Welcome to Toronto

On behalf of the Toronto Gesneriad Society it is my pleasure to invite you to our beautiful and vibrant city for the next convention of The Gesneriad Society. The name Toronto is an old Indian name meaning “The Meeting Place” and on that we have based our theme “Toronto, a Gesneriad Meeting Place.”

We are hoping that many gesneriaddicts and gesneriads will be gathered together at the Hyatt Regency Hotel on King Street, which some of you may remember as the same hotel where we hosted the last convention held in this city in 1994. There is a Starbucks in the lobby and a swimming pool and a sun patio on the tenth floor with fantastic views of the city.

The hotel is in the Entertainment District with live theatre, concert halls, and cinemas nearby, and more attractions and restaurants than you will be able to visit during your short stay, all within easy walking distance. Across the street and down a block is the entrance to the PATH, which is a network of 17 miles of underground stores and eating places of all prices.

There are many festivals happening in our city. On Monday, please come and help us celebrate Canada Day when there will be picnics and free activities all over town together with fireworks. The Sunday before convention is usually the Gay Pride Parade, a festival that attracts about one million people to the city, all wanting to have fun. Following the convention is usually the Toronto Indy, which takes place along the Lakeshore.  Heed my advice and book your rooms early.

Please come early and stay late to take full advantage of the abundance of things to do and see in this multicultural city. Just go to any website on Toronto and you will plan to come and stay as long as possible. The hotel offers the fantastic room rate for three days before and three days after the convention. For $35 CDN you may buy a Hop On, Hop Off ticket that will take you to many of the attractions all week, including a Harbour Cruise. One of the stops is at the International Film Festival Building, right next door to our hotel.

We promise to do our best to make your stay as trouble-free as possible. Most of the convention activities will be held on the second floor of the hotel, and we are planning a special sales room with a variety of difficult-to-obtain gesneriads. We are also offering a wonderful lineup of speakers and three fantastic trips. Please pack your passports and gather for a memorable experience in our beautiful city on Lake Ontario.

Doris Brownlie, Local Convention Co-Chair