Planning on coming to Toronto? don’t have the cash to spend on a bus tour? No problem.
Tap into TO! is a greeter program with the City of Toronto, entirely geared to what you want to see. Whether you are an artsy-fartsy, an environmentalist, or an architecture buff, they will show you what you want to see — and they don’t use those awful microphones that muffle every word that your tour guide says.
Being a Montrealer and not having had the chance to really explore Toronto in the three years I’ve been here, I thought I’d sign up for a tour. I decided to visit Old Toronto and I was paired with Ted Genova, probably the best Old Toronto tour guide the program has.
All you need to do is fill out a Visitor Request Form, which tells them what you are into and what you’d like to see. Your tour can be for up to six people but you’ll never be grouped with strangers. And don’t worry about feeling awkward at the end of the tour — tips are greatly discouraged. Your TTC fare is also taken care of by the program.
Ted and I agreed to meet at City Hall Monday. He began by using the Toronto model by the front entrance to give me some historical background on the city and City Hall. We made our way down Bay street as Ted talked about the Toronto fires and some of the older buildings in the area. He says City Hall is the best place to meet because it is so central. Other greeters often meet at the visitors’ hotel.
These tours usually go for two to four hours, but I’d been forewarned that Ted could go all day. He took me to Toronto’s first bank, first Post Office, and first school house which, as he noted, was not started by Egerton Ryerson but Enoch Turner. All three of these buildings were spectacular, but what got me what that the Post Office is still functional.
We walked through St. Lawrence and Corktown and eventually ended our tour in the Distillery District at around 3:00 p.m. I was really impressed by how much Ted knew about some of the buildings in Toronto. We visited Toronto’s three oldest churches and St. Lawrence hall. I learned a lot more from tour than any other tours I’ve taken (and paid hefty sums for) worldwide.
Ted knows many small tidbits of Toronto information, like how the Campbell House at Queen and University wasn’t always there. It was moved from the east end of King Street. Or that the Porsche dealership and the Staples on Parliament Street are on the grounds of the original Parliament buildings.
The important thing to remember is your greeter is a volunteer and is there to share their love of Toronto with you. Ted says he’s met some great people from around the world but is still nervous before every tour despite having conducted almost 20 of them.
photo by Sam Javanrouh
