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Toronto?
Tucanwarrior13
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Registered User regular
I'm going to precurse this with why I posted this. I understand there is a travel thread already started, but it is limited to New York City. I also went three pages back, and saw nothing so I figured it would be okay to post this. If you must lock it do so.
Me and three good friends want to go to Toronto sometime over our Christmas Break. We live about 45 minutes from the bridge, and transportation is no problemo as all of us have reliable cars. We know nothing about the city itself. All we know is that we want
A. Cheap lodgings
B. BARS--near the above stated.
C. Some fun sights for us to see over a period of 3-4 days.
D. How much will it roughly cost us?
E. I understand the rules of any large city, but an estimate of areas we should stear clear of would be nice.
Me and three good friends want to go to Toronto sometime over our Christmas Break. We live about 45 minutes from the bridge, and transportation is no problemo as all of us have reliable cars. We know nothing about the city itself. All we know is that we want
A. Cheap lodgings
B. BARS--near the above stated.
C. Some fun sights for us to see over a period of 3-4 days.
D. How much will it roughly cost us?
E. I understand the rules of any large city, but an estimate of areas we should stear clear of would be nice.
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Toronto is full of hotels, so that shouldn't be that hard to find. If you're like me, and looking for dirt-cheap places that aren't horrible, I can suggest two places I've stayed in the past and been quite happy with. One is the Clarion Selby Suites; they were around $80 a night or so. Nothing fancy, but the hotel is built into an old Victorian home, it's right across the street from a Subway stop that's right on the edge of downtown (so you're minutes away from everywhere), and the service and staff there were pretty good.
The other place I've stayed is the Strathcona. Again, nice and cheap (around the same as the Clarion - $80 or so a night), but it's right downtown, and the rooms weren't too bad at all.
Bars, it really depends on what kind of people you and your friends are, and what you like. I'll leave specific suggests for someone who still lives in Toronto, but there's pretty much a good nightlife for most people. And it's not hard to find good places.
Toronto isn't too bad in terms of "Areas to stay clear of", just practice typical urban common sense. Don't walk alone through dark alleys, don't raise shit with people, and don't go anywhere near Scarborough or Jane and Finch (if you're sticking downtown, which I suggest, you'll be fine)
Completely sound advice. I'm gonna try priceline on those hotels, and see if I can't get that price to something like 15 dollars a night. haha. Realistically though 80 is damn good.
Well me and my friends aren't really scensters, but we do like indie/punk music. More of a toned down atmosphere to have good conversation, and meet interesting people.
Ok about Scarborough. Its not a fucking dangerous shit hole, I dont understand the stigma against it. Not much to do there, but if you end up in Scarborough, dont feel like youre going to get mugged out of the blue.
Anyway you check out Queen St. for music/artsy stuff. You can go to the Horseshoe Tavern for a bar, with live bands. 'Tatoo' near Spadina on Queen is a real good place if youre into rock club.
If youre looking to try lots of beer you have the Beir Market and Beir Bistro
Clubs/nightlife around Richmond and Peter.
Real great fast food joint - Burrito Boys. Be warned its always rammed with people, but well worth it.
You can also try going to the Green Room for a student bar.
We're all of legal drinking age as far as Canada is concerned. So definitley a more upbeat place, but not like a fucking pit of drunk college kids raving out. A cool rock pub/tavern ya know?
I'm going to actually start a word document for this. I'm keeping the Queen St. suggestion, and the Beir Market, and Bistro. Thankyou!
I mean, um, I'm not a museum nerd. Noooooo...
Bars, well, there are a tonne of them downtown. You could hit up the entertainment district (south of Queen St. West., nearer to Yonge St. and University Ave.). There are a lot of bars on Queen West, as well, but they're more hipster or punk. The entertainment district is more club oriented. Somebody else should be able to give you better directions; I don't really drink.
If you're downtown and headed somewhere else downtown, a lot of the time it's actually cheaper (if you're with 3-4 other people) to take a taxi than the subway. Much faster, too.
