Authentic toronto

[nana_rad]

<p>I'm coming to Toronto this December and I'm aiming to ask various people from Toronto what they would do if they wanted to show someone's around their Toronto. This could be a local restaurant, a neighborhood, a gallery, new music or art, etc. I really appreciate it if you could help me discover more sides of Toronto instead of just focusing on tourist sides. I really want to take unique pictures from my trip.</p>

[DWScott]

<p>Off the top of my head...<br>

Spend a saturday afternoon nosing around Kensington Market, nibbling on the treats available -- fresh fruit, baked goods, cheese, coffee, and foods of the world.<br>

Go to the intersection of Danforth Avenue and Broadview Avenue, and walk south on Broadview. Riverdale Park will be on your right... and you'll get the best view of the city skyline. Recommended for sunrise (the sun will be in your pictures) or sunset (the buildings will be bathed in glowing light).<br>

Continue south on Broadview to Gerrard, and you will find "Chinatown East" (apparently one of seven Chinatowns in Toronto). Take Gerrard further east and you will find Little India. For dinner, go to Udupi Palace for one of the best vegetarian dosa's in the city.<br>

For views of the city mixed with alcohol, check out the bar at the top of the Park Hyatt (Bloor St. and Avenue Rd.) Old school Toronto charm. For even more old school Toronto charm, make a reservation for lunch at the grill upstairs in Hart House (part of the University of Toronto.) You'll eat in a fascinating combination of "ladies who lunch"+"Harry Potter".<br>

Have fun, and make sure you talk to the locals. They may be too shy to introduce themselves, but once spoken to, Torontonians are a very friendly and helpful lot.</p>

[JDMvW]

<p>I find it interesting that you are looking for the authentic Toronto, when Toronto is one of the most frequently used locations for shooting movies about New York as it was ( http://www.toronto.ca/tfto/newy.htm ). ;)</p>

[iwong]

<p>Besides the CN Tower and the downtown area around the waterfront, there is not much else to do sightseeing-wise as it is too cold to walk outside during December. Toronto is a huge city, if you count all the surrounding suburbs. You really have to go out of Toronto to explore the more interesting things. Will you be renting a car? Public transportation such as subway and connecting buses may be available, but will take a lot of time. If you will be driving out, for example, the little town of Unionville (Main Street and Highway 7) is very beautiful, but depending on if you get snow cover on the ground (less chance in December, but snow fall and accumulation is always unpredictable).</p>

<p>I think Toronto (and Vancouver) has the largest congregation of Chinese outside of China. And in many of the "Chinatowns" in Toronto, you'll find the highest concentration at the Market Village and Pacific Mall block at Steeles Ave and Kennedy Road. There you can find very authentic Chinese cuisine and shopping. This can be a welcome break if you find walking outside to be too cold. But be prepared to deal with traffic and parking problems as the two malls (right beside each others) will be VERY crowded especially on weekends and holidays.</p>

 

[DWScott]

<p>Nana, both JDM and Isaac offer interesting opinions, but I respectfully disagree. I am of course in love with downtown Toronto, so judge my opinions accordingly.<br>

Regarding "authentic Toronto" -- that means a couple of different things. Until the mid 20th Century, Toronto was largely a cultural amalgam of the British Commonwealth and the American eastern seaboard. Many American visitors to Toronto note that it feels like London, which it does in places. The urban texture of architecture and public space (parkettes) is especially more like London than like New York or Chicago.<br>

The latter half of the twentieth century has brought enormous waves of immigration which have sown the city with a delightful melange of cultures from every corner of the planet. Everyone who arrives in Toronto has left a mark, in the architecture, the ways of living, the food, the music, the fashion, etc.<br>

Downtown Toronto is definitely a collection of discrete neighborhoods, best explored by foot and by streetcar. Wear an extra sweater to cut the chill, and spend lots of time going in and out of shops and restaurants and streetcars, and you won't be cold in December. Only by slowing down, paying attention to people and culture at the street level, will you be able to experience Toronto to its fullest. An "authentic" Toronto, by which I mean a Toronto as it is experienced by the people who live and work and love it here every day.<br>

