Canadian Holidays - Questions, Advice and Reviews

[zoomer]

Holy crap - thanks guys, some great ideas and suggestions here.

I should start mapping out a rough itinerary as I'm coming in next Thursday, but only for a week, so I'll miss Doors Open and the Toronto Islands will still be 'closed' or not in full tourist season. I may have to move my visits from mid to end of May to catch more stuff that's going on although that increases the likelihood of humid weather which is brutal for walking 10-20 km a day in.

I did catch the private ferry over to the islands in 2024, in fact was the only person on board which made taking photos easy. Overall it was a disappointment because of the time of year I think - pretty dead (but maybe better than crazy crowds?) and the greenery and gardens weren't at their peak yet. Also nearly everything was shut down except for a couple nice caravan type set ups and a bizarre Subway shack that only sold cookies and fountain pop... I'm used to tourist season being year round and it surprises me that a chain of nice islands directly across from a mega city can be so quiet and even have an off season. But the skyline views alone are worth it and I didn't go to the far side of the islands, so it's probably still worth another trip.



View of downtown from Toronto Islands - May 14, 2024. by JohnnyJayEh, on Flickr



Runaway Cafe on Wards Island, Toronto. May 14, 2024 by JohnnyJayEh, on Flickr



Toronto Waterfront - May 2024 by JohnnyJayEh, on Flickr

"sandwiches from Tutto Panino on Sorauren which parallels Roncy" - added to the list, thanks Niwell. One final complaint, lol - food can be hit or miss, it seems you really have to know the places locals go to and don't rely on social media/Youtube. I tried three different places for Banh Mi and a Vietnamese coffee and they all sucked and not one of them served an authentic Vietnamese iced coffee, bizarre. It seems with a high cost environment in Toronto a lot of places are relying on cheap quality, less than impressive service and sheer volume to make a go of it. That said it's on me to do a better job of finding the good/great places which are plentiful.

"On the topic of rooftop bars & restaurants with skyline views: the Writer's Room at the Park Hyatt is another good one" Thanks MonkeyRonin, always enjoy a good rooftop bar! And it's right beside my hotel which I believe also has a rooftop restaurant/bar of sorts, but not sure if it has much of a view. Ironically my friend's son is playing piano in the Park Hyatt lobby a day or two after I arrive and as part of jazz jam in a nearby club the night after.

"you can probably enjoy a cocktail at Aera, the bar on top of the main office tower of the Well." - thanks Hipster Duck, didn't know this existed. I find the Well a bit sterile, but the bar sounds like a possibility. I like hole in the wall places or a place with style that is still casual enough - like Leña which unfortunately closed not too long after:



Leña Restaurante - 176 Yonge Street, May 14, 2024 by JohnnyJayEh, on Flickr

And yes, the skyline view Riverdale Park East was great, and even better was the return trip where I came across that park/farm, the cemetery and the cute church and I'll be damned, I felt like someone was watching me and I turned around and there was Jack Layton's bust smiling at me, lol. Pretty cool. As was Cabbage Town and surrounding area, fantastic, beautiful colours and the walk from Yonge at Bloor Street East to Parliament and into Cabbage Town is pretty awesome as well.



Cabbagetown - Toronto, May 15, 2025 by JohnnyJayEh, on Flickr



Toronto Necropolis Chapel - May 19, 2025 by JohnnyJayEh, on Flickr

Thanks again for the insights everyone - reading them and looking at the colours and views in my last shots has got me pumped about going again.

[Fischbob]

Great idea for a thread, Zoomer! I'm going to keep the first page Toronto discussion bookmarked as I tend to find myself there once or twice a year, and appreciate everyone's ideas for new places to explore.

I'm looking for some ideas/suggestions for places to check out while I'm in Vancouver over the May long weekend. It'll be my second visit - I didn't have very much free time on my first one a few years ago, but did manage to see Granville Island, Lonsdale Quay, and take in a sunset near the inukshuk at English Bay.

This time, I'm hoping to check out Stanley Park and the Aquarium, visit a gallery/museum or two (suggestions welcome), and wander some areas of interest to urbanists (again, suggestions welcome). Also taking food/restaurant recommendations for while I'm out and about.

One logistical note: my hotel is out in Richmond near the Canada Line and I'll mostly be relying on transit to get around.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions and advice!

[shappy]

Originally Posted by hipster duck

I'm not a huge fan of the Beaches as a neighbourhood

Originally Posted by niwell

If you're going to the Beaches (also don't love the area but it is a beautiful walk in the summer)

Interesting take, and curious why you guys think this.

