Useful Information for Moviegoers About Town

For those who are new to my blog, you might not be aware that I actually have two blogs, the other is a travel blog (http://in-foreign-lands.blogspot.ca/).  In my travels, I have attended film festivals outside of Toronto over the years and I think your enjoyment of a festival can be enhanced by a greater familiarity with the city there's in.  For example, I wish someone had told me the late night food options in Tribeca were not so good, so I would've known to settle for popcorn at the theatre.

Whether you're flying in from another city to attend the Toronto International Film Festival for the first time, or a regular who just doesn't know the downtown core very well, here are some random things I've learned from over a decade of living and TIFF-ing downtown...

1. Bring a light jacket/hoodie/caridgan.  - This is no great secret, but important to keep in mind if you've never been to Toronto nor the festival.  TIFF-time weather usually features daytime highs in low to mid 20C's (or 70F's), the sun can make it feel warmer, but you'll find it significantly cooler in the early mornings and evenings.  Also many of the theatres have some pretty powerful air-conditioning going on.
2. Free WiFi available at TIFF Bell Lightbox. -  Check your email while you're waiting for your movie to start at Lightbox, it's free!  If you need to save on your data charges while out for a day at the movies, you can also try ducking into a McDonalds or Tim Horton's.  Please add in the comments or tweet me if you know of other spots in festival village that offer free WiFi!
3. Electrical outlets at MetroCentre, 10 Dundas East Building and Ryerson. - So you've drained your phone battery taking advantage of free WiFi, duck into the MetroCentre (which houses the Festival Box Office) basement food court, on the pillars are a few easily accessible outlets where you can plug in your charger (it goes without saying that you should always bring your mobile phone's charger right?  I guarantee you your phone battery will die at an inconvenient time at least once during each festival).  Same thing if you're close to the Cineplex Odeon 24 at Yonge and Dundas (which is housed in the 10 Dundas East Building), their food court is one level down from the cinemas.  If you're over by the Ryerson Theatre, the campus building just west of the theatre is called Jorgensen Hall (main entrance that stays unlocked later is actually closer to Gould St.), it's flooded with students in the daytime and still possible to gain entry in the evening.  The outlets might take a little bit of effort to seek out, but they'll won't give you grief for a quick phone charge (or even a nap in the daytime, they're a bit more wary at night). I've also found a couple outlets at the Atrium on Bay (on Dundas St between Yonge St and Bay St.) but the security guards will walk by and look at you weird.
4. Water fountain in TIFF Bell Lightbox - There is a water fountain outside of the 3rd floor washrooms but NOT the 2nd floor of TIFF Bell Lightbox.  So go up one more floor if you're thirsty.  BYO watter bottle to refill as well.
5. 24 Hour Drugstore at Yonge and Carlton - This would be the Shoppers Drug Mart at the northeast corner of the intersection, just a couple blocks from the Ryerson Theatre...In case the Midnight Madness movie does make you physically sick ;)
6. Unused lockers at Ryerson are good for temporary storage. - This tip is courtesy of TIFF Midnight Madness Blogger Sachin Hingoo.  I live downtown and run home whenever I have to, but Sachin will often be down here in the morning and not get home until 4am.  Lotta hours, inevitably means a lotta stuff, so he recommends bringing a lock and stashing anything you might not want with you as you go to movies at the Ryerson and nearby theatres in one of the unused lockers.
7. Best Place to Power Nap is in the Sheraton Hotel main foyer. - Festival time is no time to be shy about closing your eyes and letting your head droop a little in public.  Through TIFF and indie filmmaking, I have slept in parks, on the sidewalk outside the Art Gallery of Ontario, rolled up in a Persian rug in front of a courthouse, and on Yonge St. to name a few (I only wish I were kidding about some of those spots).  The Sheraton Hotel at Queen St and York St. has a main foyer with a number of high back chairs, the best ones are next to a large window looking out at a waterfall fountain, facing away the people traffic. (There are a couple of chairs on the 2nd floor as well I believe).  On any given weekday, it's quite common to find business people sitting in those chairs at lunchtime napping away.  Provided you're not dressed like a homeless person, staff will not bother you if you sit there for an hour and nod off.  Obviously you should tuck your valuables away, but otherwise it is a safe and clean place to sleep, just make sure you wake up in time for your next film!

 One of the most important things I haven't covered yet, is eating on the run!  There is no shortage of restaurants in Toronto, the options are endless if you have the time for a full sit-down meal.  Sites like Urban Spoon and BlogTO can provide you with an inexhaustible list of options.  However, when you have a tight turnaround between movies, it's best to have an idea where to dash to for a quick bite, ie. some place enroute to your next theatre.  It can be hard to make recommendations since food tastes vary greatly, but here are some of the places I like to go to during the festival.  Pleaset tweet me with your favs.

