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| From | "Stewart Mason" <craigtorso@verizon.net> |
| Subject | Re: Torontonians |
| Date | Tue, 17 May 2005 15:37:50 -0400 |
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----- Original Message -----
From: "Jaimie Vernon" <bullseyecanada@hotmail.com>
> Next time you're coming through, Stewart (September?) let me know
> and I'll give you the location of three in and around Scarborough
> that'll more than keep you busy.
Sadly, the annual TIFF trip is off this year: Charity's parents are
both in failing health and we wouldn't feel right about being out of
town for ten days.
> The zoo is 11 minutes from my house (and the property itself backs
> onto my parents' subdivision):-) And it's a WHOLE day affair if you
> want to catch all the attractions now that the monorail is no longer
> in service on the grounds. They've rebuilt an entire African
> Savannah which I wasn't able to thoroughly check out last year with
> my kids. It's a great day out and even when it's raining there's a
> lot of stuff to see inside the pavillions themselves. It's
> accessible by transit if you're not driving.
Bear in mind that it's a long slog by transit -- make sure you have a
book or a magazine.
However, I don't think I've ever been to the Toronto Zoo when it
*wasn't* raining, and actually, I always prefer to visit zoos in the
rain anyway -- the cooler temperatures and the rain make a lot of
animals that are otherwise pretty logy perk up, and there's also a lot
fewer screaming kids.
And as long as people are throwing out hotel recommendations: what
used to be known as the Hotel Selby (it's now a Clarion and is called
something like Clarion Hotel and Suites Selby) on the corner of
Sherbourne and Selby, a block from both Bloor Street and the
Sherbourne subway stop, is really quite nice, especially considering
how inexpensive it is. We almost always stay for well under CDN$100 a
night, which for downtown Toronto is unheard of. It's a few blocks
from a mildly rough stretch -- which I suppose is convenient if your
vacation plans involve whores of indeterminate gender -- but the area
around the hotel itself is perfectly safe. Honestly, there are very
few parts of Toronto that I don't feel comfortable about walking
through at two in the morning.
And somehow, I forgot to mention butter tarts. Embrace the butter
tart. Your soul will thank you, but your waistline, not so much.
Also, both of the local alt-weeklies have online presence:
www.nowtoronto.com and www.eye.net -- handy for gig listings and the
like. Overall, I think Eye tends to be a more fun read, but Now is
more informative.
S
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