King of the hill

The road from downtown to midtown is a long, upward sloping one, but the stretch of St. Clair west of Bathurst is worth the extra climb. Though the street was clogged for much of the late-2000s with the controversial construction of a right-of-way streetcar passage, the dust has now settled on a strip that’s become a go-to destination for downtown exiles still looking for a vibrant urban experience—the area is home to Toronto’s best BBQ joint, The Stockyards, and the multidisciplinary Wychwood Barns art space—but at a more relaxed, family-friendly pace.