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Toronto/Midtown - human settlement in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Midtown is a district in Toronto north of downtown. It isn't an area with a large number of museums, theatres, or other tourist attractions - although there are a few sights to see. The best way to enjoy it is to pretend that you live there, and enjoy the shops, restaurants, and cafés. For this guide, we look at “Midtown” in a larger geographic sense. It includes what is considered the traditional neighbourhood of Midtown, Leaside, and the old borough of York. Rough boundaries are Davenport Rd in the south, Lawrence Ave in the north, the Humber River in the west and the Don Valley in the east. Midtown has two axes: Yonge Street is the north/south axis along subway line 1, and St Clair Avenue West is Midtown's east/west axis along the 512 streetcar line.

Understand

Casa Loma Toronto has many streets, or sections of streets, lined with shops, restaurants and the occasional pub. These streets are attractive walking areas that are easily accessible by public transit. Most are in the older parts of the city. Often the local "business improvement association" (BIA) gives the area a pleasant name and arranges little things such as sidewalk benches, potted plants and street decorations.

Yonge Street

Here are the mid-town retail areas along Yonge Street:

Rosedale/Summerhill/St.Clair is a 1.6-km section of Yonge Street stretching from Crescent Road at Rosedale Station, passing Summerhill Station to Heath Street, a short distance north of St. Clair Avenue and St. Clair Station on subway Line 1. The former Summerhill railway station at Schriviner Square is a landmark south of the subway's Summerhill Station. The steep slope on Yonge Street north of Summerhill Station was the shore of Glacial Lake Iroquois which existed here 13,000 years ago. If you climb the slope, take a look at Fire Hall 311, a national historic site built in 1911, on Balmoral Avenue near Yonge Street.

The Yonge & Davisville area stretches along Yonge Street from Merton Street near Davisville Station to Berwick Avenue in the north, 1 block south of Eglinton Avenue and Eglinton Station on subway line 1. This 900-metre stretch contains a number of restaurants.

The Yonge & Eglinton area has 2 strips. One strip runs 1.4 km along Yonge Street from Eglinton Avenue north to Glencairn Avenue. Uptown Yonge is cast in plaques at various sidewalk locations. A second, short strip with restaurants and bars runs along Eglinton Avenue East from Yonge Street to about Redpath Avenue.

Yonge-Lawrence Village is a 1.1-km strip along Yonge Street from Lawrence Avenue (Lawrence Station on subway Line 1) to Yonge Boulevard. (The name is on all the street name signs in the area.) This strip has shops, cafes and restaurants, most of which are north of Bedford Park Avenue. However, take a look at Fire Station 131 built in 1931 at the corner of Wanless Avenue and Yonge Street.

Here are the Mid-town retail areas near Yonge Street:

Mount Pleasant Village is a 800-metre strip along Mount Pleasant Road south of Eglinton Avenue East. (The name is on all the street name signs in the area.) This strip has shops (some specialty shops) and restaurants including two French-style patisseries. To access Mount Pleasant Village by public transit, take any eastbound bus from Eglinton Station on subway Line 1, or it's close enough from Eglinton Station to walk.

South Bayview is a 600-metre retail strip along Bayview Avenue one block south of Eglinton Avenue East. (The name is on all the street name signs in the area.) This strip has shops, cafes and restaurants including two French-style patisseries. To access South Bayview by public transit, take bus 11 from Davisville Station on subway Line 1.

St Clair Avenue West

The most interesting parts of St Clair Ave are west of St Clair West Station between Bathurst St and Lansdowne Ave where there are 4 retail areas with many shops and restaurants along the 512 streetcar line. Here are areas from east to west:

  • Wychwood Heights and Hillcrest Village are 2 contiguous retail areas with shops and restaurants, each with its own BIA. However, from a visitor point of view, they appear as one even using the same style of street name signs to brand the area. Both areas lie between Bathurst St on the east and Winona Avenue on the west.
  • Going further west after a short gap in the shops and restaurants, we come to Northcliffe Village between Oakwood Ave in the east to Northcliffe Blvd on the west. Most of its shops and restaurants are on the north side of St Clair Ave.
  • From Northcliffe Blvd on the east to Lansdowne Ave on the west lies Corso Italia which has a dense concentration of shops and restaurants on both sides of the street, and because of that concentration, this area is the most interesting of the four areas along St Clair.

