Toronto - what to see and what to skip?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Agree w/ Queen St West. Eat at Persian restaurants. Bloor & Younge shopping mall. Check out University of Toronto. I liked the horse racetrack - the people were dressed up - ladies in wide-brimmed hats and everything! Rent bikes and ride along the lake path - unforgettable. Basically, go where the locals go.
Skip the CN Tower and the museums - every major city has musems.
If you can change plans - Montreal is much more quirky and interesting. Ottawa's architecture is also very unique.

You're recommending a mall over museums? Yikes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agree w/ Queen St West. Eat at Persian restaurants. Bloor & Younge shopping mall. Check out University of Toronto. I liked the horse racetrack - the people were dressed up - ladies in wide-brimmed hats and everything! Rent bikes and ride along the lake path - unforgettable. Basically, go where the locals go.
Skip the CN Tower and the museums - every major city has musems.
If you can change plans - Montreal is much more quirky and interesting. Ottawa's architecture is also very unique.

You're recommending a mall over museums? Yikes.

The OP said "a couple of days". So that's 2-3 days tops. So part of this is how to maximize the time and still feel like you got a sense of Toronto. Will You, smarty pants, get this if spend most of one or two days inside, indoors, in museums? You think Toronto is "cool looking but curated artifacts in a museum? Yikes for you!
Now if the OP had a whole week, or there are some bad weather days, yea, sure, do some museums, galleries, whatever. Your comment also shows your ignorance since Younge & Bloor is not an actual mall - the way you'll find it in average American suburbs.

[Anonymous]

I've been to a number of skippable ,museums in my day, but the Art Gallery of Ontario was fantastic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've been to a number of skippable ,museums in my day, but the Art Gallery of Ontario was fantastic.

Yes, I’d visit on a 2-3 day trip if you love art. It is also nice to combine with a meal im Chinatown, stroll around Kensington market which is just a few blocks west by foot or streetcar,

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agree w/ Queen St West. Eat at Persian restaurants. Bloor & Younge shopping mall. Check out University of Toronto. I liked the horse racetrack - the people were dressed up - ladies in wide-brimmed hats and everything! Rent bikes and ride along the lake path - unforgettable. Basically, go where the locals go.
Skip the CN Tower and the museums - every major city has musems.
If you can change plans - Montreal is much more quirky and interesting. Ottawa's architecture is also very unique.

You're recommending a mall over museums? Yikes.

The OP said "a couple of days". So that's 2-3 days tops. So part of this is how to maximize the time and still feel like you got a sense of Toronto. Will You, smarty pants, get this if spend most of one or two days inside, indoors, in museums? You think Toronto is "cool looking but curated artifacts in a museum? Yikes for you!
Now if the OP had a whole week, or there are some bad weather days, yea, sure, do some museums, galleries, whatever. Your comment also shows your ignorance since Younge & Bloor is not an actual mall - the way you'll find it in average American suburbs.

Yonge and Bloor borders Yorkville to the east, a high end shopping area and nice examples of Victorian architecture nearby.
I wouldn’t make it a point to visit on its own if you are only in TO for a couple of days. It is nice to combine with ROM which is nearby.

If you’re looking for a neighbourhood to stroll around in, I think the Annex, is nicer. It’s near University of Toronto, has a lot of cafes and restos, it’s a residential area for many students and faculty with nice Victorian homes, so fairly lively.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agree w/ Queen St West. Eat at Persian restaurants. Bloor & Younge shopping mall. Check out University of Toronto. I liked the horse racetrack - the people were dressed up - ladies in wide-brimmed hats and everything! Rent bikes and ride along the lake path - unforgettable. Basically, go where the locals go.
Skip the CN Tower and the museums - every major city has musems.
If you can change plans - Montreal is much more quirky and interesting. Ottawa's architecture is also very unique.

You're recommending a mall over museums? Yikes.

