[Parkdale_FC]

E-Z Guide To Toronto



So your team is coming up to Toronto and you're thinking of making an 'away day'
out of it? That's great! If you've never been to Toronto before you'll be in for
a real treat, and even if you have been here before, the city is changing so quickly
that you'll probably have a hard time recognizing it. One of the big draws is that
we're another country, and what's cooler than taking an 'international' trip to
support your local club in another country? Nothing... that's what!
Plus Toronto is one of the few teams in the MLS that has a Soccer Specific Stadium
within walking distance from the downtown core. If you want to just drive in
and watch the game, that's fine, but if you want to spend some time in the city,
then this guide is for you!




Guide to the Map

A - BMO Field, home of Toronto FC
B - Union Station, rail hub for Toronto
C - The Greyhound Bus station
E - The Entertainment District. You're entire trip could be spent here
F - The Skydome (now Rogers Center) and the CN Tower
G - The Ferry Docks to Toronto Island
H - The Gardiner Expressway is the only highway into downtown
I - The University of Toronto and an amazing museum
J - Chinatown. Probably bigger than your Chinatown
K - Queen West is trendy shopping and people watching
L - Harbourfront Center is great for the families
M - Younge / Dundas Square is like the 'Time Square' for Toronto.
N - Little Italy
P - Little Portugal

There's a few simple things to keep in mind when touring the city.
The simplest thing is that the lake is south and all the main roads
run on a grid to the north, east and west. Younge street seperates
the East side of the City from the West side of town. The field is
on the west side, so I'm not going to get into covering the other
side of town, but there is plenty of things over there if you are
planning a longer trip. If you're travelling on foot durring the day,
there's a whole world of things to see and do all within walking distance.

Tourism Toronto: http://www.torontotourism.com/visitor




<< I'll be back to add more later - feel free to add any tips or whatever yourself >>

[Kingston]

Transit in the downtown part of the city is really quite good with a mix of subway, streetcar, and buses. It is all run by the Toronto Transit Comission or TTC. You can get a day pass good for unlimited transit travel for just $8.50. The pass is good for an entire family (two adults and up to four kids).

http://www.toronto.ca/ttc/family_pass.htm

Some other great places to check out (sorry I can't put them on the map):

St. Lawrence Market - every food you ever wanted, especially seafood
http://www.stlawrencemarket.com/

Ontario Science Centre - a very excellent example of the type
http://www.ontariosciencecentre.ca/

Casa Loma - a huge manor house that looks like a castle and dates to the turn of the last century
http://www.casaloma.org/

Toronto Metro Zoo - not downtown but well worth the visit
http://www.torontozoo.com/

[Parkdale_FC]

Nice additions.

The one thing you need to know about the TTC (toronto transit) is that
the Bathurst Street Car will take you right to the field. It goes south to
the Lakeshore and then turns west and drops you off right at the corner
of BMO field. You can spend a whole day touring and then zip right down.Public Transit Directions

From TFC Web Site: http://toronto.fc.mlsnet.com/t280/stadium/directions/

BMO Field, in Exhibition Place, is easily accessible by both options of public transit; the Go and Toronto Transit Commission (TTC).

Toronto Transit (TTC):
#29 DUFFERIN BUS
Take the Bloor subway to Dufferin Station and proceed to street level. Board the #29 bus south to Exhibition Place.
#511 BATHURST STREETCAR
Take the Bloor subway to Bathurst Station and proceed to street level. Board the #511 streetcar south to Exhibition Place.
#509 LAKESHORE STREETCAR
Take the Yonge-University subway to Union Station and proceed to the Queens Quay platform. Board the #509 streetcar west to Exhibition Place.

* Please note that one TTC fee applies to all consecutive travel. Upon boarding any TTC line (subway, bus or streetcar) please obtain a transfer which will allow you free access onto your connecting line. For more information, visit the TTC at www.ttc.ca or call 416-393-4636.

