Toronto in August : Meet-up?
 

So, urm, I failed dismally at getting to the last meet-up :-(

However, I'll be in Toronto 12 - 18 August, doing the tourist thing; anyone fancy a meet-up? We could do Friday 15th evening at Scotland Yard (seems like the preferred BE place for meet-ups), or coffee/cocktails elsewhere at another time/day if anyone's interested ??

Also : any advice/tips on what to see/do in the city?

S

Re: Toronto in August : Meet-up?
 

The best feature of the city is the St. Lawrence Market. It's at the end of the block where the Yard is. It would be efficient to see one then rest in the other.

Re: Toronto in August : Meet-up?
 

I think the strength of Toronto is the diverse population and the many ethnic neighbourhoods, nearly all of which are safe to explore. If you wish to get a feel for the place then I think a good strategy would be to take the College streetcar from one end to the other and to get off and wander anywhere that looks interesting. That’ll take you through Korea, Ethiopia, China, India and close to Greece. This is a slightly dated boldts.net - Toronto but substantially accurate guide.

Spots I like that aren’t directly on that tram route include the Riverdale Zoo (and surrounding Victorian streets), the necropolis, the greenhouse in Allan Gardens, Kensington Market and the fabulously unhygienic Spadina Avenue.

The aquarium is new and a good one. The islands are pleasant to wander around. The boardwalk in the Beach offers an attractive view of the city. The Bata Shoe Museum is there to be enjoyed ironically.

Re: Toronto in August : Meet-up?
 

The ROM and the AGO.

Re: Toronto in August : Meet-up?
 

Ghastly buildings. See also the CNN Tower.

Re: Toronto in August : Meet-up?
 

If you go to the Aquarium book online before you go. It saves some lining up.

The Hockey Hall of Fame is fairly interactive and the island is nice for a stroll if you are running out of tourist attractions.

Re: Toronto in August : Meet-up?
 

It's the content not the buildings, though I like the AGO building. The ROM old parts are great.

Re: Toronto in August : Meet-up?
 

If you want to do the CN tower its probably worth booking a meal at the 360 restaurant... its not the cheapest, but it may save you 2 hours of waiting for the lift with the unwashed tourist masses. Its cheaper than the queuejumping ticket price for the tower itself.

If you plan doing a few of the cities touristy things (Zoo, ROM, CN Tower etc), then the CityPass is a good deal, but you will wait for the lift at the CN tower

Re: Toronto in August : Meet-up?
 

Oh Golly!! Thanks for all the suggestions :-)

Strolling, tram tours, street/ethnic markets/neighbourhoods sound very good to me. CN tower & similar not so much ;-), but I'm going there to meet up with US friends (1st, & maybe once-in-a-lifetime visit to Canada) who apparently have such on their "must do" list - so I'm thinking I might spring for lunch up there...

Off to google island visits: sounds like my style :-). I'll be staying in the Regent Park area, which gets mixed reviews on the internet regarding safety etc; but apparently is okay during daylight hours?

Edited to add: any recommendations for good Dim Sum?
S

Re: Toronto in August : Meet-up?
 

Not that place with the bars on the windows, I hope, the Something-Scottish-Lodge?

Regent Park is gentrifying but still iffy (that said my kids went to high school in the general area and survived). If you're staying at the Grand and always walk north or west you'll be fine.

Re: Toronto in August : Meet-up?
 

No, although your post gives me food for thought ;)... Staying with a friend in new-ish build public (I think) housing. Friend is upbeat but honest about the area; I'm just wondering how "iffy" is iffy ;-) I.e. It won't work if I can't come & go without an escort :confused:

S

Re: Toronto in August : Meet-up?
 

I was going to make a joke about the area being too low-rent for an escort and more likely to find a street hooker, but thought better of it... :p:blink:

Re: Toronto in August : Meet-up?
 

Its Toronto, there isnt really anywhere that bad....

Re: Toronto in August : Meet-up?
 

Thanks for the laugh !! ;-)

:-) Thanks.
S

Re: Toronto in August : Meet-up?
 

Ah. I'll be the one failing dismally this time. I'll still be in Normandy on that date.

Shame. :sneaky:

Re: Toronto in August : Meet-up?
 

St. Jamestown? Moss Park? I wouldn't go into any stairwell in either.

In the area of Regent Park, I would stick to the main streets after dark and expect to be cruised but nothing worse. Reasonable caution but not fear would be appropriate. On the bright side you can walk to almost everything mentioned on this thread from there.

Oh, and should you want a street hooker, or to boggle at the state of the traffic light beggars who chase moving cars, the Harvey's at Jarvis and Gerrard is but a stroll away.

Re: Toronto in August : Meet-up?
 

Shame indeed. This trip came up unexpectedly & dates are non-negotiable. It's a kind of consolation trip for me not making it to Europe this summer despite good intentions :-(.

I don't know what it is about TTO this year, but I have another out-of-the-blue invitation for a September event.... We'll see if I survive the August one ;-)

S

Re: Toronto in August : Meet-up?
 

Re bold: more or less what I'm thinking/hoping; I do retain some street-smarts despite being a country bumpkin ;-)!!

S

Re: Toronto in August : Meet-up?
 

HOOTERS

Your welcome!

Re: Toronto in August : Meet-up?
 

Thank you. Er, I think ;-)! My Southern Baptist fellow tourists might love that :ohmy: ;-)

Ok, another question, & it's a bit of a long shot: does anyone have a recommendation for mobility scooter (I think that's what they're called) rentals?

