Daily News at Sibos

Conference centre

Sibos will take place at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre from 19-23 September. Located on 255 Front Street West, Toronto, Ontario, M5V 2W6, (www.mtccc.com, +1 416 585 8000), the Sibos show will use both the North and South Buildings of the Centre. Opening hours for the show are 9am-6pm Monday to Wednesday, although a drinks reception in the exhibition hall will mean it stays open until 7.30pm on the first day. On Thursday 22 September the hours are 9am-5.30pm, with the traditional Sibos party running from 7.30pm until 2am. For those still in shape after the party, the final day runs from 9am-1pm. The Metro Toronto Convention Centre is accessible via Union Station or St Andrew station, southbound platform, on the Yonge – University (yellow coloured) subway line. 

Hotels

There are 17 official Sibos hotels. All will be served by the Sibos bus, running Monday-Thursday, 7-10am and 5-7pm for return journeys from the convention centre.

Five star hotel:

The Hazelton Hotel (118 Yorkville Avenue, +1 416 963 6301, www.thehazeltonhotel.com)

Four star hotels:

Fairmont Royal York Hotel (100 Front St West, +1 416 368 2511, www.fairmont.com/royalyork)

Four Seasons (21 Avenue Road, +1 416 964 0411, www.fourseasons.com/toronto)

Hilton Toronto (145 Richmond St West, +1 416 869 3456, www.toronto.hilton.com)

Intercontinental Toronto Centre (225 Front St West, +1 416 597 1400, www.torontocentre.intercontinental.com)

Le Meridien King Edward (37 King St East, +1 416 863 9700, www.starwoodhotels.com/lemeridien)

Marriott Bloor Yorkville (90 Bloor St East, +1 416 961 8000, www.marriott.com/toronto)

Marriott Downtown Eaton Centre (525 Bay Street, +1 416 597 9200, www.marriott.com/toronto)

Park Hyatt Toronto (4 Avenue Road, +1 416 925 1234, www.parktoronto.hyatt.com) 

Renaissance Toronto Hotel (One Blue Jays Way, +1 416 341 7100, www.marriott.com/toronto)

Sheraton Centre Toronto (123 Queen St West, +1 416 361 1000, www.sheratontoronto.com) 

The Westin Harbour Castle (1 Harbour Square, +1 416 869 1600, www.westin.com/Toronto) 

Three star hotels:

Courtyard Marriott Downtown (475 Yonge Street, +1 416 924 0611, www.marriott.com/toronto

Hyatt Regency (370 King St West, +1 416 343 1234, www.torontoregency.hyatt.com)

Novotel Toronto Centre (45 The Esplanade, +1 416 367 8900, www.novotel.com)

Radisson Admiral Harbourfront (249 Queen’s Quay West,  +1 416 203 3333, www.radisson.com) 

The Strathcona (60 York Street, Toronto, +1 416 363 3321, www.thestrathconahotel.com)

Climate

In the winter Toronto has heavy snowfalls and sub-zero temperatures, contrasted with hot and humid summers. In the third week of September, during Sibos, some of the oppressive heat will have relented and pleasant warm and sunny autumn weather should predominate, with an average monthly temperature of 71°F (22 C) and 76 mm (3 inches) of rain. 

Getting around

Toronto has a North American grid layout but uses street names rather than numbers for its roads, so it’s handy to have a map. Yonge Street is the city’s principal north-south artery so streets crossing this change from west to east – for example, Queen St West (one of the principal cross streets, along with King, Dundas and Front St) becomes Queen St East when it crosses Yonge.

For those not wedded to the Sibos buses, the best way to get around town is via the Toronto Transit Commission (www.ttc.ca) network, which operates from 6am-1am on four subway lines, 11 streetcar routes and 140 bus routes. The GO overland trains serve the wider metropolitan area. TTC carries 1.5 million passengers per working day and operates a flat rate fare structure with free transfers available between all modes of transport. It is C$3 for a single cash fare, although you may wish to invest in a day pass for C$10 or a weekly pass for C$36 at any subway station. Go to Union Station or St Andrew to access the convention centre on the Yonge-University (yellow) subway line. Trains run every two minutes during peak hours, five minutes otherwise. 

