koko
The Kensington Kid
Kensington Market: Toronto's stubborn, scruffy, no-chains-allowed neighbourhood, and the people it raises.
THE LANEWAY familySees the recommended route and immediately chooses the laneway going the other direction.
Energetic, unconventional and not particularly interested in doing what they're supposed to do. You like Toronto loud and unofficial: whatever's down the street the guidebook told you to skip.
Your four letters
OffbeatDiscovery
Prefers local, niche, unexpected or lesser-known experiences.
The other side is C, Classic.
SpontaneousPlanning
Likes flexibility, improvisation and changing plans.
The other side is P, Planned.
Toronto, for an OSBN
Where to stay
Kensington Market or Chinatown. Noise, neon and nobody telling you what to do.
Kensington Market
Patties, tacos, empanadas, all within a block. Eat standing up.
A show at the Horseshoe or Lee's Palace
A sticky floor, a band you've never heard of. Walk in.
Graffiti Alley
A laneway of murals south of Queen West. Follow it until it runs out.
What to skip
The line. Any line.
Your people, and your problem
THE LANEWAY
“The detour is usually the point.”
Toronto hides a second city behind the first: thousands of laneways running behind the main streets, full of murals, garages and tiny houses. Laneway travelers treat the plan as a suggestion and the side street as the destination.
How to travel: Book the bed and almost nothing else. Pick a streetcar, ride it until something looks interesting, and get off. Toronto is a city of neighbourhoods, and it is a very good place to be aimless in.
Not sure this is you?
Two minutes, no wrong answers. Koko works out your four letters and picks places in Toronto to match.
Take the quiz