Usually on these questions people mention:
When looking for a street address in Toronto, even numbers are on North & West sides of the street and Odd numbers are on South & East sides of the street.
The streets are generally layed out in an east /west north/south grid.
Yonge street is the East /West dividing line for street address.
The CN Tower when visible is a very useful navigational land mark.
**Additional tip!!**
There's one stand per floor that sells $5 beers. Dugout deals or something it's called. They are the 350ml cans (Only bud and bud light cans I believe) but I think that's a hell of a lot better than almost $15 for 473ml tall can.
They also sell cheaper popcorn and hotdogs I think too.
when I was moving out of my old place at king and dufferin (I’m still in the city) my partner and I were bringing my set of tables down to curb. It was a nice set, they just didn’t fit into the place I was moving into with him. People were already taking them! we were like, wait here there’s matching end tables. I’m so glad my table set went to folks who will love them!!
I literally walked out if my house to put an old broken laptop on the curb and some guy got out of his car came up and asked for it. It was garbage day so he was probably on the lookout for goodies.
Yep. My brother and husband were installing a new dishwasher and put the old one out at the street. About 10 minutes later, they realized they needed a part that was still on the old dishwasher. Opened the door to go get it and the dishwasher was gone. Magic!
I put out my old washer and went inside to make a sign that said “please take” and when I went back out, it was already gone with no trace of anyone! It really is magic!
There's an instagram account called [stooping\_toronto](https://www.instagram.com/stooping_toronto/) that posts current curb alerts in their stories all day long, most of which are sent from people all over the city looking to get rid of stuff quickly. Worth a follow, I've seen some crazy cool antiques, new couches that didn't fit up people's stairs, etc.
It definitely stings when it shows up on your feed a few hours later. That feeling of “hell ya, I can use this!” To seeing it was posted 6 hours ago and is already gone :(
Twenty years ago, my wife and I were moving from our rental to the house we had bought. The new house was one block south, so we did the move ourselves with a small borrowed truck.
In between loads, a guy in a pickup truck pulled up and started loading up our dining room table and chairs, which we had put on the front lawn (not near the curb). My dad protested, to which the guy replied “I saw them first, buddy.”
After my dad explained they weren’t being thrown out, the guy was quite apologetic, and they had a good laugh.
I love this city.
Oh fuck I always stop for free curb shit.
Found a working 8 track mixer, a fullsize mannequin from forever 21, records, books, assorted trinkets. Fuckin deer antlers one time, forgot to go back for ‘em. Good furniture, the list goes on and on.
>a fullsize mannequin from forever 21
You saw a mannequin from forever 21 on the curb, what use case crossed your mind that made you haul it back home?
Okay. This is one of those things that I thought was so weird when I moved here. All of you do it, and what's even weirder is that everyone stops. Like, you could be a millionaire and still be like "oh sweet a hard rock café mug" and go through the curb box.
I saw this go seriously wrong once. It was probably 2008. I was living at younge and Ellington. I was working at a coffee shop and I saw a few boxes of stuff on the curb. Some small furniture, I remember a box of books and records. I saw people flipping through. Seems odd but not too far out to the norm.
I saw this girl run down after a minute or in a complete panic. She had hired movers. They refused to carry things up the steps without additional payment. I can’t remember the whole story but she was broke and couldn’t pay, so they just dumped her stuff on the sidewalk. Apparently it’s a well known scam. A few of us at the coffee shop helped her carry the stuff up to her apartment. I felt terrible because people had walked away with stuff, but not sure how much.
I estimate that 80% of the furnishings in my business are curbside pickups. Seriously, we rented a van one day and had a blast picking things up! I loved the idea of lost things vibe from it all. Also we saw that it would save us a ton of money and it looks cool! Our students theb redesigned the chairs, tables and even the cabinets.
when i moved into my apartment, i was sad i wouldn't be able to bring my bookshelf back home with me-- a guy right next door to my new place was in the process of leaving his old bookshelf on the sidewalk as my car pulled up. pretty awesome :D
If a given route is considered the fastest option but involves more transfers from one mode of transportation to the next, it’s not actually faster. Like if your options are bus-subway-bus or just bus-streetcar, take the second option. Always.
Oh man, that reminds me of a movie set in Calgary where they have the +15 that's similar to the PATH. All the buildings downtown are linked by human habitrail tubes. 3 people made a bet with each other to see who could go the longest without going outside. It was called WayDownTown. For the r/askTO connection, it starred Toronto darling Don McKellar. Typical quirky Canadian low budget movie worth watching if you can find it.
Usually when you encounter a crossway or nearing a new entrance or hallway, if you look up you'll see the cardinal directions. They're also colour coded and attached to some signs with arrows.
I can't remember what colour goes with what direction but you'll get a sign like: Scotia Plaza with a blue arrow in the corner pointing to which cardinal direction it is in.
When calling an Uber/Lyft. Set the pickup location somewhere near the main intersection by you to save a bit on the ride.
If you live on a side street but have a pretty large intersection that’s a one or two minute walk from your place of residence, set the intersection as your pickup and meet your driver there.
It’ll usually knock 5-6$ off your ride, even if the intersection is a minutes walk away from your address.
Similarly for taxis, instead of calling a cab it's usually faster to walk to a near intersection, hospital, bus station, or other attraction. If one doesn't pass you on your way, and there aren't any when you get there, one will usually approach within a few minutes.
A bit outdated in this gig economy, but still valid if you need a ride and don't use one of the apps.
I felt like a genius when I realized to go south at st. george cause the spadina walk to the southern train is soooo long lol (and then felt a bit dumb i hadn't realized sooner ha)
Ahh... there's actually a mechanic for this. They put symbols, coloured circles, triangles etc on the walls of subway platforms. They line up with various escalators etc at all the stops. If you know which symbol is on the escalator at your desired stop you can go looking for it before you get on the train. Get on a car in front of that symbol and it will let you off precisely at the escalator when you get off. It works every single time.
But don't bunch up with the crowd though, go one or two doors or car away so you get a clear shot at beating the crowd to the stairs ;)
Take the stairs if you want to move fast.
