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Things to do/see in Toronto


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So, in late June, my fiancee, her son, his girlfriend and I will be travelling to TO for a vacation. For those of you who've been there or live there, what are THE must see attractions? We'll be taking in a Blue Jays game one night.

 

Any help is appreciated.

 

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17 minutes ago, BuffaloBill said:

Probably the most “touristy” thing to do is to go up the CN tower but it is pretty cool.  

 

Never thought I was afraid of heights til I ventured outside on the observation deck!

 

Been a while since I’ve visited Canada’s largest city so, , besides CN Tower, all I can suggest is Yorkville, China Town, and Hockey Hall of Fame.  City Hall Plaza is cool, at least to me.  Adult beverages at the Royal York as well.  Eaton Center, if you like shopping.

 

Also, CBC has a broadcast studio at CN Tower with Glenn Gould’s actual Chickering Piano in the lobby, but I’m one of few who finds that interesting.

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Just now, The Senator said:

 

Never thought I was afraid of heights til I ventured outside on the observation deck!

 

Been a while since I’ve visited Canada’s largest city so, , besides CN Tower, all I can suggest is Yorkville, China Town, and Hockey Hall of Fame.  City Hall Plaza is cool, at least to me.  Adult beverages at the Royal York as well.  Eaton Center, if you like shopping.

 

Also, CBC has a broadcast studio at CN Tower with Glenn Gould’s actual Chickering Piano in the lobby, but I’m one of few who find’s that interesting.

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If you are with a group Dim Sum in China town is awesome.

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14 minutes ago, The Senator said:

 

Never thought I was afraid of heights til I ventured outside on the observation deck!

 

Been a while since I’ve visited Canada’s largest city so, , besides CN Tower, all I can suggest is Yorkville, China Town, and Hockey Hall of Fame.  City Hall Plaza is cool, at least to me.  Adult beverages at the Royal York as well.  Eaton Center, if you like shopping.

 

Also, CBC has a broadcast studio at CN Tower with Glenn Gould’s actual Chickering Piano in the lobby, but I’m one of few who finds that interesting.

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i have no huge fear of heights but wouldn't want to do something like that....

 

Glenn's CDs are a staple of my existence, especially his 20th century stuff like Krenek

 

 

 

 

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2 minutes ago, BuffaloBill said:

 

 

If you are with a group Dim Sum in China town is awesome.

 

LOVE Dim Sum - made a point to go for breakfast at least once a month in SF.

 

Never went in TO but, on your recommendation, it’s now on my list!

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25 minutes ago, row_33 said:

 

i have no huge fear of heights but wouldn't want to do something like that....

 

Glenn's CDs are a staple of my existence, especially his 20th century stuff like Krenek

 

Mine as well, but, being more of a traditionalist, I own everything he ever recorded by Bach (also have his recordings of all the Mozart and Beethoven sonatas, and Prokofiev and Wagner’s Sigfried Idyll).

 

I found his distaste for the Romantics quite odd, as I have a bootleg of Chopin’s 3rd piano sonata - Gould sounded like Horowitz!

 

Next time visit, I must go see Steinway CD318 at the National Library.  I believe the last person to perform on it was fellow Canadian Angela Hewitt, a brilliant interpreter of Bach whom I had the geat pleasure of seeing perform the ‘Goldbergs’ in their entirety, at Davies Hall in SF, when she was just on the cusp of her rise to fame.

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16 minutes ago, The Senator said:

 

Mine as well, but, being more of a traditionalist, I own everything he ever recorded by Bach (also have his recordings of all the Mozart and Beethoven sonatas, and Prokofiev and Wagner’s Sigfried Idyll).

 

I found his distaste for the Romantics quite odd, as I have a bootleg of Chopin’s 3rd piano sonata - Gould sounded like Horowitz!

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good stuff

 

Glenn wanted to work on the 20th century rep that would not get wide release, John Ogdon was another who took to this line of composers, both had a tough time....

 

 

 

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11 minutes ago, row_33 said:

 

good stuff

 

Glenn wanted to work on the 20th century rep that would not get wide release, John Ogdon was another who took to this line of composers, both had a tough time....

 

Gould’s success and brilliance with the more ‘traditional repertoire’, and success in the stock market, made it much easier for him to indulge his ‘less traditional tastes.

 

I wish some of his 20h century recordings included Rachmaninov.  When discussing Carl Orff’s ‘Carmina Burana’ (way over-played at sporting events), Gould humorously stated, “And you thought Phillip Glass found an easy way to earn a living!”

 

I’m glad he never recorded  John Cage’s ‘4’33’!

 

If you haven’t read Tim Page’s ‘The Glenn Gould Reader’, I highly suggest it.  Likewise, the movie, ‘Thirty Short Films About Glenn Gould’.

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4 minutes ago, Ridgewaycynic2013 said:

So do I.  ‘That’s What I Like About You’ was a kicka$$ song!

 

Sure was, If you enjoy senseless lyrics over the simplest 3-chord progression . ?

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5 minutes ago, The Senator said:

Sure was, If you enjoy senseless lyrics over the simplest 3-chord progression . 

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Although my comprehension of the intricacies of classical is woefully inadequate, both have a place in my listening.  Pardon my whiskey breath, I just rode in from Butte...  ?

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28 minutes ago, Ridgewaycynic2013 said:

Although my comprehension of the intricacies of classical is woefully inadequate, both have a place in my listening.  Pardon my whiskey breath, I just rode in from Butte...  ?

 

Well, no probs, you didn’t spend a lifetime studying it, and are certainly very knowledgable of things I am completely ignorant.

 

BTW, I enjoy almost very form of music, save for rap, which I probably should appreciate since it reminds me of the first primitive humans beating a hollow log (rhythm), or stretching an animal hide across one (drums), or an stretching an animal sinew across one to discover the harmonic series (melody) and invent the first string instrument.

 

I adore Oscar Peterson, Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis, Sinatra, Connick, etc., as much as I adore Van Morrison, the Rolling Stones, Steely Dan, Frank Zappa, Springsteen, Dylan, Skynard, Little Feat, etc., as much as I like any music.

 

As long as it’s good music, I like it.

 

(BTW, I enjoy good whiskey too - had probably a bit too much bourbon yesterday, but understandable, I hope - I lost a bit of money.)

 

You didn’t really ‘ride in’ from Butte?  Must have saddle sores!

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2 hours ago, Joe in Winslow said:

So, in late June, my fiancee, her son, his girlfriend and I will be travelling to TO for a vacation. For those of you who've been there or live there, what are THE must see attractions? We'll be taking in a Blue Jays game one night.

 

Any help is appreciated.

 

African Lion Safari is about an hour away from the GTA..well worth the ride imo.As others stated...Hockey HOF is a no miss.

Very good Thai places around if you folks like that type of food.

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You guys are better at hijacking than the plo

17 minutes ago, Misterbluesky said:

African Lion Safari is about an hour away from the GTA..well worth the ride imo.As others stated...Hockey HOF is a no miss.

Very good Thai places around if you folks like that type of food.

 

Thank you!

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13 minutes ago, Joe in Winslow said:

You guys are better at hijacking than the plo

 

Yeah, sorry.

 

Thai is probably my favorite - go eat some.

 

(Also, head up to Mt. Pleasant cemetery to see the Gould grave site - has the first few measures of the ‘Goldberg Variations’, his most famous recording and only piece of music he recorded twice, in 1955 and again in 1980, etched on his tombstone.)

 

?

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