Perhaps not my top 5, but it'll make my top 10. It's a bit British-expat-boomer which is pretty much the antithesis of "cool" (no offense if anyone happens to fall in that demographic... hehe), but the neighbourhood is beautiful, charming and unique in the city. Kew Gardens is a lovely park. Queen isn't the most exciting strip but it has character and fulfills its role.

The residential can be charming and works well with the heavily treed streets and the beach vibe. Lots of nice examples of Edwardian and Craftsman-style houses. Also a good number of walk-ups.

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https://maps.app.goo.gl/JkdZiig3q1VSCi5G6
https://maps.app.goo.gl/fwZ5zk662CKDH5aK7
https://maps.app.goo.gl/ym4F9T7rsQLLo54s5
https://maps.app.goo.gl/RXUwXYaY1yVTzb8M9
https://maps.app.goo.gl/ahiqQmjVAq1BwR7z6
https://maps.app.goo.gl/HfetGtnBJx1wAAiq6
https://maps.app.goo.gl/L1FxQuxww1AUkBr7A
https://maps.app.goo.gl/G96C4svh7ymooTjk6
https://maps.app.goo.gl/YW924rXdvF42ToKB6

[zoomer]

/\ The street views look interesting, fairly different for sure than the rest of the city. Probably makes for a nice change of pace. Will check it out for sure.

[zoomer]

Originally Posted by Fischbob

Great idea for a thread, Zoomer! I'm going to keep the first page Toronto discussion bookmarked as I tend to find myself there once or twice a year, and appreciate everyone's ideas for new places to explore.

I'm looking for some ideas/suggestions for places to check out while I'm in Vancouver over the May long weekend. It'll be my second visit - I didn't have very much free time on my first one a few years ago, but did manage to see Granville Island, Lonsdale Quay, and take in a sunset near the inukshuk at English Bay.

This time, I'm hoping to check out Stanley Park and the Aquarium, visit a gallery/museum or two (suggestions welcome), and wander some areas of interest to urbanists (again, suggestions welcome). Also taking food/restaurant recommendations for while I'm out and about.

One logistical note: my hotel is out in Richmond near the Canada Line and I'll mostly be relying on transit to get around.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions and advice!

Thanks Fischbob - I def found that first page helpful as well. While we wait for some Vancouver folks to give their two cents I'll drop mine being a frequent visitor from Victoria.

Stanley Park for sure, although I might skip the aquarium, but if you're into that type of thing, why not. I still remember going when they had the orcas in there - great show but not for them..

But yes, walk around the the whole damn thing using the sea wall, some of the better beaches are located there with different views than you see from Coal Harbour or English Bay.



Stanley Park Seawall - June 14, 2023 by JohnnyJayEh, on Flickr

I'd also highly recommend walking across the Burrard Street Bridge from downtown into Kitsilano. You'll get some good shots of downtown and pass right by the nearly completed first stage of the Sen̓áḵw towers right beside the bridge. Go to Kits Beach (also the Vancouver Museum and a maritime museum are in the area) plus there are good restaurants and shopping over there too. To me it has the best beach city vibes in Vancouver especially on a warm summer evening.



Views from Burrard Street Bridge - June 14, 2024 by JohnnyJayEh, on Flickr



Museum of Vancouver - May 15, 2023 by JohnnyJayEh, on Flickr

[casper]

Originally Posted by zoomer

Thanks Fischbob - I def found that first page helpful as well. While we wait for some Vancouver folks to give their two cents I'll drop mine being a frequent visitor from Victoria.

Stanley Park for sure, although I might skip the aquarium, but if you're into that type of thing, why not. I still remember going when they had the orcas in there - great show but not for them..

But yes, walk around the the whole damn thing using the sea wall, some of the better beaches are located there with different views than you see from Coal Harbour or English Bay.

[/url]Museum of Vancouver - May 15, 2023 by JohnnyJayEh, on Flickr

The big crab is weird. It depends on perspective. When I was in grade 3 or 4 I had a field trip to the Planetarium and was super impressed with how big and intimidating the crab was. As an adult, was back there a few years ago for an event and just did not have the same impact.

A short walk from the Planetarium is the Maritime museum. There is a very large wooden ship called the St. Roch. It was an RCMP ship that served the arctic in the 1940s. Today you can go into the staterooms and other compartments. Interesting thing to spend the afternoon exploring.

[SignalHillHiker]

One of my favourite things to do is to sit at a single cafe for an entire afternoon, having coffee, some snacks, maybe a drink, and just people watch. It has to be outdoor seating, preferably a pedestrian-only area, though an intersection where a pedestrian and a vehicle street intersect is often even more interesting. On the corner of an intersection is often more interesting than in the middle of a block. Where would you recommend in your city?

[hipster duck]

Originally Posted by shappy

Interesting take, and curious why you guys think this.

