48 places to meet somebody in Toronto
Public, easy to find, easy to leave. These are the places Churr suggests when two twins agree on a first thing to do — parks, squares, markets, rinks and stretches of waterfront, spread across ten parts of the city on purpose.
Nothing here needs a ticket and nothing here is somebody’s living room. Pick one near you and see what is on.
Downtown
Yonge-Dundas Square
The city’s front step. Impossible to miss, open late, and everything is a short walk.
St. Lawrence Market
Breakfast, benches and a roof when it rains. Best before noon on a Saturday.
Distillery District
Cobblestones, no cars, and a coffee every twenty paces.
Cabbagetown
Victorian streets and a slow loop. A walk that is a conversation, not a destination.
Corktown Common
A hill, a marsh and the whole skyline behind you. Quiet on a weekday.
Underpass Park
Dry in the rain, lit at night, and the murals give you something to talk about.
The waterfront
Harbourfront Centre
Something free is almost always on, and the lake is right there.
Sugar Beach
Pink umbrellas, white rocks, and no reason to stay longer than you want to.
Roundhouse Park
Steam engines and lawn under the tower. Easy to find, hard to be late to.
Sherbourne Common
Water channels, a rink in winter, and almost never crowded.
The Bentway
Under the Gardiner, which means shade in July and shelter in November.
Ontario Place grounds
The west island paths: lake on both sides and nobody in a hurry.
Cherry Beach
Sand, dogs and the best sunset downtown. Bring a jacket after six.
Toronto Islands
A ferry is a built-in icebreaker. Check the last boat back before you agree a time.
Tommy Thompson Park
The spit: five kilometres of birds and rubble, and no traffic at all.
West Queen West
Trinity Bellwoods
The city’s living room. A bench on the slope is the easiest first meeting there is.
Kensington Market
Cheap food, no dress code, and a loop you can do twice without noticing.
Graffiti Alley
Fifteen minutes of walls that change every month. Good for people who hate sitting still.
Chinatown
Open late, cheap, and busy enough that a quiet conversation is still private.
Little Italy
Patios on both sides of College. Afternoon is calmer than you would guess.
The west end
Christie Pits
A bowl with a ball game in it most summer evenings. Sit on the rim and watch.
Dufferin Grove Park
Bread oven, farmers’ market on Thursdays, and shade in August.
Koreatown
Bloor between Christie and Bathurst. Late food, and nobody minds if you linger.
Liberty Village
Brick courtyards between the old factories. Dead quiet at the weekend.
The Junction
Dundas West at Keele: second-hand shops and long coffees.
Parkdale & High Park
A guide to Parkdale & High Park →
High Park
Big enough for a proper walk. Agree on a gate, not on "the park".
Roncesvalles
One street, everything on it, and a streetcar out at both ends.
Humber Bay Arch Bridge
The white arch over the river mouth. Twenty minutes and the best photo in the west end.
The east end
Riverdale Park East lookout
The postcard view of the skyline, from a hill people actually sit on.
Withrow Park
A neighbourhood park with no agenda. Dogs, a rink in winter, and benches.
Leslieville
Queen East around Logan: brunch that is not a two-hour queue.
Greektown on the Danforth
Patios, late kitchens, and a subway station every few blocks.
Evergreen Brick Works
A ravine, a market on Saturdays, and a shuttle if neither of you drives.
The Beaches
Kew Gardens
Where the boardwalk meets Queen East. Bandstand, shade, and ice cream.
The Beaches boardwalk
Three kilometres of flat wood by the lake. Walk and talk, no plan needed.
Woodbine Beach
Volleyball nets, sand and space. Windy — bring a jacket even in July.
Midtown
Yorkville
The rock in the park is a landmark nobody misses, and the coffee is a minute away.
The Annex
Bloor at Spadina: bookshops, cheap lunch, and a subway underneath you.
Edwards Gardens
Formal gardens that run straight into a ravine trail. Quiet on a weekday morning.
Sunnybrook Park
Fields, horses and the Don trail. Big enough that you should name a car park.
Aga Khan Park
Reflecting pools and hard geometry. Free, calm, and unlike anywhere else in the city.
North York
Downsview Park
An old airbase turned into fields. Enormous, flat and never full.
Earl Bales Park
A ski hill in winter and an amphitheatre in summer, on the same slope.
Mel Lastman Square
Right on top of the subway, with a rink, a stage and somewhere to sit.
Scarborough
Bluffer’s Park
Down at the water under the cliffs. The only beach in the city with a wall behind it.
Scarborough Bluffs lookout
The top of the cliffs, looking out at nothing but lake. Stay back from the edge.
Rouge Beach
Where the Rouge meets the lake, at the end of the Lakeshore East line.
Guild Park and Gardens
Salvaged stone facades standing in a lawn above the lake. Strange and very quiet.