Toronto Tourism Visitor Guide 2009 - (Page 13) Neighbourhoods HearT of THe CiTy LOCATE Roncesvalles Ave., from King St. W. to Dundas St. W. TTC Dundas streetcar westbound. DISCOVER Designer and vintage-clothing stores. LOVE Dancing in the streets. In September, the friendly atmosphere in the village gets downright festive, as the Roncesvalles Polish Festival calls for the streets to be closed off, and then polka bands and dancers take over. the sheer volume of bustling watering holes, restaurants and grab-and-go ethnic-fare eateries, Queen West is always a virtual carnival of food and drink bursting with culture, creativity and attitude. LOCATE Queen St. W., from University Ave. to Gladstone Ave. TTC Osgoode subway station, then Queen streetcar westbound. DISCOVER Street savvy. Stroll this stretch of Queen, from University to Bathurst, past unpretentiously hip taverns and local greasy spoons clustered with upscale dining establishments. LOVE Staying up all night. For one night each fall, Queen West is the backbone for Nuit Blanche, an all-night contemporaryarts festival that takes over the city’s galleries, streets and public spaces. Queen West map C-5; www.westqueenwest.ca DETAILS Over the past decade, numerous trendy restaurants, clothing chains and purveyors of art and chic house décor have descended on Queen West, but they haven’t diluted this colourful strip’s street-cool factor. The strip is lined with tenacious textile stores, antiques shops, tattoo parlours and stores selling “real vintage.” Further west and a couple of blocks south are sleek loft condos, while the stretch past Bathurst is alive with a flurry of new dining spots, fashion boutiques and start-up art galleries. Given Photo: Kevin Steele Kensington Market map C-4; www.kensington-market.ca DETAILS Experience firsthand Toronto’s rich cultural mix at Kensington Market, where the shops are stacked with produce www.SeeTorontoNow.com 13 http://www.westqueenwest.ca http://www.kensington-market.ca http://www.SeeTorontoNow.com
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