Perhaps not my top 5, but it'll make my top 10. It's a bit British-expat-boomer which is pretty much the antithesis of "cool" (no offense if anyone happens to fall in that demographic... hehe), but the neighbourhood is beautiful, charming and unique in the city.

Visiting as a tourist might be different but, as a local, the Beaches was never on my list of neighbourhoods to move to.

Since I first moved to Toronto at 22, none of my friends or associates have ever lived in the Beaches, and the few people I knew who grew up in the Beaches all moved away at a fairly early age and rented apartments elsewhere. I thought that as I grew older more people I knew might come into money and choose to move there, but nobody has over twenty years later.

I think you hit the nail on the head: this is an area defined by wealthy boomers who first moved in there with their families in the 80s and 90s and never left. It's an area where the locals resist change and, frankly, don't really want to have much to do with the city. If at all possible, they'd rather be at their cottage. And it shows: the Beaches has bad restaurants, no interesting coffee shops or bars, lousy grocery options, dated stores, and terrible public transit. The summertime beach town vibe where guys cruise around slowly on their Harley Davidsons holding up streetcars is not what I originally moved to the city for.

I will admit that the area is pretty, and the beach and boardwalk are definitely great public assets.

[FrAnKs]

Originally Posted by SignalHillHiker

One of my favourite things to do is to sit at a single cafe for an entire afternoon, having coffee, some snacks, maybe a drink, and just people watch. It has to be outdoor seating, preferably a pedestrian-only area, though an intersection where a pedestrian and a vehicle street intersect is often even more interesting. On the corner of an intersection is often more interesting than in the middle of a block. Where would you recommend in your city?

There are plenty in Quebec City.
Are you an upper or Lower town man?

[niwell]

Originally Posted by hipster duck

Visiting as a tourist might be different but, as a local, the Beaches was never on my list of neighbourhoods to move to.

Since I first moved to Toronto at 22, none of my friends or associates have ever lived in the Beaches, and the few people I knew who grew up in the Beaches all moved away at a fairly early age and rented apartments elsewhere. I thought that as I grew older more people I knew might come into money and choose to move there, but nobody has over twenty years later.

I think you hit the nail on the head: this is an area defined by wealthy boomers who first moved in there with their families in the 80s and 90s and never left. It's an area where the locals resist change and, frankly, don't really want to have much to do with the city. If at all possible, they'd rather be at their cottage. And it shows: the Beaches has bad restaurants, no interesting coffee shops or bars, lousy grocery options, dated stores, and terrible public transit. The summertime beach town vibe where guys cruise around slowly on their Harley Davidsons holding up streetcars is not what I originally moved to the city for.

I will admit that the area is pretty, and the beach and boardwalk are definitely great public assets.

Yeah pretty much this. As I noted in my previous post it's beautiful to walk through in the summer when it's busiest. And the architecture is pretty varied with plenty of small apartment buildings interspersed into the fabric. I'd absolutely recommend checking it out as a tourist, though it still wouldn't be top of list.

But it's quite disconnected from the rest of the city and doesn't have enough there for me to have ever considered it as a place to live. There are a couple decent local type restaurants/bars now but overall quite a notch below other neighbourhoods including nearby Leslieville and the stretch of Gerrard to the North.

We have some friends who own a gorgeous house there (working in hedge funds has its perks I guess) and visiting feels like a bit of an ordeal. Basically have to cut close to two hours off our allotted time to account for transit, regardless of mode.

[MolsonExport]

In London Ontario, there isn't much worthwhile to see, alas.

It is like the inverse of New York City: Nice place to live, but I wouldn't want to visit there.

The best thing in the area is probably the beaches of nearby Lake Huron.

[MonkeyRonin]

Originally Posted by Fischbob

I'm looking for some ideas/suggestions for places to check out while I'm in Vancouver over the May long weekend. It'll be my second visit - I didn't have very much free time on my first one a few years ago, but did manage to see Granville Island, Lonsdale Quay, and take in a sunset near the inukshuk at English Bay.

This time, I'm hoping to check out Stanley Park and the Aquarium, visit a gallery/museum or two (suggestions welcome), and wander some areas of interest to urbanists (again, suggestions welcome). Also taking food/restaurant recommendations for while I'm out and about.

One logistical note: my hotel is out in Richmond near the Canada Line and I'll mostly be relying on transit to get around.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions and advice!

Kitsilano is a good neighbourhood for wandering around: multiple lively retail strips, the beaches, hill views over English Bay, leafy side streets with a mix of heritage homes and newer apartments. Close to the South Granville area as well, which may also be worth checking out.