Ethnically, there is a mixture of Italian, Portuguese and Latin American businesses in the 4 areas.

Neighbourhoods

Rosedale is generally considered to be among the wealthiest neighbourhoods in Canada and its narrow, tree-filled streets are lined with beautiful, turn-of-the-century mansions, with large front gardens. The generally accepted boundaries are: The CP railways tracks to the north, Rosedale Ravine to the south, the Don Valley to the east and Yonge Street to the west. While it serves as the neighbourhood's western boundary, Yonge Street also serves as the area's main street, filled with expensive restaurants and shops, and buzzing with nightlife.

Deer Park is centred on the intersection of Yonge Street and St Clair Avenue, both of which have a variety of large office buildings and restaurants. The boundaries of this neighbourhood are roughly defined as: the CP railway tracks in the south, the BeltLine trail in the north, Avenue Road and Oriole Parkway in the west and the Rosedale Ravine in the east.

Leaside is predominantly upper-middle-income families who value the neighbourhood as an ideal place to raise children. Leaside has abundant green space and parkland, a variety of schools, one of Toronto's shopping districts on Bayview Avenue, and access to public transit. Located northeast of Downtown Toronto, in the vicinity of Eglinton Avenue East and Bayview Avenue.

Part of the old borough of York, Weston is bordered on the north by Highway 401, on the west by the Humber River, and on the east by Jane St. and on the south by Weston Rd. Weston has a large Caribbean population, and is home to some of the best authentic Caribbean food in Toronto. The town's symbol is an old-fashioned bicycle, outlines of which are hung on streetlights on Weston Road. This originates from Weston once having a CCM bicycle factory, and being a manufacturing centre.

Get in

By subway

Taking subway line 1 along Yonge Street to Rosedale, Summerhill, St. Clair, Davisville, Eglinton, or Lawrence station will put you in Midtown Toronto.

Castle Frank station, on subway line 2 (Bloor-Danforth), provides connections to the Rosedale neighbourhood of Midtown.

Rail fans might want to view the Davisville subway yard at Davisville subway station from a pedestrian bridge crossing over the yard. The bridge is part of the Kay Gardner Beltline Park which runs along a former railway right-of-way.

By bus

Bus 82 runs from the Rosedale subway station, travels the neighbourhood and terminates immediately north of Rosedale; bus 75 terminates in the eastern end of Rosedale after serving Sherbourne Street through downtown.

By streetcar

The 512 Streetcar runs along St Clair Avenue from St Clair station to Weston Road. It operates in its own right-of-way with a raised curb between the streetcar tracks and regular traffic and a limited number of stops compared to regular services. As a result, the 512 Streetcar is an excellent way to see St Clair Avenue. The 512 Streetcar is often described as the midtown streetcar line.

By car

Coming from the 401, Yonge Street will take you through the heart of Midtown. Other exits, like Bayview Ave and Avenue Rd, will also provide access to the district. Eglinton Ave is the main east-west crossroad.

See

  • Alexander Muir Memorial Gardens, 2901 Yonge St (east side of Yonge St, 1 block south of Lawrence Ave (Subway: Lawrence)), 43.7214°, -79.4013°. Nice rose gardens. The gardens provide access to the Blythwood Ravine and Sherwood Park, which are forested areas with trails that are good for running or a leisurely walk. The park is named in honour of Alexander Muir who composed the rousing British-Canadian song "The Maple Leaf Forever". 2016-11-15

  • Amsterdam Square, 525 Avenue Rd (at St Clair Ave W), 43.686953°, -79.401216°. This small park features a replica of a fountain in the Peace Palace (Vredespaleis) in The Hague. The fountain consists of a U-shaped wall with a small lion head emitting water from its mouth. (It might be easier to see the replica in Amsterdam Square than the original at the fenced-off Peace Palace.) The park received its current name in 1974 when Toronto and Amsterdam became twin cities. There is also a wall along the Avenue Road side of the park with an inscription about Jewish survivers of the Holocast in the Netherlands. 2019-04-18

