Must See Toronto/Montreal?

Talus

Talus

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Hey All -

I'm headed to Canada with my girlfriend next week, we'll be there for 6 days. The idea is to spend a few days in Toronto and then take a bus to Montreal and spend a day or two there. Pretty open ended schedule.

Any restaurants, local dives, watering holes, breweries, galleries, outdoor events, public transit experiences, etc. worth checking out in Toronto and or Montreal? I'm open for adventure!
 
Im surprised no one has posted.

Jumbo Empinada is great for chilean eats in Kensington Market.
Corned Beef House is great for any stacks of meat on sandwiches, though you may find better in Montreal.
If you're into divey places Sneaky Dee's is great for nachos. Kings Crown and a pitcher of whatever are a must at this place.
If you like waiting in line I would recommend Sweet Jesus for soft serve ice cream.
Also Grand Electric is IMO one of the best tortilla places in the city, likewise Electric Mud can be a BBQ stop just around the corner.

these are just a couple places off the top of my head.
 
A walk through China Town, Kensington Market, Queen St. West, and a ferry ride to the islands.

Do you know where you'll be staying?
 
AGO for Canadian painting in Toronto. Distillery district to look and eat.
You are one week late for Vivian Maier, but they might have some of it in the second gallery.
http://www.bulgergallery.com/dynamic/fr_exhibit.asp


Honestly, one day in Montreal or even two is too short. Two days in Toronto is long enough.

Montreal museum of fine arts, Old Port district and above up to Mount Royal, just walking is pleasure.

https://www.les3brasseurs.ca and http://brasseurdemontreal.com for beer and food.

Brasseur de montreal in Griffintown has not so far from it trail beside channel which leads to Old Port.
 

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You might want to look into the train to Montreal. Leaves often from Union Station in Toronto. Some are more express than others. Check the times on the VIA site.
 
Thanks for all of the feedback gentlemen (and ladies if applicable). This gives me a great starting point for my trip prep!

Ko.Fe., I do realize I'll miss the Maier exhibit. I was a little upset to find out. Thanks for the links, I'll check them out.
 
Lots of good suggestions above. I can second the train Toronto-Montreal if you have that option for travel. Downtown to downtown, no fuss no muss. First class tickets are a waste of money, marginally larger seats, some train food (er...) and drinks (yeah whatever). Plus quicker boarding, that's about it for the benefits. Go with the regular ticket.

In Toronto - I'd suggest some spots mentioned above. Kensington Market is very photogenic as is St. Lawrence Market. Beware vendors that might not enjoy having their photos taken, in both spots. Distillery District is good as is Queen St. particularly the funkier parts west of Spadina (this is convenient to Kensington Market too). There is a "graffiti alley" just off that part of Queen St. that is fun. All of these are kind of stereotypical photography destinations, but for good reason. There is lots that you could do there.

There is an excellent aquarium too if you like that kind of thing, near the foot of the CN Tower. The railway museum and Steam Whistle Brewery are right there (tastings and tours available at the brewery I think) - both located in the old railway roundhouse.

As mentioned above, ferry to the Toronto Islands is a great idea - best place for sunset cityscapes if that turns your crank.

Montreal is full of great stuff - at a minimum, the old neighbourhood (Vieux Montreal). Lots to see on the waterfront. Over to the island if you're a car racing fan, that's where the formula 1 track is - it's public park the rest of the year I think.

I think I'm just repeating what's been said above TBH. 🙂 Enjoy!
 
Thanks again all for the advice. We just landed yesterday and I'll have to admit that Toronto is a lot different than I remember it from 20 years ago. We were at the beach volleyball tournament yesterday and have today and tomorrow free to take most of you up on your recommendations before we ship off to Montreal tomorrow night.

Have a great weekend everyone!
 
I would relax and just walk around where you see people walking around. Enjoy the atmosphere of being there. Tourist traps are not needed. Enjoy lunch at some local restaurant and ask the people working there about possible targets to visit.
 
Greetings from the VIA train to Montreal. We've made it! Toronto has been fun, even with the rain yesterday. Thanks everyone for the suggestions.


BLKRCAT said:
You aren't missing out on the Maier exhibit. The prints are amazing technically but I'm not on the bandwagon.
Click to expand...


From what I've seen, I've enjoyed her work. Why don't you care for her work? Anything specific?
 
I feel like she was a "right place, right time" photographer. She was shooting in a time when we didn't have social media, the fear of privacy, also the old style images from bygone eras seem to have a lot of pull not just because of the image as a piece of "art" or whatever you want to call it, but rather by the scenescapes. The fashion, the cars, the hair, the mood of the streets back in the 50s/60s. She was shooting in the right time for her work to be picked up in 2016 and raved over.

Compositionally a lot of her shots come naturally to most people, you do see similar compositions and images on Instagram taken by kids with phones.

Don't get me wrong, she does have a few images that are good and I like. But the majority of it is just right place, right time for me.
 
I have seen her landscape pictures taken with Brownie. She was gifted photographer. Of all times.
Yes, here is fear of privacy, from gutless with camera. She had no fear even with rough looking people.
 
Another thing to add. People love a good story. For someone to have found a bunch of negatives and prints from a true artist who was lost in time is a sensational story. There's gonna be hype built up over the story alone which I believe can bias some people when viewing her images.
 
BLKRCAT said:
Another thing to add. People love a good story. For someone to have found a bunch of negatives and prints from a true artist who was lost in time is a sensational story. There's gonna be hype built up over the story alone which I believe can bias some people when viewing her images.
Click to expand...



Absolutely. I agree with your other post and this as well. There is always a nostalgia for vintage and looks from the past, which she delivers. On the other hand, she does capture people on the street (I've only seen some of her work and gravitated towards her street portraits) in a very personal and inviting way, which all seem almost staged in her subject's body position, but also strikes a dichotomy due to the settings of the portraits themselves. At least that's how I've felt from what little I've seen.

On a personal note, I wanted to thank all of you for your suggestions. I'm back home now and had a wonderful time in Canada. I would suggest to all of you that are in the Montreal area that World Press Photo has an exhibition in Montreal that was fantastic. I believe it ends very soon, early October. Definitely check it out if you can.

I also discovered as I began to edit my photos from the trip that my M9P has the dreaded dead pixel line. I tried the 30 second bulb trick fix mentioned on the forums without success so it looks like Leica NJ will have my beloved camera for the next 8 weeks. Oh well.

Thanks again. Have a great week all.

Greg
 
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