The Toronto Waterfront is one of my favorite places to visit during the Summer. It has gone through significant changes over the years due to the Waterfront Revitalization Project by Waterfront Toronto, and hopefully we could see a completed transformation of the area in the coming decade.
Living in the Fort York area, It is always a joy to walk along Queens Quay starting from Bathurst Street to Bay Street. If you look at the map, you might think it is a long walk, but trust me, you won’t even notice the distance because there is just so much to see and experience!
Walking East from Bathurst along Queens Quay, you will first encounter the Music Garden. The Music Garden was inspired by Bach, created by landscape designer Julie Moir Messervy. The 3 acre public garden is based on the “First Suite for the Unaccompanied Cello”, and is sectioned accordingly into these parts each with it’s own characteristics: Prelude, Allemande, Courante, Sarabande, Menuett, and Gigue.
To complete the theme, concerts are held during the annual Summer Music in the Garden, and best of all, it is free for everyone to enjoy!
Next up we have the Spadina Wave Deck. This is 1 of the 3 wave decks that was implemented during the past couple years. It is meant to be a gathering place for people to enjoy the Waterfront, and is a vast improvement of the area compare to what it was before. Sitting on the long stretched bench facing the waters, it feels as if time has stopped and all my stress and worries are temporarily dismissed. It allowed me to reflect and find some peace for myself. (Just hope the 510 or 509 streetcar doesn’t come by, as its streaking noise might interrupt your peace!)
Further along, we have the HtO Park. It is in my opinion the most welcoming addition to the waterfront, because it allows the public (especially families) to embrace the long forgotten Waterfront in a beach like setting. With a man-made sand box stretching along the waterfront, and bright yellow metal umbrellas along with Muskoka chairs, it is truly “Toronto’s Urban Beach” as it was billed.
The grassy areas are separated like individual pads, where people can claim their own spot in the park. At night, colorful LED lights are lit up to illuminates the hills and the paths, making it an ideal location for nightly walks.
The 2nd wave deck is the Simcoe Wavedeck. It is a very distinguishable structure as there are 2 giant waves at one end of the deck. As Waterfront Toronto mentioned on their website, it is meant to “give urban dwellers a feel for life at the lake.”
Out of the 3 wave decks, this one has the most traffic and is the most popular among the three. The kids love the wavey part as they can slide along the side, and lots of people such as myself love to walk/climb over that part as well.
Continuing along Queens Quay towards the east, the 3rd wave deck can be seen. The Rees wave deck is the latest addition for the waterfront, but is the least used from what I’ve seen. It is meant to create more public space along the Waterfront, and it served its purpose well.
Walking past the Rees wave deck, we are just steps away from the Harbourfront Centre. The Harbourfront Centre “is an innovative non profit cultural organization which creates events and activities of excellence that enliven, educate and entertain a diverse public.”
There are so much activities going on here that you can easily spent the weekend without ever getting bored. The Sirius Stage is always jam-packed with concerts and other events.
If you like to take a stroll, the boardwalk along the waterfront is the ideal location. I always enjoy watching the boats and ships that are docked on the marinas, and browsing through the International marketplace happening annually during the summer.
In the winter time, the pond transforms itself to a functional skating arena, so you can grab your skates and enjoy your day of fun with friends and family!
Passing the Harbourfront Centre is the Ferry Docks. This is a hugely popular location every Summer because this is where you take the ferry over to the Centre Island / Hanlan’s Point / Ward’s Island. Since this is also one of my top 10 places to visit, I’ll leave the details for later. But if you are coming here on a hot and sunny day during the weekends, be sure to arrive early as the lineup to purchase tickets might cause a delay!
And before you know it, we are at the foot of Bay Street already! Not a long walk after all eh?
Disclaimer: all images used is from varies sources available on the Internet. All credits goes to the original photographer for each image used.
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