  • Artscape Wychwood Barns, 601 Christie St (512 streetcar to Christie St), 43.679757°, -79.423693°, +1 416-653-3520. The Wychwood Barns is a former streetcar depot converted into an establishment for art organizations. The area is now a public park, and the public may enter the main corridors of the building. The roof on the southern section of the building has been removed and the area is an experimental fruit and vegetable garden. Off the building's main corridor is a cafe and a WC. Outside of event days, the site is fairly quiet, and usually art is not displayed in the public areas. The building was built in stages from 1916 to 1921 and the facility once had over 20 tracks for the storage and maintenance of streetcars. On the western side of the "barns", you can see curving black-coloured sidewalks; these trace the path of the former streetcar tracks that used to circle the building. Inside, there are a few old photos of streetcars. 2015-12-09 Casa Loma

  • Casa Loma, 1 Austin Terrace (600 m north of subway station: Dupont, or 800 m south of 512 streetcar stop: Spadina), 43.6780°, -79.4095°, +1 416-923-1171. Daily 9:30AM-5PM. In 1911, financier Sir Henry Mill Pellatt decided to construct Canada's largest private residence. The resulting European-style castle is now a Toronto landmark and popular tourist attraction. Casa Loma has decorated suites, secret passages, a 250-metre long tunnel, towers, stables and beautiful 5-acre estate gardens. A self-guided digital audio tour in 8 languages (English, French, Japanese, German, Italian, Spanish, Mandarin and Korean) is available. $24 adults, $18 seniors (60+) and youth (14-17), $14 children (4-13) 2015-11-24

  • Casa Loma Parkette, 328 Walmer Rd (1 block north of Casa Loma), 43.6790°, -79.4108°. The Castle Loma stables are located on the north side of this tiny park. The stable building is a fanciful, castle-style building. There was a underground passage between Casa Loma and the stables. 2015-11-24

  • Ernest Hemingway's former residence (The Hemingway), 1599 Bathurst St (700 metres north of St. Clair Ave W), 43.689074°, -79.420465°. From October 1923 to January 1924, Ernest Hemingway lived in a top-floor unit of this attractive, four-storey, brick and stucco apartment building, renamed The Hemingway after its former resident. While in Toronto Hemingway worked as a journalist for the Toronto Star newspaper. Although the building is not open to the public, there is a small oval historical plaque by the building entrance. 2019-04-08

  • Evergreen Brick Works (Don Valley Brick Works), 550 Bayview Ave (take 28 Bayview South bus from Davisville Station on subway line 1), 43.683737°, -79.365169°. Admission Free. The Evergreen Brick Works is a former clay quarry in the Don River valley that has been converted into a large, attractive and distinctive city park. There are naturalized ponds and wetlands while the former brickworks buildings have been restored and opened as an environmentally focused community and cultural centre by Evergreen, a national charity dedicated to restoring nature in urban environments. The wetlands have attracted many species of birds as well as mammals, reptiles and some fish. 2019-03-29

  • Glen Gould's former residence (Park Lane Apartments), 110 St Clair Ave W (just west of Deer Park Cres), 43.687335°, -79.398899°. Famed Canadian pianist Glen Gould had a penthouse apartment in the Park Lane Apartments, an art-deco building. Although the building is not open to the public, there is a historical plaque in front of the building. 2019-04-08

  • Glen Gould Park, 480 Avenue Rd (at St Clair Ave W), 43.686855°, -79.401943°. The park features a cast metal statue of Peter Pan along with other fairy tale figures. The statue, consisting of seven castings, was created in 1929 and is a duplicate of a statue in Kensington Gardens in South Kensington-Chelsea, London, England. The park has no mementos related to pianist Glen Gould other than its name. 2019-04-18

  • Glengrove Substation, 2833 Yonge St (at Glengrove Ave), 43.7195°, -79.4008°. Not open to the public but easily viewed from the public sidewalk. Nicknamed "the castle", this Toronto Hydro substation resembles a chateau rather than the industrial building it is. Built in 1930, the building features ivy-covered stone walls, oak doors and leaded glass windows. The huge oak freight doors on Glengrove Avenue resemble a grand entrance for carriages. 2018-12-25

Loring-Wyle Parkette

  • Loring-Wyle Parkette, 276 St Clair Ave E (700 m east of St Clair Subway Station), 43.6907°, -79.3832°. This tiny park was built in 1984 to honour artists Frances Loring (1887–1968) and Florence Wyle (1881–1968). The parkette contains 4 of their sculptures. The two artists had a studio in a converted church schoolhouse, the building still standing one block south of the parkette at 110 Glenrose Avenue. Near the sidewalk there is a plaque honouring the artists. 2015-11-26

