You’re a University of Toronto student and you don’t want to live in the Annex

The west side of campus is only a few blocks away, and while the rent’s a bit more than you’d pay in the Annex, you’ll get so much more, like a games room, a library, an indoor pool, a fitness centre and the ability to catch a flick at the Cineplex Varsity & VIP Cinema in your slippers.

You work downtown

The TTC’s right here, but you can just as easily walk or bike downtown. Running errands is way easier here too because of Manulife Centre downstairs. You’d have a dry cleaner, a pharmacy, a grocery store and an LCBO in your building, not to mention a furniture shop, a convenience store and a post office. Oh, and Toronto’s first Eataly and Yorkville’s Over the Rainbow are slated to move in in 2019!

You’re done with the suburbs

Just want to pay your rent and enjoy your life in the city? This neighbourhood makes it easy.

Museums and art galleries are all around, the shopping’s fantastic on the Mink Mile and just north in Yorkville. And what the local restaurant scene lacks in density it more than makes up for in quality, like at The One Eighty upstairs here on the 51st floor. The chef’s talented, the dining room’s comfortable and elegant, and the view’s without a doubt the best in town.

You’re thinking of buying a home in Toronto but you’re not sure

Being right in the middle of the city puts you in walking distance from four great neighbourhoods to explore: Little Italy, Rosedale, Summerhill and the Annex. Or hop on either subway line and check out the rest. Although, the longer you live at Bay and Bloor, the more you’ll want to keep it close.

Have a look at our floor plans and give us a call at 416-961-4998.

Our city expands out from the core. The more central you can find an apartment to rent in Toronto, the more access you have. That’s especially true if you’re on the subway line, and doubly so if you’re in the centre core where the two subway lines intersect.

That’s where we are. And for over 30 years, our residents have raved about the convenience of living where they do, and a few comments kept coming up.

Window shopping

They call our stretch of Bloor Street the Mink Mile because it’s lined with ultra-high-end boutiques including the new Hermes flagship store. Of course, Yorkville’s just north of Bloor and you could daydream through there all day. And on days where you need a different kind of escape, one of Toronto’s best movie theatres is just steps away at Manulife Centre.

Indoor winters

The buildings on the east side of Bay Street (including 44 Charles Street) are connected to the mid-town underground. Residents love that they can get to Yonge or Bay subway stations without going outside, and that they can get a lot of their shopping done without needing to bundle up. Of course, with Manulife Centre below us, our residents have it particularly good. And when Eataly arrives, they’ll have it really good.

Highway access

Routes to Rosedale Valley Road are just a few blocks away. It’s one of the easiest and fastest ways to cut across to the Don Valley Parkway, and by far the prettiest.

Incidentally, according to City of Toronto figures, congestion at around the Bayview/Bloor ramps is over 20 percent lighter in both directions so getting on and off the highway is rarely an issue. Our residents appreciate this, and also appreciate our underground parking lot with an in-house car detailer.

Long walks

The best of Toronto is accessible by foot from Bay and Bloor. North takes you to Yorkville/Cumberland and into Ramadan Park and mansion-lined Rosedale. East is the fun Yonge Street and the super-duper fun of Church Street. West is U of T, one of Canada’s premier universities (and university campuses), along with the tree-lined student village complete with cheap eats, great bars and energy. South is the core: the financial district, the CN Tower and many of Toronto’s biggest attractions and our beautiful lake.

Our residents also get to enjoy Toronto from the comfort of home. When you live in our high-rise tower you get to enjoy fabulous east, south and west views from the pool deck on the 51st floor!

Space to move

Crowded sidewalks aren’t a problem around here, mostly because of how wide the sidewalks are ¾ especially so on Bloor Street. The city recently completed a massive pedestrian experience enhancement project and we can absolutely feel the difference. Our residents come in and out on Charles Street, a pretty side street just south of Bloor. Here, there’s always room to stretch your arms.

Thinking about Bay and Bloor for your next home? Have a look at our floor plans and give us a call at 416-961-4998.

First, great choice. You couldn’t have picked a better city at a better time. Seriously, it’s absolutely booming here. You surely noticed all the construction. It’s everywhere. Heck, we’ve even got our own little project going on here on the block: bringing the first Eataly to town!

But this boom is so much more than what’s coming, because Toronto’s already an amazing place to live. Here’s why:

You’re going to eat so well in Toronto

There’s a vegan restaurant called Planta up the street from us. They replicate dishes like short ribs, sliders and crab cakes. It’s so innovative, which is so typical of Toronto’s food scene. All over town, chefs inspired by the diversity of the city are doing some pretty unique things. You can pick by trend, style or ethnicity (we’re still the world’s most multicultural city and you can taste it). Here’s BlogTO’s list of this season’s top 10 restos. Also, if you don’t know about BlogTO yet, you should bookmark it right now.

You’re going to love walking it off through Toronto

Toronto’s best enjoyed on foot, especially from where we are on Charles Street. In 45 minutes, you can take in the high-end Mink Mile (which includes our neighbours to the north Manulife Centre), stroll through the University of Toronto’s beautiful campus and make your way into dynamic Korea Town. If you walk south from our place for half an hour you’ll pass by Queen’s Park (where the Ontario Government sits), the Discovery District, and then you’ll find yourself on trendy Queen West. No matter where you are in town, you’ll have the same experience because neighbourhoods spill into each other here. And everybody gets along.

