West End

For railfans: the Roncesvalles Carhouse, at northwest corner of the Queensway and Roncesvalles Avenue in Toronto, is the oldest of the Toronto's streetcar depots opened in 1895 but the older building is from shortly after 1921 and there is a much more modern addition on the east side for the new low-floor streetcars. The south side of the facility is viewable from the public sidewalk.

Sunnyside Boardwalk is a 2-km pedestrian path running through parkland along the shore of Lake Ontario. Along the way, there are beaches and monuments with the Martin Goodman Trail for cyclists running parallel. The following are points of interest along the boardwalk.

A memorial dedicated to the 1956 Hungarian Revolution.

A plaque commemorates Marilyn Bell, who was the first person to swim across Lake Ontario. The plaque marks where the 16-year-old swimmer came ashore in 1954 after her marathon swim. Beside the plaque, there is a small but attractive flower garden.

The Sunnyside Bathing Pavilion is fanciful structure and a remnant of the former Sunnyside Amusement Park, demolished in 1955. The arches and towers on the south side of the building seem similar to Mexican Colonial architecture. The south side overlooks a beach. On the west side of the pavilion there is an entrance to a courtyard containing plants and a water fountain. Be sure to go around to the north side of the building to see the rather grand-looking entrance. WC is available from the courtyard.

The monument is dedicated to Sir Casimir Gzowski, a Polish-born engineer who produced a number of engineering works in Canada. Inside the monument, there are plaques about his life and engineering accomplishments. Because he was considered a railway builder, there are a short section of railway track at each of the three portals of the monument.

Built in 1937, this fanciful structure is probably the cutest gas station you will ever see. It has a Château style of architecture with one corner of the building having a castle tower. No longer in use as a service station, it was moved to Sir Casimir Gzowski Park for preservation.

This monument commemorates the opening of the Queen Elizabeth Way by King George VI and his wife Queen Elizabeth in 1940. The highway was named after the mother of the Queen Elizabeth II. The monument has a stone lion positioned under a cameo of the royal couple.

The Sunnyside Boardwalk ends here at this very attractive pedestrian/bicycle bridge, but the Martin Goodman Trail continues on into Etobicoke's Humber Bay Shores neighbourhood, where there is a series of attractive lakeside parks The bridge is over the mouth of the Humber River, and offers a good view of the CN Tower on its south side.

This is one of the largest and most pleasant parks in central Toronto. It has the feel of a communal back garden, with families picnicking, students reading while getting a tan, pickup baseball and frisbee games and children playing in the large playground. The park also has tennis courts and a dog run in the last remaining section of a dried up ravine.

There is a grove of Japanese cherry trees on the SE corner of Trinity Bellwoods Park. It is possible to take a photo of the trees with the CN Tower in the background. The trees bloom in late April or early May (depending on weather) and blooming lasts for only one or two weeks. There is a web page to find more precise information about when cherry trees bloom in Toronto.

This private museum displays many old televisions including a few from the late 1920s plus many from each of the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. Sometimes the museum is reserved for private events; so call ahead of time to confirm.

The Toronto Carpet Factory is a former carpet manufacturing facility, a full city block in size, built between 1899 and the 1920s. This turn of the century office complex features several buildings clustered around internal courtyards and laneways that visitors may walk. In the internal laneway one would see the remains of a railway spur for the delivery of carloads of coal to an on-site power and heating plant that still stands intact but out of use. There is a café at the back. Today the building is a "centre of creativity" providing space to a variety of small businesses. History.

This church, built in 1885 fell into hard times in the 1990s was partly demolished to build condominiums preserving only the original church tower. However, the church is still in operation, utilizing the ground floor of the condo building.

In this small park, there is a memorial consisting of two life-size statues depicting Johnny Lombardi chatting with a young boy both seated on a park bench. Johnny Lombardi promoted multi-culturalism in the city through broadcasting.

Little Italy has a strong Portuguese presence, an example of which is this tiny square dedicated to the Portuguese poet Luís de Camões (1524-1580) who wrote the epic poem Os Lusíadas in Homeric fashion to interpret the Portuguese voyages of discovery during the 15th and 16th centuries. (The bust of Camões winks showing the effect of losing the right eye in a battle at Ceuta in 1549.) Behind the square is a mural composed of blue tiles (azulejos) depicting historical events of Portugal.

This former big band hall has been renovated and reopened. It hosts a number of different events, from comedy to swing music. It also serves gourmet seasonal food.

The Revue Cinema, completed in 1912, is Toronto's oldest operating movie theatre. This community-run theatre is operated by the not-for-profit Revue Film Society since 2007. It shows 2nd-run Hollywood films and regular special-interest screenings.

Live theatre for Shakespeare fans in the summer.