Toronto

[FirstCoastCruiser]

Will be in Toronto early May for a work-related function. Have the Traditional Landmarks tour already planned. Any other suggestions or things not to be missed? Will be our first time in Toronto. Would like to hear any suggestions.

Thanks in advance.

Glenn

[rollerdonna]

My personal recommendation would be don't miss the Organ Grinder restaurant on the waterfront. It's basically a family-oriented pizza style eatery, but it's main attraction is a huge Wurlitzer organ (with organist) who not only plays the organ, but dozens of other instruments suspended from the ceiling and walls all around the restaurant. It's a musician's paradise, and a whole lot of fun for families and large groups.

donna (in Montreal, but frequent visitor to Toronto)

[Dot73]

I am right now sitting at the office, 46th floor, in Toronto, overlooking Lake Ontario, with rain pouring down. The weather will be much nicer in May, I promise.

I am so happy to hear that people are coming back to Toronto for a visit. Unfortunately, due to the media hysteria last year (SARS), our tourism really suffered. The last two weeks, I've seen more and more tourists downtown, which is a good omen. Where are you coming from? How long are you staying?

There are so many things to do in this city that a week is not enough? Are you staying at a downtown hotel? If yes, most attractions are within walking distance. If you are a baseball fan, the Blue Jays will be playing at the Skydome. The Hockey Hall of Fame, which is very popular with hockey fans, is located downtown. There are, of course, lots of great restaurants and shopping is fantastic at the Eaton Centre or Yorkvilelle. Do you have time to go the theatre? If yes, I would heartily recommend Mammia Mia or the Producers. I've seen Mammia Mia twice and the Producers is excellent. Again, both theatres are within walking distance of major downtown hotels. There are also some wonderful dinner cruises that take you around the Toronto Island and if get an amazing view of the Toronto skyline at night; or you can just take the ferry to the island and get an amazing view.

If you enjoy museaums, The Royal Ontario Museaum and the Art Gallery are within a short subway ride of downtown. If you have a shoe fan in the family, there is the Bata Shoe Museum which is quite interesting. There are also all kinds of smaller museaums.

If you have the time and love good wine, rent a car and drive down to Niagara-on-the-Lake (1.5 hr. drive) and take a tour of our great wineries. The hotels also can arrange a bus tour to Niagara Falls.

I could go on forever. As you can tell, I love Toronto. I am off on a two-week Caribbean cruise tomorrow (Noordam) but if you e-mail me directly at dorothyja@rogers.com and tell me what you are interested in, I will be happy to provide you with the information you require or I can or direct you to the relevant website when I get back from holidays. Bye for now.

Gee . . . we should go there . . .

J

very well said Dot! I also live in Toronto and you are right the list goes on and on. We just have so many things to do here.

Here is a Toronto Tourism website to check out.

http://www.tourismtoronto.com/

[Trip]

I loved that City..Try shopping at Queens Quay..and don't miss the museum! Trip

[FirstCoastCruiser]

Thanks so much. I think we are downtown but I am not entirely sure. My company selected the Fairmont Royal York. We've booked but haven't received any of the package info yet. We were scheduled to arrive Sunday and leave Wednesday but I decided to extend until Friday so I would have a little more time to explore.

I am from Jacksonville FL so I hope it's not too cold when we arrive. I'll be traveling with my friend Cis from Ft. Lauderdale and we both love that sort of stuff ... food and shows! That's right up our alley ... especially if we can walk it.

Thanks everyone. Dot, if you read this before you leave, have a wonderful trip. I am so envious!

Glenn
Jacksonville, FL

I am sorry but the organ grinder no longer exists. We loved the organ grinder too!!! But they closed it down a while ago.

[Dot73]

The Royal York Fairmont is in a fantastic location. It is one of Toronto's oldest and most famous landmark hotels. When Queen Elizabeth comes to Toronto, she stays at this hotel. The hotel is within a 10-minute walk of just about most of Toronto's landmarks. The hotel is also joined to an underground walkway and shopping centre that you can explore for hours. It is also right on the subway system. If the weather is crummy, you can basically stay underground. It is very safe and has hundreds of shops and restaurants that stay open during business hours Monday to Friday. However, in May, the weather will be nice -- not hot but very nice. You will have a great time.