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Social Gatherings
GESSA maintains a social committee that plans parties, field trips, and casual get togethers throughout the school year. To get involved, please contact Social Committee, or check out the GESSA weblog.
Cheap Entertainment
Native Torontonian Hayley Easto (MES '03) compiled the following list especially for the FES crowd:
Restaurants
Buddha’s Vegetarian Foods [666 Dundas St., W of Bathurst]
- Vegan Buddhist food, you can stuff yourself silly for about $7 per person.
Salad King [335 Yonge St. on Gould, N of Dundas]
- Delicious Thai food, meals around $7, lots of veggie options available.
- The place to be if you can’t get your food spicy enough – meals are available in mild, medium, or 1 through 20 chiles.
Island Foods [1182 King St., W of Dufferin, or 275 Dundas St. West, Village By the Grange]
- great Trinidadian roti, around $5 each
Bo De Duyen [254 Spadina Ave., S of Dundas]
- Chinese vegetarian style with extensive menu of all things vegetarian
Utopia [586 College St., W of Bathurst]
- great eats, great back patio, veggie friendly, LCBO
- hilights include grilled vegetable burrito, vegetarian gravy
- pricier, can get a meal for around $10
Alternative Grounds [333 Roncesvalles Ave., S of College]
- fair trade coffee shop with nice café food
- buy fair trade coffee by the cup or by the pound
- extensive selection of beans, they do catering too
Stores
Strictly Bulk
- Inexpensive, fresh bulk and health foods
638 Danforth Ave., at Pape
924 Bloor St. West, at Ossington
2436 Danforth Ave., W of Woodbine
2389 Bloor St. West, between Jane and Runnymede
Grassroots Environmental Products [372 Danforth Ave., E of Broadview & 408 Bloor St. West, at Spadina]
- products made from hemp fabric, environmentally safe cleaning products, etc
Mountain Equipment Co-op [400 King St. West at Spadina] - www.mec.ca
- high quality outdoor gear, also backpacks and travel mugs for the trek up to York
- it’s a Co-operative enterprise, $5 lifetime membership, also a very eco-friendly building with a rooftop garden (inaccessible)
Entertainment
Free Friday Films at Innis College [2 Sussex Ave, on St-George St., S of Bloor]
- great films on the big screen in the Innis College (at U of T) Film School Auditorium
- every Friday evening at 7, arrive early to get seats
- pick up schedules on site, new schedules are released in September and January (no films during summer)
Festival Cinemas - www.festivalcinemas.com/index2.shtml
- A network of rep cinemas; a membership is good at any of these venues
- Films for $4 (matinées or Tuesdays) or $6 (regular) with a ~$3 membership
The Royal [608 College St., W of Bathurst]
The Revue [400 Roncesvalles, S of Dundas West subway]
The Paradise [1006 Bloor St. West, W of Ossington]
The Music Hall [147 Danforth Ave., E of Broadview]
The Fox [2236 Queen St. East]
The Kingsway (3030 Bloor St. West, W of Royal York subway]
Bloor Cinema - www.bloorcinema.com/about_bloor.html
- Independent rep cinema; need a different membership than at Festival Cinemas
- Films for $4 (matinées or Tuesdays) or $6 (regular) with a ~$3 membership
Art Gallery of Ontario [317 Dundas, W of McCaul]
- admission $9 for students, free on Wednesday evenings from 6 to closing at 8:30
Royal Ontario Museum [100 Queens Park Cresc., S of Bloor]
- admission $7 for students, free on Friday evenings from 4:30 to closing at 9:30
Important Neighbourhoods
Kensington Market – SW of College and Spadina; take the Spadina streetcar south to Baldwin, turn right
- the place to go for cheap produce, cheese, fish, deli meats, baked goods, bulk food, djembes, incense, used clothes (not the cheapest in the city, but a huge selection)
- also a hemp shop and brand-new hemp "café"
- Hilights:
- Last Temptation (on Kensington Ave.) – restaurant with a fantastic street-front patio
- Moonbean (on St-Andrew St.) – fair trade coffee, healthy snacks, quiet back patio
- Courage My Love (on Kensington Ave.) – great source for beads and lacy/crazy vintage clothing
- Bikes on Wheels (on Augusta) – co-operative bike and bike repair shop; pump up your tires at any time of day or night
- Bulk Shop (corner of Augusta and Baldwin) – endless selection of all things bulk, run by a friendly and helpful set of brothers who will happily provide you with a recipe for anything you care to purchase
Chinatown West (Spadina Ave. between College and Queen; Dundas between Beverly and Augusta)
- the place for East Asian restaurants, groceries and imports
- everyone has a different favourite restaurant, so just pick one!
Little Italy (College St. between Bathurst and Ossington)
- lots of great restaurants and cafés
- tip: avoid it during the weekends as it tends to fill up with loud and boorish suburban people
Baldwin Street (E of Spadina)
- small tree-lined strip with lots of patios
Parkdale (Queen St. between Dovercourt and Roncesvalles; take the Queen streetcar West)
- a fantastic and old area, many immigrants and low-income people
- bars and restaurants are cheap and not yet gentrified
The Island – (catch a ferry for $5 at Harbourfront)
- massive park, lovely neighbourhood, Hanlan’s Point (Toronto’s only nude beach); beaches on the far side of the island offer swimming in a cleaner part of the lake
- best seen by bike, which you can take on the ferry
- bring a picnic, as finding food there can be pricey and difficult
Other ones I don’t know much about:
Chinatown East
Little India (Gerrard)
Beaches (Queen East)
The Danforth
Nightspots
Oasis [294 College St.]
– tapas bar, great atmosphere; has a small back room you can rent for fundraisers and parties
Sneaky Dees [corner of College and Bathurst]
– a Toronto institution featuring Mexican food and cheap beer
The Rhino [1249 Queen St. West]
– Parkdale pub
The Cadillac Lounge [1296 Queen St. West]
– Parkdale pub with back patio and live entertainment including burlesque shows
NASA [609 Queen St. West, at Bathurst]
– small dance club, great music
Eclipse [971 College St., by Dufferin]
– small club, often featuring DJs
Lula Lounge [1585 Dundas St. West, by Dufferin]
– the place for Latin grooves
Revival [783 College]
– pricey venue which often features great bands
Clintons [693 Bloor St. West]
– pub with back room, great spot for hosting fundraisers and parties
News
Weekly alternative newspapers feature local news and extensive event listings. Available Thursdays in boxes around the city or online.
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