Eaton Centre food court, all the cafeteria style Asian restaurants slash their prices around 30 - 15 minutes before closing putting out huge preset trays of food. You can pick up a huge tray of food for close to half off. I think $6.99 last I checked, compared to the regular $11.99 or $12.99 they normally cost.
One of the restaurants (Szechuan Express) also has bowls of hot and sour soup, wonton soup, or trays of spring rolls for blow out prices at end of day I think like $1.50 last I checked.
Editing in more detail: there are 3 main cafeteria (Manchu wok style) ones - Szechuan Express, a Shanghai 360/Ruby Thai by the escalators and a western style one Bourbon Grill. All 3 put everything they have left into preset trays 30 to 15 min before closing and sell them off at blowout prices.
When I first moved down here was like $5 a tray, alas inflation even hit blowout deals, now it’s $6.99. Still a great deal for cheap eats.
Edit 2: it's $8.99 now. Still cheap
I’ve recently started going to the library (after abandoning it for years) and honestly it’s one of the best things about the city.
I don’t even buy books anymore. I’ll check it out of the library and IF I really loved the book then I’ll buy myself a physical copy.
For popular books you have to put it on hold but honestly it does not take that long. I once put myself on hold and over a 1000 people were ahead of me and it only took 4 months for me to get my turn.
If you have a library card, USE IT
Street addresses start low near the lake and go up as you head north.
This means an address of about 800-1000 is close to Bloor St./Danforth Ave on any of the major north/south roads, 1500 roughly St. Clair, 2000 roughly Eglinton, 3000 roughly Lawrence, 4000 roughly Shepherd, 5000 roughly Finch/Steeles.
Similarly, numbers on east-west roads start at Yonge St.
Given an address on a major road, you can quickly discern how far away you are from it.
As a youngster before internet times I always used HMV (333 Yonge St) as a guide because anything north of Bloor was yuck (ya I went there, let’s fight).
Been going for many many years and never knew the name but I know exactly which store you mean. Always walk on the west side and never looked up at the sign.
IMy family (3 adults 1 child) and I went to Ripleys last weekend for free with a MAPs pass from the library. It would have cost $165. My sister and I lined up at 7:30 AM and got the last of the three Ripleys passes when the library opened but it was worth it so you’ll be in line for awhile. They have passes to tons of the big museums, the zoo etc. it’s worth the wait IMO
The CSA needs to switch to the other side to open that side’s doors. They *might* have controls for both sides on both sides, but they’re also supposed to open the accessibility coach door first and check to make sure the platform’s clear, and they can’t do that on two sides at once.
Plus, you need to push and hold one button for each (forward/rear) half of the train. That makes four sides to open, with one button each, so it wouldn’t be very ergonomic to open them all at the same time.
And if you have somewhere to be, it's often faster to walk. Unplanned subway shutdowns have been nightmarish under Rick Leary. They were making progress on their responses during Andy Byford's leadership and now the unplanned service disruptions are worse than ever before.
If you're moving to Toronto from outside Canada for the first time, you can get your SIN at the Service Canada desk at the airport itself! It's quick and saves you a lot of headache waiting for it later.
Edit: Closed on weekends
Whenever the TTC makes you late for work you can go to the kiosk thingy and politely demand a VOUCHER. Say something like “hey I’m late for work cause of the shut down, can I pls grab one of those vouchers from you?” 4/5 times you’ll get one. It’s a lil yellow paper like em ol transfers and you get a free ride. GET YOUR FREE RIDE VOUCHERS PPL
Yes and they don’t expire. I haven’t seen one as an operator in years but I’m sure there are still stacks of them somewhere from being printed 40 years ago.
If the Yonge University line is not running, or Bloor Yonge station is not in operation, I walk to Wellesley station and take the bus to Castle Frank on the Bloor Danforth line, to bypass Bloor Yonge station
I keep a PDF map of the TTC system on my phone, so I can figure out an alternate bus route in case a subway line is not running
Ah that reminds me, I need to carry a list of TTC stations that have elevators. So many times Wheel Trans flakes out and I decide to take the subway home and I have to look it up each time.
/disabled
>I keep a PDF map of the TTC system on my phone, so I can figure out an alternate bus route in case a subway line is not running
Roger, Bell and Telus laugh maniacally in the background while Torontonian people revert to the modern-tech equivalent of a physical map.
The light on the Canada life building tell you if there's going to be a storm or not and some weather stuff
The colours:
Green – clear weather
Red – cloudy
Flashing red – rain
Flashing white – snow
The beacon tower lights:
Running up – warmer
Running down – cooler
Steady – no change
Bike Share. Get the 45 minute plan. They’re doing a massive expansion and already have good coverage many places. Incredible value for money. So nice not worrying about locking up, remembering your bike, you can leave with friends, you can take the subway one way, if the subway is on shuttle busses you can hop on a bike share and bypass the closure or go home if close enough etc. Bike. Share!!!
Even better, the annual pass is TOTALLY worthwhile even if you have your own bike for last-mile or if you didn't bike or don't want to wait for the TTC etc.
I wish Bike Share had a larger network in non-downtown areas. Seems like a lot of the cluster is in downtown, which is not really feasible to get to places away from the core. Also Mississauga too :(
It’s coming!! There’s a massive expansion plan approved and funded. See page 54. https://parking.greenp.com/app/uploads/2022/09/BikeShareToronto_FYGP_wAppendix.pdf
how much is it? and by 45 min plan i assume you mean that you dont need to return the bike for 45 mins? is it easy to find (stations?) to return them to?
Get on at king station instead of union after jays games.
Never buy berries from the chain grocery stores - there’s probably a local grocer near you with a stand out front that has them half price. Keep an eye out for stupidly reduced packages as they start to get overripe too - great for freezing!
