1. Go to Cherry Beach – Cherry Beach is a “blue flag” beach, meaning, it has been deemed safe and environmentally sound. It’s respected and recognized international eco-label. Find this cool lakeside park at the foot of Cherry Street just south of Unwin Avenue. More info.

2. Go swimming – There are many pools around the greater metropolitan Toronto area. Check them out here.

3. Eat the best gelato in Toronto. ‘nuf said.

4. Go to the movies – movie theatres are cool as cucumbers.

5. Water Slide! – at the Delta Chelsea. You have to be a guest at the hotel, however.

6. Go to the mall – There’s always Yorkdale but you have lots o choices.

7. Use Common Sense in the heat – Wear light, loose, comfortable cotton clothes; keep yourself hydrated (drink lots of water and natural fruit juices and cold herb teas); avoid overextenuating activity that can cause heat stroke; never leave children or pets inside a car; wear hats and stay in the shade if outdoors; eat light meals.

I Am Elvis
Gladstone Hotel, Toronto
Thursday, May 1, 2008
7-9:30pm
Melody Bar
Free

“* It’s a chowhound’s paradise, with everything from Nigerian to Laotian, Moroccan to Azerbaijani food

* An architectural renaissance is transforming the skyline with additions by Daniel Libeskind and native son Frank Gehry

* Toronto has become one of the most ethnically diverse cities on the continent, with lively neighborhoods, festivals, and restaurants to match

* The Eaton Centre. It’s a big suburban-style mall with all the wrong kinds of shopping

* When to go to Toronto: May, June, September, October”

More here

The hotel boasts a 24-hour business center and in-room amenities such as large work space on desks, fax/modem hookups, and cordless two-line phones.

There are favorite restaurants among the business crowd here: Hemispheres and Lai Wah Heen will be ideal for your power lunches.

The Metropolitan Hotel
108 Chestnut Street
Toronto, ON M5G 1R3, Canada
(416) 977-5000

Thompson Hotel Toronto
550 Wellington Street W
Toronto ON M5V Canada
Telephone: 212.204.5010 (for info)

[via]

Dim sum chef Terence Chan is the mastermind behind the offerings at Lai Wah Heen. With his finger on the pulse of the most recent trends in Chinese cuisine, Chef Chan offers the most delectable shrimp, pork and vegetable dishes perfectly seasoned with exotic herbs and spices from the Pacific Rim.

NEVER leave this place, either, without trying the desserts! Here’s what’s available:

-Mini cream custard freshly baked in a puff pastry shell
-Sweetened cream roulade filled with hawthorn fruit paste
-Deep-fried dumpling of banana & sweet potato
-Deep-fried cream custard in a puffy cocoon
-Steamed mini soft cake flavored with honey-glazed walnut
-Tower of coffee & espresso pudding
-Deep-fried bun filled with mango & cream
-Baked puff pastry of sweet squash paste & almond
-Chilled duo tea pudding of lychee & jasmine flavor

To see the Dim Sum menu click here

Lai Wah Heen Restaurant
Metropolitan Hotel Toronto
108 Chestnut Street
Toronto, Ontario M5G 1R3 Canada
Telephone: 416.977.9899

Pre-order your book now (before the sale disappears)
————
Here are more books about Toronto you might be interested in:

1. Lonely Planet Toronto – This comprehensive guide is your entree to its many facets: the culinary scene is as deliciously diverse as its population, the artistic community breaks conventions on a daily basis and its great outdoors are awash with options – from cycling and skiing to hiking and hockey. Socially enlightened, multicultural and uniquely Canadian.

2. Top 10 Toronto – Whether you’re looking for the finest cuisine or the least expensive places to eat, the most luxurious hotels or the best deals on places to stay, Eyewitness Top 10 Travel Guides provide useful information by local experts to find the best of everything at each destination.

3. Secret Toronto: The Unique Guidebook to Toronto’s Hidden Sites – For the traveler in search of something completely different when visiting Toronto. This detailed guide leads travelers far from the beaten path to uncover Toronto’s best-kept secrets. From obscure museums and overlooked neighborhood treasures to tucked-away green spaces and exotic ethnic cuisine, these little-known destinations yield big rewards for the more adventurous traveler. The soul of this cosmopolitan city is highlighted by hotspots where visitors can learn Latin dancing at night, disco after hours, and rent a private dungeon at an S&M bed-and breakfast.

