DLers in Toronto - I’m sure you bitches are the exception).

Not a bad list R39, but a couple of things:

[quote]1pm: Lunch at Momofuku Noodle Bar. This place is known for their delicious ramen and pork buns.

Momofuku closed a while ago.

Also there are many far better places to go for brunch than Eggspectation (which BTW is a Montreal-based chain...)

[quote](No offense to the DLers in Toronto - I’m sure you bitches are the exception).

We love you too, cunt.

This is way out of your way and not worth the trip, OP, but I always thought the Greek Theatre, made from the remains of a bank building, was cool. It's in Guild Park in Scarborough.

I liked the Allan Gardens, OP. I haven't been there in a very long time but it's in a depressing neighborhood. You'll be fine if you go there during the daytime.

Knox College, University of Toronto

University College, University of Toronto

Check out this recently filmed drone footage of downtown:

Very cool, R61.

If it's your kind of thing, you could do the Brave the EdgeWalk at the CN Tower.

Toronto is like someone dropped Belfast next to Lake Ontario and then decided to build a SimCity on top of it.

I just remember Toronto having some beautiful, well hung men during my stays there.

Bloor Street? Charming name.

Drink Homo milk.

Um no, R63. Belfast has a metro population of 670,000. Toronto has a metro population of 5.9 million.

Holt Renfrew at 50 Bloor Street West is the city's high end department store if you want to see how the other half lives. I didn't find the atmosphere snobby and intimidating.

I have lived in Toronto for thirty years. The people are aggressively rude cunts and it is about as exciting to visit as Cleveland.

I see the trolls have arrived.

Holt Renfrew sounds like the new porn star from Titan men.

[quote] I have lived in Toronto for thirty years. The people are aggressively rude cunts and it is about as exciting to visit as Cleveland.

Yes, Toronto is so horrible that everyone is moving there!

Visiting Eaton Centre is an obvious touristy thing to do but I think it's worth a quick look.

Whatever you do do don't take the subway

Have tea at the Shangri-La Hotel.

R52, my ex was French Canadian. Very hot but crazy.

OP

What is wrong with the subway, R73?

OP

My first full day, I will take the hop on, hop off tourist bus so that I can get my bearings and see the neighborhoods you all are referencing.

OP

R47 tbe Hotel Pennsylvania in NYC was demolished tbis year.

In Toronto, I enjoyed the Shoe Museum .

I think R73 is trolling, OP. Like in New York, some people have been killed in Toronto by mentally ill people. I don't know if any of these incidents have happened in the subway. If you stay back from the platform when waiting for the train, you'll be fine, OP.

Oh, thanks, R79.

R79, I'm not trolling.l, excuse you

My aunt who lives in Toronto, tells me on a weekly basis of people getting stabbed, spit on, set ablazeetc on the Toronto subway. She also mentioned one of the stations near her house is practically now a homeless shelter, where many homeless people are scattered about

So many people take the subway each day in Toronto, the chance of something like this happening to you, OP, is very slim.

R81, may I ask in which neighborhood your aunt lives in?

I've lived in NYC. I am not too scared. OP.

The fascist state of Toronto? No thanks.

High Park, R83

R81, so many people use the subway every day in Toronto because they can't afford other means of transportation. While these incidents are becoming more common, I don't think it's the kind of thing the average person has to really worry about. But yes, you should be smart and avoid confrontation. You never know who you're dealing with it.

By High Park, you mean Jane and Finch, right?

[quote]There was a Little Korea section but I think the segmented areas of TO have blended together to a degree.

Christie & Bloor still has some Korean places to eat.

And the subway in Toronto is pretty tame. The worst you'll see is someone fainting because of a health related issue.

Hockey Hall of Fame if you're a hockey fan. I think it's in an old bank with a lovely stained-glass done ceiling?

See a Blue Jays baseball game in the dome,.an Argonauts CFL football game, a Raptors basketball or Maple Leafs hockey game at ScotiaBank arena though very expensive, or an FC Toronto Major League Soccer game depending on time of year.

Oooos...did I scare off most of you gay males with all the sports info? Sorry!

See the awful addition to the Royal Ontario Museum.

The Organ Grinder pizza place closed years ago...

R88 who are they?

R93, I'm talking about the intersection of Jane Street and Finch Avenue W, which is the location of a notoriously bad neighborhood in Toronto.

Just a lame joke.

[quote]If you stay back from the platform...

Silly me. I meant "If you stay back from the tracks...".

Thanks for starting this thread OP. I mentioned up thread having lived here for 25 years. After reading through these posts I realize Toronto really DOES have legit tourist attractions, many of which I have yet to see.

If you're a war history buff a visit to Fort York should be part of your itinerary. The burning of York (Toronto) by the Americans led directly to the retaliatory raid on Washington where the Capitol was invaded and the White House set ablaze.

High Park, after 9:30pm. 😉

You have time to fly to Vancouver for five nights.

Ha ha, spent 4 nights in Vancouver last Thanksgiving.

OP

I definitely recommend heading to Niagara on the Lake after Niagara Falls, it’s a 15 minute drive. There are tons of scenic wineries, some with amazing restaurants, a charming and historic downtown. Take in a show at the Shaw Festival. If you’re into hockey and/or whiskey, Wayne Gretzky’s 99 Distillery is worth a visit.

Based on several of your recommendations, I booked a tour of Niagara Falls that also includes a winery visit and time in Niagara on the Lake.