Also definitely recommend Commercial Dr. as one of the city's most vibrant & eclectic retail strips. Mount Pleasant for it's interesting industrial/commercial/residential mix. Strathcona & Chinatown for their historic character and traditional urbanity (Vancouver's oldest neighbourhoods, outside of Gastown). And the West End for its uniquely lush, mid-century high-density urbanity - especially if you're going to Stanley Park anyway.

Also, the Museum of Anthropology at UBC is a somewhat underrated one. Small, but impressive collection in a classic Arthur Erickson building. And it's near to some great beaches as well (Wreck Beach, Tower Beach, Spanish Banks).

Originally Posted by SignalHillHiker

One of my favourite things to do is to sit at a single cafe for an entire afternoon, having coffee, some snacks, maybe a drink, and just people watch. It has to be outdoor seating, preferably a pedestrian-only area, though an intersection where a pedestrian and a vehicle street intersect is often even more interesting. On the corner of an intersection is often more interesting than in the middle of a block. Where would you recommend in your city?

A man after my own heart. As soon as you said that the first thing that popped into my mind was my regular spot on Commercial Drive: https://maps.app.goo.gl/E3cnSmKNhHV4jUzKA

Nice old Edwardian corner buildings, leafy tree canopy, good coffee & pastries, and the people watching on the Drive is sublime. Lived around the corner from there until a couple months ago (slightly further out now).

[niwell]

^That's a great looking spot / streetscape! Really need to do a Vancouver trip since it's been 20+ years now.

I love doing the same as well, but prefer a local bar. When my local opens up the front windows in the summer it's great for that (there are tables on the sidewalk now too thanks to relaxed laws). Conveniently there is a pretty decent coffee shop next door too: https://maps.app.goo.gl/T72FjzEX8Phxvckq9

[Loco101]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

In London Ontario, there isn't much worthwhile to see, alas.

It is like the inverse of New York City: Nice place to live, but I wouldn't want to visit there.

The best thing in the area is probably the beaches of nearby Lake Huron.

London is a nice looking city for sure but I know what you mean about it not being a major tourist destination. Where I live is pretty much at the bottom of where you would expect to find tourists.

It's really too bad that so much of Southwestern Ontario's forests were destroyed for agriculture.

[shappy]

Originally Posted by hipster duck

Visiting as a tourist might be different but, as a local, the Beaches was never on my list of neighbourhoods to move to.

Since I first moved to Toronto at 22, none of my friends or associates have ever lived in the Beaches, and the few people I knew who grew up in the Beaches all moved away at a fairly early age and rented apartments elsewhere. I thought that as I grew older more people I knew might come into money and choose to move there, but nobody has over twenty years later.

I think you hit the nail on the head: this is an area defined by wealthy boomers who first moved in there with their families in the 80s and 90s and never left. It's an area where the locals resist change and, frankly, don't really want to have much to do with the city. If at all possible, they'd rather be at their cottage. And it shows: the Beaches has bad restaurants, no interesting coffee shops or bars, lousy grocery options, dated stores, and terrible public transit. The summertime beach town vibe where guys cruise around slowly on their Harley Davidsons holding up streetcars is not what I originally moved to the city for.

I will admit that the area is pretty, and the beach and boardwalk are definitely great public assets.

All fair enough and thanks for sharing your thoughts. Perhaps I'm getting to an age where a neighbourhood like this has a pull for me. But I think it's more about the natural aspects of the area more than demographics or vibe. The nature is really a defining feature of this neighbourhood with the hills, ravines, trees, and of course the lake. The High Park area can have a somewhat similar feel as well.

[FrAnKs]

Guys, my vacation plans are going wrong I think.

I wanted to visit St. John’s for a few days at the end of July but now realize that hotel prices really went up compared to when I checked this winter. I’m also afraid I will not be able to find an hotel room anymore.

I think I should have reserved and planned way more in advance.

And what about flight tickets now? They might be either super expensive or sold out by now.

Is it too late for me for a trip to Newfoundland? Should I look to visit another place in Canada?

Thanks in advance!

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by FrAnKs

Guys, my vacation plans are going wrong I think.

I wanted to visit St. John’s for a few days at the end of July but now realize that hotel prices really went up compared to when I checked this winter. I’m also afraid I will not be able to find an hotel room anymore.

I think I should have reserved and planned way more in advance.

And what about flight tickets now? They might be either super expensive or sold out by now.

Is it too late for me for a trip to Newfoundland? Should I look to visit another place in Canada?

Thanks in advance!

Train to Halifax?

[FrAnKs]

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

Train to Halifax?

I have already visited Halifax recently. I wanted to see something new this summer.

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by FrAnKs

I have already visited Halifax recently. I wanted to see something new this summer.

Charlottetown and PEI???

Cape Breton?

You would have to get cracking on hotels however. The rates will definitely be high in the summertime.