4. Toronto for Dummies – This book is so great for people traveling to Toronto for the very first time AND for people who really are newbies to this great Canadian City. It’s a fun, very thorough guide about Toronto and the surrounding areas you might want to visit. From the view atop the CN Tower to its electric nightlife to it’s global cuisine, Toronto offers its visitors an unforgettable travel experience. And with Niagara Falls and Stratford just quick trips away, there’s no shortage of things to see and do. With this friendly guide, you’ll plan a vacation that’s perfect for you.

This is a down-to-earth trip planner comes with very handy Post-it flags for you to mark your favorite pages! Priced at a bargain basement price of $11 (plus some change), you’ll get your money’s worth and more with all of its 336 pages.

Formerly The Spadina Hotel, back in the glory days the place hosted celebs like Jack Nicholson and The Rolling Stones. Fast forward to today and the hostel has hosted the likes of future famous people. Maybe.

Because of its downtown location, once you arrive in Toronto, you’ll know you won’t have to lug a huge backpack to get to your accommodations. Also, this youth hostel is conveniently near Toronto’s main sights, which is a traveler’s dream come true. There are also some package tours and day trips (Niagara Falls, Brewery Tours, Hockey Fan Tours, Moose Trips, etc.) available so check them out at the front desk.

Global Village Backpackers is the largest youth hostel in Toronto, offering: 24-hr reception, swipe-card security, air conditioning, free wi-fi, huge common areas, outdoor patio and Toronto’s only Backpackers Bar.

Sounds fun, huh?

Rates (Canadian dollars): $27 Dorm Bed (6-10 beds per room); $29.99 Quad Bed (4 beds per room); $72.50 Private Room (1 double bed) – and a buck or toonie off if you reserve online. Note: $10 linen & key deposit required upon check-in and refunded when linen & key are returned at checkout

Global Village Backpackers Youth Hostel
460 King St. West (NW corner of King & Spadina)
Toronto, On, Canada
M5V 1L7
Tel: 1.888.844.7875 (North America only) or 416.703.8540

In the Village, a great kickoff would be to start at Woody’s, a massive complex of bars that is one of the most popular hangouts in the city for many years. (Many scenes from Queer as Folk were filmed here.) Next, check out Babylon Martini and Musique Boutique. Babylon has over 250 types of martinis! Pimblett’s Pub is a cozy joint, and is the oldest gay bar in Toronto. The Volcano Room is a new spot that has become insanely popular. Zipperz is a traditional piano bar, as is Trax 5. El Convento Rico pulls in the Latino crowd, while Ciao Edie is a funky retro bar. Pegasus Bar is an all time favorite, with video games, pool tables and the largest projection TV in Toronto. Remington’s is the place everyone goes to watch cute go-go boys disrobe. Lesbians hang out at Slack Alice, Pope Joan, and The House of Parlaiment Pub. The leather crowd favors The Black Eagle, The Toolbox, and The Barn and Stables.

You’ll also find that another area, called the Queer West Village, has grow in the West Toronto suburbs. It’s a conglomeration of communities where gays are completely and seamlessly integrated into a mixed district. A more tolerant mindset than most others anywhere, there is no discrimination based on sexual identity. You don’t go out there to party. If you’re looking party, go to the Village. You go to Queer West Village for mingling with gay rights and community related issues.

In the summer, you can get an all-over tan at Hanlans Point Beach on Toronto Island, or closer to town on Scarborough Beach.

When Gay Toronto needs to get its dance on, it heads to Fly. This is the big dance club you’ll recognize from Queer as Folk. On Saturdays, it thumps until well after sunrise. 5ive is more upscale and chic. Lust is where people head to on Fridays. On other nights it’s mostly mixed.

For restaurants, go to Zelda’s, an American/Mexican/Italian eatery. It’s massively popular during Sunday brunch, and its bar is one of the biggest gathering places for gay Toronto. Less tread establishments are: Tantra, the V3 Lounge, PJ Mellons, and Byzantium. For a quieter bar scene, head to Living Well, which has been a favorite with the gay community forever. The Looking Glass is another fave, with its four fireplaces and pan-cultural menu. The Village Rainbow is a Village standard establishment. Fire on the East Side’s Southern-inspired menu will not only pique your interest but it’ll also do the same to your tastebuds.

