A message from Steven

Dear Friends visiting Toronto,

As you are planning to spend a few days in Toronto, I have tried to collect some of the best things to do in this vibrant multicultural town - that several call Friendly New York (ok, that might be an exaggeration and my apologies for friendly New Yorkers). June is Pride Month with several celebrations and events across the city.

Toronto Islands - take ferry to Ward’s Island - enjoy the walk at the island and if temperature is great, enjoy a swim in the lake (even a clothes optional beach) and don’t forget to have a drink at the Island Cafe before taking the ferry back to Toronto (no need to buy an extra ticket, you have bought a return ticket for the ferry - there are also multiple small boats that bring you to the Island). By the way, If you happen to take the ferry back when sun goes down, then you have the best view of the Toronto Skyline - love it !

Evergreen Brickworks - quarry that has been transformed into a beautiful walk/lake landscape with great restaurant and on Saturday mornings a great food market

Love museums ? Toronto has plenty of great musea - the AGO is our favourite, in an impressive building designed by Frank Gehry. Check out the (7) Canadian painters and special exhibitions. And not to be denied is the Cafe just across the street where you can choose from an impressive list of (Belgian) beers ! The ROM (Royal Ontario Museum) is another great museum - and it’s close to posh Yorkville where you find all the fancy brands.

Oh, want to have a great view of the city and a nice (expensive) cocktail ? Go to the rooftop bar of the Park Hyatt hotel. Or check out other rooftop bars, plenty of them around in downtown Toronto, even with swimming pools. The Broadview Hotel has a great view but many more to be discovered.

Love a more “hippy” neighbourhood ? go to Kensington Market, Toronto’s “Soho” neighbourhood. Great food stores, bars, and people watching - yes, by now you figured out that mind enriching substances are sold everywhere legally (check out the strength please) ! And this is very close to Toronto’s Chinatown. Don’t be afraid to try the local Chinese restaurants - food is delicious and not expensive - try the fried Dumplings at the Dumpling House - yes, not calorie free but just delicious!

Talking about hip - stroll along Queen street West to Trinity Bellwood’s Park (where during good weather all the Youth is gathering) and then go to Ossington street, which is one of the places to be these days - catch a table at Bellwoods brewery, our favourite brewery, famous for its sour beers and delicious IPA’s (did you figure out Steven was writing this ?).

The distillery district is a renovated neighbourhood that used to be - well, as it says a former liquor manufacturing place - with now plenty of restaurants, bars, shops, theatres. Famous for its Christmas market but you will have to come back to enjoy that !

Early riser ? You might want to check out the St Lawrence Market - an indoor food market that is just a pleasure for the taste buds to go to - love a coffee and almond croissant - Balzac just near the marketplace has it all.

Shopping ? Indoor giant malls like Easton Center downtown or Yorkdale mall are to be recommended (if you like shopping). Queen Street has it all too.

Hungry ? Toronto is just a fabulous place for all kinds of food from everywhere around the world - Jamaican Jerky Chicken ? Try Chubby’s - highly recommended. Best Thai food at Pai. Spanish tapas at Bar Isabel, Italian food at Terroni or best Italian restaurant outside Italy at Don Alfonso, Mediterranean delicacies at Byblos, Fonda Balan Mexican, Yummie’s Korean food or …. Have you seen the Bear on TV ? Matty Matteson has several restaurants in Toronto !

Thirsty ? Of course you are - check out the many local breweries - Collective Arts, Bellwoods, Bandit Brewery, …,…,… !

Music lovers - Toronto has many music halls of all kind of music. Classical Music - check out the programs at Koerner Hall or the fabulous Roy’s Thomson Hall or the Glenn Gould Studio. Of course, big modern music artists visit Toronto (Taylor Swift is here in November for 5 concerts), for a concert at the Scotia Bank arena, Meridian Hall, History, Rogers Center, Danford Music Hall. And there are several bars that host live bands (Jazz at the The Rex Jazz and Blues Bar or at the Reservoir Lounge, Cameron House and Hugh’s room for all kind of music, Drom has also great live performances). There are many places to hang out and party - I might not be the best to make recommendations.

Watching Sports - Toronto is the only Canadian city that has professional Baseball (Blue Jays), ice hockey (Maple Leafs), NBA (Raptors) and soccer (TFC). NBA season will be over for the Raptors, and ice hockey maybe unless the Maple Leafs make a long run in the Stanley Cup playoffs - If that happens Toronto will be just crazy as the last time this happened was in 1967 (think craziness as winning the World Cup soccer - which Belgium never did - but you knew that already).

Active Sports If you love running, then - and its just something you absolutely should do - head to the Waterfront and follow the waterfront trail (west and back) for miles and miles and miles. Head to the Beaches to stroll along the boardwalk or join the hundreds of people gathering there to play beach volleyball (100 beach volley courts) - you might not have your wind surfing /foiling equipment with you this time, too bad. Nelle and I have a paddle board of you would like to use it. Toronto has many public free tennis courts as well and if you love hiking - check out the many ravine trails - you would be surprised how much wildlife there is in the city - coyotes for instance and then Toronto’s raccoons that live, well that live pretty much everywhere (I have had some pretty heroic fights with a few - that’s why this is mentioned in the sports section - but they were never impressed with me and come back time and time again).

Toronto has a great bike rental program - you can rent bikes for a day, a few days and its pretty cheap and a great way to get around the city (there are also electric bikes to rent).

A few hours Outside Toronto

Muskoka Region / Algonquin Park

A few hours North of Toronto (about 3 hour drive) and you get to see just one of the most beautiful places on earth for nature lovers, with plenty of hiking, canoeing and so much more. Algonquin park is one of the largest provincial parks and is just a gem, with many lakes, home to moose, black bears, wolves and deer and more that 1600km of waterways. Check out their website for hiking trails and camping (!). Hotels are quickly booked so check it out as soon as you can. You can rent kayaks and canoes, even for several days if you want to take your tent with you.

Niagara and the Falls / Niagara on the Lake Niagara Falls

(2 hour drive from downtown Toronto) probably shows up on all the To Do lists. It is certainly an impressive waterfall (stay at the Canadian site) and you can get on a boat (and get soaked) and visit the power plant. I would however not recommend to stay at Niagara Falls (a tourist trap) but look for a hotel in Niagara on the Lake, a pretty quaint place surrounded by multiple vineyards (where you also can sleep) and several good hotels and access to Lake Ontario for paddle boarding.

Some practical information

Transportation : if you stay in Toronto, no need to rent a car -I would say don’t rent a car, you will pay hefty dollars to park at hotels. There is public transport everywhere (there is good access from airport to downtown), Uber is pretty cheap and you can rent bikes (take your bike helmet with you).

Restaurants & Bars (for our European Guests): you are expected to give a tip - between 15% and 25% depending on the service you get.

My apologies for any typo’s or not intended mistakes - as Canadian Citizen (since this year) I now have to say “Sorry !” I will update this as we get closer to Sofie and Colin’s big day !