Racer X's Things To Do In...Toronto

This weekend marks the opening round of the 2007 Amp’d Mobile AMA World Supercross GP Series in Toronto, and to get you prepared for the weekend, the staff here at Racer X Illustrated compiled a short list of some extracurricular activities that you and your companions can enjoy in this very cool city, aside from the racing.

Racer X’s Things to do in… is going to be a new feature on Racer X Online that we post prior to every major AMA race, so check in next Wednesday for Things to do in VANCOUVER, and then look for Things to in ANAHEIM after Christmas. (And if the races are coming to your town and you have some restaurant, sight-seeing attraction or great local watering holes to suggest, send them in to: Letters@racerxill.com)

The CN Tower is one of Toronto's main attractions photo: Simon Cudby

The CN Tower
Tel: 416-868-6937
http://www.cntower.ca/

The tallest building in the world is a must-see for visitors: on a clear day, the view from the top extends as far as Niagara Falls. It’s one of the town’s signature attractions and it’s also easy to find… Just look up!

Racer X Canada Party

Looking up will help you find the CN Tower, but looking down—way down—will lead you to the Loose Moose, which is a basement-level “sports bar” right down the street from the Skydome. The Loose Moose is hosting the Racer X pre-party on Friday night, December 1, with showings of the brand new Industrial Strength: The Great Outdoors, plus Travis Pastrana’s new film, Lock & Load.

Ontario Science Center
Tel: 416-696-1000
http://www.osc.on.ca/

Get your science on at the OSC! It’s open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and their mission is, "To delight, inform and challenge visitors through engaging and thought-provoking experiences in science and technology." And to turn that mission into reality, they have a $40 million transformation going on right now, so pardon the dust. at the Science Centre

Check out Travis' new DVD at the Racer X pre-party Friday night at the Loose Moose

Hockey Hall of Fame
Tel: 416-360-7735
Website

Hockey and Canada go together like Hawaii and surfing, and all of the greats are enshrined right here in Toronto. (If you need more hockey, check out Gretzky’s Restaurant right by the stadium: That’s Wayne Gretzky in case you never heard of him!)

Indian Motorcycle Restaurant

If hockey’s not your thing, right down the block from Gretzky’s is the Indian Motorcycle Restaurant, with lots of old bikes, photos and memorabilia. And no trip to Canada is complete without a morning run to Tim Horton’s—Canada’s Ronald McDonald—for coffee and a BLT.

The Renaissance/Skydome Hotel Bar
Tel: 416-341-7100
Website

This is the view just like the hotel bar photo: Simon Cudby

Want to catch an early glimpse of the track or maybe even practice? Work your way over to the Renaissance Hotel, which is connect to the Rogers Centre, and then proceed to the right towards the hotel bar, which overlooks the track! A very cool view indeed, and they don’t mind kids—as long as they’re with their parents and it’s the afternoon.

The Hot Dog Vendor

There’s a great sausage and hot dog vendor who usually parks his cart on the sidewalk right next to the stairs that lead you to the CN tower (on the left) and the Rogers Centre and Hotel (on the right). There are also tons of great restaurants on that street.

The Distillery District
Website

We literally stumbled upon this place last year; we’ll let their website explain it all: “Founded in 1832 by Brothers-in-law William Gooderham and James Worts, the Gooderham and Worts Distillery eventually became the largest distillery in the British empire. Set on 13 acres in downtown Toronto, the forty plus buildings constitute the largest and best preserved collection of Victorian Industrial Architecture in North America…” America. The Distillery District is a national historic site.

Eaton Centre
Website

This just might be the largest downtown, indoor shopping mall in the world. If the weather’s bad, and you want to stay indoors but check out the city, this is the place for you. It’s not that far from the Rogers Centre, either—just ask any cabbie or police officer.

CENTRE HOURS
Mon-Fri 10:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Sat 9:30 AM - 7:00 PM
Sun 12:00 PM - 6:00 PM

Hard Rock Café

If you don’t feel like venturing far after the race on Saturday night, check out the Hard Rock Café that’s actually in the SkyDome! In fact, you could even watch the race from inside the Hard Rock, if you so choose to.

Finally, Racer X reader Mick Varsava of Sarnia, Ontario, wanted to add these to the list:

http://www.medievaltimes.com/tohomepage.htm
 
http://www.casaloma.org/
 
http://www.blueman.com/ticketinfo/toronto/

And if you can't make it to the race, be sure to listen to the Supercross Live! Webcast Saturday night on www.supercrossonline.com.