Toronto has several gay B&Bs. A few of these bed and breakfast places are located right smack in the middle of the Village: The Dundonald House, a charming guesthouse owned by legally-married gay couple Warren and Dave; Cawthra Square, a collection of three upscale B&Bs all side by side to each other, and the recipient of several gay travel awards; The Banting House, an Edwardian residence whose guests rave about it’s central location as well as its marvelous gardens. Bears and leather fans can bed down at The Bearfoot Inn. If you’re searching for a transvestite-friendly place, slide on over to the Wildside Hotel. Other unique, gay-owned properties in the immediate area are The Toronto Townehouse, B R Guest, the Toronto Downtown B&B (a luxury B&B), A Seaton Dream, the Lavender Rose, the House on McGill, and the Burwood Inn.

Pride Toronto is Canada’s largest gay event, and takes place in late June. Folsom Fair North is an extension of San Francisco’s famed leather celebration. It takes place in mid-July. [source]

Delta Chelsea Hotel
33 Gerrard Street West
Toronto (Downtown), Ontario
M5G 1Z4
Tel: 416-595-1975

It was voted among The Top 10 Bars List in the World ’07 by Conde Nast. This is what they had to say about Melody Bar:

With walls paneled in rich wood, alabaster lamps hanging from the 10-foot ceilings, fat Romanesque pillars, and an original 1930s wooden bar, the Melody Bar isn’t so much nouveau retro as a rollicking saloon. Weekend karaoke nights have become the stuff of legend, with the host brandishing a giant APPLAUSE sign to stoke the crowd—an interesting hodgepodge of expertly coiffed hipsters, ad execs, pixie punk girls, and dust-caked construction workers.

Could it be their fabulous burgers? Maybe their rockin’ karaoke (Thursday through Saturday)? Or their famous Hump Day Bump Wednesday night party? Go there and tell me about it!

Open 11am – 2am Daily. No Cover.

To Note: Holiday Hours
Dec 24 Cafe open until 4pm – Brunch Menu | Melody Bar closed
Dec 25 Cafe + Melody Bar Closed
Dec 26 Cafe open at 8am – Brunch Menu | Melody Bar open at 5pm
Dec 31 Serving bubbly till 3am
Jan 1 Cafe open at 8am – Brunch Menu | Melody Bar normal hours

Melody Bar
Gladstone Hotel
1214 Queen Street West
Toronto ON M6J 1J6
416 531 4635

The Gladstone Hotel in Toronto is an urban hotel providing both travelers and Torontonians with a truly authentic experience of the local creative culture. Our historic landmark hotel features artist designed hotel rooms and suites, affordable short-term artist studios, exhibition spaces, and versatile event and conference venues. The hotel also offers great food and drink in the Ballroom Cafe and Melody Bar. Visitors can experience Toronto from within the comforts of the hotel’s thirty-seven artist designed guest rooms, eat, drink, attend art related, social, or corporate events held within the historic landmark architecture, and then step out into the heart of the city’s vibrant art and design neighbourhood.

This isn’t just a place to stay overnight. The Gladstone is more than a hotel. It is a place where local artists exhibit their work and perform and more importantly a place where artists and regular neighbourhood patrons come just to hang out. From cabaret performances to film screenings, art exhibitions to wedding parties the Gladstone hosts events for a vast range of artists, community groups, businesses and individuals.

Gladstone Hotel
1214 Queen Street West
Toronto, ON Canada M6J 1J6
Canada
416.531.4635

Secret Toronto: The Unique Guidebook to Toronto’s Hidden Sites

Toronto Bed and Breakfast
243 Seaton Street • Toronto • Ontario • Canada M5A 2T5
Tel:(416) 929-3363 • Fax:(416) 929-8786 • Toll Free:1-866-878-8898
Website: Seaton Dream

Sorry to remind you of sad remembrances of things past but how about getting your loved one a trip to Toronto? Give them a travel book and they’ll then wonder why you’ve given that to them for Christmas. Then the lightbulb moment will turn on (hopefully) and you then have to plan your wonderful trip to the largest city in Canada. Here are some suggestions:

1. Lonely Planet Toronto – This comprehensive guide is your entree to its many facets: the culinary scene is as deliciously diverse as its population, the artistic community breaks conventions on a daily basis and its great outdoors are awash with options – from cycling and skiing to hiking and hockey. Socially enlightened, multicultural and uniquely Canadian.

