Question for Toronto brides!

SonaliPop

Greetings!

I'm a Michigan bride who is coming with her FI to Toronto in a few weeks for a short vacation. I've read countless travel sites but wanted to post here asking if anybody has any suggestions of where to go and what to avoid in the city. We'll be staying in downtown and have been given a few suggestions. I just want to know what's worth it and what is really okay to avoid. We're wondering about attractions and night life - it'll be just us visiting.

We're thinking of seeing: The St. Lawrence Market, Toronto Island, the Harbourfront...to name a few.

Also, we're both vegetarians. Does anyone happen to know about the veg restaurants in TO? I've read about Fressen and Fresh. I figured I'd put that out there, too.

Thanks so much and happy planning!

Bhanu&Anuj

Hey Sonali
I posted a reply in the South Asian Forum  

ring_pop

Vegetarian restaurants:
- Live Organic at Dupont & Spadina is FANTASTIC.
- Vegetarian Haven on Baldwin St, and you can go visit the University of Toronto campus while you're there
- L.A.B. (Live And Breathe) at College & Grace - it's not a full vegetarian restaurant but the owner is vegetarian so a lot of the dishes are veggie. That's in the Little Italy area so you can walk around that area as well (mostly restaurants and bars)
- I also like Commensal at Bay & Elm St, it's more of a cafeteria-buffet style though
- If you like Chinese food and have a car, there's a great vegetarian Chinese restaurant in Richmond Hill (north of Toronto) called Gourmet Vegetarian. It would be about a 30 min drive from downtown. Unfortunately there's not much else to do in Richmond Hill but maybe you can go to Canada's Wonderland (west) or the zoo (east) in the same day.

By the way, I read the other response in the SA board thread... 5th Elementt is no longer. I live next door to it and it closed down a couple of weeks ago and is being converted into a Chinese restaurant.

Make sure to go to St. Lawrence Market on Saturday, that's the busiest day. I think it's closed on Sundays, not sure about weekdays. Other ideas - Hockey Hall of Fame, Chinatown, Yorkville, Art Gallery of Ontario, Royal Ontario Museum, Eaton Centre (shopping).

When exactly are you coming? The G20 summit is in town from June 21-28 and a large part of downtown will be pretty much inaccessible due to security. I would NOT come during that time if you can avoid it at all. The CN Tower won't even be open.

Bhanu&Anuj

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_canada-toronto_question-toronto-brides?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:613Discussion:bd2a24a7-7ef7-44fd-972d-06c7f9a0fcbaPost:6984a9b2-8d6e-4240-a2a9-34c314ca2b40">Re: Question for Toronto brides!</a>:
[QUOTE]5th Elementt is no longer. I live next door to it and it closed down a couple of weeks ago and is being converted into a Chinese restaurant.
Posted by ring_pop[/QUOTE]

That's so sad :(

SonaliPop

What kind of an area is China Town? Safe? The only ones I've ever been to in the US can be shaaaaaaaaady, which is why I'm asking.

We won't be going during those dates, so we should be good!

Can you go to St. Lawrence market on the other days? (We'll be in TO during wed-sunday) I will make sure to take note that it's closed Sunday!

Is there anything to do in Dundas Square? The website isn't ...really informative.

What about Fressen? I've read awful things about Fresh. Thanks for the other vegetarian suggestions!

ring_pop

Chinatown is pretty safe. It's very bustling and may strike you as a bit older and dirtier than other parts of the city, but it's safe. It's a good place to explore if you're interested in eating there or shopping around for random stuff.

I forgot to recommend Casa Loma as well - it's a castle. It's just a little north of Chinatown.

You can visit St. Lawrence Market on other days - the South Market is open Tuesday to Saturday. The South Market is mostly food vendors. The North Market is only open on Saturdays, and that includes the farmer's market and I think also jewellery, souvenirs and other vendors like that.

