Toronto Things to Do Tips by kymbanm

You can't miss entering into Chinatown ..... you begin to notice different scents ... then you notice a change in lighting ...... THEN you notice you must really be drunk, for the signs make no sense! Oh, I'm not drunk!

On second look ....... one realizes the hustle, bustle, and surroundings are actually Chinatown. A thriving Asian community in the heart of TO proper. One can find nic-nacs, Asian art, beads, jewelry, foods, spices, and special little eateries with wonderful grub for only a few dollars.

Bright, busy and up all night - my first experience was at 2am looking for an after pub meal .... Easy to find, hard to leave, Chinatown is a wonderful excursion while in the great city of Toronto :)

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Directions: Along Dundas West and up Spadina Avenue. A few blocks from the Queen streetcar line .... but also directly on the Spadina streetcar line, just set out and explore

A few steps away from Chinatown led me into another dimension and era ..... right smack dab into the 60's! Kensington market is a small neighborhood, only a few blocks long, filled with typical 'hippie' attire, second hand shops, bead shops, organic eateries, and flashback style music wafting from windows along the way ........

After a wonderful fruit smoothie, we wandered in and out of the various shops ............ incense was the theme as every shop had a different scent. Some of the clothing was appropriately priced, some was way overpriced - one must use their own judgement in deciding what to buy. But I found the beads and some of the little jewelry type thingies wonderful souveniers for my family ;)

This is a short block, but as you wander you enter other ethnic areas ..... ganga-ville, portuguese land, reggae-ville, etc ...... a wonderful way to taste and smell a little bit of other cultures is to wander into Kensington Market :)

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Directions: This neighborhood is bordered by Spadina, Lipincott, Dundas and College ..... just head on over there from the bus or from Chinatown and play!
Website: http://www.toronto.com/feature/7892/Kensington.html

After the VT meet at the Hot House, I wandered with other travelers to the nearby flea market ..... someone there suggested we wander to the garden 'out back' .... so spgood and I did just that. We wandered past an industiral looking fountain with happy pidgeons, and into the park next to St. Jame's cathedral

This green area was a spark of wonder ..... it is a simple park and garden ...... with locals feeding birds, kids playing, wino's sleeping off the joys of the night before ... yup a little of everything for everyone!

I was fascinated with the 3-tiered fountain .... various bird species were sharing the water as they played and splashed .... I am a simple woman, it really did take me quite a while to get away from the playful avians! We also played on the swings, visited w/ locals, and watched little birds munch on the end of season flowers ..... But one of my favorite things was finding little surprises, like the passed out drunk behind one of the hedges!

Even though these pics are of a particular TO garden .... just remember to wander into the green areas all over town, and rejoice in the details! These simple diversions are a wonderful way in which to experience all communities.

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Directions: Next to St Jame's Cathedral on King and Church .. though I think we found the park on Jarvis or King ..... I really don't know :) I now know the park is called (drumroll please) St James Park - doh!

St Lawrence Flea Market was just down the block from our final VT meal .... so a few of us wandered down there to see what there was to see. It turns out this is a vibrant, lively flea market with a combination of vendors ... antique sellers, middle eastern accessories, nepalese silver jewelry, to garage sale items .... this place has it all. There are murals, kiosks outdoors and tables inside ....... lots of 'stuff' to look at :)

Another plus is bargaining! I sometimes forget about this little tool of the trade ... but Stephanie - the mom of VT - wandered by as I was playing w/ a particular item, but not thrilled with the price ... as she wandered past she yelled out a lower price, the seller accepted it, and I had a new bauble to take home! Gotta love VTers on a roll!

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Address: At the corner of Front and Jarvis
Website: http://www.stlawrencemarket.com/access/access.html
Other Contact: http://www.stlawrencemarket.com/

While wandering Toronto, I loved the mixture of old gothic style buildings and modern glass covered hi-rise offices ....... this particular cathedral is the most gothic of the gothic structures I saw .......

I wandered over here from St Lawrence Market, and the nearby park. The building is in wonderful condition, the bell tower supposedly has working bells - though I didn't hear them during my time wandering the grounds. We played on the swingset next to the church while gazing in wonder at the architecture involved in this particular building.

Even if you don't find St James, take some time to look at the local buildings more closely ...... they are filled with delightful surprises!

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Address: 65 Church Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Directions: At Church and King streets
Website: http://www.stjamescathedral.on.ca/hours.asp?pgid=1