Access via GO Train:
Exhibition Place also has a GO station located right on the grounds. The station name is EXHIBITION and is one stop west of Union Station on the East-West Lakeshore line. For more information contact GO Transit at www.gotransit.ca or 416-869-3200.

[Bulman66]

Don't forget to check out our other team that plays throughout the summer months if you can. The 2 time World Series Champions Toronto Blue Jays who play at the Rogers Centre right downtown.

http://toronto.bluejays.mlb.com/index.jsp?c_id=tor

Moderator's note: .... and let us also not forget the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League who also make Rogers Centre their home!

http://www.argonauts.ca/

Rogers Centre: http://www.rogerscentre.com/home.jsp

[cmonureds]

Now if only they would decorate all the 511 streetcars like this one:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/blueworx/445686964/

[Parkdale_FC]

Legal drinking age here is 19, but expect to get asked for ID if you look under 25

[#1TFC]

Originally Posted by goldstone97

Thanks for this, it was quite helpful as I'll be coming for the weekend for the Fire game. It'll be my first time in Canada, too. Any recommendations for where to stay in Toronto? I'm looking for a reasonably priced hotel (grad student budget can't stretch too far...).

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Fun part of town and just a short car or TTC ride to the stadium. The Days Inn also has a property much closer to the stadium but then you would not be able to walk out of door an be immediately engulfed in the down town area. See listing A for this one and B for .....

Days Hotel & Conference Centre Toronto Downtown
30 Carlton Street
Toronto, Ontario. Canada
M5B 2E9

Toll free reservations: 1-800-367-9601
Hotel Direct: 416-977-6655
Fax: 416-977-2865

A) Days Inn www.daysinn.com
14 Roncesvalles Avenue, Toronto, ON, Canada - (416) 532-9900
BDays Inn Toronto B)Downtown www.dayshoteltoronto.ca
30 Carlton, Toronto, ON, Canada - (416) 977-6655

[goldstone97]

Originally Posted by #1TFC

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Fun part of town and just a short car or TTC ride to the stadium. The Days Inn also has a property much closer to the stadium but then you would not be able to walk out of door an be immediately engulfed in the down town area. See listing A for this one and B for .....

Thanks for that info, much appreciated. Looking forward to visiting Toronto, anything I should definitely make the time to see or do over the weekend? Apart from watching the Fire keep up their unbeaten record, of course...

[NebraskaAddick]

I'm not from Toronto, but I've been there a couple times, and I loved every minute I spent there. It's got all the culture New York City has, but not all the dirt. And people were very helpful to me. One woman on the way to work showed me which trains to get on to where I was going, and I didn't even solicit her help.

And Chinatown is great, too. I ate at this one restaurant where the waiter there gave me some lessons on the differences between authentic Chinese food and the faux variety that dominate most menus in North America. In his opinion the best two places for Chinese food on this continent were Toronto and Vancouver.

And then I ate at Wayne Gretzky's restaurant and tried his grandmother's meatloaf recipe that was on the menu, and I thought it was delicious.

And I visited the Hockey Hall of Fame museum where I saw the original Stanley Cup. It was great!

I even walked for several blocks until I found the "night club" with the skyline behind it, that was seen in the Atom Egoyan film, Exotica, just so I could snap a picture.

I look forward to one day seeing a Toronto FC home game, that is, if I can get a ticket.

[Parkdale_FC]

hey goldstone97

if you're looking for a dirt cheap place to stay that's right in the heart of the action, and also not too far from the field.... www.globalbackpackers.com It's a backpackers hostel at King and Spadina (right near the 'K' on the map) Rates are from $30 to $70 depending on if you can share a room with other travelers. I'd call them quickly to book the room because the place fills up fast durring the summer.

If there's just one thing to check out in Toronto.... umm.... that's a tough one! The Hockey Hall of Fame is a great idea if you're into hockey. Really just strolling Queen Street West and Spadina (chinatown) will be enough to fill an afternoon.