I need some advice. Later this spring, I’ll be heading to Toronto with the family, and, as I’ve never been there before, and as don’t generally associate with Canadians, I’m not sure what I should do when I’m there. Or, to be more specific, I’m not sure what I should do, once I’ve scoured the entire city, looking for obscure Degrassi Junior
While we’re on the subject of Degrassi, did you hear the news late last week that Neil Hope had passed away? Hope, who played Derek “Wheels” Wheeler in the classic Canadian coming-of-age drama, apparently died five years ago, alone, in a Hamilton, Ontario rooming house, but the news just now became public. Hope, who had a long history of alcoholism, is said to have died of natural causes.
Speaking of Hope, here’s one of my favorite episodes that centers around his character. It’s called, Best Laid Plans.
And I know that it’s unlikely, but I’d like to see if maybe I could convince Pat Mastroianni, who played Joey Jeremiah, to recreate the drugstore scene that takes place at the 16-minute mark, with me filling in for Wheels. I think that would be incredibly cool.
And, yes, apparently all of the episodes of Degrassi Junior High are now available on YouTube… Enjoy!
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Toronto: if you can repress any vegetarian longings, splurge on Canoe. When Rebekah and I ate there, the menu was pure North American fare (like duck, venison and river sturgeon). It’ll run you +$150 probably not including vino. Alternately, try the Keg downtown or Great Lakes Brewery.
If memory serves, Pat used to work at a Toronto used car dealership. If that’s still the case, he might be findable.
Sorry to hear about Wheels. From what I hear, he used to get irate when people would approach him at bars and ask about Degrassi.
When you are in Toronto you should check out this great bar/restaurant, it has been around for about a year and is called WVRST. They specialize in sausage and also have good Ontario beer and fries. I have a feeling you might like it. I don’t know if they use long straws though.
Taking a ferry out to Center island to view the city is fun, and the ROM and Ontario science center are interesting museums. I also like the Distillery district. I think the CN tower is overrated (and too expensive) but some people really like it. The shops on Queen street are interesting but it may be hard to do that with kids in tow.
KT and I would suggest avoiding Captain John’s
http://captainjohns.ca/
One thing to do on the *way to Toronto: Visit Chelsea in Vermont! I can point out the places where the roads and bridges were washed out, and show you the grocery in the helicopter photo. There’s also a lot of legitimately cool things to do and see.
Great reviews of Captain John’s on Yelp:
Leave the kids with Captain John and heard out to a nudie bar. The place is lousy with them, thanks to a socialist law that requires all young women to strip for two years after high school.
Kristin and I spent our honeymoon touring Canadian cities, starting with Toronto. Some things you should check out and are kid friendly:
Take ViaRail. We loved it and took it every chance we got. You can park your car at the Windsor train station and take ViaRail straight to Toronto’s Union Station/mass transit hub. It’s clean, punctual, comfortable and has great wi-fi. If you ever want to dream about Amtrak could become, ride ViaRail.
Check out Casa Loma, http://www.casaloma.org. Great architecture in a sizeable estate on Toronto’s tallest hill with awesome views of the city. You can spend half a day there easy. Favorite thing I saw on my honeymoon was some kid’s scribbles next to a windows at the top of a turret that said, “I want my own castle.”
Randomly wander into the Ontario tourism center near Younge Street a little north of the main central business district. Tell them you’re from Detroit and ask what there is to see in Toronto. The people working there will inevitably point your toward the Hockey Hall of Fame and where every hockey team in the city plays. This actually happened to Kristin and I. When we told the woman working there that we didn’t really care about hockey, she looked at us as if we had just told her we enjoyed clubbing kittens in our spare time. After a few uncomfortable moments of silence she stammered, “But, but, you’re part of the Original Six…” OK, maybe this isn’t the best advice for things your family can do while in Toronto, but I love telling that story.
@Eel, it’s not a nudie bar in Canada. It’s a boob store. Or if you live in Detroit, it’s the Windsor Ballet.
I second ViaRail. If you take business class they have a nice drink cart that swings by repeatedly. If you ride in coach, pick up a lunch in a restaurant in Windsor after you cross the border.
I am also serious about WVRST. I think you’d like it.
Try the duck fat fries at WVRST.
http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/10/1598341/restaurant/King-West/Wvrst-Toronto
If you go to AGO, check out the exhibition, “Constructing Utopia: Books and Posters from Revolutionary Russia (1910-1940)”
http://www.ago.net/constructing-utopia
The X Club and the M4 Club are two great swingers clubs in Toronto.
It might be a great way to rekindle the romance after having a child.
St. Lawrence Market: http://www.stlawrencemarket.com/ (a great urban market)
A ferry ride to the Toronto Islands: http://en.wikipedia.org (weather permitting)
And I agree that The Beguiling is a great comics shop.
http://www.beguiling.com/index.php
1) 2nd both St. Lawrence Market and ROM. Eat lunch at St. Lawrence, too. Lots of good, cheap eats.
2) 2nd that CN is overpriced. (That said, if you don’t give a crap about money, it’s still pretty damn cool to either stand on the glass floor or be outside at that height. Go to the highest point – which is, of course, an extra fee.)
3) Science Center was really run-down on visit last year. Displays were in disrepair and all the kids were in the big center room making art from scraps. You could do that at home for free.
Does anyone remember when the would-be child molester picked up Wheels when he was hitchhiking? It was much better than the Different Strokes episode with Gordon Jump.
Isn’t there an Medieval Times in Toronto?
Yup…pet a falcon and yell at a squire.
Of course, it occurs to me now that Michegan is quite near Canada…