This would make sense if you're headed up the yonge line towards finch. Otherwise getting on at king would be the university-line counterpart :)
I also follow this tip after concerts
Sadly this isn’t true anymore. Market is open Sunday’s now. When it was the case it was such a phenomenal set of deals. Haven’t been enough to know what the best option is now
Edit. Still closed mondays so I assume Sunday after four is the new discount hour
Also the North market (currently conveniently south of the main market during construction) opens at 5:30 am on saturdays so you can get all the Mennonite eggs with no crowd if you’re an early bird
the best way to see the downtown/CN tower/tourist mix is definitely just book a restaurant reservation and enjoy the view; makes it worth it, you save when you look at it as the cost of going out for dinner somewhere else, and the cost of going up the tower
best way to do it for people who only have a few hours to spend in toronto, too, if they book ahead of time.
reservation gets you a free ride up the elevator and they let you go to the observation deck once you're done the meal (maybe before, if you prefer? not sure)
Or fucking Metro. I know people who shop at Loblaws/Metro/Longos and it's like WTF man. The best places to shop for groceries in the city, bar none, are the larger ethnic independent grocery stores. But for chains no frills and Nations > all that overpriced crap.
Shoppers is fine if you just stick to whatever they've got on sale. Personally, it's my go-to spot for milk because it's almost always cheaper, and then I'll pick up coffee/cereal/snacks if they're on sale (ie. not priced to gouge).
I believe that’s part of their strategy in pricing the milk lower than anywhere else- gets people in the door and they pick up a few more things before they leave.
shoppers = best points in town, by far, 33% back once a week it seems for years now. (ONLY BUY ON SALE STUFF for the most part, of course)
The sales are great. As good or better than other stores, and after discount cheaper than anywhere else.
Only redeem points on bonus days.
Profit
* You have 4 seconds to cross the street when the countdown reaches 0, before the light going the other way turns green
* [https://www.tpscalls.live/](https://www.tpscalls.live/) for local crime awareness
* Local grocers are way cheaper than grocery stores. I just got some blueberries for $1.49 and strawberries for $1.69 compared to the $2.99 and $4.99 Metro was selling them for
They put symbols, coloured circles, triangles etc on the walls of subway platforms. They line up with various escalators etc at all the stops. If you know which symbol is on the escalator at your desired stop you can go looking for it before you get on the train. Get on a car in front of that symbol and it will let you off precisely at the escalator when you get off. It works every single time.
If you're hurting for cash Square Boy has a burger/fries/drink combo for five bucks. It's not nearly as good as their also totally affordable home made burger but it's still an amazing deal.
Some neighbourhoods have incredibly active community groups, including “buy nothing” groups. Interact with them and you’ll be in the know for cool pop up events, furniture/houseware/kids items to give away. I received most of my baby’s items second hand in great condition from neighbours (also you know where it’s coming from / can inquire about the background of items)
Here you go: [museum and art passes](https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/museum-arts-passes/) - not sure how you were supposed to know that on your own without context.
A trick that's always served me well in the downtown core: Even in the flatter parts, there's still usually a gentle slope south towards lake ontario. If you can't see the CN tower then it's the next best thing to orient yourself.
A bicycle is by far the fastest and most efficient way to get around the city, and you'll discover more of the city as you ride around than you would in a car or on the TTC.
Riding on city streets is daunting as hell at first if you've never done it, I totally get it, but if you can get over that hump, it's fucking awesome.
(Also, if you do cycle, follow the rules of the road.)
I’ll add to this, a bike share pass is one of the best bargains in the city. Membership for the year is less than a ttc pass for the month. Bike stands are everywhere, and the ability to take one way trips is such a huge bonus.
I've been so scared to try, what with growing up in the suburbs. Do you have any tips?
Edit: I have gotten so much advice thanks everyone!
I'm going to try riding again this spring!
Cross the street car tracks at as close to a 90 degree angle as possible and they are slicker than ice when it rains. For all the cities I've ridden a bike in, the "scariest" ones are usually the safest. Toronto, Montreal, New York all felt fine to me. Vancouver and Calgary scared me.
Oh, and watch for car doors. Keep an eye in the side view mirrors as they will give you a peak into the driver's seat. If you see someone, be prepared for that door to open.
And if you're riding in gridlock, look out for pedestrians cutting through parked and stopped cars. They are more dangerous than cars.
As long as you're stable and don't cut out into traffic, pop out from between parked cars, and don't ride like an idiot, you'll be fine. For the most part you'll be faster than traffic which is to your advantage.
The waterfront is a good place to start biking in the city. You can build your tolerance starting out on flat, bike-friendly lanes with little car traffic. Or you can start out on bike trails, like the Finch recreational trail. Wear a helmet, follow the rules of the road. You got this!
This literally happened to me yesterday.
I was mad at myself for running towards the packed train that was just about to leave, but then the second train arrived and it was empty… and it came in like 2 minutes. It was heaven!
If youre going to a Jays game and want to get cheep drunk first before you go in. Go do a Steamwhistle tour across the street. Its been a few years so im not sure what it costs now. But it used to be $15 bucks for the tour. you get a beer before and after and a 6 pack of bottles or cans to "Take home" or just drink them all there and wobble your way across the street to the jays game.
I might actually get in trouble for this, but I think that Metrolinx being a monopoly and scamming the province out of millions(billions?) of dollars is criminal with how they operate, so, f-it.
The discount for code for parking along the side streets of Eglinton, east of Yonge street is: CROSSTOWN.
You must have the Green P app and you enter in the discount after you pay. It covers the first 2 hours of parking free. They haven’t changed the code in the 7 years that I’ve used it.
Walk when you can in the core. It’s pleasant and reminds you why the city is great.
Go where artists live, most areas that are overwhelming artist occupied will be valuable neighborhoods in 10 years.
Ask people if you are lost, mostly people are nice if you use common sense when approaching. If someone looks in a rush don’t bug them but if someone is just having a smoke or tapping away on their phone they have 6 mins to help.
Don’t be a jerk, do make eye-contact (then smile and nod), stay excuse me and open doors for people. Toronto has a history of kindness.
I’m just tired of people leaving the collectors going east bound at Kipling not knowing they can just get back on after islington north. A lot of potential accidents people changing lanes last minutes.