Dundas Square is just a square, and what's going on there differs from time to time. Some weeks there are performances, and other times there's some kind of festival or market set up there. In the summer there will very likely be something going on. It's right across the street from the Eaton Centre if you want to shop, and also down the street from the Canon Theatre if you want to see a show there.

At Dundas Square you can buy tickets and join one of those Double Decker rides. I think it's something like $40 a ticket but you can hop on and off all day. There are also Hippo tours (a bus that converts into a boat) which I've never done myself, but always wanted to. I'm not sure where the Hippo tour departs from... my guess is the Harbourfront.

I also forgot to recommend seeing a show while you're in town! Rock of Ages is in town and I think Jersey Boys is still around. Miss Saigon is coming to town but not sure when (I'm seeing a show in July). I hear Wicked is also coming to town. Check out www.mirvish.com and www.ticketmaster.ca for listings. If you're into the arts, you can also see an opera (www.coc.ca), symphony (www.tso.ca) or ballet (www.national.ballet.ca).

The Luminato Festival is also happening mid June (11-16) and there will be lots of things to check out around the city if you're here then!

Fresh is totally overrated. I've never been to Fressen. I would really, really recommend Live Organic though Try looking up www.chowhound.com for reviews and recommendations.

SonaliPop

Thank you so much for all those suggestions! I'm so excited! I really appreciate it.

theredskittle

There is a tex-mex-ish type of restaurant on College St called Utopia that has lots of vegetarian options. I am a meat eater but go there with my veg friends and we all love it. Also, the night life on College St. is awesome, so you could have dinner there and then bar hop if you were so inclined. 

You could also check out the ROM (museum) or the AGO (art gallery). Dundas square - you will be disappointed. It is a concrete square and unless there is a concert or a protest or something going on, there is nothing really there. 

theredskittle

OH! Are you a sports fan? You could maybe check to see if the Jays are playing (baseball) at the sky dome ("rogers center) and get some cheap nose bleed tickets and have beer and scream at the umpire (even though you know he blatantly can't hear you lol)

reason00

Anywhere you walk around downtown is a sight to see and place to go shopping...make sure you ask someone about the underground PATH and shopping centres. Kind of cool. http://www.toronto.ca/path/ If you want history, check out the cathedrals and University of Toronto and maybe the Royal Ontario Museum. Lots of shows on now too. http://www.toronto.com/events

APW2010

For food, pretty much every Thai and Indian restaurant offer a few vegetarian dishes, and there are a number of Indian restaurants that are exclusively vegetarian, although the names escape me at the moment. As well, Spring Rolls (asian) has a number of vegetarian dishes, and a number of locations.

You might want to check out Kensington Market as well.
And for shopping, a trip down Queen St. is fun - it is a great mix of popular stores and unique one of a kind places.
If you like gardens and green places, you could check out the Brickworks. Some of the walking trails there offer a view of the CN tower peeking over the trees - a pretty unique sight.

melissamc2

The Underground Path is amazing.  As a pp said, just walking around taking it all in is fantastic.

Everyone has offered up great things, so there isn't much to add to it, other than maybe doing dinner at Medieval Times and staying at the Fairmont Royal York.  I love it there.  Oh, and you can take a cruise on Lake Ontario for dinner!

Have a great time!

ring_pop

The Path isn't open on weekends! (It's open, but all of the shops are closed because it mainly serves the people working in the financial district).

MauiMary

Come to the Beach area (Queen East of Woodbine).  Beautiful neighbourhood of some really great stores and minutes to the boardwalk.  It's really nice down here!  

Loriandcarlos

Sorry I didn't catch when you'll be here. For all I know, you've already been. 
Anyway, I agree on coming to the Beaches area! Great place for a nice stroll and lots of great stores.  Also, you may want to try Casa Loma.
As for food, I'm a big fan of The olde Spaghetti factory. It's not only Spaghetti and I do believe that they have some vegetarian dishes. The atmosphere there is great.
It would be a great place to eat if you're doing anything in the downtown area, such as Centre Island or Ontario Place.

Enjoy your visit!
Lori