Queen Street West

Once upon a time, Queen West was the dingy part of town, surrounded by fabric shops, greasy spoons and dive bars. A scant few of those original joints still exist, but most of Queen West has exploded into a hip, chic, expensive shopping mecca, having gentrified throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Things really exploded, however, in 2014, when Vogue crowned the district the second coolest neighborhood in the world. Needless to say, that really got to the city’s head. Despite the high prices and fancy shops, walking across the strip is still a great way to explore the city. While you’re there, check out Graffiti Alley, genuinely one of the cooler displays of free public art in the city, running parallel to Queen just south of it.