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Toronto Sun readers have spoken and your favourite Toronto neighbourhood is The Beach.

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1. The Beach

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When anyone in Toronto feels like clearing their mind, there’s nothing like a walk on the The Beach’s waterfront boardwalk — or maybe even a dip in the lake or a game of tennis come summer — to help do just that. The Queen Street East independent boutiques and restaurants are also a big draw to the area.

“Thank you to Toronto Sun readers for naming The Beach your favourite neighbourhood in Toronto,” says The Beach BIA vice-chair Dr. Johanna Carlo in a statement.

“What makes The Beach special is how naturally everything connects,” Carlo notes. “You can walk the boardwalk by the lake, head up to Queen Street East for coffee or dinner, explore our parks and trails, and do it all within a few blocks. That easy link between the waterfront and our vibrant main street gives this neighbourhood its energy.

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Carlo continues: “It’s where Toronto comes to breathe a little. Families spend weekends here, friends meet on patios, runners start their mornings by the water, and neighbours from across the city make frequent visits. This recognition belongs to the residents, small business owners, and everyone who keeps choosing The Beach.”

Here are the rest of the Top 5 that you voted for:

2. Little Italy

When I first moved to Toronto more than three decades ago, I wound up living in Little Italy on the first floor of an old house on Euclid at College with a wonderful Italian landlord who lived above me (also a writer). It was a warm, welcoming entry to the Big Smoke and I highly recommend the area for newcomers, tourists and residents.

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Centred on College Street (between Bathurst and Shaw), it is a historic and lively neighbourhood with deep Italian roots, vibrant patio culture (Cafe Diplomatico), nightlife (El Covento Rico, known for its drag shows), and its own cinema (Royal Theatre). It features authentic restaurants, cafes and shops, with Portuguese and Latin American influences, and whenever there’s a major soccer/football celebration, you’ll usually find it here (lookout World Cup starting June 12 in Toronto!).

3. Yorkville

Once a 1960s bohemian hub of coffee houses that hosted the likes of Neil Young and Joni Mitchell, Yorkville is now Toronto’s premier luxury shopping and fine dining destination. Along Bloor’s nearby “mink mile” you’ll find boutique shops by Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Prada, Hermes, Dior, Burberry, and flagship stores of both Harry Rosen and Holt Renfrew. Eataly, a large format Italian marketplace, is inside the Manulife Centre, and for jewelry lovers there’s Birk’s and a new Tiffany’s being built across the street.

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For art aficionados, there’s the Royal Ontario Museum and the Gardiner Museum, and discerning tourists love plush stays at hotels like the Hazleton, Four Seasons, and Park Hyatt, the latter which offers up the 18th-floor Writer’s Room for incredible views of downtown with an outdoor deck open during the summer (don’t miss the caricatures in the hallway by the Sun’s own Andy Donato!).

4. Bloor West Village

Bloor West Village used to be very eastern European, with a large Ukrainian/Latvian/Polish/Lithuanian population, however in the past 30 years or so it has increasingly become an area full of young families of every background and culture. The Ukrainian Festival runs Sept. 18-20 this year and is the biggest of its kind in North America and is 30 years old.

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The neighbourhood is a very family-oriented part of the city and living there feels like being in a small town, with extensive bike paths and walking areas all along the Humber River. There are many good restaurants in the area, including the Old Mill. The Runnymede branch of the Toronto Public Library is famous and has a wonderful children’s area. There’s a weekly farmer’s market outside Runnymede Presbyterian Church (Annette and Willard) every week and several fruit stands dotting the stretch of Bloor Street between Runnymede Road and Jane Street. There are also butcher shops, fresh seafood stores and other specialty food shops — but no big box stores and very few highrise structures.

5. High Park

Basically Toronto’s version of New York’s Central Park, this green space draws plenty of folks when the cherry blossom trees bloom in the spring. However, there are also all kinds of smaller parks, many with playgrounds and wading pools, dotting the High Park area, such as Chelsea Park and Lithuania Park on Keele with its great toboggan hill. High Park itself features a mini zoo, ice rink, allotment gardens, historic Colborne Lodge, Grenadier Pond, and the famed Grenadier Cafe. The creek running throughout the park is a great place to walk with children, and off-the-beaten track (ie sidewalks) there are walking paths winding throughout.

Hey Toronto Sun readers: What should our next top 5 be?

Don’t be shy about letting us know what subject you’d like to see in a future Top 5 poll and vote.

The subject can be anything from local — like your favourite steak house to swimming area — to Ontario — such as favourite places for weekend getaways — or even favourite ways of distraction online, be it entertainment, sports or lifestyle.

Send us your ideas by email to torsun.online@sunmedia.ca.

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