And I'm still looking for recommendations for good dim sum :-)

S

Re: Toronto in August : Meet-up?
 

I rented a mobility scooter from these people:

Our Store Location - Wheelchair Rentals Toronto - Mobility Scooter Repairs - Mobility Scooter Rental Ontario

it was there at the agreed time and cost the agreed price. It worked and I thought the colour scheme attractive.

It was for my Mother to use and she seemed happy with it. My Father didn't like it but I don't recall the reason, LHD, labels in French, speedo in kleptograms, automatic transmission? I suppose it was somehow foreign and therefore wrong. In the unlikely event of needing such a machine again, I'd go back to that place.

I still can't help with the acquisition of squidgy blobs of splutch though I understand there to be a massive place for that on the west side of Spadina just south of Dundas.

Re: Toronto in August : Meet-up?
 

Thanks DBD, that's the company I found via Google; good to have a satisfied customer review. Hopefully their services won't be needed, but good to have as a plan B.

(I do find BE amazing for the breadth of info available - I really expected to draw a blank on that request!)

I've been hearing about Spadina & environs for my lunch fix; I'll just wing it ;-)

S

Re: Toronto in August : Meet-up?
 

If there's a meet up happening, i'd love to make it, but unfortunately my parents don't believe in having 'friends' on the internet. :frown:

So my presence at meetups will probably have to wait until around late Aug next year when I have the driving license where I can drive on my own............. :(

Frowny faces all round :frown: :frown: :frown:

Re: Toronto in August : Meet-up?
 

That's a shame, Gozit, I was half-hoping the non piss-up option might be possible for you.

I do understand your parents' POV; my mother had a blue fit when she heard about my first meet-up with "strangers from the interweb", & I was 40 at the time ;-)

S

Re: Toronto in August : Meet-up?
 

As far as I know, I can come into the yard as long as none of you buy me any drinks:sneaky:;)

LOL I do as well, I didn't argue about it , I knew it would be a no anyway! :lol:

Re: Toronto in August : Meet-up?
 

I married a stranger from the internet.

Re: Toronto in August : Meet-up?
 

:thumbsup:

While I think that's (more than) very cool, it probably won't help Gozit's cause re parental prohibition on meet-ups ;-)

(In similar circumstances a few years back, as a parent, I talked to the other parents involved, & we all met up & exchanged credentials before letting the youngsters loose)

S

Re: Toronto in August : Meet-up?
 

Quite right too...I would have a fit if my daughter was 15 and wanted to meet peeps she'd met on the internet.

Re: Toronto in August : Meet-up?
 

Even if they were from BE :D

Re: Toronto in August : Meet-up?
 

Especially if they were BEers. :eek:

Re: Toronto in August : Meet-up?
 

:D:p

Re: Toronto in August : Meet-up?
 

St Lawrence Market is great, have a good poke around then take a nice walk up the Esplanade to the Distillery District.

http://www.thedistillerydistrict.com/

Re: Toronto in August : Meet-up?
 

15th is good for us if it's going ahead!

Novo, when are you back from Frenchland? I believe we said at the last one that we would do a September one as well... SB, if you know when you're going to be in Toronto in Sept we can work around that too!

Meeting strangers on the internet - yeah, understandable parents are a bit funny about it! I met up with a bunch of people I met online back in 2007 when I was travelling - a few of us from different countries and arranged to meet up in Edinburgh. Spent a few days travelling around together. That was a lot of fun. I didn't tell my parents, though. They knew I was meeting up with people in Europe, but I said that they were friends who had done an exchange to my university that I'd kept in touch with. :O

I also met a girl from Toronto through that board, still friends with her now!

And then I met a bunch of you fine folk back in June and had a lovely time! I did mention to my parents for that one that it was a meetup with some internet people, but I think since it's an expats board and she knows that I still post around particularly on immigration stuff she didn't seem too bothered.

As for Toronto suggestions... St Lawrence Market of course is a given.
In April I went to a fantastic restaurant with some friends called Lisa Marie - absolutely amazing food, we all loved it. Lisa Marie | Fidel Gastro's Definitely can recommend that place.
If your US friends want to do the CN Tower, then it's worth going for lunch or for dinner. If you want to do the touristy deck then it's something like $40 per person... whereas if you go for lunch you'll spend maybe the same amount and then you get the same tourist deck views etc all included. The only thing that's not included is the SkyPod, but it's not really worth the extra money anyway. The glass floor etc is pretty good, and the elevator is just fun. The food in the restaurant is actually not bad either - you'd expect it to be awful and touristy and terribly overpriced... but it's pretty standard food and not a huge markup (but a bit).

Re: Toronto in August : Meet-up?
 

:lol: That's a good one, i'll remember that :cool:
:thumbup: I'm still drilling on my mum.... I don't have any excuses though :rofl:

Re: Toronto in August : Meet-up?
 

Does your fella know???

Re: Toronto in August : Meet-up?
 

[Big Snip]

Yes, I'll be at SY the evening of the 15th, possibly/probably with US-ians & a Torontonian in tow ;)

Otherwise, I'll commit to September once I see if I survive next week's odyssey ;)

Thanks for the detailled tourist info too.

S

Re: Toronto in August : Meet-up?
 

Funny thing is. he married one too.

Re: Toronto in August : Meet-up?
 

I married some bloke I picked up on line too!! Turned out quite well actually, he's not too weird! Lol

Re: Toronto in August : Meet-up?
 

We are definitely going to be there! :)

Re: Toronto in August : Meet-up?
 

I might be able to make it too, what time are we thinking?