2. Fodor’s Toronto – Skyrocket to the top of the CN Tower, hit the patois for great eats and people-watching, sail on Lake Ontario, wander through the Hockey Hall of Fame, or browse the art at a downtown gallery – Fodor’s Toronto offers all these experiences and more.

3. Top 10 Toronto – Whether you’re looking for the finest cuisine or the least expensive places to eat, the most luxurious hotels or the best deals on places to stay, Eyewitness Top 10 Travel Guides provide useful information by local experts to find the best of everything at each destination.

Albert Pimbletts Downtown Toronto Bed and Breakfast has taken on its own life in a royal way. Located in Toronto’s Victorian neighborhood, Cabbagetown, each room takes guests back to Victorian times. Every room has been carefully restored with the guests’ comfort in mind, and is meant to live the life of kings and queens. Your comfort will not be compromised! You must also not overlook the REAL English breakfasts! I’m drooling right now. Bangers and mash!!!!!

Albert Pimbletts Downtown
“TORONTO BED AND BREAKFAST”
242 Gerrard Street East, Toronto, Ontario. M5A 2G2 Canada
Reservations: 416 921 6898
Guest Room Phone: 416 921 6898
E-mail: pimbletts@sympatico.ca

About Dundonald House

The Church – Wellesley corner is center of the Toronto gay village– Shops, cafes, restaurants, bars, nightclubs and public transportation, are all a quick three minute walk from the guest house. Voted Best Bed and Breakfast 6 years in a row by the gay community, Dundonald House offers an oasis of calm in a busy yet exciting area of downtown.

Dundonald House Bed and Breakfast
35 Dundonald St Toronto
Ontario M4Y 1K3 Canada
Email: dh@dundonaldhouse.com
Phone: 1-800-260-7227

I know you are, so, I’m going to recommend Toronto’s The Drake Hotel to you. It’s great, so much so, that it just found out that it is part of Travel & Leisure Magazine’s Top 500 Hotels in ZEE WORLD! You simply can’t go wrong with a hotel like that.

It’s host to various art exhibits and funky, cool lounges and bars so get ready to be part of the chill crowd. Ok, maybe not “chill” all the time, but definitely COOL 24/7 and OOZING with culture.

Drake has 19 hotel rooms to play in, offering guests a comfortable mix of intimacy, bohemian luxury and high tech toys. Ranging in size up to nearly 400 square feet, every room features a Queen sized bed with fine linens and duvets, oversized bath towels and cotton robes. The design strikes a balance between functionality and beauty. Lovingly customized vintage furniture and handcrafted delights by local artists sit side-by-side with all the high tech amenities necessary for work and play: CD and DVD player, flat screen television and complimentary high-speed internet access. Rooms have high ceilings and windows that open, hardwood floors or mod black carpets. Washrooms come equipped with transparent glass shower stalls and premium Aveda bath products.
Let your needs and desires determine the type of room you choose; Drake promises relaxation, stimulation and fun for each one.

The Drake Hotel
1150 Queen St. W,
Toronto, ON M6J1J3
Canada
Phone (416) 531-5042

Les Amis
A Vegetarian Bed & Breakfast in Toronto /
Paul-Antoine & Michelle Buer
31 Granby St., Toronto, Ontario M5B 1H8 Canada.
Tel. (416)928-1348
Fax (416) 591-8546
Website and Rates (Canadian Dollars)
E-mail: les-amis@bbtoronto.com

“Torontonians are justifiably proud of their vibrant and exciting metropolis. Canada’s largest city and its financial hub, Toronto has a tremendous amount to offer, including a thriving theater, music, and arts scene, top museums, world class restaurants and shops, a beautiful lakeside location with lovely beaches and streets safe and inviting to walk along. Its cultural diversity – over 90 ethnic groups are represented in Toronto – enhances the urban experience.”

The Top 10 Guides use exciting colorful photography and excellent cartography to provide a reliable and useful pocket-sized travel. This Top 10 list provides vital information on Toronto, as well as insider tips, from avoiding the crowds to finding out the must-have freebies. To be released on March 30, 2009.

Click here to Order Top 10 Toronto

Order now and if the Amazon.com price decreases between your order time and the end of the day of the release date, you’ll receive the lowest price.

That is a deal, isn’t it?

Order Frommer’s Toronto 2009 now