We The North (aka Toronto)

Nine Neighbourhoods in The Six

In case you aren’t a North American Basketball fan, the Toronto Raptors recently won the NBA Championship - and We The North was a successful campaign of theirs during this time. Totally irrelevant to this post, but it makes a cool title and now you’ll know what it means when you see people all over the city wearing hoodies and T-shirt’s with the slogan.

But back to Toronto. I am currently living here and am planning to do detailed neighbourhood posts in the future, but to kick things off I figured I’d start with a brief overview of some of the popular parts of Toronto.

The first thing you should know is that Toronto, even more than other cities, is more akin to many small cities than one big one. It is a city of vast diversity with many interesting areas, each with its own individual feel and attractions. Below are a few key areas that I have discovered and grown to love:

The Beaches

I am currently living in this area and will be the first to admit that I have not fully explored it, so I will be speaking more directly to my little stretch of it, which is the southern piece along Queen Street. This is a very residential area that gets quite popular in the summer due to its (surprise) beaches. There is a boardwalk that stretches along the beach and just north of that there is a beautiful park, which is bordered by Queen Street. The little stretch of business surrounding Queen and Woodbine has a variety of restaurants, breweries, and shops that are great to wander on a nice day and there is a lovely ravine to walk if you’re looking for more on top of the boardwalk and park. I have grown to love the area and highly recommend visiting it in the summer - easily accessible via the Queen Street street car.

China Town

China town is just east of the Financial District and spans a long stretch between the Eaton Centre to Kensington Market. It is a great spot to visit for Dim Sum restaurants and Bubble Tea (two of my favourites), fascinating shops, and The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO), which is definitely worth a visit if you’re an art lover of any kind. I would highly recommend wandering through on a sunny day - and to combine it with a trip to Kensington Market, as they are in such close proximity.

The Financial district & Old Toronto

This is the core area of Toronto that spans directly north of Union Station (the main station where trains and the UP Express from the airport arrive into the city). This area is bustling during the week, but is quite dead on weekends and many restaurants and shops don’t even both opening. It holds many of the city’s traditional tourist attractions, such as the CN tower, Ripley’s Aquarium, and all of the sports stadiums whether it be basketball (lets go Raps) or hockey (PSA the Leafs never win, sorry fans), as well as a massive mall (the Eaton Centre) and the St. Lawrence Market. Traffic is always awful here so I would suggest taking public transit if you are in the area, but if you’re looking for the local Toronto experience, this is not the spot I’d recommend to stay.

High Park & The Junction

High Park and the Junction is a great little area. It is a little far out from central Toronto, so I would not recommend staying in the area, but is a great spot for a day trip and easily accessible by subway. High Park itself is massive and a lovely spot to wander if you’re looking for some nature in the city. Head north from there and you will hit The Junction area. This spot is heading upscale fast and every time I visit has new great spots opening. Some of the highlights include vegan restaurants and bakeries, local grocery stores and beautiful florist shops.

Kensington Market

Kensington market is a vibrant area of interesting coffee shops, stores and restaurants. It is an open air market that attracts a wide variety of businesses. It is a great place to visit if you’re looking for unique finds and I would highly suggest lunching and shopping for souvenirs in this spot.

King & Queen West

This area is great if you’re someone who like endless options for things to do. This is one of my favourite areas to spend a weekend morning due to its many options of great fitness places (my favourites being Barry’s and Ride Cycle) and a vast number of delicious brunch places that can accommodate any dietary restrictions you can imagine. The area is always bustling and both Queen and King West are great for shopping during the day. Additionally, if you are looking to out in Toronto, King West is one of the best spots for bar hopping any night of the week.

Leslieville

Leslieville sits between the DVP (Don Valley Parkway) and Coxwell with Queen Street running through the middle. It is directly on the way to The Beaches from The Financial district and, if you’re headed in that direction, I’d highly recommend getting off the street car and taking a stroll through the area. It is a great spot for local coffee, sustainable groceries and various types of cuisine, such as Cuban, Spanish and Mexican food. In the summer it is also a great place to find open air markets - particularly on weekends.

Toronto Island

Toronto Island, or more correctly known as Centre Island, is one of the more touristy areas I am going to recommend. In the summer you will be accompanied by hoarders of tourists if you choose to take the public ferry over. You can also take a Toronto Harbour Water Taxi from 99 Harbour Square. It costs only $10 a person (or 5 for children) and is dog friendly. I would highly recommend this as it is a lot less busy and a lot quicker and cooler in the heat of the summer. One you’re there, there are many things to do. For children, there are rides, water parks and farms. For adults this is a more scenic attraction with lovely parks and beaches. My only caveat (aside from the number of tourists) is that food on the island is traditional theme park food and is very expensive, so if you’re looking to spend a day here, I would tend to bring a picnic.

Yorkville

Yorkville is a very upscale area of Toronto that starts at Bloor and heads North. It is a great spot to check out if you’re looking for luxury shopping or upscale restaurants. Most luxury brands have shops on this street - and there are also non-luxury brands as well if you feel like shopping but don’t want to pay an arm and a leg. I particularly like walking along Cumberland street as it has a small village feel, but my favourite thing by far in the area is the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) which is great no matter your age and even has a fun subway stop called Museum Station.

Other

Since I am fairly new to Toronto (I was semi-local for a year and have been a true local for two years since then, but have travelled a lot for work in that time), I thought I would list some other areas that I’ve heard good things about. I don’t feel that I have enough familiarity with them to endorse a visit, but I would say that they are definitely worth taking a look at to see whether they hold any attraction for you. They are as follows: The Annex, The Danforth, Liberty Village, Little Italy, and Young and Eg(lington).