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Toronto This Weekend

No. Viriginia
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46 posts
7 reviews
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Toronto This Weekend
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Hello T.O. Forumites:

Congratulations on the Argos win. I heard the game and the festivities leading up to it were great.

I am arriving Friday afternoon for a quick visit until Monday afternoon and have some questions.

1) I want to see the Tom Thomson exhibit at the McMichael. Can you suggest how much time to allow to get there by public transportation and to see the exhibit on either Saturday or Sunday? Since my time is limited, would I be better off catching a cab rather than waiting for a bus from the nearest train stations (the website is down so I can't name the stations)?

2) I love hopping on a street car and visiting a new part of the T.O. area on each visit. I visited Roncesvalles on my last trip and the Beaches and Leslieville previously. Can anyone suggest a new area to explore with some combination of interesting shops, restaurants, architecture, sites, etc?

3) I've heard there is a Naot shoe outlet in the T.O. area. I did a websearch and found the following: but can't verify if the outlet is still open. " It's at 142 Edilcan, which is just east off Jane St. between Langstaff and Rutherford (near Wonderland)." Can anyone provide any more specifics and if that address is correct, how to get there? I think Wonderland is far from downtown so it may not be worth the trip.

4) Are there any recommendations for seasonal activities during my visit? I subscribe to Toronto Life so I have some idea but there are always things that don't make it into the magazine. I enjoyed the Christmas Market last year.

5) Has anyone see Alligator Pie at Soulpepper and if yes, do you recommend the show?

Any other suggestions are welcome.

Thank you very much!

Toronto, Canada
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1. Re: Toronto This Weekend
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Hi VAunt, and thanks for the congrats on the win...............

Visit the St. Lawrence Market and the area around the Flatiron Building this weekend............they are within a couple of blocks of each other, on Front Street.............the SLM is a great spot to browse, shop and have a snack or two.....there is also a nice selection of bars and eateries on Front, and around the corner on the Esplanade as well............

I see that you've already been to the Toronto Christmas Market, but your visit happens to coincide with it's opening on Friday......if you attend a performance of Alligator Pie, you'll be right there again............

The McMichael Gallery is quite far out of the city, and would take a couple of hours or more by TTC alone, or bus/train combo..........a taxi would be expensive......I've not done a search, but I'm guessing around $60-70.00 each way, plus tip.....................the shoe outlet you mention is in Concord, also quite a hike from the city..............if you really wanted to go to both, perhaps renting a car for the day would be an option, you could do them on the same day, as they are both up north of Toronto, although not close to each other..........

You don't mention where you are staying....................downtown?

I know some other suggestions will be made soon.....................have a great weekend in Toronto !

Toronto, Canada
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2. Re: Toronto This Weekend
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I'd be renting a car for sure if going to McMichael and the shoe outlet you speak of....

Have you been through Kensington Market and or Little Italy? Tons of great food and little shops to check out....I'd look at Cafe Diplomatico, California Sandwiches, Duff's, Hey! Meatball as possible place to eat at in Little Italy...

SE Ontario
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The NAOT outlet you mention is actually a distributor, located in a business park. It is not a store, so I would call them first to see if they actually sell to the public.

Toronto Life's website is updated daily.

http://www.torontolife.com/

The McMichael is extremely difficult to access by public transit. You should rent a car.

Berlin, Germany
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4. Re: Toronto This Weekend
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Welcome back, and thanks for numbering your questions! (Really, it's a big help.)

1) By transit on a Saturday, Google Maps suggests you leave downtown at 2:09 am and arrive at 6:16 am. I thought this must be a bug, but then my own efforts to find a weekend transit route started coming up empty. (It's long but doable on a weekday.)

None of the GO Transit stops in the area have service on weekends. (Definitely not trains, but even buses either don't run at all, or only run express past the stops that'd give you a short taxi hop to McMichael.) And local transit (YRT) doesn't run that far north on weekends either.

From downtown, you're looking at a cab ride of more than $80 plus tip each way. If you took the subway up to Downsview station, it'd cut the cab ride down to $45+tip each way. Renting a car is definitely cheaper and easier.

2) The St. Lawrence Market area or the Kensington Market area are both good suggestions. There's also Cabbagetown (lots of great old houses on the side streets). The Neighbourhoods page (http://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g155019-s204/Toronto:Ontario:Neighborhoods.html) may give you more ideas.

3) According to http://www.naotcanada.com there's a NAOT store at 425 Queen Street West, which would be so much easier to get to.

No. Viriginia
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7 reviews
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5. Re: Toronto This Weekend
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Thanks everyone for the information. I was remiss in not saying that my starting point is The Cambridge Suites Hotel in the financial district.

The McMichael trip sounds like more of a challenge than I was expecting. I'll look into a car rental since the Tom Thomson exhibit sounds really special and I've loved what I've seen of the Group of Seven.

Eden7 - a trip to Toronto is never complete for me without going to the St. Lawrence Market. May I also say that your posts, regardless of forum, are always so positive and informative.

TDSuperstar - I've been to both Kensington Market and Little Italy but will check out your suggestions.

MattinTo - thanks as always for your detailed answer.

Phpr - thanks for the info re Naot. I love the shoes and I figured buying them in T.O. was more economical than flying to Israel but perhaps that is not to be.

I have one other qyuestion. Is Front Street still torn up by construction? I usually take the Airport Express into downtown, but last year it took 2 hours. If the construction is ongoing, I may try the bus/subway route.

Toronto, Canada
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6. Re: Toronto This Weekend
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VAunt....................I spoke with the Naot distributor.........Solemates Inc., which is located at 142 Edilcan Drive, Concord, and they are indeed having another outlet sale...................unfortunately, not until the New Year, most likely end of January, beginning of February they tell me....................if you call them at (905) 738-3776, they will be more than happy to add your contact information to their database, and you will be notified via e-mail of upcoming outlet sales approx. 2 weeks before the event.....................I can fully understand why you'd want to get to one of these sales..................with the cost of Naot brand shoes, the savings, at sometimes 75%, can really be substantial...................

Toronto, Canada
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7. Re: Toronto This Weekend
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VAunt................Thankyou for that lovely compliment ....... you've made my day :) :) :)

SE Ontario
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8. Re: Toronto This Weekend
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You might consider trying Walking on a Cloud shoe stores for Naots. They have two outlet locations in the city (well suburbs actually). One in Scarborough (east end) and one in North York (Steeles & Dufferin). The one in North York is probably the easiest to get to - especially if you're going to have a car to go to McMichael.

http://www.walkingonacloud.ca/StoreLocations.aspx

Edited: 11 years ago
No. Viriginia
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9. Re: Toronto This Weekend
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Thanks again phpr.

Eden7 - thank you so much for following up with Naot. This has the potential to turn me into the Imelda Marcos of Naot shoes.

No. Viriginia
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46 posts
7 reviews
6 helpful votes
10. Re: Toronto This Weekend
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Thanks again phpr.

Eden7 - thank you so much for following up with Naot. This has the potential to turn me into the Imelda Marcos of Naot shoes.

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