BEING THERE
If you want to have fun and get a feel for Toronto, do the neighbourhoods. The city's full of them, each with its own take on shopping, food, entertainment, people and ambience. Yorkville, where you'll find the film festival and a lot of the industry action, features mainstream Western Civilization quality restaurants, fine shopping and hotels. Kensington Market, less than a mile southwest, offers eight square blocks of food, vintage clothing, hand-made jewellery, after-hours bars and people from all over the world. South of Kensington is Queen Street, for mid-range high-style and art-student chic. South of that, you're at Harbourfront, ultra upscale shopping and dining just a few steps away from low-cost exotic music, dance and drama festivals that never stop. And that's just downtown. Outside the core, you've got The Beaches, High Park, Greektown and more. Be warned: Toronto is big. Don't walk to the neighbourhoods. Grab a cab and do your walking when you get there.
The Royal Ontario Museum and the Art Gallery of Ontario are centrally located in the downtown core. So are numerous private galleries. When you need functional stuff in a hurry, try the Eaton Centre, a giant shopping mall right in the middle of downtown.
When it comes to eating, hundreds of restaurants with all types of food for all budgets are spread all over the downtown core. Monthly magazine Toronto Life publishes extensive and reliable restaurant reviews.
The music scene runs from big-name acts to locals, from classic, opera and experimental to jazz, rock, blues and hardcore underground. The city also boasts many, many dance, theatre and comedy troupes.
1992 and '93 world series winners the Toronto Blue Jays hang their balls at the Sky Dome south end of downtown. Hockey's Maple Leafs are at home in Maple Leaf Gardens, also downtown, and the city has now received a basketball franchise for the Toronto Raptors.
