What's the best stuff to do/see in Toronto?  Anything particular
to avoid?

18 responses total.

best to see is colm wilkinson playing the lead in _phantom of the opera_.
he's not merely the best male lead on the popular musical stage in the
world right now, he's better in this role than michael crawford, who was
offered the role after wilkinson, who was doing _les miserables_, wasn't
available. wilkinson has a voice with truly operatic capabilities, and he
bullies the limits of the score and the part with it. day tickets (all
you'll be able to get) are available for the very back row at the box office
beginning (i think) at 10 a.m.  don't worry--you'll be able to hear and see
fine, the pantages is a good theatre. get off the tube at eaton center and
the theatre is right across the street near the corner of yonge and victoria.

also good is the art museum. 

last time we ate in toronto, we were surprised to have an excellent meal at
the top of the tower, which we did for fun but expected to be touristy and
mediocre. it wasn't. down near the water there are also several floating 
seafood restaurants. 

book shopping and the like is interesting, but the prices are very bad
after exchange. only bring home books you think you'll never find here, be-
cause you won't get any bargins.

it's a beautiful, fun city. how long will you be there?

re 1: one of the worst meals I ever ate in my life was at the top of the 
tower; that was about 11 years ago, though.
 
I like shopping on Bloor, going for Dim Sum at random near Spadina and Dundas,
walking through High Park, visiting friends, taking a ferry to one of the
islands, people watching on Yonge street... 
 
I've always felt that Toronto was 10 times as big as Ann Arbor, with 10 times
more to do, with a built in 10% discount.  But that was before GST.

(they must have gotten better. we had a great meal just a year and change
ago...)

Well, we just got back from our three day week-end in Toronto.  We did
see Phantom of the Opera.  Incredible theater, Colm Wilkinson is as
good as advertised by keats in #1.  We walked everywhere and at least
glimpsed what we wanted to see, for a first visit.  We'll be going
back soo, I'm sure.  Only a 5 hour drive from AA.  The GST is a huge
tax, but the 16% current currency difference helps a lot.  Toronto
is safer and cleaner than any big city in the U.S.  Definitely a
good destination.

I've heard lots of wonderful things about Toronto.  I was there once for
a sci-fi Con but haven't seen much of the actual city.  Someday I'd like
to go back; too bad I live so far away at this point in time!

Spring, fall and summer are my favorite times in Toronto because one of the
things I love to do there is to take the ferry from the foot of Yonge Street
(right behind the Harbour Castle Westin) to the Toronto Islands.  There you
either walk for miles and miles, rent a bike and bike for miles and miles,
or sit at a small cafe facing the city, drinking wine and watching the sun set
behind the buildings. . .which turn golden.  Another favorite Toronto "thing"
is walking West along the water from the Harbour Castle and stopping in
all the little shops, watching all the boats, visiting the great antique
market in an ancient warehouse and watching the people.  Other great things,
eating dim sum for Sunday brunch in China town, eating the MMMMuffins which the
Canadians make so much better than we do, strolling through Yorkville,  and
visiting the Ontario Science Center.  You dont even need kids to have fun with
the hands on exhibits.  Oh yes, for those of us into pottery, theres a great
ceramic museum downtown.

by the way, colm wilkinson is singing in _phantom_ through april...accept
no cheap substitutes in detroit! he's worth the ride to toronto.

I just returned from a conference in Toronto and realized that great walk along
the shoreline is East from the Harbour Castle Westin, not West.  Also, I
couldnt believe the variance in the exchange rate from place to place. Get
this, at Great Lakes Bank, before I left, they would sell me canadian  money at
a 10% discount.  Having checked the NY Times and the internet cf on travel, and
knowing the exchange rate was closer to 25%, I waited.  I stayed at the Harbour
Castle and they were offering 28%.  At the better eateries (and I had some
wonderful food) I got 28%.  At MMMMMuffins in the dowdy Union Station, they
were giving 20%.  It seemed as if the more expensive the setting, the better
the exchange rate.

Hey, this item came back to life. I hadn't noticed it before.

I definitely agree about Phantom. See the real thing. I loved it.

Speaking of exchange rates, I was buying gas in NY State over the
weekend, and a Canadian couple came in to buy stuff at the snack
counter. The store would not accept their Canadian currency (at any
rate).  This really embarrassed me about my country.

Did you offer to exchange it for them?

Almost. It occurred to me and I thought about it. I was in a hurry,
though.  I know that sounds lame - it is. I felt sorry for them, but
I had my own agenda at the moment.

I understand your embarassment, Weiss.  I'm from a tourist area (Cape Cod) and
as the U.S. economy has steadily gone to hell in a handbasket, more and more of
the remaining visitors have been Canadians, but when they bring out that funny-
colored money, it might as well be out of a Monopoly box.
 
Back to the subject, just what is the deal with this castle?  Is it a real
castle, imported by a rich eccentric, an old fort, a touristic attraction, or
what?

I enjoyed walking along Bloor Street. There are dozens of restaurants
of many different ethnic groups. Spadina in Chinatown was fun, too--
lots of shops and restaurants.

You can write the tourist bureau and get a transit map so you know
how to get around before you go. The subway  and trolleys take
transfers from each other. Parking is as expensive as you would
expect. 

The Ontario Science Center was fun for my daughters and me.

The only thing I remember about Toronto is getting food poisoning when
I was about six years old.

We are thinking of meeting another couple in Toronto New Years Eve?  Any
suggestions for a great small hotel, charming, centrally located and not
excessively expensive???  What about a restaurant and something else to do
besides re-seeing Phantom?  All suggestions will be cheerfully considered. ,

In caseanyone looks to this item ever again...The Brwnstone hotel is a great,
inexpensive hotel on Yonge, very near Spadina.  It doesn't look like much from
the outside, but the inside is nice.  Plus there is a wonderful artsy cafe next
door open until about 4 a.m.

Isn't that neighborhood somewhat seedy and noisey?  By the way, it seems that
whenever you post something new, it encourages activity with an item. 

Actually, it's not a bad area at all.  I thought that too when I first booked
a weekend there.  My friends and I were soooo scared when we saw the outside
of the building.  But we had reservations so we couldn't back out.  Lo and
Behold it was a really nice area, I NEVER felt scared after that initial shock,
because we realized our bearings and found that though it's on a side street,
the area is safe.  It's only about a block or two from all of your designer's
boutiques (Tiffany's, Cartier, etc.)  (I misspoke myself when I said Spadina,
sorry)

BTW, that's why I post.  I WANT to encourage activity...why have these items
just sit empty?  There is ALWAYS something new to say!  :)

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