Taxis can be hailed from any street corner; 10-15% of the total fare should go on a tip. Getting downtown from the main Toronto Pearson Airport will cost well over C$50, with the metered rate dependent on the route taken and traffic. Alternatively, get the Downtown Express bus service ($39.95 return, www.torontoairportexpress.com); a shared airport limo for a little more; or the Sibos bus, which departs every 30 minutes from 7am-11pm on 17-18 September to the official Sibos hotels. Return services to the airport run on 23 September.

Entertainment Guide: Toronto – from top to bottom

Sights

Perhaps the most famous sight in Toronto, indeed the landmark of the City itself, is the CN Tower, (301 Front St www.cntower.ca, +1 416 601 4712). Still advertised as the world’s tallest free standing structure at 553.33m high, it was opened in 1975 as a broadcasting transmission tower by Canadian National, the railway conglomerate. The real money spinner, however, is the revenue from the 2-3 million tourists who flock here each year to see the view and the famous glass floor. The tower is next to the SkyDome (1 Blue Jays Way www.rogerscentre.com, +1 416 341 2222) and indeed the convention centre where Sibos takes place. Resembling an armadillo when its roof is closed, SkyDome (or the Rogers Centre as it is now known)  was the first stadium in the world to have a fully retractable roof when it opened in 1989. 

Toronto’s other prestige sights are led by the huge Royal Ontario Museum (100 Queen’s Park www.rom.on.ca, +1 416 586 8000), which has a vast collection of natural history and cultural curios and artifacts from around the world, especially from China and Canada’s Indian tribes. The Art Gallery of Ontario (317 Dundas St www.ago.net, +1 416 979 6660), has 73,000 works of art, including Rubens’ masterpiece The Massacre of the Innocents, part of the Thomson Collection. There is also a range of Canadian painters. The gallery was renovated in 2008 by acclaimed architect Frank Gehry who added new contemporary wings to the complex in a C$276 million project.

The superb Gallery of Inuit Art (79 Wellington St West www.td.com/inuitart/index.jsp, +1 416 982 8473) at the Toronto Dominion Centre southern tower is also well worth a visit and is again close to the convention centre in the heart of the banking district downtown. Opened in 1987 the gallery is free and contains more than 200 pieces of TD Bank’s extensive collection of Inuit sculptures, covering shamans, deities, birds, sea creatures and folk figures. The thin layer of gold that cover the two towers at nearby Royal Bank Plaza (200 Bay St, +1 416 203 2600) is also perhaps worth a look, with 2500 ounces of the precious material covering the window panes. Built in the late 1970s when RBC decided to move its centre of operations from Francophone Montreal to English-speaking Toronto, the plaza makes a garish statement. Other banking-related sights in the downtown banking district include the old Toronto Stock Exchange (234 Bay St), now the Design Exchange, which has an Art Deco styled trading floor upstairs and, amusingly, a frieze in its stone lintel showing a top-hatted capitalist dipping his hand into a worker’s pocket, a subversive political comment from yesteryear (would never happen these days – Ed). 

For those wanting something a little different, the Bata Shoe Museum (327 Bloor St www.batashoemuseum.ca, +1 416 979 7799) explores the world of your feet with a stunning collection of 13,000 shoes and related artifacts, spanning 4500 years of human history. Imelda Marcos eat your heart out. The Hockey Hall of Fame (Brookfield Place, 30 Yonge St www.hhof.com, +1 416 360 7765) covers 60,000 square feet dedicated to Canada’s national game, featuring a replica dressing room, interactive games, profiles of the world’s greatest players and teams, and hands-on access to the Stanley Cup.

Back uptown, you can see the fancy Victorian and Edwardian furniture, decor and gardens of the once-powerful Austin family at Spadina House (285 Spadina Rd www.toronto.ca/spadina, +1 416 392 6910) and nearby is the OTT mock-gothic extravagance of Casa Loma (1 Austin Terrace www.casaloma.org, +1 416 923 1171) with its suites, towers, turrets, tunnels and stables – this bizarre cod-castle must have upset the neighbouring Austins. Its owner Henry Pellatt made a fortune by harnessing the power of Niagara Falls to provide hydroelectricity but had to move out in 1923 after declaring bankruptcy. He died penniless 16 years later. Further afield is the replica of Fort York (250 Fort York Boulevard www.toronto.ca/fortyork, +1 416 392 6907), the colonial settlement where the city began. If you need to relax after all that sight-seeing, then The Beaches to the far east of downtown or the Toronto Islands to the south are where many locals head to unwind.  

