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COMMERCIAL DRIVE ACCOMMODATIONS Toll free: 1.866.757.6355 |
City & Neighbourhood
The Commercial Drive area is well known for its diversity, vibrancy and sense of community. With many shops and restaurants, schools and parks, and century-old heritage homes. "The Drive" is an area that has something for everyone. Once known as "Little Italy", The Drive is now a center of multiculturalism. A cornucopia of sights, sounds and flavours awaits those who wander Commercial Drive, which boasts nearly 100 restaurants including Italian, Greek, Cuban, Thai, African, Japanese, Chinese and Indian cuisine. Many residents of this neighbourhood can be seen sipping espresso at any of the 19 coffee bars along The Drive. For those who love to cook at home, there are countless fresh fruit and vegetable markets, delis, and specialty food shops.
The Drive is home to many regular street festivals that celebrate the multiculturalism and community spirit that the neighbourhood is known for. Mid-June sees the start of the summer festival season with the Commercial Drive Festival, a celebration of the neighbourhood itself. Other summer festivals include Car-Free Commercial Drive Days, Latin Summer Fest and Illuminares, a beautiful paper lantern festival held at nearby Trout Lake. The community's active gay and Lesbian community are represented by two festivals, the East Side Pride Festival in June and the Dyke March in August. Commercial Drive's Journey of the Lost Souls is a popular Halloween attraction, and December sees both the Winter Solstice Lantern Festival and Winter Celebration at Brittania Rink.
The community of Commercial Drive is home to many parks. Two community gardens are available for residents, and nearby Trout Lake is a popular destination for joggers, cyclists and dog walkers. Along the many tree-lined side streets of The Drive are a number of character and heritage buildings, including the Saint Francis of Assisi Parish and J.J. Miler’s Kurragong.