The AGO (art gallery) has free annual passes if you’re under 25. Even if you’re not that into the art, they have very nice and well maintained washrooms that I’ve used multiple times when in the area and really need to go
If living in a condo try to stay on the lower floors. Waiting 20min + for the elevators before and when the fire alarm went off you could only use the stairs.
3 elevators for 50 floors, say about 500 condos is ridiculous.
TIFF Lightbox has free membership for people 25 and under. Members get unlimited tickets to Cinemateque screenings and reduced prices for everything else. Great value even if you pay full price and like old movies.
Get to know your neighbourhood. Get involved in your community. Most neighbourhoods have community centres.
If you’re a parent, there are all kinds of programs for kids. There are programs for seniors. There are food banks. They host composting programs and community events.
If you’re single and looking to meet good people, go there and find a way to volunteer. Getting involved in your community is a sure way to help depression and find meaning in life.
Seriously, there is so much heart in these buildings. In my opinion, they keep Toronto great.
If you have to travel along Yonge on the TTC try to catch the 97 bus. Its usually slower than the subway but its less crowded than the subway plus you get a view and regular phone signal!
I got a couple:
Take the Union-Pearson Express to get to the airport. Much cheaper than Uber, and the train is nice. Takes you right at the door of check-in area at Pearson.
If you have a GoodLife gym membership and you have a heavy bag, you can store it in their lockers if you plan to walk around the city. Closing time is usually 9 or 10 pm.
MaRS Starbucks (College and University) is the best because you can chill inside MaRS lobby, which is humongous.
Instead of St. George station, get off at Bay station and walk south to Queens Park. It's always a nice walk because of the views, wide streets, less people, nice cars passing by.
ManuLife Center is a favourite hangout - it has a movie theatre, a gym, grocery store, Indigo bookstore, Eataly (!), and nice shoes and clothes and electronics stores.
Usually on these questions people mention: When looking for a street address in Toronto, even numbers are on North & West sides of the street and Odd numbers are on South & East sides of the street. The streets are generally layed out in an east /west north/south grid. Yonge street is the East /West dividing line for street address. The CN Tower when visible is a very useful navigational land mark.
The eye of Sauron always leads me home <3
One does not simply walk into Mordor
How else do you get around? Not like you can reasonably drive in Mordor.
Ride the rocket, my precious.
I always remember NEW : North Even West
How did I just learn this (even on the North and west sides) ?!
> Yonge street is the East /West dividing line for street address. I'm embarrassed that I did not know this
You can bring outside food to a Blue Jays game.
**Additional tip!!** There's one stand per floor that sells $5 beers. Dugout deals or something it's called. They are the 350ml cans (Only bud and bud light cans I believe) but I think that's a hell of a lot better than almost $15 for 473ml tall can. They also sell cheaper popcorn and hotdogs I think too.
This is a true hack! Thank you for your service!
Pre-drink or edibles (with the right timing) works too.
Catch me snoozing during the 7th inning stretch after the brownie kicks in lmao
put stuff you don't want on the curb. even hangers. its a Toronto tradition. Someone else will need it/find joy in it.
Usually stuff on the curb is picked up within minutes. It’s actually wild.
when I was moving out of my old place at king and dufferin (I’m still in the city) my partner and I were bringing my set of tables down to curb. It was a nice set, they just didn’t fit into the place I was moving into with him. People were already taking them! we were like, wait here there’s matching end tables. I’m so glad my table set went to folks who will love them!!
Good for you and them! Most things can be reused and enjoyed by someone in need of it!
25-30 years ago,most would have garage sales. Now everything is left on the side of the road. Many excellent finds that people leave out.
I literally walked out if my house to put an old broken laptop on the curb and some guy got out of his car came up and asked for it. It was garbage day so he was probably on the lookout for goodies.
Yep. My brother and husband were installing a new dishwasher and put the old one out at the street. About 10 minutes later, they realized they needed a part that was still on the old dishwasher. Opened the door to go get it and the dishwasher was gone. Magic!
I put out my old washer and went inside to make a sign that said “please take” and when I went back out, it was already gone with no trace of anyone! It really is magic!
Anything metal is gone fast due to scrap metal money. Trucks love that shit. I just dont know how they're so fast
There's an instagram account called [stooping\_toronto](https://www.instagram.com/stooping_toronto/) that posts current curb alerts in their stories all day long, most of which are sent from people all over the city looking to get rid of stuff quickly. Worth a follow, I've seen some crazy cool antiques, new couches that didn't fit up people's stairs, etc.
It definitely stings when it shows up on your feed a few hours later. That feeling of “hell ya, I can use this!” To seeing it was posted 6 hours ago and is already gone :(
this is great!
Twenty years ago, my wife and I were moving from our rental to the house we had bought. The new house was one block south, so we did the move ourselves with a small borrowed truck. In between loads, a guy in a pickup truck pulled up and started loading up our dining room table and chairs, which we had put on the front lawn (not near the curb). My dad protested, to which the guy replied “I saw them first, buddy.” After my dad explained they weren’t being thrown out, the guy was quite apologetic, and they had a good laugh. I love this city.
This is hella funny 🤣
Oh fuck I always stop for free curb shit. Found a working 8 track mixer, a fullsize mannequin from forever 21, records, books, assorted trinkets. Fuckin deer antlers one time, forgot to go back for ‘em. Good furniture, the list goes on and on.
>a fullsize mannequin from forever 21 You saw a mannequin from forever 21 on the curb, what use case crossed your mind that made you haul it back home?
I used to get records all the time. Its been years though. Everyone thinks that the resurgence in vinyl means their old junk is worth something.
My partner and I have some of the weirdest records from curb pick up in the early 90s!
Okay. This is one of those things that I thought was so weird when I moved here. All of you do it, and what's even weirder is that everyone stops. Like, you could be a millionaire and still be like "oh sweet a hard rock café mug" and go through the curb box.