You’re going to have something to do all the time.

Theatre. Film. Art. Sport. Food. All of it’s on full display in the city, most of it’s walkable from where we are at Bay and Bloor, and if it’s not, the subway’s accessible to 44 Charles without even having to go outside. But our residents have told us that the best deal for this kind of stuff is three blocks away at the University of Toronto. They put on fantastic showcases all the time, and Varsity Stadium’s one of the best spots in the city to catch a game.

And you’re going to love it here

We look after each other. We value our green spaces and keep them clean. We brave the winter together. We make it easy to live downtown, and easier to enjoy everything the city has to offer.

You can put the parkas away. You can store the hats and gloves for the season and (hooray!) you can break out the sandals and shorts. Spring is in full bloom, and once you’re finished transforming your closet space for the season, you can turn your attention to your living space. (more…)

Living above Manulife Centre means you can get most staple items without having to go outside. In some cases, you even have options. Take bath soap, for example: you can go to the Pharma Plus on the concourse level for the brands you know. Or you could walk down the hall, turn right and treat yourself to a Dead Sea special from GRATiAE.

Here’s another benefit: thick walls and powerful showers, a perfect combination for the aspiring rock stars that call 44 Charles home. So whether your “microphone” is a $9 bottle of shampoo or a $99 tube of Purifying Facial Cleanser, you can belt ’em out to your heart’s content.

We took another informal poll (we do a lot of these) looking at the most popular shower songs. As you can imagine, we got zero consensus, but plenty of passion. So we started thinking about what songs we’d recommend for the shower. And more specifically, songs we’d recommend for particular kinds of showers.

Diana Ross – I Will Survive
At first I was afraid, I was petrified…
You don’t have to be getting over a break-up to get into this groove. It’s perfect before work or a workout  because no matter how tough the going gets, you’re gonna survive, sister (or brother!). And on days when your boss is a jerk, that cute barista doesn’t recognize you and the TTC is delayed again, it’ll wash away the stress as you well wash away the stress.

Journey – Don’t Stop Believing
Don’t stop believin’ / Hold on to that feelin’…
Rule #1 of singing in the shower: never stop believing. So close your eyes, raise your shampoo bottle in the air (ensuring that the cap is sealed tight) and transport yourself to a 50,000-seat amphitheatre circa 1981. You’ll feel like a rock god for a glorious four minutes and ten seconds.

Taylor Swift – Shake it Off
I’m dancing on my own / I make the moves up as I go…
Say what you want about Tay-Tay, but the lady knows how to write a song perfect for a sudsy serenade. This one’s our go-to when we’re getting ready to hit the town on a Friday night. Step into the shower in work mode, step out in party mode. Pro tip: you’ll want to make sure you have a no-slip shower mat in place for when your feet start moving. And they will.

Starland Vocal Band – Afternoon Delight
Rub the sticks and stones together, make the sparks ignite…
Showers for two can be a delicate dance. It takes a committed couple to figure out things like who gets to be under the showerhead first, when to switch and, of course, loofah duty. But when it goes right, the name of this song says it all.

Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody
I see a little silhouetto of a man…
You’d better hang a “do not disturb” sign on the bathroom door, because when you start this, you’re going to see it through to the end, guitar riffs included. From every “Scaramouche” to every heartfelt “Maamaaaa,” this ballad will have you singing so loud the neighbours will join in — and they know the words as well as you do.

OutKast – Hey Ya!
Now what’s cooler than bein’ cool?
Now that we’ve gotten you to yell “ICE COLD,” you can see why this song made the list. Try singing it without grinning, we dare you. But be warned, this one comes with a special disclaimer: don’t sing it in the shower without being prepared to hum it all day. For those of us who don’t mind a serious ear-worm, Andre 3000 and Big Boi have offered up a fantastic early morning caffeine replacement.

Hanson – MMMBop
Mmmbop, ba duba dop / Ba du bop, ba duba dop…
A shower is a judgement-free zone and, as I mentioned earlier, no place for haters. So go ahead and reconnect with your inner 13-year-old. Belt this one out, then put on your suit, straighten your tie and get ready for that big meeting. No one will know except you.

Aretha Franklin – Respect
R-E-S-P-E-C-T / Find out what it means to me…
At the end of the day, isn’t it what we’re all askin’ for? And in the shower, you got it. Actually, it’s a pretty great idea to channel Aretha in every part of your life. You really can’t go wrong. But if you just can’t get to that level of fabulousness everywhere, you can at least have it in the shower. Just a little bit.

Quad City DJs – Space Jam Theme

Come on and slam, and welcome to the jam…
Okay, so this is a favourite of ours, but it might not be suitable for novices. You may get too pumped up. Sing this one before breakfast, and the next thing you know you’re parkour-ing to work and challenging the boss to a friendly game of one-on-one. But when you’re truly ready to slam (and perhaps even to jam), this is the song for you.

Bath Time Bonus: Ernie – Rubber Ducky
Rubber ducky, you’re the one / you make bath time so much fun…
Yeah, some of us prefer baths. Totally fine. This tune’s a testament to time in the tub. And that special friend who’s with you through good times and bad, through all of the lavender-scented bubbles and votive candles.  While scientists haven’t yet developed a rubber ducky that works in the shower, when they do, this song will join the rest of the list.

These are our faves, but at the end of the day (or the beginning), the best songs are the ones you love to sing like no one’s watching. So pick a tune and own it!