  • Mount Pleasant Cemetery, 1654 Yonge St (main entrance) (North of St. Clair Station on subway line 1), 43.6921°, -79.3949°. The cemetery has miles of walking paths and is the resting place of many famous people, including former prime minister William Lyon Mackenzie King, pianist Glenn Gould, the co-discoverers of insulin Frederick Banting and Charles Best, and Timothy Eaton. The western side of the cemetery contains a number of mausoleums including the Massey Mausoleum, 43.6943°, -79.3916°. , a structure resembling a miniature residential castle, and the Eaton Mausoleum, 43.6916°, -79.3903°. , resembling a temple with two lions guarding the entrance. Walking tours of the cemetery are available (Muddy York Tours). 2015-11-24

  • Mural by Phlegm, 1 St. Clair Ave W (on the west-facing wall of the building), 43.6878°, -79.3943°. UK artist Phlegm painted what was once thought to be the world's tallest mural (8 storeys) on the side of a building. However, since then, a 23-storey mural named the Equilibrium Mural was erected in Toronto's Downtown East district. 2019-03-29

  • North Toronto railway station (Summerhill railway station; LCBO Summerhill store), 10 Scrivener Square (1 block south of Summerhill subway station), 43.6809°, -79.3905°. The station, constructed in the Beaux Arts tradition, consists of a 43-metre (140-foot) clock tower and a three-storey main terminal. The tower is modelled after the Campanile di San Marco in Saint Mark’s Square in Venice. The main terminal gallery has an 11.6-metre (38-foot) high ceiling supported by marble walls and with elegant bronze suspended light fixtures. Opened in 1916, closed 1930, the building serves today a very elegant liquor store. 2015-11-24 Ramsden Park in winter

  • Ramsden Park, 1020 Yonge St (opposite Rosedale Subway Station), 43.6769°, -79.3896°. Ramsden Park is a relatively large, urban park, on the western edge of the Rosedale neighbourhood, with its entrance right on the west side of Yonge Street. In summer this is a very nice place to have a picnic and in winter there is a large skating rink, there are also tennis courts. 2015-11-24

  • Rosedale Valley, Rosedale Valley Rd (Follow Aylmer Ave south of Rosedale Subway Station), 43.6736°, -79.3854°. Rosedale Valley is an enormous green space separating Rosedale from the Yorkville neighbourhood in downtown Toronto. The view from the north side of the valley is absolutely breathtaking, with skyscrapers giving way to a very steep, tree-filled slope. The best view is from the bridge that carries Sherbourne Street across the valley. It is also a pleasant place to stroll during the day, a green oasis just north of the hustle and bustle of downtown, however, like the rest of the ravines in the city, it is unsafe at night. 2015-11-24

  • St. George Lofts, 65 Sheldrake Blvd (150M east of Yonge St), 43.715040°, -79.398324°. St. George Lofts is a former church converted into 33 condominium dwellings. Dormers added to the church's sloping roof, and balconies facing the street give the building an interesting look. There is also a colourful flower garden between the building and the street. The location is private property, but it can be easily viewed from the public sidewalk. 2019-07-08

  • Spadina House Museum, 285 Spadina Rd (Beside Casa Loma on the east side), 43.6790°, -79.4082°, +1 416-392-6910. Adjacent to Casa Loma, this museum gives a more authentic version of Canada's history. It's also a cultural centre, hosting music and art events. Hours and admission vary with the season. Check the website for what's on, or call their event hotline at +1 416-338-3888. 2015-11-24

  • The Tollkeeper's Cottage (The Tollkeeper's Park), 750 Davenport Rd (Bus 7 Bathurst to Davenport Rd or 127 Davenport to Bathurst St), 43.676993°, -79.417010°. Interior open Saturdays. This 1835 cottage housed the family of a tollkeeper who collected tolls along Bathurst St. The cottage contains period furnishings. In the south-west corner of the park, there is an exhibit of 19th century road paving materials using logs. 2015-12-11

Toronto has a number of older, classic-looking fire stations located mainly in the central districts. If you are in the area as a tourist, you should take short detour to view their exteriors. One of the mid-town stations is a designated National Historic Site.

