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#1 (permalink) |
Addict
Location: Chicago
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visiting toronto
hello torontoans(?)!!
i will be driving through detroit to your fair city in mid-august with my wife & 2 small boys in tow (3 and 6 years old). any suggestions on where to go/what to see? thanks in advance.........
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raw power is a guaranteed o.d. raw power is a laughin' at you & me -iggy |
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#2 (permalink) |
Junkie
Location: Ontario, Canada
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Several people will be along with suggestions (Niagara Falls, CN Tower, etc) but the best thing in Toronto in the summer are the various festivals of food, booze, music, culture and the like. With that in mind, here is a link to what is coming up:
http://localsearch.toronto.com/sp?af...=18&submit.y=5 Have fun!
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Si vis pacem parabellum. |
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#3 (permalink) |
Junkie
Location: The Danforth
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Yes, there are the standards. given the age of your kids, perhaps something that may be interesting for both parents and them would be visiting Ontario Place (http://www.ontarioplace.com/en/index.html) which is an amusement/entertainment complex on the lake front, relatively close to downtown.
The reason that I mention this place specifically is because the Chinese Lantern festival just opened up there, which will be going on until October and is unique outside of China with being the largest display. This plus the waterpark, the Cinesphere (Omnimax theatre) plus concert forum make it a nice place to be with the family on a summer's day. Also, depending on your arrival date, the CNE (Canadian National Exhibition) maybe open, which is just across the street. Although my experience has been that this is too tiring to do all in one day, with young kids. ( http://www.theex.com/index.php ) Centre Island is another draw for young families. Access is from the ferry terminal right at the foot of Bay Street. On Centre Island, there is parkland, boardwalk, beaches (one nude one!) a large maze built out of hedges (spruce or boxwood, I'm not sure) which are about 8 ft high, plus Centreville amusement park for kids. For me, the hightlight has always been the ferry ride over and back. Plus it's a cheap thrill (www.centreisland.ca ) with a great view of the city. If the day is nice, there are photo ops galor, with multitudes of sail boats. And of course there's always the CN tower ($$!), Casa Loma (intriguing), the Science Centre (good for kids too), the Beaches Boardwalk and pool (just to chill, and let the kids swim). There's lots of hotels in the downtown too. The Sheraton is right across the street from the City Hall, so if you ask for a north facing room, you'll get a nice view.
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You said you didn't give a fuck about hockey And I never saw someone say that before You held my hand and we walked home the long way You were loosening my grip on Bobby Orr http://dune.wikia.com/wiki/Leto_Atreides_I |
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#4 (permalink) |
Junkie
Location: Toronto
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Leto has pretty much pegged the touristy bits / things to do with the kids.
There is also Canada's Wonderland about 45 minutes north of downtown if you are into amusement parks. http://www3.paramountparks.com/canad...rland/#actions The thing that makes Toronto great is its neighbourhoods though (I don't know how much your kids will care though, and pretty much anywhere you go, they have to go. Queen Street West College Street (little Italy (so called, though to me, it's Dufferin and St. Claire)) around College and Bathurst westwards Yonge Street (Main drag) Bloor Street from Yonge Street westwards. Queen Street East - Beaches (one of my personal fav's as Leto mentioned. The boardwalk, the shops on Queen.) Oh, and there's the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) located on University and Bloor. That'd be a cool place for the kiddies. http://www.rom.on.ca/ There's the Art Gallery as well. http://www.ago.net/navigation/flash/frameset.cfm If you are into nature, there' s High Park, which is Toronto's Central Park, only it's not so central, more west end. But there's Shakespeare in the Park and a small zoo, nature trails, etc. http://www.toronto.ca/parks/highpark.htm Then there's the general webpage www.toronto.ca or the info page www.toronto.com Then there's the Harbour boat cruises - night time is cool. Very touristy, but the view is pretty cool. Oh yeah, it's Torontonian. And please, whatever you do, please say the name of the City correctly. Terranah. Americans can always be caught saying TOE RON TOE It's like finger nails on a chalk board. Last edited by james t kirk; 07-24-2006 at 11:05 AM.. Reason: Automerged Doublepost |
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#5 (permalink) | |
Junkie
Location: The Danforth
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Quote:
![]() i got the same response when I was in Atlanta, I was told the city was pronounced Allana , not "At LANT Ta" .....
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You said you didn't give a fuck about hockey And I never saw someone say that before You held my hand and we walked home the long way You were loosening my grip on Bobby Orr http://dune.wikia.com/wiki/Leto_Atreides_I |
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#6 (permalink) |
Functionally Appropriate
Location: Toronto
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All of the above are exellent ideas for a family to see Toronto.