I like the Annex. The combinaiton of Richardsonian Romanesque with the shingle style really works and it isn't as pretentious as say the weird proportions inflicted on Philadelphia by Frank Furness.

Margaret Atwood lives in The Annex. I wish I knew which house. She has plenty of money so it should be quite nice.

Hmm. Atwood lives somewhere on Admiral Road.

105 Admiral, near Davenport.

You might be right, R105. How did you figure it out?

Mount Pleasant Cemetery

Here's the mausoleum of Timothy Eaton, the founder of Eaton's department stores (closed years ago).

Steve Stavro Memorial in Mount Pleasant Cemetery

Not every city has such high quality kitschy statues.

Rachel McAdams lives in the Annex too

FYI that house at R104 today is worth at least $4M.

This dump in the same neighbourhood is listed for sale at $3.95M:

Sorry, don’t mean to turn this into a real estate thread, but this house at 135 Admiral is quite lovely:

If you go in August, late July vist the Danforth Greek Fest

R112, thanks. I will visiting starting this Saturday. My timing couldn't be worse because of the wildfires and the smoke.

You're in luck, R113, the air in Toronto was okay as of yesterday.

Architecture in Rosedale

[quote]FYI that house at R104 today is worth at least $4M. This dump in the same neighbourhood is listed for sale at $3.95M

Interesting info, Oprahsminge. Yes, Toronto and Vancouver have the most expensive real estate markets in the country.

I'm really surprised that 158 Madison Avenue has 7 bedrooms and three bathrooms. It doesn't look big enough.

Bridget could surprise us all and emerge skinny by end of summer, thanks to Ozempic

Yes but this is a thread about Toronto, R117.

Bridget Fonda is 125 years old. Nobody cares if she's fat, just as long as she's not Chris Christie fat.

Bridget is irrelevant to this thread unless her fat ass resides in Toronto.

Buck’s fat ass never would have resided in Toronto.

What was the alternative? Thunder Bay?

Lots of restaurants serving smoked food.

How's the smoke in Toronto today, OP? I hear it's bad, not as bad as NY, but still pretty bad.

Canadians use the nickname "The Big Smoke" for Toronto because it's the country's biggest city.

R125 I think r124 is referring to the smoke from Wildfires currently burning

Yes, I know, R126. It's funny that Toronto is now literally living up to its nickname.

[quote] Canadians use the nickname "The Big Smoke" for Toronto because it's the country's biggest city.

Is this person for real? Duh, they call New York the Big Apple because it is big. The question is, why "Smoke", not why "Big".

[quote]Canadians use the nickname "The Big Smoke" for Toronto because it's the country's biggest city.

Maybe 50 years ago? I have never heard anyone say this.

You're a lying cow, R129.

Oh okay. Here's the origin of the nickname "The Big Smoke":

"The Big Smoke", used by Allan Fotheringham, a writer for Maclean's magazine, who had first heard the term applied by Aboriginal Australians to Australian cities. The Big Smoke was originally a popular nickname for London, England, and is now used to refer to various cities throughout the world.

Back in the day when homes were heated with coal, Toronto would have definitely been "The Big Smoke". I assume "smoke" also refers to the industry in the Greater Toronto Area.

Famous residents of Mount Pleasant Cemetery. The host is quite handsome for an old guy.

No, R129, I am an honest cow.

That was for R130

I think Toronto is better known as Hogtown.

R124, I'll find out when I get there Saturday. But I will be packing some leftover Covid masks to deal with the smoke.

Okay, R129. You're an honest cow who's lived a sheltered life.

How's the weather in Toronto (i.e. smoke leve? I am excited to visit tomorrow.

OP

Level

I found this online, OP. I don't live in Toronto. 4 on a scale of 1 to 10 - moderate risk.

Maybe you could find Toronto news programs online. CBC, CTV and Global are the bigger TV networks.

Here's yesterday's news from Toronto.

If you're a fan of the 1970s version of the movie "Black Christmas", you could take a photo of the house at 6 Clarendon Crescent, not far from Casa Loma. It was used as the location for the sorority house.

Canada? Can you imagine?

Lucas of NakedNews Daily Male was hot back in the day. That was the best news from Toronto.

Well OP, how was your stay?

R145, it was great, except for the rainy weather. I love how downtown Toronto is a place that's very livable, with a combination of new condos and old homes. Niagara Falls was so cool as well.

Canadian guys were also hot and fun :)

R145, I forgot to mention that the Royal Ontario Museum is awesome. It has a great Asian art collection.

6 nights?!?!

I condole you

I have been living in Toronto for over thirty years and this city has all the charm of Cleveland. It is tragic that this is as good as it gets for Canada in the arts. Nothing interesting ever happens here. Now housing costs as dangerously thru the roof, leaving many homeless.

I have lived in Toronto for thirty years too and it absolutely sucks. Doesn't work for anybody except the very richest... the city is run by the bureaucrats, they lean hard and impracticably left and council lets 'em get away with it.

The ballet is very good though and the building that houses it is a lovely facility. Everything else sucks. Homeless and mental cases running wild.

R149, Cleveland has a cultural patrimony many cities would sell their collective right ball to have.

That scooter was off-putting.

I did a social experiment and put some Canadian books in the free little library at the cafe at the office. The Margaret Atwood book was taken up within a day. The Michel Tremblay book was thrown away by the owners because the title had Fat Woman in it. And the book based on William Lyon Mackenzie King's diary is still there, virginal and untouched like the prime minister.