  • Toronto Fire Station 131, 3135 Yonge Street (1 block north of Lawrence Ave and Lawrence Station), 43.726279°, -79.402408°. Active firehall; interior not open to public. This attractive Tudor-style, 2-bay firehall was built in 1931. It was retrofitted in 2003 to accommodate a taller aerial ladder truck which, if you are lucky, might be parked outside. 2015-12-09
  • Toronto Fire Station 311 (Balmoral Fire Hall), 20 Balmoral Ave (1 block south on Yonge from St. Clair Ave (subway: St. Clair), west side), 43.6858°, -79.3944°. Active firehall; interior not open to public. Balmoral Fire Hall was built in 1911 when horses pulled hose wagons through its double doors. Still visible along the east wall is a second-storey projecting beam and doorway where hay was hoisted into a loft for feed. In the rear, a tower capable of drying 50-foot hoses still stands. The building was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1990, for its rare adoption of the Queen Anne style. 2015-11-24
  • Toronto Fire Station 342, 106 Ascot Avenue (512 streetcar to Lansdowne Ave; walk 1 block north; it's on the NW corner), 43.679324°, -79.448654°. This fire station can be difficult to spot as it is in a residential area and, surprisingly, looks just like another house in the area. Built in 1912 in the "residential" style, the station has two storeys with one small bay. 2015-12-11
  • Toronto Fire Station 343, 65 Hendrick Avenue (512 streetcar to Winona Dr), 43.680112°, -79.430727°. Active fire station; interior not open to public. Built in 1916, this cute "Amsterdam"-style fire station has a three-storey main section with two bays and a tower located at the rear. 2015-12-10
  • Yonge Eglinton Centre - Rooftop patio, 2290 Yonge St (Take the elevator at the entrance to floor R (roof)), 43.7069°, -79.3988°. This attractive rooftop patio has plants, small trees, a water feature, tables and benches. On the west side are five panels describing local history including public transit. Looking over the patio ledge, one can see below construction for the underground Eglinton Crosstown line described in one of the five panels. One could buy a coffee from the food court (elevator level P1) and take it up to the patio. The patio is open to the public even though there is no signage to direct visitors to it. Free 2018-06-09

Do

Take a self-guided Discovery Walk through the area's parks, the Don Valley Ravines and Mt Pleasant Cemetery (Central Ravines, Belt Line & Gardens - PDF map). This walk is 11 km long and takes about 3 hours to complete. You can just do a portion of the walk if you prefer. There will be signs along the way to indicate that you're on the Discovery Walk route. For safety in the ravines, take a friend with you.

Buy

Summerhill

  • LCBO Yonge and Summerhill, 10 Scrivener Square & Yonge St (south of Summerhill subway station, at the railway line), 43.681°, -79.3908°, +1 416-922-0403. This liquor store is in a very elegant, former railway station with features of its railway heritage preserved. The store has a very large stock of liquor and wine. A craft beer section offers the products of various small breweries within the Province of Ontario. A limited variety of craft beer is available refrigerated, and single bottles (as opposed to a case) can be purchased here. 2015-09-17

Yonge & Eglinton

The "Uptown Yonge" area along Yonge Street from Eglinton Avenue to Blythwood Road tends to have more of the larger stores than other Midtown commercial districts.

Yonge-Lawrence Village

Mount Pleasant Village

There are several specialty shops in this area south of Eglinton Avenue.

South Bayview

Bayview Avenue south of Eglinton forms its own little village with some specialty shops.

Millwood Road

There are a couple of specialty shops located along Millwood Road east of Bayview Avenue.

Saint Clair Avenue West

There are clusters of shops along Saint Clair Avenue west of Bathurst Street, all lying along the 512 St Clair streetcar line.

Eat

There are a lot of restaurant choices in Midtown, ranging from some of Toronto's best (and priciest) restaurants to neighbourhood establishments. Midtown also has some of the best pastry shops in the city.