1. Naz's Falafel House - around the corner from the Scotiabank theatre and on the way to Lightbox/Princess of Wales/Roy Thomson Hall.  Open late. My fav: the chicken sharwarma wrap.  Avg time it takes to get your food:  10-15mins
2. Pizziaolo - gourmet pizza with locations near Scotiabank Theatre and the Bloor Hot Docs.  Avg time it takes to get your food:  10mins.
3. Canteen - sometimes a little pricier, but it doesn't get any more convenient than onsite at the TIFF Bell Lightbox.  It's gourmet on the go, or you can chose to sit down to eat your meal.  Avg time it takes to get/eat your food:  10-40mins but likely longer during the festival
4. Ginger - cheap hot Vietnamese food served up fast!  There are locations on Queen St (good if you're going from Scotia over to Elgin/Winter Garden or vice versa) and a newly opened location on Yonge St between Cineplex Odeon 24 and Ryerson.  My fav: the chicken pho for $6 and change, brought to your table within 5 mins of ordering!  If I can't stay then I'll get a few shrimp fresh rolls (rice paper rolls) to go, however I should note that they're not particularly fast when it comes to whipping up take-out orders... go figure.  Avg time it takes got get/eat your food:  Eat-in 30mins, take-out 15mins
5. Kenzo - some of the best ramen noodles and octopus balls in the city!  Go during off peak hours as there are often line-ups out the door at dinner time.  Locations on Dundas St. (good if you're headed from Ryerson/Cineplex Odeon 24 to Scotia and vice versa) and on Bloor St close enough to Bloor Hot Docs.  My fav:  the tonkotsu ramen and octopus balls (tho fans of spicy will prefer the King of Kings ramen).  Avg time it takes to order and eat your meal:  30-40mins.
6. Salad King - Originally a salad joint when they bought the business, owners Ernest and Linda kept the name and transformed it into a popular Thai restaurant over the past 2 decades.  Thing I like most about Salad King is that you pick your own level of spiciness for everything you order.  It sits right between Cineplex Odeon 24 and Ryerson.  There is often a wait during peak hours, take-out is a better option if you're in a hurry and you can call ahead to order, takes about 20 mins.  My favs:  The golden tofu curry, Siam fried rice, and pad thai.
7. Springrolls - is the restaurant chain that started the Pan Asian restaurant craze (more like epidemic).  They have locations near Cineplex Odeon 24/Ryerson/Scotiabank Theatre.  They recently revamped their menu with the introduction of sushi and additional dim sum items in an "all you can eat" option.  I have yet to try the AYCE, but in festivals past, the easiest and most delicious thing for me to get on the go from there were the Sexy Summer Rolls, a rice paper roll with shrimp, smoked salmon, greens, and enoki mushrooms with a peanut dipping sauce.  Call ahead, pick up, and take it to the next line up to enjoy.  Avg time it takes to get your food:  10-15mins
8. Food Trucks outside the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema - I am so excited for this!  Gourmet grilled cheese and pulled pork sandwiches are sure to keep me happy while I'm waiting in line.  Don't have too much information on this as it's new this year, you can follow @foodtrucksTO on twitter for updates and details.
9. Hot Dog Stands - There are times when your average "fast food" isn't fast enough, in those moments you'll hear me decalre "street meat it is!"  Two vendors I like are Mike's Hot Dogs at the southeast corner of King St. and John St., and the stand (whose name escapes me now) on the southwest side of the Yonge & Dundas intersection.  Sometimes there's more than one stand there, the one I like has this long white dish thing with three sections, where you can rest your hot dog while you dig for change.  Avg time it takes to get your food:  5mins
10. Paupers - Great multi-floor pub right across from the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema, great place to stop for a pint and talk about the movie you just saw.  Also decent grub, especially the weekend brunch.  It's not fast food, but I would make time for it...even during TIFF.
11. Imperial Pub - Perhaps this shouldn't be on the list since they don't actually serve food, it's a pub half a block from the Cineplex Odeon 24 and one of my haunts while I was in film school.  I still try to drop by once every festival, also because they are lacking a kitchen, they are very cool about you bringing in food from elsewhere as a result.  Becareful, the leather sofas upstairs in "The Library" are very comfy, but staff will get annoyed if you fall asleep on them.
12. Loblaws at Maple Leaf Gardens - new this year, just a few blocks from the Ryerson Theatre is the newly converted Loblaws mega supermarket at Church and Carlton.  This place is not merely cans and cartons lining a bunch of shelves, they have many counters serving up ready-made food, hot, cold, sushi, cupcakes, macarons, and a wall of cheese!  There are tables to eat in or take it to go.  Do a healthy salad or have an extra large cream cheese-filled cupcake.  Also a wonderful selection of fruit and a pharmacy.  I'm very excited to have a few meals here.
13. The energy bar in your bag. - Last but not least... that smushed power bar/protein bar/cereal bar that you should always keep in your bag!  For those times when you're running late, arrive at the theatre 10 minutes before the movie starts, and you realize in horror that you went to the wrong theatre (happens to me more than I'd like to admit).  My favs:  Kashi pumpkin pie, Nature Valley Sweet 'n Salty Almond.  Time it takes to get your food:  about 3 seconds.

Needless to say, I'm now starving after writing all this.  Let this be a lesson, never blog about food on an empty stomach.  So I'm going to end it here for now.  I promise my next blog entry will have some film titles!