Photo Credit: toronto subway buttons ~ looking north by striatric on Flickr, used under the CCA-SA 2.0 License

If you read The Toronto Traveler on a regular basis, then chances are you’ve seen me refer to the city’s subway system more than a few times.  Toronto is one of those cities that would not be the same without its subway system.  Besides allowing hundreds of thousands of people the chance to get to work every day, the subway and the larger public transit network within Toronto and the surrounding area is absolutely essential for tourism in the city.  This is why I include information about subway stations in all of my event postings, because I wouldn’t be surprised if the majority of people that read this blog use that method of transportation as their primary means of getting around the city (I know I do!).

In that spirit, here’s a nifty little picture that I found on Flickr.  It’s a set of Toronto subway buttons, with the background of each button matching the actual tiling for that subway station.  The stations that you can see here are in the downtown core and waterfront areas of the city, which is why the names might be more recognizable to you than some of the other stations around.  I thought it was a pretty cool picture, so I decided to pass it on to you.

Post from: The Toronto Traveler

Now that we’ve dispensed with that little bit of housekeeping, it is time for me to move on and talk about the event I’m plugging today; Christmas Around the World.  As most people realize nowadays, Christmas has become much more than simply a religious celebration as while there are about 2 billion Christians worldwide, the holiday of Christmas is celebrated by significantly more than 2 billion people.  It is this blending of old time religious significance and new age social significance that at least in Toronto brings so many people together in order to celebrate this day and that is seen nowhere in more detail than with this event that is taking place in Scarborough on December 1st.

Two of the most multi-cultural musical groups in the country (and therefore probably in the world), the Scaborough Philharmonic Orchestra and the Bach Children’s Chorus of Scarborough, are going to be joining forces in order to sing a number of songs with a Christmas theme.  These are going to be songs from all around the world, hence the name of the actual performances.

Here is a list of songs that are being performed:

- Humperdink’s Hansel and Gretel Prelude

- Liadov’s Russian Folk Songs

- Waldteufel’s Skater’s Waltz

- Adam’s O Holy Night

- Vince Gassi’s Ding Dong Merrily

The concert will be taking place at Birchmount Park Collegiate Institute, which is located at 3663 Danforth Road (actually not that far from my house, incidentally enough).  The best way to get there by TTC would be to take the #113 bus east from Victoria Park Station.

Post from: The Toronto Traveler

The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC for short) is the government authority that controls and maintains the subway system in Toronto.  They are responsible for not only making sure that the current stations and trains remain in good authority, but they are also responsible for making additions whenever the funding they receive allows for it.  A full map of the subway system as it currently exists in Toronto can be found here and while understanding the system enough to be able to navigate to different places in the smallest amount of time takes some practice, there are a few things that you can start doing right now to get off on the right track.

1) If in doubt, ask: The TTC information helpline located at 416-393-INFO is your best friend.  You can use it to get the best directions for where you want to go directly from the horse’s mouth.

2) Most attractions will be close to a subway station: If you are in Toronto and are looking for a tourist attraction, chances are it is going to be very close to one of the subway stations.  This is because stations are built with tourism in mind and they have been for decades now, so the city knows pretty well where to put new stations.

3) Day passes might be worth it: The TTC has a day pass that they sell that allows you to take a family around for a full day.  This pass can end up saving you dozens of dollars if you are planning to have a busy day of activities with the whole family in tow.  The pass is sold on a daily basis at all of the subway stations, so make sure that you consider purchasing it if you forsee the potential use of multiple TTC fares during the day.

These are just three tips to whet your appetite and get you started; I’ll have more to say about using the TTC later on down the road.

Post from: The Toronto Traveler