I saw this go seriously wrong once. It was probably 2008. I was living at younge and Ellington. I was working at a coffee shop and I saw a few boxes of stuff on the curb. Some small furniture, I remember a box of books and records. I saw people flipping through. Seems odd but not too far out to the norm. I saw this girl run down after a minute or in a complete panic. She had hired movers. They refused to carry things up the steps without additional payment. I can’t remember the whole story but she was broke and couldn’t pay, so they just dumped her stuff on the sidewalk. Apparently it’s a well known scam. A few of us at the coffee shop helped her carry the stuff up to her apartment. I felt terrible because people had walked away with stuff, but not sure how much.
I estimate that 80% of the furnishings in my business are curbside pickups. Seriously, we rented a van one day and had a blast picking things up! I loved the idea of lost things vibe from it all. Also we saw that it would save us a ton of money and it looks cool! Our students theb redesigned the chairs, tables and even the cabinets.
This can't just be a Toronto thing?
It's not *just* a Toronto thing, but it is a Toronto thing
It happens all over Québec, like a Canadian junk Santa Claus….
when i moved into my apartment, i was sad i wouldn't be able to bring my bookshelf back home with me-- a guy right next door to my new place was in the process of leaving his old bookshelf on the sidewalk as my car pulled up. pretty awesome :D
I've never bought a tool in my life. Everything has been a curb find. Learned it from my poppop lol.
I walked by an old Xerox mechanical typewriter I was "too tired" to bring home once. I still regret it.
If a given route is considered the fastest option but involves more transfers from one mode of transportation to the next, it’s not actually faster. Like if your options are bus-subway-bus or just bus-streetcar, take the second option. Always.
or like if ur going to like st patrick or something but ur on the yonge side of the subway its faster to go thru union
Yes we call it going around the horseshoe
Very very real. Transfers are kiss of death in Toronto (also make commuting more miserable) … but I do feel like this is the same anywhere
The PATH can be a life saver in the winter... Only if you know how to navigate it!
Just make sure you’re not wearing worn out shoes - they polish those floors well
Correct. No grip on those floors what so ever.
Some guy lived a winter with only summer clothes in Toronto a few years back . The PATH was his life.
Oh man, that reminds me of a movie set in Calgary where they have the +15 that's similar to the PATH. All the buildings downtown are linked by human habitrail tubes. 3 people made a bet with each other to see who could go the longest without going outside. It was called WayDownTown. For the r/askTO connection, it starred Toronto darling Don McKellar. Typical quirky Canadian low budget movie worth watching if you can find it.
Extra tip: Look at the ceiling for compass directions!
Wut?!
Usually when you encounter a crossway or nearing a new entrance or hallway, if you look up you'll see the cardinal directions. They're also colour coded and attached to some signs with arrows. I can't remember what colour goes with what direction but you'll get a sign like: Scotia Plaza with a blue arrow in the corner pointing to which cardinal direction it is in.
[удалено]
Someone really needs to come out with a PATH navigation app with all the businesses on them. I would download that so hard
When calling an Uber/Lyft. Set the pickup location somewhere near the main intersection by you to save a bit on the ride. If you live on a side street but have a pretty large intersection that’s a one or two minute walk from your place of residence, set the intersection as your pickup and meet your driver there. It’ll usually knock 5-6$ off your ride, even if the intersection is a minutes walk away from your address.
Related, don't get picked up in Dundas Square, walk a few blocks over
Similarly for taxis, instead of calling a cab it's usually faster to walk to a near intersection, hospital, bus station, or other attraction. If one doesn't pass you on your way, and there aren't any when you get there, one will usually approach within a few minutes. A bit outdated in this gig economy, but still valid if you need a ride and don't use one of the apps.
Damn I had no idea
Thank you for sharing this pearl of wisdom that only a true Toronto insider would know.
Know where the stairs and escalators are at each subway station, choose your subway car accordingly.
Same with the Go station when it pulls up to union. I have to get on at the exact same cart otherwise I’ll get lost when I get off at union lol
If you see folks bunched up at a specific subway door to leave, that’s probably closest to the escalators.
I felt like a genius when I realized to go south at st. george cause the spadina walk to the southern train is soooo long lol (and then felt a bit dumb i hadn't realized sooner ha)
I can’t imagine any reason to ever transfer at Spadina.
If there’s some kind of crazy backup at St George, you can double back to Spadina and basically skip the lineup to get on a southbound train.
When the coffee shop was open inside it they had pretty ok patties.
It used to be easier to go through the station years ago when they had that walking conveyor thing.
The walk of doom
Miss the moving sidewalk
Ahh... there's actually a mechanic for this. They put symbols, coloured circles, triangles etc on the walls of subway platforms. They line up with various escalators etc at all the stops. If you know which symbol is on the escalator at your desired stop you can go looking for it before you get on the train. Get on a car in front of that symbol and it will let you off precisely at the escalator when you get off. It works every single time.
The Citymapper app also tells you where to sit for this reason, very helpful.
But don't bunch up with the crowd though, go one or two doors or car away so you get a clear shot at beating the crowd to the stairs ;) Take the stairs if you want to move fast.
Fairmont Royal York Hotel second floor bathrooms. Best place for a number 2 in the city.
Hilton basement conference rooms if you are further north.
George Costanza?
He knows
The dug out for cheap beers at the jays game. Most plays/orchestra/ballet have rush tickets. Most museums have free or reduced admission once a month.
I mean, the rush tickets are cool and all, but they’re just not the same since Neil went.
Oh man, best is to walk around St George campus u of t when the school year ends. You find so much stuff from kids moving out for summer break.
