Orientation

City Layout

Toronto is laid out in a grid . . . with a few interesting exceptions. Yonge Street (pronounced young) is the main north-south artery, stretching from Lake Ontario in the south well beyond Highway 401 in the north. Yonge Street divides western cross streets from eastern cross streets. The main east-west artery is Bloor Street, which cuts through the heart of downtown.

"Downtown" usually refers to the area from Eglinton Avenue south to the lake, between Spadina Avenue in the west and Jarvis Street in the east. Because this is such a large area, I have divided it into five sections. Downtown West runs from the lake north to College Street; the eastern boundary is Yonge Street. Downtown East goes from the lake north to Carlton Street (once College St. reaches Yonge, it becomes Carlton St.); the western boundary is Yonge Street. Midtown extends from College Street north to Davenport Road; the eastern boundary is Jarvis Street. The Danforth/The East End runs east to Danforth Avenue; the western boundary is Broadview Avenue. Uptown is the area north of Davenport Road.

In Downtown West, you'll find many of the lakeshore attractions: Harbourfront, Ontario Place, Fort York, Exhibition Place, and the Toronto Islands. It also boasts the CN Tower, city hall, the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, the Rogers Centre (formerly known as SkyDome), Chinatown, the Art Gallery of Ontario, and the Eaton Centre. Downtown East includes the Distillery District, the St. Lawrence Market, the Hummingbird Centre, the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, and St. James's Cathedral. Midtown West contains the Royal Ontario Museum; the Gardiner Museum; the University of Toronto; Markham Village; and chic Yorkville, a prime area for shopping and dining. Midtown East/The East End features Riverdale Farm, the historic Necropolis, and Greektown. Uptown has traditionally been a residential area, but it's now a fast-growing entertainment area, too. Its attractions include the Sunnybrook park system and the Ontario Science Centre.

North Toronto is another developing area, with theaters such as the Toronto Centre for the Arts, galleries, and some excellent dining. It's not yet a prime tourist destination, but it gets a few mentions throughout this guide.

Toronto sprawls so widely that quite a few of its primary attractions lie outside the downtown core. These include the Toronto Zoo, Paramount Canada's Wonderland, and the McMichael Canadian Art Collection.

Finding an Address -- This isn't as easy as it should be. Your best bet is to call ahead and ask for directions, including landmarks and subway stations. Even the locals need to do this.

TAP into TO, the Toronto Ambassador Program -- Following the lead of such cities as New York and Sydney, Toronto is training some of its citizens to act as tour guides in popular neighborhoods. Tours take an hour or more, and they're free of charge. Call tel. 416/338-2786 or click on to www.toronto.ca/tapto for more information. Every effort is made to match visitors and greeters by interest, so if you are particularly curious about architecture, history, food, or culture, make sure to mention that when you book your tour.

Underground Toronto

As if it weren't enough to know Toronto's streets, you also need an understanding of the labyrinthine walkways beneath the pavement. This wide-ranging network is an excellent way to get around the downtown core when the weather is grim. You can eat, sleep, dance, shop, and go to the theater without even donning a coat.

You can walk from the Dundas subway station south through the Eaton Centre until you hit Queen Street; turn west to the Sheraton Centre and then head south. You'll pass through the Richmond-Adelaide Centre, First Canadian Place, and Toronto Dominion Centre, and go all the way (through the dramatic Royal Bank Plaza) to Union Station. En route, branches lead off to the stock exchange, Sun Life Centre, and Metro Hall. Additional walkways link Simcoe Plaza to 200 Wellington West and to the CBC Broadcast Centre. Other walkways run around Bloor Street and Yonge Street and elsewhere in the city.

This underground city even has its own attractions. First Canadian Place in particular is known for free lunch-hour lectures, opera and dance performances, and art exhibits.

The Neighborhoods in Brief

Downtown West

The Toronto Islands These three islands in Lake Ontario -- Ward's, Algonquin, and Centre -- are home to a handful of residents and no cars. They're a spring and summer haven where Torontonians go to in-line skate, bicycle, boat, and picnic. Centre Island, the most visited, holds the children's theme park Centreville. Catch the ferry at the foot of Bay Street by Queens Quay.

Harbourfront/Lakefront The landfill where the railroad yards and dock facilities once stood is now a glorious playground opening onto the lake. This is home to the Harbourfront Centre, one of the most important literary, artistic, and cultural venues in Canada.

Financial District Toronto's major banks and insurance companies have their headquarters here, from Front Street north to Queen Street, between Yonge and York streets. Toronto's first skyscrapers rose here; fortunately, some of the older structures have been preserved. Ultramodern BCE Place incorporated the facade of a historic bank building into its design.

Theater District An area of dense cultural development, this neighborhood stretches from Front Street north to Queen Street and from Bay Street west to Bathurst Street. King Street West is home to most of the important venues, including the Royal Alexandra Theatre, the Princess of Wales Theatre, Roy Thomson Hall, the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts (the new home of the Canadian Opera Company and the National Ballet of Canada), and Metro Hall. Farther south are the Convention Centre, the CN Tower, and the Rogers Centre.

Chinatown Dundas Street West from University Avenue to Spadina Avenue and north to College Street are the boundaries of Chinatown. As the Chinese community has grown, it has extended along Dundas Street and north along Spadina Avenue. Here, you'll see a fascinating mixture of old and new. Hole-in-the-wall restaurants share the sidewalks with glitzy shopping centers built with Hong Kong money.

Kensington Market Just west of Spadina Avenue and north of Dundas Street West is one of Toronto's most colorful neighborhoods. Successive waves of immigration -- Eastern European Jews, Portuguese, West Indian -- have left their mark. Filled with tiny but wonderful food shops, restaurants, and vintage clothing stores, it's easy to while away an afternoon here (especially on the car-free summer Sundays, when the area becomes a pedestrian-only zone).