St Lawrence Market located in the trendy Distillery District is an attraction for foodies, much like London’s Borough Market. Walk through the stalls and smell the cured meat and various cheeses. From here you’re in the perfect spot to hit the Esplanade for outdoor pubs – especially ones like The Bier Markt (for specialty European beers, mussels and live music during the week).

Centre Island, whose ferries are a 10 minutes walk from the Metro Convention Centre located on the Queen’s Quay, is a popular attraction. However, all sight-seers travel the ferry for its view of the Toronto skyline and can make an afternoon in the park with a picnic. Ferries cost $6.50 per person, round trip.

Underground city

From the 1960s onwards under the guidance of city planner Matthew Lawson, Toronto built a series of underground shopping malls and connected up some old tunnels to form the basis of the Path network, which was extended in the 1970s creating some of the most valuable retail space in the world; sometimes literally from basements. The impetus was that the downtown sidewalks were overcrowded, and new office towers were removing much-needed small businesses from the streets above. Despite more recent opposition, the temperature controlled environment still appeals to some, due to the extremely cold winters and hot humid summers of Toronto.

There are 17 miles of underground pedestrian tunnels linking the Eaton Centre, hotels and numerous other facilities, providing 4 million square feet of retail space. Dundas St is Path’s most northerly point, while Sibos’ own venue, the Metro Toronto Convention Centre (South Building) forms its most southerly point.  

Bars, food, nightlife and neighbourhoods

The majority of the nightlife in Toronto can be found downtown around King St West and Queen St West, especially between the north-south axis of Spadina and University Avenues where there are assorted bars, pubs, restaurants and bistros. A number of clubs can be found on and around the side streets along Richmond St West where the mainstream XS (261 Richmond St, http://clubxs.ca, +1 416 598 1632) and Lot 332 (332 Richmond, www.lot332.com, +1 416 599 5332) are located among others. For an edgier vibe continue to push west towards Bathurst St and beyond. If you fancy some food before starting any late night festivities, the mid-price pizza, pasta and all-round Italian joint Terroni (720 Queen St W, www.terroni.com, +1 416 504 1992) is very good and has a nice patio too.

The College St strip, further north and west of Bathurst nudging uptown above Dundas St also has a number of clubs such as themodclub (722 college St, www.themodclub.com, +1 416 588 4663) in among the numerous cafes, but more relaxed lounges and live music venues tend to dominate here. The College St Bar (574 College St www.collegestreetbar.com, +1 416 533 2417) is one such place where good food, drinks, DJs, jukeboxes and sometimes live music combine well. There are many other such places along the street. Off the beaten track, Danforth Avenue to the east of Bloor St E and Yonge St uptown has a number of more down at heel, local-type establishments, such as Allen’s and Dora Keogh’s irish pubs (143 & 141 Danforth Ave respectively) and the Only Cafe (972 Danforth), doing microbrews further east.

You’re bound to find something you like around these neighbourhoods but another area to perhaps check out is the Harbourfront, which extends west from Yonge St to Bathurst, along Queen’s Quay West. Separated from the rest of downtown by the ugly Gardiner Expressway, it is much much quieter and only really comes alive at the weekend or on a sunny day. There are still lots of venues to wonder in and out of however, along the boardwalk, shops, eateries, and marinas, plus there is an open air concert arena where free performances are often put on throughout the summer. Many of the attractions are centred on the Harbourfront Centre (Lower Simcoe St, www.harbourfrontcentre.com, +1 416 973 4000), which houses the Power Plant Gallery showing contemporary art and much else besides. Don’t go partying round here as venues close early, but you should be able to find a few pubs and restaurants with lakeside views, such as the Watermark Irish Pub (207 Queen’s Quay West, www.watermarkirishpub.ca, +1 416 214 2772) and Harbour Sixty Steakhouse (60 Harbour St, http://harboursixty.com, +1 416 777 2111). Other cheaper steakhouses, such as The Keg chain, can be found nearby a bit further north of the Gardiner (26 The Esplanade, www.kegsteakhouse.com, +1 416 367 0685) and across the city.

