Toronto Tourism Visitor Guide 2008 - (Page 13) Neighbourhoods Heart of tHe City European delicacies. EXPLORE According to urban legend, Grenadier Pond is bottomless, that is, its depth cannot be measured due to the amount of mud. LOVE Nature. The park is home to multiple species of birds and marsh wildlife, and fish caught in it is safe to eat. Roncesvalles Village/ Little Poland map DD-5; www.roncesvallesvillage.ca while the formerly near-derelict stretch past Bathurst is alive with a flurry of new dining spots, fashion boutiques and start-up art galleries. Given 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. West, 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 contemporary-arts festival that takes over the city’s galleries, streets and public spaces. DETAILS A community of Eastern European and Russian immigrants, this area is a mix of residential and small family-owned retail and food shops specializing in sausages, hand-made pierogi, sauerkraut, cabbage rolls and hearty soups. LOCATE Roncesvalles Ave., from King St. West to Dundas St. West 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. 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. Graffiti on the walls of alleyways prevail alongside the tenacious textile stores, antiques shops, tattoo parlours and stores selling “real vintage.” Further west and a couple of blocks south are sleek loft condos, 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 and gift items from Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America, Europe and the Middle East. This labyrinth of streets, just west of Old Chinatown, affords a multisensory virtual trip www.torontotourism.com 13 http://www.roncesvallesvillage.ca http://www.westqueenwest.ca http://www.kensington-market.ca http://www.torontotourism.com
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