The OP said "a couple of days". So that's 2-3 days tops. So part of this is how to maximize the time and still feel like you got a sense of Toronto. Will You, smarty pants, get this if spend most of one or two days inside, indoors, in museums? You think Toronto is "cool looking but curated artifacts in a museum? Yikes for you!
Now if the OP had a whole week, or there are some bad weather days, yea, sure, do some museums, galleries, whatever. Your comment also shows your ignorance since Younge & Bloor is not an actual mall - the way you'll find it in average American suburbs.

When I go to big metros and visit their museums, I'm often looking at special exhibits that are time-limited and rare. They become a special memory of something I did in that city. This is more interesting to me than shopping for clothes which are produced in Asia and often no different between Canada and America.

The Bata Shoe Museum had an exhibit on 1980s shoes when I was there. The shoes of my youth. Funny to see them behind glass. It's a good memory from Toronto.

Also, Canadian museums tend to have excellent collections of First Nations art.

One of the museums I went to had many examples of architectural models from Ancient China. I haven't seen that kind of collection anywhere else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agree w/ Queen St West. Eat at Persian restaurants. Bloor & Younge shopping mall. Check out University of Toronto. I liked the horse racetrack - the people were dressed up - ladies in wide-brimmed hats and everything! Rent bikes and ride along the lake path - unforgettable. Basically, go where the locals go.
Skip the CN Tower and the museums - every major city has musems.
If you can change plans - Montreal is much more quirky and interesting. Ottawa's architecture is also very unique.

You're recommending a mall over museums? Yikes.

The OP said "a couple of days". So that's 2-3 days tops. So part of this is how to maximize the time and still feel like you got a sense of Toronto. Will You, smarty pants, get this if spend most of one or two days inside, indoors, in museums? You think Toronto is "cool looking but curated artifacts in a museum? Yikes for you!
Now if the OP had a whole week, or there are some bad weather days, yea, sure, do some museums, galleries, whatever. Your comment also shows your ignorance since Younge & Bloor is not an actual mall - the way you'll find it in average American suburbs.

When I go to big metros and visit their museums, I'm often looking at special exhibits that are time-limited and rare. They become a special memory of something I did in that city. This is more interesting to me than shopping for clothes which are produced in Asia and often no different between Canada and America.

The Bata Shoe Museum had an exhibit on 1980s shoes when I was there. The shoes of my youth. Funny to see them behind glass. It's a good memory from Toronto.

Also, Canadian museums tend to have excellent collections of First Nations art.

One of the museums I went to had many examples of architectural models from Ancient China. I haven't seen that kind of collection anywhere else.

It's not for shopping clothes, it's for people watching. And it's for going where Canadians/Torontonians go and observe - what kind of people, how they behave/interact, how they speak, even what what THEY buy. This is more interesting. Ancient China, Japanese, Egyptian, Greek artifacts are in most major metro museums. Chicago, New York, London. But whatever. Spend all your time in museums, if this is what you like. I would go to a hockey game because this is their thing, see how their fans support although as theirs if a NHL (American/USE) franchise, I am not sure how different it would be from say, the Capitals or some other american NHL team.

[Anonymous]

Are they open to people from America right now?

[Anonymous]

Are you driving or flying? If driving, the last hour into the city is brutal. Toronto expanded rapidly and the road design and traffic patterns didn’t adapt.

Agree with others about the Royal Ontario museum. Have stayed in Yorkville area, which is very nice for walking and shopping.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agree w/ Queen St West. Eat at Persian restaurants. Bloor & Younge shopping mall. Check out University of Toronto. I liked the horse racetrack - the people were dressed up - ladies in wide-brimmed hats and everything! Rent bikes and ride along the lake path - unforgettable. Basically, go where the locals go.
Skip the CN Tower and the museums - every major city has musems.
If you can change plans - Montreal is much more quirky and interesting. Ottawa's architecture is also very unique.

You're recommending a mall over museums? Yikes.

The OP said "a couple of days". So that's 2-3 days tops. So part of this is how to maximize the time and still feel like you got a sense of Toronto. Will You, smarty pants, get this if spend most of one or two days inside, indoors, in museums? You think Toronto is "cool looking but curated artifacts in a museum? Yikes for you!
Now if the OP had a whole week, or there are some bad weather days, yea, sure, do some museums, galleries, whatever. Your comment also shows your ignorance since Younge & Bloor is not an actual mall - the way you'll find it in average American suburbs.