The oldest tavern in town, built in 1849, is the Wheat Sheaf (667 King St W at Bathurst, +1 416 504 9912). An upscale pool hall and bar/restaurant can be found at The Academy of Spherical Arts (1 Snooker St, www.sphericalarts.com, +1 416 532 2782). Formerly a billiards factory the refurbished facility has many antique tables and four beautifully decorated rooms that can be hired out separately. It is C$20 per hour for a table, which are allocated on a first come, first served basis. Phone ahead though to check in case a corporate or private event is on. For a taste of live music every Wednesday night from 9pm and a few ales head to Fynn’s of Temple Bar (489 King St West, http://fynnstemplebar.com, +1 416 586 1331). For craft beers head to C’est What Brew/Vin pub (67 Front St East at Church St, www.cestwhat.com, +1 416 867 9499), which also has a studio music bar next door. The similar Bier Markt with a huge selection of Belgian and global beers is round the corner towards the waterfront (58 The Esplanade, www.biermarkt, +1 416 862 7575). Next door is the more traditional Scotland Yard pub (56 The Esplanade, www.scotlandyard.ca, +1 416 364 6572). St Lawrence Market nearby (on Jarvis St, between The Esplanade & King St E, www.stlawrencemarket.com, +1 416 392 7219) is a fun day-time only venue where food, art, and a weekend farmers’ and antique market is held on Saturday and Sunday respectively. If hunger strikes one of three Petite Thuet bakeries with fabulous treats is nearby in this so-called Market District (244 King St East, www.petitethuet.com, +1 416 519 4847).

For lounge lizards check out The Paddock (178 Bathurst St, corner of Queen St W, www.thepaddock.ca, +1 416 504 9997) an old art deco style place that has Kevin Quain on the piano every Tuesday 9pm-midnight, and specialises in jazz, funk and old school rock. Quain also plays jazz at the venerable Cameron Public House 9pm-midnight (408 Queen St W, www.thecameron.ca, +1 416 703 0811). Another irregular performer at The Paddock is Jake Wilkinson on jazz trumpet, who also plays at the uptown Bloor Street Diner for Sunday brunch 12-3.30pm (55 Bloor St W @ Manulife Centre, www.bloorstreetdiner.com, +1 416 928 3105) in the swanky Yorkville neighbourhood that also has many expensive restaurants. 

Restaurants

Canoe restaurant (54th Floor, TD Bank Tower, 66 Wellington St West, www.oliverbonacini.com/Canoe.aspx, +1 416 364 0054) is considered by many to be the best place to eat in town, certainly downtown, and the prices reflect this. Along with the stunning modern Canadian food, it has breathtaking views of the city. The costliest meal in town however, by far, can be found at Kaiseki Yu-zen Hashimoto. The delicate and artistic food is flown in from Japan (6 Garamond Court, Don Mills, www.kaiseki.ca/english, +1 416 444 7100). It’s a minimum of C$300 for a nine course dinner – meal only, without tax, tip or drinks, and C$800 is easily achievable – that is if you can manage to reserve a table a week or two in advance. You cannot do anything as gauche as just turn up. Much more relaxed is the modern Canadian midtown venue Scaramouche (One Benvenuto Place, www.scaramoucherestaurant.com +1 416 961 8011) in midtown above Yorkville and the University, which has commanding views back down towards the city.

Entertainment: Listings & Tickets

T.O. TIX (1 Dundas St,  +1 416 536 6468, www.totix.ca) is Toronto’s central ticketing outlet, featuring half-price and discounted tickets on the day of a performance or full-price advance tickets to the theatre, dance, opera, comedy, music, sports and special events. Theatre Ontario, (www.theatreontario.org, +1 416 408 4556) a non-profit organisation dedicated to supporting productions all across Ontario, also has a good listings website, which is especially useful for events outside the city. NOW (www.nowtoronto.com, +1 416 364 1300) is a weekly news and entertainment title, published every Thursday that provides a useful guide to live music, clubs and what’s going on in the city in smaller venues. Its 20-year-old rival, eye, part of the Toronto Sun, has recently been rebranded to The Grid (www.thegridto.com), focusing more on lifestyle issues but it still has a comprehensive listings and neighbourhood section and is good for more mainstream events. 