Places to see? The ROM is nice. The AGO (Art Gallery of Ontario) just got a facelift, and I've heard the new building is very nice (haven't been there yet). CN Tower if you haven't been. It's neat to do once, but try and go on a clear day or else you won't be able to see much.
Queen West itself is interesting to walk down at least once.
You could also check out one of the Chinatowns. The one on Spadina (downtown, north of Queen St. W.) is interesting during the day, and there are a lot of neat shops and cheap places to eat (check out some Vietnamese food, Toronto has a lot of good Vietnamese food). Korea Town (on Bloor St. West between Bathurst and Christie) has a lot of really good, cheap food, and many of the places are open late (a few are 24/7). If you like Korean BBQ, or Pork Bone Soup, or good food, then check it out. You can get a complete, filling meal for about $7-8, easy. A lot of people head there after the bars start to close (2 am.).
If you're into music you could check some concert listings. There's bound to be some decent bands playing while you're in town. You can usually get a ticket for less than $20.
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Seconded.
I also live in Scarborough.
Also, just a heads up because you said you wanted to stop there, the Bier Markt and the Beer Bistro are not cheap places to go for dinner and drinks. The have excellent beer and food though. I highly recommend the mussel bowls at Bistro paired with something from a Canadian microbrewery. And Beer Bistro's waiters are all well versed in their beers so feel free to ask for suggestions.
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As far as bars go there is a wide selection of places along College street.
If you're looking for things to bo both blogto.com and eyeweekly.com have pretty good event listings.
I suppose you'll be wanting to check out the CN tower, can't believe no one has mentioned that yet.
You might wanna steer clear of the Jane and Finch area... it doesn't exactly have a great reputation, and there's a reason why.
If you like wings, hit up Sloppy Joe's near Lakeshore/Kipling on a Tuesday or Thursday night. $0.50 wings, and they're pretty much the best in town imo.
If you're planning on checking out live shows or music, what sort of shows/music do you like? We might be able to give you more specific things to look out for if we know what you're into.
My one question is that the LEGAL Drinking age is 19 correct?
Also, check out Kensington Market, a neighborhood that's about 5 minutes from the entertainment district that's just great, sweet art stores, bookstores, clothes, and the BEST Korean food you'll ever, ever eat (outside of going to South Korea, that is). Also, if you're pot-friendly, this is a fun place to hang out in Kensington.
DO NOT GO TO AFTER HOURS.
Piccadilly Circus is a pretty good bar/club. Really just grab a map and ask your waiters/waitresses when you head out to eat and what not. I'm assuming you're from the states so be warned that the cost of alcohol might blow your mind a bit at first. Book a hotel online and you can end up staying in reasonably plush digs around the bloor area for about 35 bucks a night each. So if you're willing to drop say 250 dollars or so all together you can have a damn good time and stay comfortably.
Bundle up and spend you first night exploring the city on foot and then after that you'll probably end up considering taking cabs but that can get costly very fast. Yeah you can drink at 19 there. As an Ohioan Toronto blew my mind and i'm excited to go back. It's a beautiful city and the people are fantastic.
Oh oh, eat food from the street vendors. YOU WILL NOT regret it.
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do not go to after hours
You should check out Yonge street, too (I think that's how it's spelled).
Dur dur. Forgot about that part.
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DO NOT GO TO AFTER HOURS.
Just going to put this out there one more time. We were told this many times but hey we still ended up going and regretting every single second of it.
Yonge street is also a very good place. Of course don't forget to check out Dundas Square and all of the places around it.
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Did the place you went to get raided or something? Admittedly that sucks but it's exceedingly rare.
B. WHAT THE FUCK IS AFTER HOURS!?
Bars stop serving at 2AM in Toronto. After hours are establishments where you can drink afterwards. Just think of them as a licentious speakeasy. Except more expensive. And filled with drugs. Lots and lots of drugs. Sometimes they get raided. Getting into one is usually more hassle than it is worth. You get the idea.
