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I agree with all the great posts boasting the amenities and attractions of Toronto and TOKidd is bang on in this thread! One day isn't nearly enough and if you can match a visit with any of the great festivals Toronto is home to in the summer all the better.. Toronto has wonderful nabe's if you go off the beaten path! The city is worthy of atleast a long weekend during the summer months. Plus, there are plenty of interesting character's in the Downtown core.....
Thank you very much for the offer and may God bless you!
I cannot stay that long, and money is not that big issue. I'm sure I could afford $100 for hotel but don't want.
I do love visiting many different places. I'll rather visit 7 different countries in 7 days than only 1 country in 7 days.
Unless you plan on writing a book about your travels, it makes no sense why you would want to visit 7 countries in 7 days. I mean, why would you spend over 20 hours on a bus (NYC --> Toronto) and then leave without staying even one night!
You are asking people what you can see in Toronto. Instead you should be telling us what are you trying to accomplish by doing this?
Say you get off at the greyhound bus station in Toronto, and decide to walk towards the lake on a nice summer evening. By the time you get to the lakefront you would've spent a couple of hours and it would be time for you to catch the bus back to NYC! And you would have seen nothing!
Take everyones advice and stay atleast a night! Theres a lot to see and do in Toronto. It is a very large (spread-out) city.
I burst into laughter and usually ignore everything after about visiting Toronto every time people mention Chinatown/Kensington Market in excitement as if they were "interesting" places to see.
Oh poor Torontonians. Many really have no idea what the world is outside there and think Spadia epitomizes Chinese culture and diversity, and that Queen W has interesting retail.
Toronto's Chinatown is one of the worst in North American cities, and I strongly suggest against eating in any restaurants there except maybe 2 or 3.
I know botticelli has been getting a lot of flack for saying this about "Toronto's Chinatown", but he is right. I mean, the Chinatown in Toronto is not all that great and not really a tourist destination (like it is in SFO, NYC or Vancouver). A tourist would get a lot more out of walking around the nearby Univ of Toronto campus and restaurants/ stores/ coffee-shops on Queen St.
botticelli is right in saying that the food in Chinatown is not great; there are maybe 3-4 good restaurants and they are known mostly to the "locals". Areas like Markham/ North York have much better chinese restaurants!
Toronto has many attractions, but Chinatown is not one of them!
I know botticelli has been getting a lot of flack for saying this about "Toronto's Chinatown", but he is right. I mean, the Chinatown in Toronto is not all that great and not really a tourist destination (like it is in SFO, NYC or Vancouver). A tourist would get a lot more out of walking around the nearby Univ of Toronto campus and restaurants/ stores/ coffee-shops on Queen St.
botticelli is right in saying that the food in Chinatown is not great; there are maybe 3-4 good restaurants and they are known mostly to the "locals". Areas like Markham/ North York have much better chinese restaurants!
Toronto has many attractions, but Chinatown is not one of them!
My Chinese friends have always told me the best asian restaruants in Toronto are all in the burbs and I've tried a few of them and can tell you the downtown offerings pale in comparison. My understanding is that the best Indian food is also in the burbs as well.
I agree Chinatown is not terribly unique nowadays but it is still a worthy strip to walk if you are downtown. I don't think there is any one thing in Toronto that is a must see on its own, but it is more about the collection of contrasting areas that can make for an interesting day of sightseeing.
Last edited by johnathanc; 05-09-2013 at 04:10 PM..
I know botticelli has been getting a lot of flack for saying this about "Toronto's Chinatown", but he is right. I mean, the Chinatown in Toronto is not all that great and not really a tourist destination (like it is in SFO, NYC or Vancouver). A tourist would get a lot more out of walking around the nearby Univ of Toronto campus and restaurants/ stores/ coffee-shops on Queen St.
botticelli is right in saying that the food in Chinatown is not great; there are maybe 3-4 good restaurants and they are known mostly to the "locals". Areas like Markham/ North York have much better chinese restaurants!
Toronto has many attractions, but Chinatown is not one of them!
That may be your opinion, but I think a lot of people differ. Chinatown in New York is extremely underwhelming, as is the Chinatown in Vancouver. I haven't been to SF, but I can say Toronto's Chinatown is much better than the other two - more lively and bustling, with more to see and do than either New York's or Vancouver's. Also, the reason to visit Chinatown is not to eat there, because the restaurants are not that great for the most part (I listed one good spot). It's to see the crush of people shopping out on the street, to see all the grocers hustling to peddle their wares, to browse the many shops with Chinese items, to soak up the atmosphere. I love New York, but its Chinatown has the personality of a wet sponge. Have you been to Chicago's Chinatown? Might be more like a "town" then a few streets packed with vendors, restaurants and Chinese malls and businesses, but it's one of the most depressing places I've ever been to - none of the bustle, frenetic activity, and excitement of Toronto's Chinatown. Furthermore, Toronto's Chinatown is adjacent both to Kensington Market and Baldwin Village. The AGO is right up the street, and Queen West is just to the west. So there is tons to do and see in and around Chinatown in my opinion, and it makes for an excellent tourist destination. That's why there are often thousands of tourists there in the summer.
