Of Mounties and Maple Leaves

Toronto has much to offer: fabulous restaurants, art galleries, cultural events, winter sports, water sports, museums and more. From the Royal Ontario Museum to the Hockey Hall of Fame, the CN Tower, or Harbourfront, Toronto has activities that will appeal to adults and kids, or even just the kid in us all.

Quick Tips:

Visit some of Toronto’s interesting and eclectic neighborhoods: Chinatown’s bustling markets; the Danforth, Toronto’s Greektown; or Cabbagetown, a residential area of lovely Victorian homes. For shopaholics, a visit to Eaton Centre may be in order. Whether your taste is designer boutiques in the Bloor/Yorkville area, or hunting for treasures at the Harbourfront Antique Market, shopping in Toronto offers something for every taste. Check out these websites for additional information: Toronto.com and Toronto Underground.com.

Best Way To Get Around:

The TTC is a cheap, convenient way to get around Toronto. The Day Pass (.50 Canadian) buys you unlimited transport on buses, streetcars and the subway. Given that one-way fares are .25, this is a real bargain is you’re planning on doing a lot of sightseeing.

Victoria’s Mansion Inn and Guest House is conveniently located in Toronto’s Church Street Village (also referred to as the Church and Wellesley area). This area of Toronto is home to a large segment of the city's gay and lesbian population, and many businesses in the area are gay-friendly. When I was walking around, the neighborhood seemed bustling and diverse: gay and straight, tourist and locals, and quite a few students.

A sparkling fountain and beautiful flowers create the perfect setting for this lovely mansion, which was built in the late 1800’s. Inside the mansion is a small reception area where someone from the staff is on duty daily, 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM. Before 11 AM and after 7 PM, guests can access a staff member by a lobby phone. If you are arriving after 7 PM, be sure to tell them, and arrangements will be made for a night porter to check you in. I was a bit skeptical when these arrangements were explained to me, but when I arrived, everything went as smoothly as promised.

Artwork reminiscent of Victorian times graces the hallway walls. Guestrooms are plainly but comfortably furnished with a private bath, phone, air conditioning, and cable TV. My single room had a microwave and mini-fridge, as well as a coffee maker and coffee and tea-making supplies, and plates (paper), napkins, and utensils. My personal favorite "feature" of the room was plenty of shelf space in the bathroom for toiletries.

Nearby restaurants, shopping, and close proximity to the subway, make Victoria’s Mansion an ideal location for exploring Toronto. Breakfast is not included in the room rates, but guests are within a few blocks’ walk of many restaurants. Or, purchase breakfast supplies at one of the nearby markets, including one conveniently open 24 hours. Subway: Either Bloor/Yonge or Wellesley

Country Style is a chain of donut/sandwich/snack places quite similar to Dunkin’ Donuts here in the United States. I visited the location at Yonge and St. Mary, just a few blocks’ walk from my hotel. I noticed the local bird population seemed to think the outdoor dining area was a good spot to check for leftover bagels or to "beg" for food. Even though it was a little cool on the Sunday morning I visited, it was sunny, so I settled outside on the patio to enjoy my apple fritter and coffee. This seems to be a popular spot for drinking a leisurely cup of coffee and reading, or just watching the human parade passing by. The fare is mostly donuts, bagels, and muffins, plus some soups and sandwiches. The coffee here was hot and surprisingly good. $1.80 Canadian will buy you a small ("small" being about the size of a saucer) apple fritter and a small coffee. Definitely a breakfast bargain, if not the most healthful of food choices!

This small Vietnamese restaurant is crammed in amongst the various souvenir shops, herbal medicine shops, Chinese markets and restaurants along Spadina Avenue in Toronto’s bustling Chinatown. Fish tanks, plants, and colorfully painted walls brighten this tiny, simple spot. I visited during lunch, and Miss Saigon offers a selection of lunch specials for around $5.00 (Canadian dollar). I ordered off the regular menu, choosing Spring Roll for a starter and Vegetarian Glass Noodles as an entree.

The spring rolls were crispy and hot, filled with vegetables and shredded meat. The thin, clear noodles were mixed with cooked egg, green pepper, carrots, onions, and mushrooms. This dish can be made either spicy or mild, depending on your taste. I ordered mine mild, so I could sample some of the hot sauces on the table. I tried the hot chili sauce and it was quite hot and really enhanced the noodle dish. There were three or four other hot sauces besides the chili sauce I sampled; I suspect each one hotter than the other! Soup came with the meal and this was also chock-full of tasty vegetables.

Service at Miss Saigon was good, although I’m not sure how well my server spoke English. Dishes are served when they are ready; you may end up with your starter, soup and entree all at once. I would generally find annoying, but just chalked up to part of Miss Saigon’s simple charm.

This is strictly a no-frills place catering to a mix of locals and tourists alike. Diners who can manage without linen tablecloths and fancy surroundings and other such niceties will be rewarded with some delicious Vietnamese cuisine. Check it out at Miss Saigon Subway: St. Patrick, then wind your way through Chinatown (although this is the "scenic" route.)

On a Sunday night, this two-level, Pan-Asian restaurant was packed. The downstairs dining room has exposed brick walls and oak wood floors. The earthy wood tones are carried through in the tables, chairs and benches, which are stained a light mahogany color. The upper level dining area is made more elegant with linen tablecloths and a lower conversation level. Eating downstairs, it’s difficult to hear yourself think, let alone carry on a conversation with a dining companion.

