Description
Toronto, named by UNESCO as the world's most multicultural city, attracts thousands of tourists annually to its fascinating neighbourhoods and thriving cultural scene. But in its 250-year history, Toronto has also become a place of many intriguing secrets.
Toronto: The Unknown City delves into the lesser-known spaces and stories of the city that's no longer known as "The Good," offering tantalizing tidbits of local lore, offbeat facts, and surprising anecdotes. From sealed-off public spaces to lost railways, tales of true crime to behind-the-scenes movie gossip, it's packed with revelations. There's also a guide to one of the world's most eclectic dining scenes, plus celebrity stories, sports snippets, a backstage tour of the theatre and music scenes, fabulous shopping tips, and lots more of what you'd expect to find in an insider's look at the city the rest of Canada loves to hate.
Little known facts about Toronto:
- There's an asteroid named "Toronto"; it's twelve miles wide and its orbit is between Jupiter and Mars.
- Toronto is the bike theft capital of North America.
- Now available in 36 countries--and represented by the hottest pop stars--MAC Cosmetics was started in 1985 by two guys named Frank, on Carlton Street in Toronto.
- Toronto is home to the World Rock Paper Scissors society, a group dedicated to non-violent dispute resolution.
- Women's bantam boxing champ Lisa "Bad News" Brown trains at the Cabbagetown gym.
- Toronto's Johnny Cameron, the Kinky Cobbler, is a dildo artisan.
- In Toronto during the First World War, a young Bill Falkner transformed himself into William Faulkner.
About the authors
Howard Akler was born in Toronto in 1969. He is the author of two books with Coach House: The City Man, which was nominated for the Amazon First Novel Award, the City of Toronto Book Award, and the Commonwealth Writers Prize, and Men of Action which won the Canadian Jewish Literary Award, was shortlisted for the Toronto Book Award, and was featured as a part of the 2015 New York Times Gift Guide. He lives in Toronto.
Sarah B. Hood is a Toronto journalist who has been shortlisted for the National Magazine Awards and the Kenneth R. Wilson business writing awards. Her preserves have won prizes from Canada's Royal Agricultural Winter Fair and the Culinary Historians of Canada. She is the author of We Sure Can! and co-author of Toronto: The Unknown City.
Editorial Reviews
...these guides will come in handy if you want an alternative to the usual walking tour of the city.
-InsideOut Travel Magazine
InsideOut Travel
To get off the beaten path, check out The Unknown City and Secrets of the City guides. . . which offer insider anecdotes and esoteric tidbits.
-Homemakers Recommended Reading
Homemakers