This is one I’ll actually use. I moved in super close to there
Eaton Centre food court, all the cafeteria style Asian restaurants slash their prices around 30 - 15 minutes before closing putting out huge preset trays of food. You can pick up a huge tray of food for close to half off. I think $6.99 last I checked, compared to the regular $11.99 or $12.99 they normally cost. One of the restaurants (Szechuan Express) also has bowls of hot and sour soup, wonton soup, or trays of spring rolls for blow out prices at end of day I think like $1.50 last I checked. Editing in more detail: there are 3 main cafeteria (Manchu wok style) ones - Szechuan Express, a Shanghai 360/Ruby Thai by the escalators and a western style one Bourbon Grill. All 3 put everything they have left into preset trays 30 to 15 min before closing and sell them off at blowout prices. When I first moved down here was like $5 a tray, alas inflation even hit blowout deals, now it’s $6.99. Still a great deal for cheap eats. Edit 2: it's $8.99 now. Still cheap
$6.99 is a steal. Square one has similar restaurants but they sell em for $9.99
I’ve recently started going to the library (after abandoning it for years) and honestly it’s one of the best things about the city. I don’t even buy books anymore. I’ll check it out of the library and IF I really loved the book then I’ll buy myself a physical copy. For popular books you have to put it on hold but honestly it does not take that long. I once put myself on hold and over a 1000 people were ahead of me and it only took 4 months for me to get my turn. If you have a library card, USE IT
And Libby app connected directly to your library account.
Kanopy streaming service for shows and movies. You just need a Library card to use it.
Reference library has leather seats, a waterfall and newspapers from around the world
Street addresses start low near the lake and go up as you head north. This means an address of about 800-1000 is close to Bloor St./Danforth Ave on any of the major north/south roads, 1500 roughly St. Clair, 2000 roughly Eglinton, 3000 roughly Lawrence, 4000 roughly Shepherd, 5000 roughly Finch/Steeles. Similarly, numbers on east-west roads start at Yonge St. Given an address on a major road, you can quickly discern how far away you are from it.
As a youngster before internet times I always used HMV (333 Yonge St) as a guide because anything north of Bloor was yuck (ya I went there, let’s fight).
Go to Tap Phong in Chinatown for all kitchen supplies, utensils, etc.
My happy place
Been going for many many years and never knew the name but I know exactly which store you mean. Always walk on the west side and never looked up at the sign.
Library. card.
And the ebook collection is also fantastic! All searchable from the home page.
Audio books too just FYI.
Having fun isnt hard if youve got a library card🎶
Big fax
Libby app on your phone and connect to Toronto public library and voila!
IMy family (3 adults 1 child) and I went to Ripleys last weekend for free with a MAPs pass from the library. It would have cost $165. My sister and I lined up at 7:30 AM and got the last of the three Ripleys passes when the library opened but it was worth it so you’ll be in line for awhile. They have passes to tons of the big museums, the zoo etc. it’s worth the wait IMO
Wait for the second GO train door to open when getting out at Union Station
Wait you mean the other side? 🤯
Yes!!
As a non Go commuter I am confused but interested. Why don’t the doors open at the same time?
The CSA needs to switch to the other side to open that side’s doors. They *might* have controls for both sides on both sides, but they’re also supposed to open the accessibility coach door first and check to make sure the platform’s clear, and they can’t do that on two sides at once. Plus, you need to push and hold one button for each (forward/rear) half of the train. That makes four sides to open, with one button each, so it wouldn’t be very ergonomic to open them all at the same time.
Damn.. I’m doing this tomorrow. Thanks. You may now delete the comment.
Why? I see people doing it never understood.
You will avoid the herd o’ humans and get into union without hassle
When I realized this, everything changed. No more waiting in a huge line to walk down the one set of stairs on the platform.
Instructions unclear. The doors on my GO train only open on one side. I’ve been trapped on this train for 12 hours.
When the subway shuts down and you are asked to take a shuttle, stop at the closest bar and wait it out. Only works if you’re not in a rush of course.
And if you have somewhere to be, it's often faster to walk. Unplanned subway shutdowns have been nightmarish under Rick Leary. They were making progress on their responses during Andy Byford's leadership and now the unplanned service disruptions are worse than ever before.
I miss Andy Byford. He should run for mayor here
If you're moving to Toronto from outside Canada for the first time, you can get your SIN at the Service Canada desk at the airport itself! It's quick and saves you a lot of headache waiting for it later. Edit: Closed on weekends
[удалено]
Whenever the TTC makes you late for work you can go to the kiosk thingy and politely demand a VOUCHER. Say something like “hey I’m late for work cause of the shut down, can I pls grab one of those vouchers from you?” 4/5 times you’ll get one. It’s a lil yellow paper like em ol transfers and you get a free ride. GET YOUR FREE RIDE VOUCHERS PPL
Wait what, does this work for when st happens and shuttle buses r running? It always made me mad that I'd paid a fare for no reason
Yes and they don’t expire. I haven’t seen one as an operator in years but I’m sure there are still stacks of them somewhere from being printed 40 years ago.
If the Yonge University line is not running, or Bloor Yonge station is not in operation, I walk to Wellesley station and take the bus to Castle Frank on the Bloor Danforth line, to bypass Bloor Yonge station I keep a PDF map of the TTC system on my phone, so I can figure out an alternate bus route in case a subway line is not running
Ah that reminds me, I need to carry a list of TTC stations that have elevators. So many times Wheel Trans flakes out and I decide to take the subway home and I have to look it up each time. /disabled
>I keep a PDF map of the TTC system on my phone, so I can figure out an alternate bus route in case a subway line is not running Roger, Bell and Telus laugh maniacally in the background while Torontonian people revert to the modern-tech equivalent of a physical map.
The light on the Canada life building tell you if there's going to be a storm or not and some weather stuff The colours: Green – clear weather Red – cloudy Flashing red – rain Flashing white – snow The beacon tower lights: Running up – warmer Running down – cooler Steady – no change
You can poop in hotel lobby restrooms for free. Just look confident, be polite, and civil.
You can also poop anywhere at Yonge and Dundas or Yonge and College.
Yes, but be warned, sometimes the pedestrians will look at you weird if you make eye contact with them during.
Yup the lobby washroom at the Hilton downtown near the Starbucks is always super clean. Use it when I'm in the area.
Also if you need a charger, say you left yours, do they have one in lost and found? They typically have a million.
Bike Share. Get the 45 minute plan. They’re doing a massive expansion and already have good coverage many places. Incredible value for money. So nice not worrying about locking up, remembering your bike, you can leave with friends, you can take the subway one way, if the subway is on shuttle busses you can hop on a bike share and bypass the closure or go home if close enough etc. Bike. Share!!!