As the previous poster stated, you don't spend the entire day there, and it's not about the restaurants. It's about visiting a variety of interesting, contrasting neighbourhoods all within a few minutes of each other, and Chinatown is not to be missed. Furthermore, Chinatown does not just have Chinese businesses. There are all kinds of interesting spots tucked away around there.
That may be your opinion, but I think a lot of people differ. Chinatown in New York is extremely underwhelming, as is the Chinatown in Vancouver. I haven't been to SF, but I can say Toronto's Chinatown is much better than the other two - more lively and bustling, with more to see and do than either New York's or Vancouver's. Also, the reason to visit Chinatown is not to eat there, because the restaurants are not that great for the most part (I listed one good spot). It's to see the crush of people shopping out on the street, to see all the grocers hustling to peddle their wares, to browse the many shops with Chinese items, to soak up the atmosphere. I love New York, but its Chinatown has the personality of a wet sponge.
I disagree with this comment. New York's Chinatown is bigger and more interesting than Toronto's, especially for a tourist. I also believe it may be the biggest Chinatown outside of Asia. It is stepped with history, cramped with historical tenements, and the narrow streets and numerous alley ways create a pretty cool, dense Asia-like atmosphere. I'm not sure when you were there but it was far from dead when I was there. It was quite bustling with all those markets n' stuff that you find Toronto and crawling with an overflow of tourists in the summer. Have you walked down Canal Street? It is one of those streets in NYC that is so busy that locals avoid it like the plaque due to congestion and hustlers. When I lived in NYC, I lived in SoHo but walking distance to Chinatown so I'm quite familiar with those parts. I've been to SF's Chinatown as well and it was quite an interesting maze of narrow streets with a lot of history and more higher quality shops and galleries compared to NYC or Toronto, which mostly sell junk. Now without a doubt, Toronto does have a pretty active and large Chinatown but head-to-head, NYC and SF have more bigger and more interesting Chinatowns IMO. I honestly can't remember enough of Vancouver's Chinatown to comment.
Last edited by johnathanc; 05-09-2013 at 09:08 PM..
botticelli is right in saying that the food in Chinatown is not great; there are maybe 3-4 good restaurants and they are known mostly to the "locals". Areas like Markham/ North York have much better chinese restaurants!
The reason why a lot of restaurants in Chinatown aren't that great is because they are fronts for money laundering. There are some restaurants that have been open 15+ years with terrible food, cash only, always empty, and yet somehow stay in business. If it's not money laundering, then it's something else like illegal gambling.
As someone who has lived in both NYC and Toronto, I would say both Chinatown's are places you should definitely spend time in on a visit. I am not quite sure which one I would personally say is "better" as in my view they are about as equal as it gets when it comes to vibrancy and personality.
TOKidd I am not sure when last you visited Manhattan Chinatown, but you should really give it another look. The neighborhood has gone through a rebirth of sorts and while it is losing the battle with gentrification (Like most of Manhattan) it has still done a commendable job of fighting off the negative changes for the most part.
Something both places do have in common though is that all the good food has left both neighborhoods. Everyone knows if you want exceptional Chinese food in the GTA you go to Markham/RH and parts of Scarborough. In NYC, anyone who wants an exceptional selection of Chinese restaurants and groceries you go to Flushing or if you want great Dim Sum you head straight to Sunset Park in Brooklyn.
SF overall has the best Chinatown I have been to in N. America, perfect balance of tourist attraction and genuinely great food. Overall though if someone is visiting Toronto I make sure to tell them that Chinatown is a place they will want to spend time in for at least a couple hours.
As someone who has lived in both NYC and Toronto, I would say both Chinatown's are places you should definitely spend time in on a visit. I am not quite sure which one I would personally say is "better" as in my view they are about as equal as it gets when it comes to vibrancy and personality.
TOKidd I am not sure when last you visited Manhattan Chinatown, but you should really give it another look. The neighborhood has gone through a rebirth of sorts and while it is losing the battle with gentrification (Like most of Manhattan) it has still done a commendable job of fighting off the negative changes for the most part.
Something both places do have in common though is that all the good food has left both neighborhoods. Everyone knows if you want exceptional Chinese food in the GTA you go to Markham/RH and parts of Scarborough. In NYC, anyone who wants an exceptional selection of Chinese restaurants and groceries you go to Flushing or if you want great Dim Sum you head straight to Sunset Park in Brooklyn.
SF overall has the best Chinatown I have been to in N. America, perfect balance of tourist attraction and genuinely great food. Overall though if someone is visiting Toronto I make sure to tell them that Chinatown is a place they will want to spend time in for at least a couple hours.
Last time I was in NYC's Chinatown was 2005. I've been there about six times. Just seemed like part of the LES, but with Chinese signs and more Asian people. Canal St. was really just vendors hocking counterfeit goods in the street. Not very Chinese. There were a couple neat little streets. Next time I go to NYC, I'll try and make my way down there.
The reason why a lot of restaurants in Chinatown aren't that great is because they are fronts for money laundering. There are some restaurants that have been open 15+ years with terrible food, cash only, always empty, and yet somehow stay in business. If it's not money laundering, then it's something else like illegal gambling.
that is quite true!!
I know for a fact that several horrible restaurants/stores are just fronts for illegal gambling on the second floor.
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