Mr. Toronto

Yes, you read that right…although most people come to Toronto for the excitement of a “City” vacation – blockbuster shows and events, world famous museums and attractions, more stores and restaurants than are imaginable – it’s important to know that we have some pretty awesome places to just lie down in the sand and soak up the sun as well. (Especially important since the temperatures have been in the ‘90s for the past 2 weeks!)

There are a number of beaches that are just a stone’s throw away from downtown…. three of the best can be found on the Toronto Islands, with (inexpensive and quick) ferry access available at the foot of Bay street:  Centre Island has a sandy, family-friendly beach with change rooms, washrooms and a nearby snack bar (also known as Chelsea Beach, with transportation available from the Delta Chelsea Hotel as well); Ward’s Island is a bit more “residential, bordered by trees and greenery: and Ward’s Island is the City’s only “clothing optional” spot! Other “City” beaches include:

• Cherry Beach – at the foot of Cherry Street, by the port lands
• HTO Park – a truly “urban” beach at 339 Queens Quay West (nice sand, but you can’t go into the water)
• Sunnyside Beach – 1775 Lakeshore W, with its long, historic boardwalk
• Woodbine Beach – at the foot of Woodbine, a great place to play – or watch volleyball, then stroll along nearby Queen St. for boutique gazing and ice cream eating…

If you’re feeling more adventurous – and have a little more time, you can also take a day trip (or overnighter) to one of the real/real lovely waterfronts outside of the City:

• Long Point Provincial Park in Port Rowan (519-586-2133)
• Beaches of the township of Tiny (705-526-7884)
• Sandbanks Provincial Park in Picton (613-393-3319)
• Sauble Beach in Owen Sound (519-422-1262)
• Wasaga Beach (705-429-2516)

All beautiful, and a heck of a lot closer than the Caribbean!

Don’t forget your sunscreen!
Mr. Toronto

I guess I need to start this blog with an apology to those of you who actually wait for new entries with baited breath….so mom and dad, I’m sorry I kept you waiting so long…the New Year got away from me, and we are well into 2010.  I suppose my excuse is that there has just been so much going n in Toronto, I haven’t had the time to sit down and write!  The Raptors are winning consistently, the Leafs are sucking less with the addition of three hot new players, and arts and entertainment continues to flourish around the City…

Three fantastic “smaller” theatre productions are being staged right now – all highly recommended.  “The Light in the Piazza” won a Tony on Broadway, and is now on a small stage at the Berkeley St. Theatre.  “Assassins” is a new Stephen Sondheim play about people who have wanted to kill Presidents over the years – playing at the Theatre Centre.  And “Intimate Apparel” a fantastic non-musical (the other two are), playing at the slightly larger venue of the Bluma Appel Theatre, as part of  Canadian Stage’s season.

Speaking of venues, there is a fabulous new one that opened up recently, mainly for (one-night) concerts (all kinds of interesting stuff from Cuban to Flamenco to Pop).  It’s the Koerner Hall at the Royal Conservatory of Music on Bloor St.  Gorgeous spot, great shows – check it out: http://performance.rcmusic.ca/viewallconcerts

Finally, I want to leave you with a bit of tourism-related research you may be interested in, from a visitor survey conducted by Tourism Toronto, in partnership with Ryerson University and the Greater Toronto Airport Authority (an ongoing visitor survey at Pearson Airport and several highway stops outside of Toronto).

Here are the main neighbourhoods of interest during visitor trips:

• Yonge/Dundas
• Waterfront/Harbourfront
• Chinatown
• Queen West
• Entertainment District
• University of Toronto area
• Yorkville/Bloor
• St. Lawrence/Old Town
• Mississauga
• Toronto Islands
• Distillery District
• Scarborough
• Little Italy
• Kensington Market

We’ve covered some of these in previous blogs, and will surely get to the rest in the future.   Look forward to bumping into you!

The end of September may mark the end of summer on the calendar, but somebody forget to tell Mother Nature that, in sunny Toronto.  We have just come through the longest stretch of dry weather we have experienced in 30 years (we keep track of things like that here), and temperatures have remained high.  Guess it’s payback time for the rainy and cool July and August we experienced this year…so people are still roaming the streets in shorts, sitting on patios, and – visiting farmers’ markets!

Yes, that was my way of introducing a burgeoning trend in T.O. – buying locally sourced foodstuffs at markets all over the City…
Farmers’ markets in Toronto have been going strong selling yummy Ontario fruits and veggies all summer long. They don’t shut down until well into October.  Most have very limited days and hours, so here’s a daily guide to some of the best:

Mondays – Sorauren park (at Wabash) : 3-7pm, till Oct.26

Tuesdays – East York Civic centre (at Coxwell) : 8am-2pm, till Nov.4
Riverdale Farm: 3-7pm, till Oct.27

Wednesdays – Toronto City Hall (Nathan Phillip’s Square): 8am-2:30pm, till Oct.14

Thursdays – Dufferin Grove Park (at Bloor): 3-7pm , year round!
Metro Hall (John/Wellington): 8am-2pm, till Oct.14

Fridays – Birchcliff Village (1512 Kingston Rd.): 3-7pm, till Oct.23

Saturdays – Brick Works (Bayview/Pottery Rd.): 8am-1pm, till Oct.31
St. Lawrence Market (North Building): 5am-5pm, year round

Sundays – Distillery District: 10am-6pm, till Oct.16
Liberty Village (Liberty/Atlantic): 9am-2pm, till Oct.27

A bunch of these places – Riverdale Farm, St. Lawrence Market, Distillery District, Liberty Village – make for great places to just walk around and soak up the scene, weather you’re interested in eating all your vegetables or not.

And plenty of restaurants in town to enjoy the end result of using these home-grown goodies, if you don’t feel like doing it yourself.  But that’s the topic for a future blog!

Mr. Toronto

Just had our first GORGEOUS weekend here in T.O., so my mind has turned to summer activities…this City really is at it’s finest when the sun comes out…a couple of my favourite things to do here in nice weather:

1) Take the ferry over to Toronto Islands – better yet, taking my bike over on the ferry (you can also rent over there) and walking/cycling around all the islands…Centre Island is the most well known – complete with petting zoo and Centreville amusement park – but I love Ward’s Island, where people actually live…and there is a beautiful little restaurant there, the Rectory Café…

2) Hang out in one of our great parks – you can get lost in High Park for hours, but my favourite is Allen Gardens, on Lawrence Ave. – beautiful foliage, nature walks…and close to the Bridal Path, Toronto’s ritziest neighbourhood (incredible homes – Prince had one until his recent divorce from a Toronto girl…)

3) Choose a patio, order a bevvie, and watch the world go by…this city has a crazy number of fantastic patios – streetside, rooftop, courtyard – rather than try and list them, I’d rather refer you to EYE Magazine’s Bar and Patio Guide 2009, which just came out last week (EYE and NOW are the two weekly magazines that tell you everything you need to know about what’s happening in the city):

Finally, let me point you to a really cool article about Toronto that just appeared in the New York Times – full of interesting tips, from a visitor’s perspective: 36 Hours in Toronto.

Later,

Mr. Toronto