I'd should also point out that I'm not trying to convince you to go to an afterhours. I'm just trying to make the point that there is nothing to be scared of.
Priceline, as you said, is probably your best bet.
Bars in Toronto are expensive due to the incredible amount of tax on liquor in Ontario (but has one of the lowest instances of alcohol abuse, so yay). So bring money. Although, because of the exchange rate, it just might even out. Even the cheapest places in Toronto sell pitchers for around $10-$13. If you go to a bar not out of the way, it could be $18-$20 per pitcher. More for other spirits (per person, of course - a pitcher is 3 pints).
Also, in Ontario, the only way to get alcohol for personal use is from the LCBO, which has a website here (there's a map somewhere). They're all over the place downtown, but it is annoying that you can't go to the fucking corner store like the rest of the fucking planet.
Also, cigarettes are expensive. So if you smoke, bring your own. Just don't go over the limit, whatever that is.
People have mentioned some good things. Kensington, by the way, may look sketchy, even during the day, but it's pretty safe, even at night.
The CN tower is kind of fun, but expensive. You can eat at the top for like $80/head. There is also an observation room with a glass floor.
Do you like Hockey? Toronto loves hockey like Texas loves football. I don't, so I know nothing about it. Go see a game if you can (I've never seen one, but friends love it).
If you're looking for bars that are holes in the wall, the Green Room is a good bet. Cheap food and beer that's not bad for both. Order the chicken chili. (The directions are there from the nearest subway station, because it's not on the main street. The main entrance is actually a back alley behind Bloor.) There's parking to the West of it, behind the Dance Cave/Lee's Palace. Lee's is where most midranged indie bands play when they come to Toronto.
The Dance Cave is an alternative club right on top of it (they share an entrance), where they (used to) play indie/alternative hipster rock music. Order a pitcher in there for $12, which is far far less than the price of bottle. The Dance Cave is pretty tiny and dark, and if hip-hop clubs are more your scene, don't go there. I would go there probably after 1130-12AM (when it picks up).
If BIG clubs are your style, go to Circa. That place is Huge. Go on Friday, and before you go sign up on the guest list here. Only works on Friday, but it will get you in for $10. There's also the Kool Haus/Guvernment on Queen's Quay East, but its a hassle and not really worth trying to get to.
Dinner out is pretty damn pricey in Toronto. I would suggest one of the many Japanese places around the city since they're at the apex of the quality vs. price curve. (Around $10/person). Among my favorite ones are Toko (on Yonge and Isabella, a few blocks south of Bloor) and Sushi on Bloor.
There's also Terroni, which has quite good Italian food and two location in the city.
There's also China Town south of College and north of Dundas on Spadina. Good food there, even late at night.
Areas to steer clear of? There are a few in Toronto, but because of gentrification, they aren't near anything you'd want to see anyway.
You don't really need to go east of Yonge for anything, except if you want to go the Beaches.
PM me if you have more questions.
Start at the Eaton Center. Get your fill there. It takes up the entire block from Younge/Dundas to Younge/Queen.
Then walk west down Queen street. There is lots of cool stuff from Younge/Queen to Spadina/Queen. If you're at all into Comics, make sure to go to the Silver Snail.
Then walk north up Spanina. from Spadina/Queen to Spadina/College.
Another good stretch is Younge/Queen to Younge/Bloor.
Also, Dundas Square on a Friday afternoon/night is pretty neat. Better when it's warmer and there are more street performers, but there's usually at least a few during the winter.
Sushi on Bloor is a great place. There are a lot of sushi places downtown, but be careful; some of them are pricey. Sushi Train was the last one I went to that was pretty pricey, but the food was really good and it's a neat place. But you definitely don't have to break the bank to get good sushi downtown.
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Damn this place is only like a kilometer from my house. I'm gonna have to try that shit out.
People were mentioning dance cave... a good loophole for getting in there without paying cover is to have a student card. Don't even need a valid one, oh no. I got in successfully with my 2003 University of Guelph ID card like 1 or 2 weeks ago.