When I go to big metros and visit their museums, I'm often looking at special exhibits that are time-limited and rare. They become a special memory of something I did in that city. This is more interesting to me than shopping for clothes which are produced in Asia and often no different between Canada and America.

The Bata Shoe Museum had an exhibit on 1980s shoes when I was there. The shoes of my youth. Funny to see them behind glass. It's a good memory from Toronto.

Also, Canadian museums tend to have excellent collections of First Nations art.

One of the museums I went to had many examples of architectural models from Ancient China. I haven't seen that kind of collection anywhere else.

It's not for shopping clothes, it's for people watching. And it's for going where Canadians/Torontonians go and observe - what kind of people, how they behave/interact, how they speak, even what what THEY buy. This is more interesting. Ancient China, Japanese, Egyptian, Greek artifacts are in most major metro museums. Chicago, New York, London. But whatever. Spend all your time in museums, if this is what you like. I would go to a hockey game because this is their thing, see how their fans support although as theirs if a NHL (American/USE) franchise, I am not sure how different it would be from say, the Capitals or some other american NHL team.

I call bullshit. Nowhere in your initial post did you present this as some sort of sociological study. Face it, you suggested consumerism over culture, were called on it, and are now quickly backtracking to make your materialism seem deep. No one’s buying it. But enjoy your Canada Goose and Aritizia!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agree w/ Queen St West. Eat at Persian restaurants. Bloor & Younge shopping mall. Check out University of Toronto. I liked the horse racetrack - the people were dressed up - ladies in wide-brimmed hats and everything! Rent bikes and ride along the lake path - unforgettable. Basically, go where the locals go.
Skip the CN Tower and the museums - every major city has musems.
If you can change plans - Montreal is much more quirky and interesting. Ottawa's architecture is also very unique.

You're recommending a mall over museums? Yikes.

The OP said "a couple of days". So that's 2-3 days tops. So part of this is how to maximize the time and still feel like you got a sense of Toronto. Will You, smarty pants, get this if spend most of one or two days inside, indoors, in museums? You think Toronto is "cool looking but curated artifacts in a museum? Yikes for you!
Now if the OP had a whole week, or there are some bad weather days, yea, sure, do some museums, galleries, whatever. Your comment also shows your ignorance since Younge & Bloor is not an actual mall - the way you'll find it in average American suburbs.

When I go to big metros and visit their museums, I'm often looking at special exhibits that are time-limited and rare. They become a special memory of something I did in that city. This is more interesting to me than shopping for clothes which are produced in Asia and often no different between Canada and America.

The Bata Shoe Museum had an exhibit on 1980s shoes when I was there. The shoes of my youth. Funny to see them behind glass. It's a good memory from Toronto.

Also, Canadian museums tend to have excellent collections of First Nations art.

One of the museums I went to had many examples of architectural models from Ancient China. I haven't seen that kind of collection anywhere else.

It's not for shopping clothes, it's for people watching. And it's for going where Canadians/Torontonians go and observe - what kind of people, how they behave/interact, how they speak, even what what THEY buy. This is more interesting. Ancient China, Japanese, Egyptian, Greek artifacts are in most major metro museums. Chicago, New York, London. But whatever. Spend all your time in museums, if this is what you like. I would go to a hockey game because this is their thing, see how their fans support although as theirs if a NHL (American/USE) franchise, I am not sure how different it would be from say, the Capitals or some other american NHL team.

I call bullshit. Nowhere in your initial post did you present this as some sort of sociological study. Face it, you suggested consumerism over culture, were called on it, and are now quickly backtracking to make your materialism seem deep. No one’s buying it. But enjoy your Canada Goose and Aritizia!

PP. There are Canadian people to watch inside the museums too.

I don't care much about watching other people dressed in Western clothes walking around on streets in any metros. Or sportsball/sportspuck. I'm not interested in pastimes where the involved get their faces smashed as collateral damage.