All I can add is that Blue Jays Baseball tickets are easy to get so you could catch a game while you're here too. Last weekend the city was overrun with Yankee fans watching the 4 game series. I think there may have been more of them than Toronto fans. Check their website to see if they are playing at home, and when you arrive, just walk up to one of the ticket counters at the south end of the Dome and your set. I'd get some cheap 500 level seats, and then move closer once the game starts.
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Building an artificial intelligence that appreciates Mozart is easy. Building an A.I. that appreciates a theme restaurant is the real challenge - Kit Roebuck - Nine Planets Without Intelligent Life |
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#7 (permalink) |
Getting it.
Super Moderator
Location: Lion City
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There is also the Toronto Zoo... it is out in the east end of the city but it is worth it...
A warning: the Royal Ontario Museum and the Art Gallery of Ontario are both under construction. They are open but their exhibits are greatly reduced during the renovations. I will also second the mention of Ontario Place and Centre Island as good places for the kids. Also... I get flak for it but I say "Toe ron toe".
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"My hands are on fire. Hands are on fire. Ain't got no more time for all you charlatans and liars." - Old Man Luedecke |
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#8 (permalink) | |
Drifting
Administrator
Location: Windy City
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Quote:
I followed the good example of this fine Torontoian ... Now I Know better ![]()
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Calling from deep in the heart, from where the eyes can't see and the ears can't hear, from where the mountain trails end and only love can go... ~~~ Three Rivers Hare Krishna |
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#9 (permalink) |
Junkie
Location: The Danforth
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hmm,
(mild thread-jack here ![]() working through what to call people from cities. Can anybody confirm/deny/improve my list? people from ______ = ___________. Toronto = Torontonians Mississauga = Mississaugans Ottawa = Ottawans Montreal = Montrealais ou Montrealers Vancouver = Vancouverites Edmonton = Edmontonians Calgary = Calgarians Halifax = Haligonians Winnipeg = Peggers....
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You said you didn't give a fuck about hockey And I never saw someone say that before You held my hand and we walked home the long way You were loosening my grip on Bobby Orr http://dune.wikia.com/wiki/Leto_Atreides_I |
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#12 (permalink) | |
Addict
Location: Kingston,Ontario
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Quote:
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"Do not resent growing old. Many are denied the privilege" Irish proverb |
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#13 (permalink) | |
Getting it.
Super Moderator
Location: Lion City
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Quote:
__________________
"My hands are on fire. Hands are on fire. Ain't got no more time for all you charlatans and liars." - Old Man Luedecke |
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#14 (permalink) |
Addict
Location: Chicago
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great visit
we had a blast in terranah!
had to stay a bit outside of the city (northeast, i think), due to huge aids convention eating up all city hotel rooms.........so i got my taste of toronto traffic driving to the city almost every day - very much like chicago's. our one day off from going to the city took us to the paramount amusement park north of town. i found my kids were too small to really enjoy any of the rides, so we went to the water park & had a great afternoon. a day spent at some hippie-ish market part of town was cool, the name escapes me now (kensington mkt, maybe?) highlight by far (pun intended) was the lantern fest at ontario place. i recommend it highly www.chineselanternfestival.ca/e/home.html thanks again for the input!
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raw power is a guaranteed o.d. raw power is a laughin' at you & me -iggy Last edited by jimk; 08-25-2006 at 10:58 AM.. |
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#15 (permalink) |
Junkie
Location: The Danforth
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My son worked as a lifeguard at Paramount Canada's Wonderland all summer, in the kiddie splashpark area, and the lazy river. So you may have crossed paths. This was a lesson in life for him, as he had to commute there (via transit) from our "near" Beaches neighbourhood. But it kept him tanned , and off of the Playstation!
Kensington Market is indeed downtown just off of Spadina near Big Chinatown (there are about 4 or so Chinatowns in and amongst the GTA - this is the biggest). I would never have referred to it as a hippy area, more of a polyglot immigrant milieu. It is quite good, interesting markets, fresh produce and lots of people watching to do. While you were here, I made a driving trip to Washington DC, and then explored Amish Pennsylvania (wonderful towns like Intercourse, Paradise & Lititz). it was a great experience. I must say, those Americans are a right friendly lot! (and the cheap gas! 2.69 / gal = 71 cents/litre)
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You said you didn't give a fuck about hockey And I never saw someone say that before You held my hand and we walked home the long way You were loosening my grip on Bobby Orr http://dune.wikia.com/wiki/Leto_Atreides_I |
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Tags |
toronto, visiting |
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