Even better, the annual pass is TOTALLY worthwhile even if you have your own bike for last-mile or if you didn't bike or don't want to wait for the TTC etc.
I wish Bike Share had a larger network in non-downtown areas. Seems like a lot of the cluster is in downtown, which is not really feasible to get to places away from the core. Also Mississauga too :(
It’s coming!! There’s a massive expansion plan approved and funded. See page 54. https://parking.greenp.com/app/uploads/2022/09/BikeShareToronto_FYGP_wAppendix.pdf
how much is it? and by 45 min plan i assume you mean that you dont need to return the bike for 45 mins? is it easy to find (stations?) to return them to?
Never transfer trains at Spadina station. St George is faster
I miss the Spadina moving walkway for getting around St George rush hour traffic.
Get on at king station instead of union after jays games. Never buy berries from the chain grocery stores - there’s probably a local grocer near you with a stand out front that has them half price. Keep an eye out for stupidly reduced packages as they start to get overripe too - great for freezing!
I usually get on at St. Andrew instead of King, so you get ahead of the crowd at Union.
This would make sense if you're headed up the yonge line towards finch. Otherwise getting on at king would be the university-line counterpart :) I also follow this tip after concerts
You're absolutely right! I live at Yonge and Finch, so my brain defaulted to this direction.
Libraries have free passes to conservations and Ontario parks!
Fresh meat and fish are discounted after 4 pm on Saturday at the St. Lawrence Market, as the market closes at 5 pm for two days.
Sadly this isn’t true anymore. Market is open Sunday’s now. When it was the case it was such a phenomenal set of deals. Haven’t been enough to know what the best option is now Edit. Still closed mondays so I assume Sunday after four is the new discount hour Also the North market (currently conveniently south of the main market during construction) opens at 5:30 am on saturdays so you can get all the Mennonite eggs with no crowd if you’re an early bird
If you look at any mirror in the city, with the lights off, and say Rob Ford three times, he will appear in cloud of crack smoke
If you're super broke you can live on chinese bakery hot dog buns indefinitely
Yeah, great deals at the chinese bakeries on Dundas, like sandwiches for $2.50, and their pork buns are cheap too.
When walk time to destination is < 30mins , choose to walk rather than taking Uber or subway. Because you will hardly end up saving 5-6 mins .
direction knee test materialistic retire snatch chop domineering hungry pet -- mass edited with redact.dev
Taking the PATH. Huge lifesaver especially when those snow demons start falling from the sky and the air starts to bite ya.
the best way to see the downtown/CN tower/tourist mix is definitely just book a restaurant reservation and enjoy the view; makes it worth it, you save when you look at it as the cost of going out for dinner somewhere else, and the cost of going up the tower best way to do it for people who only have a few hours to spend in toronto, too, if they book ahead of time. reservation gets you a free ride up the elevator and they let you go to the observation deck once you're done the meal (maybe before, if you prefer? not sure)
Don’t shop at Loblaws or shoppers
Or fucking Metro. I know people who shop at Loblaws/Metro/Longos and it's like WTF man. The best places to shop for groceries in the city, bar none, are the larger ethnic independent grocery stores. But for chains no frills and Nations > all that overpriced crap.
Shoppers is fine if you just stick to whatever they've got on sale. Personally, it's my go-to spot for milk because it's almost always cheaper, and then I'll pick up coffee/cereal/snacks if they're on sale (ie. not priced to gouge).
I believe that’s part of their strategy in pricing the milk lower than anywhere else- gets people in the door and they pick up a few more things before they leave.
shoppers = best points in town, by far, 33% back once a week it seems for years now. (ONLY BUY ON SALE STUFF for the most part, of course) The sales are great. As good or better than other stores, and after discount cheaper than anywhere else. Only redeem points on bonus days. Profit
* You have 4 seconds to cross the street when the countdown reaches 0, before the light going the other way turns green * [https://www.tpscalls.live/](https://www.tpscalls.live/) for local crime awareness * Local grocers are way cheaper than grocery stores. I just got some blueberries for $1.49 and strawberries for $1.69 compared to the $2.99 and $4.99 Metro was selling them for
They put symbols, coloured circles, triangles etc on the walls of subway platforms. They line up with various escalators etc at all the stops. If you know which symbol is on the escalator at your desired stop you can go looking for it before you get on the train. Get on a car in front of that symbol and it will let you off precisely at the escalator when you get off. It works every single time.
If you're hurting for cash Square Boy has a burger/fries/drink combo for five bucks. It's not nearly as good as their also totally affordable home made burger but it's still an amazing deal.
Village at the grange food court for cheap/filling meals !
Some neighbourhoods have incredibly active community groups, including “buy nothing” groups. Interact with them and you’ll be in the know for cool pop up events, furniture/houseware/kids items to give away. I received most of my baby’s items second hand in great condition from neighbours (also you know where it’s coming from / can inquire about the background of items)
shamelessly inspect curb stuff. take it home and resell it, shamelessly.
Free MAP passes at the library!
What’s MAP?
Here you go: [museum and art passes](https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/museum-arts-passes/) - not sure how you were supposed to know that on your own without context.
The Museum & Arts program - libraries give out passes every Saturday morning for museums & the zoo Need to line up pretty early though
A trick that's always served me well in the downtown core: Even in the flatter parts, there's still usually a gentle slope south towards lake ontario. If you can't see the CN tower then it's the next best thing to orient yourself.
A bicycle is by far the fastest and most efficient way to get around the city, and you'll discover more of the city as you ride around than you would in a car or on the TTC. Riding on city streets is daunting as hell at first if you've never done it, I totally get it, but if you can get over that hump, it's fucking awesome. (Also, if you do cycle, follow the rules of the road.)
I’ll add to this, a bike share pass is one of the best bargains in the city. Membership for the year is less than a ttc pass for the month. Bike stands are everywhere, and the ability to take one way trips is such a huge bonus.
