Toronto

Things we love:

Poutine. Cheesy chips and gravy glorified into a national delicacy. Craft beers. They're crazy about them here. They even have nano breweries. That's basically a man with a home-brew kit. There is an awesome music scene. Did you know this is the home town of everyone from Neil Young and Nelly Furtado to Crystal Castles and Holy F*ck? Ice wine. Try it. We didn't know what it was either.

Things we wish we'd known:

You can only pick up booze in government-run LCBO shops and they all shut by 9pm. Wanna party? Be prepared. Avoid King West - it's like hen party hell (or just a bit commercial) and head for Queen West, the cooler street around three blocks away. Unlike most European cities, the further west you go the more hipsters there are. They're not big on daytime drinking or all-nighters so make the most of the allocated 5pm to 2am drinking hours.