Toronto Travel Tips From Anne Marshall

Thanks Anne!

Here's what she wrote...

Link to article about my neighborhood:

http://travel.nytimes.com/2009/07/05/travel/05surfacing.html

and here's the earlier one that gives a good rundown of things to do on a short trip to Toronto:

http://travel.nytimes.com/2009/05/17/travel/17hours.html?scp=3&sq=&st=nyt

The other Toronto "musts" I would personally recommend are:

- Kensington Market (and Chinatown) - particularly Jumbo Empanada and King's Cafe for the vegetarians

http://www.kensington-market.ca/Default.asp?id=1&l=1

- The Bata Shoe Museum on Bloor, just west of University (around the corner from the ROM) - the world's only footwear museum, and it's amazing how much you learn about a civilization from its shoes

http://www.batashoemuseum.ca/

- Casa Loma (truly awesome grande olde mansion, totally decadent turn o' the century living)

http://www.casaloma.org/

- The TTC - especially riding the streetcar along Queen from the Beaches to the Roncesvalles turnoff - takes 90 minutes for the entire journey and you see the entire city for $2.75 - if you buy a day pass you can hop on and off for something like $6

http://transit.toronto.on.ca/streetcar/4101.shtml

- shopping on Queen between Bathurst and Trinity Bellwoods Park at Gore Vale (Sandy's old street)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Street_West

- Roncesvalles from Marion up to Howard Park (little Poland, and fun shopping)

http://www.roncesvallesvillage.ca/

and finally, MY NUMBER ONE RECOMMENDATION FOR YOUR GUESTS WHO WANT TO RECOVER FROM FRIDAY NIGHT'S FESTIVITIES and a truly great time in the late afternoon-early evening in the summer in Toronto:
- Gypsy Jazz at the Communist's Daughter, 1149 Dundas St. West (just west of Ossington) Saturdays 4:30 - 8:00 pm - amazing Django Reinhardt-style quartet plays classic standards and jazz stuff, fronted by our friend Michael J., a singing, trumpet-playing bartender who performs as he waits on your table and uses the drink shaker as percussion. NO COVER but they do pass the hat.

Nighttime recommendations: good, non-shitty dancing fun on Saturday night can be found in various places.

IN KENSINGTON MARKET:
at The Boat (158 Augusta Ave.)
at Neutral (349A College St. - entrance on Augusta)

ON WEST QUEEN WEST:
at Wrongbar (1279 Queen St. West at Lansdowne)
at the Drake

IN "DUNDOSSINGTON" (Sandy's coinage, we like it)
at The Sparrow (92 Ossington halfway between Queen and Dundas)
at The Dakota Tavern (to live country/rock/soul, my favourite live venue & my friends' place, 249 Ossington just north of Dundas, diagonally across from the best tiny bar in Toronto, The Communist's Daughter)

My favourite restaurants in the city for vegetarians:
- Fresh (three locations - Spadina at Richmond, Bloor at Spadina, and Queen at Crawford)
http://www.freshrestaurants.ca/
- King's Cafe in Kensington Market
http://www.kingscafe.com/
- Live on Dupont (raw food place)
http://www.martiniboys.com/Toronto/Live-Organic-Food-Bar-review.html

Great Brunch Places:
- Easy (Queen and Roncesvalles)
http://easybreakfast.ca/
- Universal Grill (on Dupont, just a block north of Bloor & Ossington)
http://www.universalgrill.ca/
- The Swan (892 Queen W. at Crawford)
- The Queen Mother (not my favourite food-wise, but right below Sandy's apartment, literally - and they do greyhounds by the pitcher)

and for a rollicking pre-wedding treat on Sunday, the Bluegrass Brunch at the Dakota tavern starts at 11 am and is amazing for both food and music
http://www.thedakotatavern.com/

Hope this is helpful! Tell anyone you want that they can always call me if they need help or directions or recommendations of any kind.

love, Anne xoxo