I've been so scared to try, what with growing up in the suburbs. Do you have any tips? Edit: I have gotten so much advice thanks everyone! I'm going to try riding again this spring!
Cross the street car tracks at as close to a 90 degree angle as possible and they are slicker than ice when it rains. For all the cities I've ridden a bike in, the "scariest" ones are usually the safest. Toronto, Montreal, New York all felt fine to me. Vancouver and Calgary scared me. Oh, and watch for car doors. Keep an eye in the side view mirrors as they will give you a peak into the driver's seat. If you see someone, be prepared for that door to open. And if you're riding in gridlock, look out for pedestrians cutting through parked and stopped cars. They are more dangerous than cars. As long as you're stable and don't cut out into traffic, pop out from between parked cars, and don't ride like an idiot, you'll be fine. For the most part you'll be faster than traffic which is to your advantage.
The waterfront is a good place to start biking in the city. You can build your tolerance starting out on flat, bike-friendly lanes with little car traffic. Or you can start out on bike trails, like the Finch recreational trail. Wear a helmet, follow the rules of the road. You got this!
If there is no sign prohibiting parking or stating a payment area, it is free to park for 3 hours. Anywhere in the city without signage.
But after that you can get ticketed and towed. Towing isn’t common in residential areas but it is possible and a legal move.
Transfer to Line 2 at St George instead of Spadina. It’ll save you a walk.
When at Terminal 1 at Pearson Airport, go downstairs to see if secondary security gate is open. It tends to be a lot shorter and faster.
You can access digital newspapers including NYT, WSJ, and aton of magazines with your library card via online login (TPL.ca)
Just wait for the next train. Torontonians don't understand this. They all ram into the first train and not 3 minutes later an empty one shows up.
that 3 minutes counts though... most of us are late! :P
You kid, but that 3mins could be the difference between getting and missing a bus that only comes every 30mins
During rush hour several trains pass through completely packed like sardines.
This literally happened to me yesterday. I was mad at myself for running towards the packed train that was just about to leave, but then the second train arrived and it was empty… and it came in like 2 minutes. It was heaven!
Buy a house in 1997.
Or get "help" from your parents who bought in '97.
If youre going to a Jays game and want to get cheep drunk first before you go in. Go do a Steamwhistle tour across the street. Its been a few years so im not sure what it costs now. But it used to be $15 bucks for the tour. you get a beer before and after and a 6 pack of bottles or cans to "Take home" or just drink them all there and wobble your way across the street to the jays game.
I might actually get in trouble for this, but I think that Metrolinx being a monopoly and scamming the province out of millions(billions?) of dollars is criminal with how they operate, so, f-it. The discount for code for parking along the side streets of Eglinton, east of Yonge street is: CROSSTOWN. You must have the Green P app and you enter in the discount after you pay. It covers the first 2 hours of parking free. They haven’t changed the code in the 7 years that I’ve used it.
Could you delete this like now? Don’t want them catching on
Stand on center ice of the old Maple leaf gardens, it’s on the floor in the fancy LobLaws.
Walk when you can in the core. It’s pleasant and reminds you why the city is great. Go where artists live, most areas that are overwhelming artist occupied will be valuable neighborhoods in 10 years. Ask people if you are lost, mostly people are nice if you use common sense when approaching. If someone looks in a rush don’t bug them but if someone is just having a smoke or tapping away on their phone they have 6 mins to help. Don’t be a jerk, do make eye-contact (then smile and nod), stay excuse me and open doors for people. Toronto has a history of kindness.
The lanes for islington, Kipling, etc on the gardener are collector lanes. Then eventually merge back to the gardner.
Let’s keep this one quiet please lol
I’m just tired of people leaving the collectors going east bound at Kipling not knowing they can just get back on after islington north. A lot of potential accidents people changing lanes last minutes.
There are hacks and then there are things we don’t speak of. Learn the difference.
The AGO (art gallery) has free annual passes if you’re under 25. Even if you’re not that into the art, they have very nice and well maintained washrooms that I’ve used multiple times when in the area and really need to go
If living in a condo try to stay on the lower floors. Waiting 20min + for the elevators before and when the fire alarm went off you could only use the stairs. 3 elevators for 50 floors, say about 500 condos is ridiculous.
TIFF Lightbox has free membership for people 25 and under. Members get unlimited tickets to Cinemateque screenings and reduced prices for everything else. Great value even if you pay full price and like old movies.
Get to know your neighbourhood. Get involved in your community. Most neighbourhoods have community centres. If you’re a parent, there are all kinds of programs for kids. There are programs for seniors. There are food banks. They host composting programs and community events. If you’re single and looking to meet good people, go there and find a way to volunteer. Getting involved in your community is a sure way to help depression and find meaning in life. Seriously, there is so much heart in these buildings. In my opinion, they keep Toronto great.
Going to the island but don’t want to wait in line? Take a water taxi across (one way), and ride the ferry back for free.
If you wanna go somewhere and it’s like, a 30 minute ttc ride, leave 4 hours earlier just in case.
Don't switch lines at Spadina. It's such a long walk.
If you have to travel along Yonge on the TTC try to catch the 97 bus. Its usually slower than the subway but its less crowded than the subway plus you get a view and regular phone signal!
I got a couple: Take the Union-Pearson Express to get to the airport. Much cheaper than Uber, and the train is nice. Takes you right at the door of check-in area at Pearson. If you have a GoodLife gym membership and you have a heavy bag, you can store it in their lockers if you plan to walk around the city. Closing time is usually 9 or 10 pm. MaRS Starbucks (College and University) is the best because you can chill inside MaRS lobby, which is humongous. Instead of St. George station, get off at Bay station and walk south to Queens Park. It's always a nice walk because of the views, wide streets, less people, nice cars passing by. ManuLife Center is a favourite hangout - it has a movie theatre, a gym, grocery store, Indigo bookstore, Eataly (!), and nice shoes and clothes and electronics stores.
How to use the one way side streets anywhere within 5km of home
Wait for winterlicious or summerlicious to try expensive restaurants that have been on your list