Isaac has pointed you to the two tourist traps in the city (CN tower and Harbourfront.) As you said in your post, you want to see more than the tourist sites. As always, tourist sites tell you the least about the character of a city and its people, and are usually boring for photographers as they are already well photographed!<br>

Dare I suggest that if you have to get into a car, or drive on a highway, you are leaving Toronto and heading towards it's un-ending suburbia/exurbia. Which would make for a completely different kind of photographic project.</p>

[frank_miles1]

<p>How much are you willing to walk, keeping in mind it will be December?<br>

If cold and distance do not matter, you could start downtown at Queen and Yonge and walk for an hour or so west on Queen. Lots of restaurant, small shops, galleries in old shops (once west of Bathurst), old hotels fixed up, and characters on the street. About an hour in and you are into Parkdale. If you make it is far as the intersection of Queen, King, Queensway and Roncesvalles, head north on "Roncies" into what was once known as little Poland (more small shops and restaurants).<br>

Kensington market / neighbourhood is good to explore, and the St Lawrence market is fun to explore on Saturday morning when you are after breakfast.</p>

[rachelle_m.]

<p>I'm with the others about exploring on foot -- there are lots of great little neighbourhoods in the (mostly) downtown area that are worth exploring. But there's a big difference between being local and having the chance to continually explore an area, and being a tourist (which you will be) with limited time and knowledge. I certainly wouldn't go out of my way to avoid tourist areas -- even though they may be famous for some "sights", the areas they are in are equally patronized by locals for every day activities like shopping, eating, transport, etc.</p>

<p>Also, I don't know if it would interest you or not, but you might enjoy photographing Black Creek Pioneer Village in the northern part of the city (at least a subway+bus ride if going by public transport). It will fully decked out for the holidays, and even if there isn't snow, it's still an atmospheric (although historic - 1860s) place to shoot. And although it's an outdoor museum there are plenty of chances to go indoors to all the buildings (most are heated) to warm up if need be. I know it's probably not what you're thinking about when you think of Toronto, but I always used to take visitors there when I lived in the city (the fact that I used to work there played a part as well!), and they always enjoyed it.</p>

[JDMvW]

<p>I said nothing <em>against</em> Toronto, but merely pointed out that it was of interest to me that it was a stand-in for New York in many films, for which I gave a link. Whether you like that or not, it's hardly something you can "disagree" with. ;)</p>

<p>Heck, if the Canadians would let me in, I'd probably be living there.</p>

 

[nana_rad]

<p>Thank you very very much for all the comments. I really appreciate it. I'm actually doing a project on showing local sides of Toronto not only the tourist side. I want to go deeper into the essence of Toronto and showcase unique visual places, objects and spaces that possibly will change the perception of Toronto for visitors. It's due at the end of April so I'm hoping I could find enough resources to make the book. I was wondering if you know any unique local places such as restaurants, galleries or even musicians or local artists? I really appreciate if you could share your information with me. I want to experience the city like insides do. Thank you very much again</p>

[nana_rad]

<p>btw my instructor loved all the comments. I don't know how to thank you guys for the information. I will definitely check all those places</p>

[brad_robb]

<p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/torontophotowalks/discuss/72157625271316005/">http://www.flickr.com/groups/torontophotowalks/discuss/72157625271316005/</a></p>

<p>Go to link and you find lots of places to explore. It is the photo walks we have done over the last year in Toronto.</p>

[ofey_kalakar]

<p>Lots of places:<br>

The Annex<br>

Bloor west village near High Park<br>

Queen street east of Yonge street. Yonge street bisects the city into East and West.<br>

Queen street west of Bathurst--lots of nice galleries and quirky cafes. Just last weekend we went to see an Elliott Erwitt exhibit at one of the many galleries along this stretch of Queen street.<br>

The Beach area--take the Queen street street car East and enjoy an afternoon discovering this great neighborhood.</p>

[mike_mcdonald3]

<p>I pretty much agree with everything mentioned in this thread. I'd also add Casa Loma or the park just outside of it, which is a small, but really nice place to hang out in and take pictures.</p>

[nana_rad]

<p>Thank you so much Brad for giving me all those amazing places to take pictures and thanks Mike and Ofey for your helpful comments.</p>