Queen Street West This stretch from University Avenue to Bathurst Street offers an eclectic mix -- popular mainstream shops, funky boutiques, secondhand bookshops, and vintage-clothing emporiums. It's also home to Toronto's gourmet ghetto, with bistro after trattoria after cafe lining the street. Unfortunately, the excellent food along this strip is frequently served with heaps of attitude. Despite the intrusion of mega-retailers, many independently owned boutiques flourish.

Art & Design District In the past, Queen Street West was considered edgy. Now that description is more accurately applied to West Queen West, which starts at Bathurst Avenue and runs west to Gladstone Avenue. This neighborhood is one of the coolest in the city, full of art galleries; one-of-a-kind boutiques selling clothing, housewares, and antiques; and up-and-coming restaurants.

Little Italy This thriving, lively area, filled with open-air cafes, trattorias, and shops, serves the Italian community along College Street between Euclid and Shaw. The trendies can't seem to stay away, which has driven up prices in what was once an inexpensive neighborhood.

Downtown East

Old Town/St. Lawrence Market During the 19th century, this area, east of Yonge Street between the Esplanade and Adelaide Street, was the focal point of the community. Today, the market's still going strong, and attractions such as the glorious St. James Cathedral draw visitors.

The Beaches Communal, youthful, safe, and comfortable -- these adjectives describe this neighborhood that's just 15 minutes from downtown at the end of the Queen Street East streetcar line. A summer resort in the mid-1800s, The Beaches' boardwalk and beach ensure that it remains casual and family-oriented. In 2006, there was a local poll to rename this area "The Beach" (a term preferred by many residents), but The Beaches is still the way the neighborhood is known to just about everyone.

Leslieville When I moved away from Toronto 5 years ago, this was a down-on-its-luck stretch of Queen Street East between Carlaw and Leslie Street. Once an industrial area, it was basically the place you passed through on your way to The Beaches. Now, it's on the fast track to gentrification, with a slew of upstart boutiques, vintage and antique stores, and excellent bistros. Its borders are expanding too -- you'll see "Leslieville" signs after you cross Broadview Avenue.

Little India Gerrard Street East between Greenwood Avenue and Main Street is well known for its festival-like atmosphere. It's partly because of the multicolored lights that light up the street at night, but the vibrant streetlife is visible at any time of day. The blocks are filled with Indian restaurants, grocers, and shops that specialize in saris or that sell beautiful textiles.

Midtown West

Queen's Park and the University Home to the Ontario Legislature and many of the colleges and buildings that make up the University of Toronto, this neighborhood extends from College Street to Bloor Street between Spadina Avenue and Bay Street.

Yorkville Originally a village outside the city, this area north and west of Bloor and Yonge streets became Toronto's Haight-Ashbury in the 1960s. Now it's a haute district filled with designer boutiques, galleries, cafes, and restaurants.

The Annex This area fell into neglect for many years, but since the early 1980s, much of it has been lovingly restored. It stretches from Bedford Road to Bathurst Street and from Harbord Street to Dupont Avenue. Many of the tremendous turn-of-the-20th-century homes are still single-family dwellings, though as you walk west it segues into the U of T student ghetto. Revered urban-planning guru Jane Jacobs has long called this area home.

Koreatown The bustling blocks along Bloor Street West between Bathurst and Christie streets are filled with Korean restaurants; alternative-medicine practitioners such as herbalists and acupuncturists; and shops filled with made-in-Korea merchandise. One of the first Korean settlements in Toronto, it is now primarily a business district.

Midtown East/The East End

Rosedale Meandering tree-lined streets with elegant homes and manicured lawns are the hallmarks of this residential community, from Yonge and Bloor streets northeast to Castle Frank and the Moore Park Ravine. Named after the residence of Sheriff William Jarvis (the man who is largely credited with putting down the 1837 Upper Canada Rebellion), its name is synonymous with Toronto's wealthy elite.

Church Street/The Gay Village Between Gerrard Street and Bloor Street East, along Church Street, lies the heart of Toronto's gay and lesbian community. Restaurants, cafes, and bars fill this relaxed, casual neighborhood. Church Street is where 19th-century Toronto's grandest churches were built.

Cabbagetown Once described by writer Hugh Garner as the largest Anglo-Saxon slum in North America, this gentrified neighborhood of Victorian and Edwardian homes stretches east of Parliament Street to the Don Valley between Gerrard Street and Bloor Street. The sought-after residential district got its name because the front lawns of the homes, occupied by Irish immigrants (who settled here in the late 1800s), were, it is said, covered with row upon row of cabbages. Riverdale, Toronto's only inner-city farm, is at the eastern edge of this district.

Greektown Across the Don Valley Viaduct, Bloor Street becomes the Danforth, which marks the beginning of Greektown. It's lined with old-style Greek tavernas and hip Mediterranean bars and restaurants that are crowded from early evening until early morning. The densest wining-and-dining area starts at Broadview Avenue and runs 6 blocks east.

Uptown

Forest Hill Second to Rosedale as the city's prime residential area, Forest Hill is home to Upper Canada College and Bishop Strachan School for girls. It stretches west of Avenue Road between St. Clair Avenue and Eglinton Avenue.

Eglinton Avenue The neighborhood surrounding the intersection of Yonge Street and Eglinton Avenue is jokingly known as "Young and Eligible." It's a bustling area filled with restaurants -- including some of the town's top rated -- and nightclubs. To the east, it intersects with the 243-hectare (600-acre) Sunnybrook park system and with the Ontario Science Centre.