What I’d love to do with a day at home:
- Go to the St. Lawrence Market and browse the countless stalls and enjoy an eggplant parm sandwich from Uno Mustachio, then walk along Front St to the Distillery with a stop at Neo, Arvo or one of the Balzac’s for coffee; catch a play at Soul Pepper Theatre
- Watch a theatre performance (Hamilton! Lion King! Come From Away! etc…) or a symphony performance and then grab drinks at the somewhat overrated but fun Coffee Oysters Champagne speakeasy
- Walk west down Bloor Street starting at Yonge, detour to the Indigo at Manulife Centre and get some lasagna at Scaccia or the pork shoulder sandwich at Eataly, then continue west through Yorkville, explore the flagship stores, walk past the ROM, take a peek at Varsity Stadium, grab a coffee at L’Espresso, swing by UTS, explore all the little stores in the Annex, and end at Bathurst or even Christie for some Korean food (or another cafe, such as Ninetails where they make fresh dorayaki, or Rustle & Still where they have an amazing pandan latte)
- Wander down Yonge Street and pick from the plethora of Chinese/other Asian restaurants, remembering to stop for dessert at Black Ball and/or bubble tea at one of the many stores (my favourite is Yi Fang) before ending at the Eaton Centre (my favourite place to eat is GB Hand Pulled Noodles, which is just off of Yonge St at Bay/Dundas)
- Go shopping at one of the biggest and nicest downtown shopping malls, the Eaton Centre, then go to Uncle Tetsu’s for some Japanese cheesecake or enjoy dessert from Tsujiri, go to Nathan Phillips Square and go ice skating and take photos by the Toronto sign, check out City Hall and Old City Hall (now the courthouse), then enjoy hot chocolate at Tim Horton’s (or Dineen or Bluestone Lane if you’re feeling fancy), grab a burger at Richmond Station
- Get afternoon tea at the Shangri-La with some friends, wander down Queen St West afterwards and browse the boutique stores and ponder which hipster establishment to select for dinner
- If it’s warm out, walk along Harbourfront, enjoy a beer at Amsterdam Brewhouse, look at the boats, enjoy the storybook garden, and end at Sugar Beach
- Take the ferry to Centre Island and rent a four-person bike to go around the island, check out the lighthouse, swing on the swings, have a BBQ by the beach and play some volleyball
- Venture east on Dundas or Gerrard starting at Broadview, enjoying a coffee at one of the many cafes (Tertulia is especially airy and sunny inside, but other options include Boxcar Social, Merchants of Green Coffee, Odin Coffee Roasters), getting brunch at Bonjour Brioche, trying the amazing ice cream flavours at Wong’s, wandering through old Gerrard Chinatown and buying some very cheap Chinese buns; can also stay for a drink at the Broadview Hotel and enjoy their rooftop in good weather
- Walk down Spadina from Bloor, swinging by Kensington Market for a coffee at Fika or snacks at one of the many cafes/restaurants (breakfast sandwiches at Egg Bae are excellent), then continuing into Chinatown and getting a $3 or $4 bahn mi at Nguyen Huong or an egg waffle at Dragon City Mall; if here later, stay for karaoke at one of the many karaoke bars or go for all day dim sum
- Drive out of the city to Shops at Don Mills, grab coffee and a sandwich at Aroma, do some window shopping, and then get warmed up with congee at Congee Queen and bubble tea from Cha Time or one of the many other bubble tea stores
- Bike through the university campus and check out Queen’s Park Circle, then go down University Ave with all the hospitals and tall buildings until you reach Union Station, then grab a bite at Marche
- Head out of Toronto to Markham and explore Pacific Mall, wander the narrow laneways with all the small stalls, catch some young Chinese kids performing dance at Market Village’s community stage, and then pick up some groceries or small nibbles at T&T