Yonge & Davisville

Yonge & St. Clair

Yonge & Eglinton

Yonge-Lawrence Village

  • The Abbot Pub and Fare, 3367 Yonge St (1 block north of Fairlawn Ave), 43.731782°, -79.40369°, +1 416-544-9074. This restaurant has a pub-style interior with a bar in the rear. Moderately priced pub fare 2015-12-17
  • Bobbette & Belle, 3347 Yonge St (just north of traffic light at Fairlawn Ave), 43.7314°, -79.4036°, +1 416-466-8800. Cafe/patisserie for handcrafted cakes, cupcakes & macarons, plus espresso & hot chocolate. The shop interior has nice decor with kitchen knickknacks hanging from the walls. 2015-12-05
  • Patisserie Sebastien, 3306 Yonge St (at Fairlawn Avenue, second traffic light north of Lawrence Avenue.), 43.7308°, -79.4039°, +1 416-544-0333. French pastries, 5 types of quiche, espresso coffee. Quiche, salad & cappucino $13.50 with tax 2015-11-18

Mount Pleasant Village

South Bayview

St Clair West

St Clair Ave west of Bathurst St; see also Yonge & St Clair.

  • Dutch Dreams, 36 Vaughan Rd (1 block south of St. Clair Ave west of Bathurst St), 43.682052°, -79.419034°, +1 416-656-6959. noon-11PM or midnight(summer). This ice-cream parlour offers about 60 flavours. As a distinctive touch, a few pieces of fresh fruit and some candy floss are added on top of the ice cream scoops on each cone. The shop itself is a site to see as it is decorated with many Dutch-themed knickknacks, and the piped-in music consist of Dutch songs. A few packaged goods imported from the Netherlands, such as stroopwaffel, are on display. There is interior and patio seating. 2019-07-15
  • El Rincon Mexicano Restaurant, 653 St Clair Ave W (512 streetcar to Christie St), 43.681712°, -79.424465°. Dinner only weekdays plus afternoons on weekends. Mexican cuisine. The restaurant has a Mexican decor with Terra-cotta tile floors & traditional art. There is a seasonal patio in the rear. Moderately priced 2015-12-10
  • La Paloma Gelateria & Cafe, 1357 St Clair Ave W (512 streetcar to Lansdowne Ave), 43.676016°, -79.450912°, +1 416-656-9900. 8AM–10:30PM. La Paloma, located in Toronto's Corso Italia neighbourhood, specializes in gelato producing over 75 flavours (although not all may be available when you visit). Espresso-based coffees are also offered. There is an interior seating area. Gelato from $5.50 2019-06-30
  • Tre Mari Bakery, 1311 St Clair Ave W (512 streetcar to either Earlscourt Ave or Lansdowne Ave), 43.676448°, -79.448625°, +1 416-654-8960. Italian delicatessen, bakery, pastry shop and coffee shop. (Tre mari means three seas.) The coffee shop offers espresso-based coffee, and has a small interior seating area plus a seasonal sidewalk patio. 2019-06-30

Leaside

  • Bamiyan Kabob, 43.707852°, -79.343426°, +1 416-429-7514. Open daily. Very tasty Afghan cuisine: Chicken, beef and lamb Kabobs, wraps, some veggie items. It looks like a fast-food restaurant but meals usually take about 20 minutes to prepare. A pleasant Afghan tea is available ($1) even though it is not listed on the menu. About $15/person 2016-02-05

Drink

Mount Pleasant Village

  • Granite Brewery, 245 Eglinton Ave E (SE corner of Eglinton and Mt Pleasant, free underground parking off Mt Pleasant), 43.7083°, -79.3900°, +1 416-322-0723. M 11:30AM-midnight, Tu-Sa 11:30AM-1AM, Su 11AM-midnight. Beer brewed in house, outdoor patio. Entrées $10.50-21

Yonge & St. Clair

Yonge & Eglinton

Sleep

To say that there are very few accommodation options in the area would be an understatement. It's better to choose a downtown hotel and travel to midtown.

  • Toronto Don Valley Hotel & Suites (formerly Crowne Plaza Toronto Don Valley), 175 Wynford Dr (near Don Mills Rd and Eglinton Ave E; bus 100 from Eglinton Station), 43.724939°, -79.327427°, +1 416-449-4111. Slightly outside our definition of Midtown. Close to the Ontario Science Centre. Indoor pool, whirlpool, sauna. On-site café and restaurant. 9-hole golf course nearby. In-room internet access. From $140/night

Connect

Go next

Midtown

Timezone:MultipleCoordinates:43.70, -79.39