Mary T.
Yelp
The Eaton Centre (many malls owned by Cadillac Fairview have adopted the CF in front of their names within the last few years) has been a constant all through my life. I'm actually surprised that it's a fairly new listing on Yelp.
This mall has roughly 300 stores, give or take a deviation of twenty. It has four floors and a food court. The mall has a skybridge that connects it to Hudson's Bay and Sak's Fifth Avenue on the second floor. The Cadillac Fairview building is next door on Queen Street East.
My memories of this mall consist of my mom taking me over here. As a kid, there used to be an Orange Julius in the basement of Simpsons (now Hudson's Bay). She always got me a small orange drink and a hot dog. I remember eating it on a stool at the eatery and then polishing off the orange drink on the 501 streetcar heading back to the Beaches.
It explains why I love hot dogs and orange drinks.
Another time, I stepped on a used watch on the shiny Simpsons floor with my mom as a kid. I let her know about it. She ended up taking it home, changing the strap, and wearing it for years. She still has it to this day.
It explains who I still am when it comes to finding stuff and reporting it. I also like watches. I won't even go into what it says about my mom!
I also fondly remember Eaton's after which this mall is named. I grew to love getting t-shirts towards the end of this department store's existence. Sadly, Eaton's is also gone, but it remains fresh in my memory.
You have access to both Queen and Dundas subway stations without exiting the mall. I used them more when I moved away from the Beaches to get downtown. I used the 501 streetcar to get here the most, followed by the 505 Dundas streetcar.
I recently saw a concert at Massey Hall. I often hit the food court at the Eaton Centre to get a bite to eat before the show. Although it wasn't the case this time around, the food court is known as the Urban Eatery. It still has places for fast food, such as McDonald's and New York Fries, but it has changed with the times with Gong Cha and Sansotei Ramen.
I remember shopping here with my mom before school started in September. There used to be a Grand and Toy. I got a pencil box case with a metallic closure. I loved it.
When Boxing Day sales were on December 27th and not a month-long experience, we'd come here to find deals and feel like sardines shopping. Ah, memories!
I was a mall-loving teenager. On a day off from school (they were known as either professional activity or development days for teachers), my friends and I would spend a day at this mall, browsing, shopping, eating, and simply being teens.
Benetton. Cotton Ginny. Roots. Beaver Canoe. Club Monaco. Coles. Lime Rickey's. Mr Greenjeans. They were the places where I spent a lot of time browsing and shopping. The last two were restaurants that I frequented as an undergraduate student. Little jukeboxes were on the tables at Lime Rickey's. I learned how to play pool at Mr Greenjeans.
They are all gone, except for Roots and Club Monaco. Gone are the birds dangling from the ceiling and the white bar railings. The mall has changed with the times.
Laderach Swiss Chocolate. Indigo. Fossil. Gap. Old Navy. Hot Topic. Apple. The Body Shop. These are some of the stores that I frequent when I am shopping here.
I deliberately did not shop at this mall when I was in the area last week, as you can only bring your purse into Massey Hall. I hope to return and shop like a normal human being when I return to the area.
There is parking at this mall. The entrance is at Yonge and Shuter. It's paid parking and is open 24 hours a day, but I don't know what the rates are. For cheaper parking, consider the lot under City Hall, or the Green P lot near Victoria and Dundas streets.
This mall is one of the busier ones in North America. It's actually busier than the Mall of America, the largest mall in the States in Bloomington, MN.
Eaton Centre will always have a special place in my heart. I don't remember growing up in Toronto without it being a part of my life.
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