Putting the “hot” in hotels

Though two Victorian relics still bookend the district—The Gladstone, Toronto’s oldest continuously operating hotel, and Bates & Dodds, its oldest funeral home—West Queen West has been on a renovating tear since the catalyzing 2004 revamp of The Drake Hotel. Appliance stores and junk shops have been made over into airy art galleries, eclectic clothing boutiques, bars, bistros and, yes, a memorably graffitied Starbucks.