This book is a work in its infancy and so, for the time-being, free. It will eventually be a semi-comprehensive list of places in Toronto that are off the beaten path and not especially well-advertised, in other words, places that are not tourist traps or banal chain store restaurants. They are, for want of a better term, indigenous. Some of them, like Allen Gardens and the zoo are often visit by tourists but do not exist specifically for that purpose. Cool Toronto wants to encourage people who live here and those from out of town to patronize and visit places that don't conform to that hobgoblin of little minds, foolish consistency. Use it as inspiration for something to do on the weekend or during your visit, but do please bookmark this page and check back because there will be ongoing updates. If you want to be notified when the book goes to print, send an email to info @ lostcitypress.net with the words, "Tannu Tuva" in the subject line.
Allan Gardens
The orignal Horticultural building was destroyed by fire in 1902 and replaced by the domed palm house. It opened in 1909 and the two wings that run to the north and south of it were added in the 1920's. All these years later it is still free to the public and a nice place to visit in winter. The musky smell of the plants and the warmth of the palm house can lift your spirits on the coldest, most miserable day. Where else are you going to see bananas and dates growing in the middle of February? More photos are available on Flickr.
Biseagal 388 Carlaw Avenue (Just off Carlaw and Dundas Street East), Unit 101D. 
Probably the best place in Toronto to have your bike repaired. Biseagal means bicycle in Scottish-Gaelic, but in Toronto it means that Malcolm will fix your bike for a very reasonable amount of money and do so with loving care. He can take your old bike and make it into something new. Maybe you just like your old bike but want to have better parts put on it. If your bike needs any kind of work done on it at all, this is the place to take it.
Fat Albert's Open Stage 25 Cecil Street.
Sign-up is at 7:00 P.M and playing starts at 8:00 P.M. Usually you get to play two songs (or read two poems) but if you come late and your name is near the end of the list, you may only get to play one song.
I've been going to Fat Albert's since the late 80s and have heard a lot of excellent music over that time. There is a two dollar cover fee, but tea and coffee are free. And if you really can't afford a twoonie, they'll let you slide. You don't have to stay for the whole show and you don't have to show up right on time either. You can drop in anytime you like after 8:00 and stay for a couple of performers or stay until the end.
It's a nice relaxed atmosphere and a great way to spend an evening with nice, warm people. So, if you're tendency in winter is to hibernate and do nothing, get yourself down to Fat Albert's one Wednesday night and listen to some original songs and poems you will likely not hear anywhere else.
Laneways 
Toronto has many interesting laneways to explore. This one runs south off of Harbord between Bathurst and Spadina and all the way to College. If you've been shopping at Honest Ed's and feel like a bit of deli, stroll down this lane, turn left at College and head for Kaplansky's.
Riverdale Farm Far eastern end of Carlton Street (About three blocks past Parliament) Open 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM daily No Charge
Simpson House has a gift shop, a place to buy coffee and baked goods and public washrooms. On Tuesdays there is even a farmer's market in the park that runs from about 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM. Recently, the Cabbagetown Regent Park Museum opened in the old vet's house and it is also free with a small collection of artifacts and memorabilia related to the two neighbourhoods it is named after. Toronto Small Press Book Fair 
The Toronto Small Press Group supports very small to medium-sized presses by holding a fair in the spring and fall each year. Lost City Press has had a table at the fair four or five times  Winterfolk is a great little folk music festival that happens on the Danforth in Toronto every year in February. In 2010, it was held from February 12th - 15th. There's no charge to get into the venues, (although being restaurants, they would like you at least have a coffee or something). Check out the website and give them a plug on your facebook page or website.
Toronto Zoo Meadowvale Road, just north of the 401 General Admission (ages 13 - 64) $21.00 Senior (ages 65+) $15.00 Child (ages 4 - 12) $13.00 Child (ages 3 & younger) FREE  The Toronto Zoo is easy to forget about, situated as it is in the upper east corner of the city. It's not exactly easy to get to either. If you don't drive, the TTC journey to the end of the line is a long one and then you have to connect with the 86A bus. That said, it is a still a great day out and the collection is so large that you can easily spend the whole day there and not see it all. It's also a great place to visit on cold or overcast days because many of the exhibits are inside pavilions and they are kept warm for the animals. We visited the zoo one grey afternoon in March and found that there was almost no-one there. This made it relatively easy to see the new baby gorilla, Nassir, and watch the fascinating interactions between his mother and the other members of her tribe. The zoo's dietary program, which mimics the nutritional elements present in the animals' natural environments, has won awards and led to many of the animals giving birth to infants. A new baby always makes a visit to the zoo more interesting and you can find out when this happens on their website. The zoo's food kiosks are a little more varied than they were in the past and the peacock café even serves Starbucks coffee now. But it's still fast food and if you want to eat as well as the animals do, you should pack a lunch and eat at a picnic table. There are lots of outdoor spots to set up camp for an hour or so where the kids can play on the grass and you can watch the other humans. |
Some of Canada's best songwriters, musicians 