The menu offers a generous selection of appetizers; not surprisingly, spring rolls in many variations are featured. I tried the House spring Rolls, which are filled with ground chicken breast, marinated tiger shrimp, carrot, onion, and cabbage, served with a sweet sauce. I love spring rolls in general, but wasn’t too impressed with these: I’d rate them mediocre. Of course, had they been hot they might have been more enjoyable. As it was, the air conditioning was set so high you could practically see your breath, which virtually guaranteed your food arriving luke-warm at best.

Spring Rolls has a wide selection of Pan-Asian variations on popular Thai, Vietnamese and Chinese dishes, such as Shanghai noodles, Singapore Vermicelli, and Thai Fried Rice. I choose Pad Thai with Tiger Shrimp. Rice noodles, tofu, egg, shrimp and bean sprouts are combined in a flavorful (and rather piquant) variation of this Thai favorite. A Canadian beer quenched my thirst after a long day of sightseeing.

Service was courteous but a bit slow, depending on the server for your area. The people seated next to me arrived after I did, but were given menus and had their appetizers long before my server put in an appearance. Food was average, considering the price. With all the wonderful restaurants Toronto has to offer, I can’t say I’d go back to this one.

Visit online at Springrolls Online

Subway: Bloor/Yonge

I saw the Art Gallery of Ontario walking from the subway to Chinatown and decided to finish my exploration of Chinatown early so I could stop in and look around.

One of the special exhibits on my visit to AGO was "Fashion Photographs...and More: Works on Paper and Video, 1970-2001", by William Wegman. Although Wegman has worked in many mediums – sculpture, video, and photography – he may be best known for those works that feature his Weimaraners in costume. These dogs take on nearly human form in their high heels, fancy hats and "couture" dresses. The exhibit featured a nice selection of Wegman’s large-format Polaroids, plus some of his video works. Many of the video works used the dogs in starring roles. The museum has a space set aside within the Wegman exhibit area as a "theater". I looked in to see what was showing and caught the end of a great video with one of the dogs as a featured star. I got so engrossed in the videos that I ended up watching them for about two hours. I didn’t particularly care for some of Wegman’s earlier videos from the 70’s and 80’s: he was obviously trying to find his niche and some of the things shown seemed (to my taste) a waste of perfectly good video tape. Other later works, however, especially with the dogs, he had me laughing so hard I was practically falling off my seat. The Wegman exhibit will be at AGO through July 28: if you’re in Toronto, I’d highly recommend visiting AGO to see it.

Other special exhibits included "Humanity Refigured: Henry Moore and Post War British Sculpture", and "David Blackwood: Fire Down on the Labrador". Some permanent exhibits include European Decorative arts 1000-1800, 17th Century Dutch and Flemish Painting, and Canadian Arts and Artisans through the years. AGO also has a very nice gift shop. In addition to the usual art books, postcards and such, they offer decorative and unique household accessories.

Admission to AGO is $12 (Canadian) for adults, $9 for seniors and students, and $6 for children ages six to fifteen. Children five and under are free. AGO offers families with two adults and up to five children a special admission price of $25. Wednesday evenings from 6:00 PM to 8:30 PM are free. Subway: St. Patrick, and walk west on Dundas about 3 blocks.

Check out Art Gallery of Ontario

This was one of the most unusual and interesting museums I’ve seen in a lifetime of museum visits. I learned that the oldest known footprints date back to 3,700,000 years ago. These were discovered by Mary Leakey in 1976 at Laetoli, Tanzania. Reproductions of the footprints are at the Bata.

The oldest form of European footwear found thus far is from a shepard who died in the Upper Meadows of the Tyrolean Alps about 5,200 years ago. The footwear was a semi-tanned leather shoe over string socks stuffed with grass. I believe the grass was supposed to cushion and insulate, but given that it looked more stick-like than grass-like, I can’t imagine it would have been very comfortable.

High heels were the privilege of the upper class, as it showed that they did little work. Heels were popularized in England by Queen Elizabeth the First (1558-1603), to bring her short stature to a level more imposing for a royal. These remained in fashion for the next two centuries, which is where the phrase "well-heeled", meaning well to do, originated.

One of the special exhibits going on during my visit to the Bata was "Every Step a Lotus: Shoes in the Lives of Women in Late Imperial China". In China, a young girl’s feet were bound about age 5 or 6. Binding the feet resulted in shortening the length of the foot; reshaping the sole and reducing the width of the sole. A woman’s body weight was then born on the heel (now almost parallel with the long bone of the lower leg); the third and fourth toes (which were folded under); and the tip of the first metatarsal. As a result, a woman’s hip and thigh muscles grew strong, as they directed her movements. Her lower leg between the knee and ankle atrophied from lack of use.

"Golden lotus" feet in China denoted women of high status for centuries. Though the true origins of the tradition of foot-binding is not known, theories range from an empress that had cleft feet to dancers binding their feet to suggest the buds of a lotus. A husband’s success was shown by his ability to support the large number of servants required for his wife’s inability to work. I had heard about foot binding but had not realized the extent to which a woman’s feet were mutilated. It was truly painful to look at the beautifully embroidered shoes and to read what was done to someone’s feet so they’d be forever doll-like in size.

Famous shoes on display include Olympian Michael Johnson’s gold running shoes, shoes belonging to Imelda Marcos, Princess Diana, Elton John, Marilyn Monroe, and Bob Hope.

Museum hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, 10:00 AM-5:00 PM. Thursdays, 10:00 AM-8:00 PM. Sunday, 12 Noon-5:00 PM. The museum is closed on Mondays except in summer.

Admission is $6.00 (Canadian) for adults, $4.00 for students and seniors, $2.00 for children ages 5-14, and $12 for families. The first Tuesday of every month admission is free.