Sports

Toronto has a number of professional sports teams, most prominently the Toronto Blue Jays baseball club, who play from April to September at the downtown Rogers Centre. The 138-year-old Toronto Argonauts, who claim to be North America’s oldest professional American Football club, also play there in the Canadian Football League from June-November. Toronto FC, a Major League Soccer franchise, plays at the BMO Field downtown at Exhibition Place from April to November. More information is available at www.mytorontomeeting.com via the ‘what to do’, sports section. 

Famous Torontonians

The live music scene in Toronto has spawned many famous sons and daughters, notably Neil Young and Joni Mitchell. From the classical tradition, the eccentric pianist Glenn Gould, who has a performance hall named after him, was the first western musician to play the Soviet Union during the 1950s when the cold war was in full swing. He was considered a genius, if a controversial one – he had a very low opinion of Mozart and romantic composers such as Chopin or Lizst, for example, preferring Petula Clark or Barbara Streisand instead. In more modern times, the Bare Naked Ladies, a collection of men with a talent for naming and rambunctious music, have carried the torch for local live music.

On the literary scene, some of the City’s most famous authors are Margaret Atwood and Michael Ondaatje, whose book In the Skin of a Lion is considered by many to be the Toronto novel. From the world of film, Jim Carey, Eugene Levy and Mike Myers hail from the city and its environs, although in common with many they don’t necessarily live there anymore. The latter’s Wayne’s World film is commonly held to be a representation of his suburban life in far-flung Scarborough.

Excursions

Niagara Falls is only 130km south of Toronto and easily reachable for a day-trip. The self-styled ‘honeymoon capital of North America’ is a little frayed around the edges these days, with the famous Maid of the Mist boat tour and other attractions attracting mainly day-trippers and not the long-stay holidaymakers of the past. The tremendous falls are still well worth a visit though, despite the commercialisation of the town around it. Falling over a massive 52-metre high cliff and causing steam and spray to envelope the environs around the picturesque Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian side of the Niagara River, this sight of untrammelled nature is worth a hour or two of anyone’s time. The American Falls are 320m wide but less dramatic and not really worth crossing the border for. Take the boat trip, stand atop the Horseshow Falls, or walk down to one of the tunnels behind it to get the best experience. Further downstream you can see the whirlpool rapids, at the Great Gorge Adventure and the Niagara Parks Botanical Gardens, which includes the ever popular butterfly conservatory.

Niagara-on-the-Lake is 26km downstream from the world famous Niagara Falls and a world away from the casinos, tourist shops and end-of-the-pier entertainments of that town. The colonial-style town, once known as Newark and the first capital of Upper Canada in 1792, before that honour was bestowed on York (now Toronto) in 1796, was utterly destroyed in 1813 by an invading US army but was subsequently re-built and re-named. The elegant clapboard houses, white picket fences, well kept gardens and tree-lined streets of Niagara-on-the-Lake that you see today largely emanate from this reconstruction. The town is a popular ‘mini-break’ destination and is surrounded by numerous vineyards which are great fun to explore, as well as having a number of excellent restaurants and craft shops. In addition, there is the annual Shaw Festival where many of the great man’s plays are shown throughout the summer until October. For details of this popular event celebrating its 50th anniversary this year including performances of Pygmalion, Candida and the Admirable Crichton, please visit www.shawfest.com. For avid theatre-goers the Stratford Shakespeare Festival (www.stratfordfestival.ca) in Stratford, southern Ontario is also worth checking out. Productions of Richard III, Twelfth Night and The Merry Wives of Windsor will be shown this year, alongside The Misanthrope by Molière and various contemporary plays. 

 Sources: Friends and Canadian relatives living in Toronto, plus Tourism Toronto at http://www.mytorontomeeting.com.