Hg2 : The Hedonist

A Hedonist’s guide to…

Toronto

SOMA
Museum of Contemp. Art
Rosedale Diner
It's as much about the personality as it is about the food at this upscale eclectic diner...
Art Gallery of Ontario
The AGO houses the world's largest collection of Canadian art.
Grayline Bus Tours
This is a hop-on/hop-off open-topped bus tour of the city.
Hilton Garden Inn
If you hadn't seen the brand emblazoned on the outside of the building, you'd swear you were standing in the lobby of a fancy-pants boutique hotel.
Saving Grace
This classic brunch spot is the saving grace of its uninspiring locale, bar one or two cute coffee shops.
Winners
Make sure you have plenty of energy to tackle this discount clothing shop.
Varsity Cinemas
Upmarket multiplex with all the trimmings...
2 Cats
Perfect for those content to order drinks cheek-by-jowl (albeit both chiselled and youthful), this local hangout would be casual if it weren't so darn frenetic.
Caplansky’s
Montreal claims to be the Canadian Mecca of the smoked-meat sandwich, so it caused much kvetching when Zane Caplansky had the chutzpah to make a Toronto version.
House of Vintage
A vintage shop with outposts on both sides of the Atlantic.
Dakota Tavern
It's only been open since 2006, but this live music bar is already a solid gold institution.
Madison Manor Boutique Hotel
If Anne of Green Gables came to the big city, this is where she'd stay.
Smoke’s Poutinerie
A fast-food franchise that's fabulous for post-drink munchies.
Hippo Tours
The Hippo is a 'unique 40-passenger vessel' that will drive you through the streets of Toronto and keep you afloat in Lake Ontario (while you're drowning in public humiliation).
Index G B&B
A quirky bed-and-breakfast that's cool, casual and super-creative.
Hockey Hall of Fame
Canadians pour in here by the truckload with the whole family in tow to worship at the altar of ice-hockey...
Royal Ontario Museum
With a collection of six million items, the ROM is the largest natural history and world culture museum in Canada.
Ydessa Hendeles Art Foundation
Privately funded contemporary art space...
Balzac’s Coffee
Harking back to a time when French cafés were lousy with literary luminaries, this place offers a slice of Parisian panache with its assortment of organic coffees.
City Hall & Phillips Sq.
Acting as both a courthouse and a symbol for the city, City Hall is a must-do on any visitor's itinerary.
Rogers Centre Stadium
The five-level stadium formerly known as the SkyDome is home to Toronto's baseball team, The Blue Jays, and the Toronto Argonauts Football Club.
Red Bull 381
A nifty little space up a staircase and through an illuminated covered bridge, this is a Red Bull-sponsored art platform.
Butterfly
Plastic fantastic at Butterfly.
Lululemon Athletica
Canadian brand for athletic-stroke-casual wear and yoga paraphernalia.
Red Tea Box
This odd little shop is for total tea enthusiasts (and anyone who likes cake).
Hemingways
There's a delicious incongruence about this Kiwi pub with its gaudy flags and banners being slap-bang in the middle of the socialite district.
Rua Vang Golden Turtle
Pho-get about the competition, this is where in-the-know Torontonians get their noodle soup fix.
Rotate This
Vinyl forever, baby.
Aunties & Uncles
Named after a B-side tune from The Jam, this is the flipside to a sleek business brunch.
Sweaty Betty’s
This cluttered nook attracts a misfit parade of artsy, bookish types of unannounced sexuality and longhaired tattooed folk of indeterminate age.
Queen And Beaver
If you're pining for an exemplary British roast or a fish and chips fix, proprietor Jamieson Kerr grew up in the U.K. and knows how to do it right.
The Senator
This historic diner opened in 1948, and looks like it's been preserved in aspic ever since.
LeVack Block
On a street heavily peppered with bars, this is the hot chili - and it's all down to the dance floor.
Guu Izakaya
An Izakaya is a chaotic Japanese bar and snack-stop that promises a bullet train to inebriation. The crazy Guu chain has been getting around Vancouver, and now it's Toronto's turn.
The Power Plant
Similarly to the Tate Modern, this former power station has been revamped as a public gallery for contemporary international art.
Vintage Mix 1
Get into the vintage spirit and search for that something special at Vintage Mix 1.
Allen Lambert Galleria
Within the office complex of Brookfield Place, there is a six-storey 'Galleria' connecting Bay Street with Heritage Square.
Badlands Vintage
Vintage clothes from the 80s and 90s in a shop decorated with the odd bit of taxidermy.

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