Downtown Canada

Downtown Canada is a collection of essays that addresses Canada as an urban place. The contributors focus their attention on the writing of Canada's cities and call attention to the centrality of the city in Canadian literature.

Let's say you want to know which famous Canadian poet lived in the Waverley Hotel for seven years, constantly changing rooms in fear of RCMP bugs. Or you live at 44 Walmer and want to know what on earth they were thinking with those balconies. Or you want to know what's behind (or underneath!) that giant O hanging over Harbord at Spadina. These things were troubling us, too, so we assembled East/West: A Guide to Where People Live in Downtown Toronto. East/West is a guided tour of old stories and fresh perspectives on the architecture and planning of housing and urban development in central Toronto - including both success stories and perennial problems. With specially prepared maps and over 120 photos, and essays - written by 65 of our best architects, historians and planners - exploring the history and development of neighbourhoods and of the individual buildings within them, East/West is a portrait of Toronto like no other. East/West is not your average city guide. It'll take you down alleyways you've never heard of, show you buildings you've never seen, offer you that bit of history you've never been able to access. It tells you how Toronto has tried to house the homeless over the years, how the waterfront evolved (or devolved, depending on how you look at it), and the character of different neighbourhoods has changed. FromAnnex abodes to Rosedale residences, this book will introduce you to a Toronto you only thought you knew.

The Rough Guide to Canada is the ultimate travel guide to this staggeringly beautiful country with detailed coverage of all the top attractions. Inspired by stunning photography and insightful background information, discover both the urban and the wild with expert guidance on exploring everything from the glistening skyscrapers of Toronto, the restaurants of Montreal and the laid-back ambience of Vancouver, to the spectacular Niagra falls and the rolling plains of the Prairies. You'll find specialist information on a host of outdoor activities including winter sports in the Rockies, trekking through the Northwest Territories, and wildlife spotting in the country's great wilderness, with sections on the National Parks and Skiing and Snowboarding. Choose what to see and do whilst relying on up-to-date descriptions of the best hotels, bars, clubs, shops and restaurants for all budgets. Explore every corner of this stunning country with clear maps and expert background on everything from sea cliffs and tidal bores in the Bay of Fundy to the walled Old Town in Qu�bec City. Make the most of your holiday with The Rough Guide to Canada.

World-renowned 'tell it like it is' guidebook Discover Canada with this comprehensive, entertaining, 'tell it like it is' Rough Guide, packed with comprehensive practical information and our experts' honest and independent recommendations. Whether you plan to do snowboarding in Whistler, go whale-watching off the spectacular coasts, hike through the Canadian Rockies, or marvel at the Niagara Falls, The Rough Guide to Canada will help you discover the best places to explore, sleep, eat, drink and shop along the way. Features of The Rough Guide to Canada: - Detailed regional coverage: provides in-depth practical information for each step of all kinds of trip, from intrepid off-the-beaten-track adventures, to chilled-out breaks in popular tourist areas. Regions covered include: Toronto, Ontario, Montreal, Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador, the Prairie Provinces, the Maritime Provinces, the Canadian Rockies, the BC interior, Vancouver and the North. - Honest independent reviews: written with Rough Guides' trademark blend of humour, honesty and expertise, and recommendations you can truly trust, our writers will help you get the most from your trip to Canada. - Meticulous mapping: always full-colour, with clearly numbered, colour-coded keys. Find your way around Quebec, Newfoundland and many more locations without needing to get online. - Fabulous full-colour photography: features a richness of inspirational colour photography, including the atmospheric Helmcken Falls in British Columbia and dramatic Hopewell Rocks coastline in Nova Scotia. - Things not to miss: Rough Guides' rundown of the Canadian Rockies, Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal's best sights and top experiences. - Itineraries: carefully planned routes will help you organise your trip, and inspire and inform your on-the-road experiences. - Basics section: packed with essential pre-departure information including getting there, getting around, accommodation, food and drink, health, the media, festivals, sports and outdoor activities, culture and etiquette, shopping and more. - Background information: comprehensive Contexts chapter provides fascinating insights into Canada, with coverage of history, religion, ethnic groups, environment, wildlife and books, plus a handy language section and glossary About Rough Guides: Rough Guides have been inspiring travellers for over 35 years, with over 30 million copies sold globally. Synonymous with practical travel tips, quality writing and a trustworthy 'tell it like it is' ethos, the Rough Guides list includes more than 260 travel guides to 120+ destinations, gift-books and phrasebooks.

This guidebook offers: Descriptions of numerous attractions, star-rated so you can spot the must-sees at a glance; The best accommodations and restaurants, in every price range; All there is to know about parks and historic sites, as well as outdoor activities; More than 50 regional and city maps to help you customize your itinerary.

Material Cultures in Canada presents the vibrant and diverse field of material culture studies in Canadian literary, artistic, and political contexts today. The first of its kind, this collection features sixteen essays by leading scholars in Canada, each of whom examines a different object of study, including the beaver, geraniums, comics, water, a musical playlist, and the human body. The book’s three sections focus, in turn, on objects that are persistently material, on things whose materiality blends into the immaterial, and on the materials of spaces. Contributors highlight some of the most exciting new developments in the field, such as the emergence of “new materialism,” affect theory, globalization studies, and environmental criticism. Although the book has a Canadian centre, the majority of its contributors consider objects that cross borders or otherwise resist national affiliation. This collection will be valuable to readers within and outside of Canada who are interested in material culture studies and, in addition, will appeal to anyone interested in the central debates taking place in Canadian political and cultural life today, such as climate change, citizenship, shifts in urban and small-town life, and the persistence of imperialism.

From the 1950s to the 1970s, downtown North America was reconfigured for the suburban age. The Heart of Toronto follows one example of efforts to address the problems and possibilities of city centres: downtown Yonge Street. Attempts to keep pace with, or even lead, urban change included the street’s conversion into a car-free public space, a clean-up campaign targeting the sex industry, and the construction of North America’s largest urban shopping mall. Linking these projects to postwar decentralization, economic restructuring, and cultural transformation, Daniel Ross reveals the politics and power dynamics involved in reinventing the heart of Toronto.

The Rough Guide to Canada is the ultimate travel guide to this staggeringly beautiful country with detailed coverage of all the top attractions. Inspired by stunning colour photography and insightful background information, discover both the urban and the wild with expert guidance on exploring everything from the glistening skyscrapers of Toronto, the restaurants of Montreal and the laid-back ambience of Vancouver, to the spectacular Niagra falls and the rolling plains of the Prairies. You'll find specialist information on a host of outdoor activities including winter sports in the Rockies, trekking through the Northwest Territories, and wildlife spotting in the country's great wilderness, complimented with full-colour sections on the National Parks and Skiing and Snowboarding. Choose what to see and do whilst relying on up-to-date descriptions of the best hotels, bars, clubs, shops and restaurants for all budgets. Explore every corner of this stunning country with clear maps and expert background on everything from sea cliffs and tidal bores in the Bay of Fundy to the walled Old Town in Québec City. Make the most of your holiday with The Rough Guide to Canada.