Our little corner of the city has some of the best holiday shopping in town, from the big names like Indigo and Best Buy to local legends like Sporting Life to boutiques like the Little Party Shoppe. The best way to shop the strip is by foot, of course, so you can duck in and out with a coffee in hand, but you still have to get here. And if you’re driving, that means parking here. And if you’ve been here before, you know it’s a challenge.
We’ve been scoping out parking options for our patients for upwards of 40 years. And the decline in the number of spots makes the inside scoop even more valuable. So here it is:
Best parking lot
This one’s a no-brainer: the Holly Street lot just southeast of Yonge and Eglinton. It’s rarely busy, you’re blocks from the Yonge Eglin
ton Centre (yes, you can park there too, but it’s often full) and it’s all kinds of cheap.
Most convenient parking lot
You’ll find it on Broadway, just east of Yonge, and its convenient because Broadway is essentially the centre point of the strip. Fairly equidistant from Sporting Life and the corner of Yonge and Eglinton, this lot’s perfect for when you’re buying big pieces. It’s also the closest parking lot to Yonge Eglinton Dental.
Best parking lot for idling
No, you’re not supposed to idle while your significant other runs in to a store. But on the off chance you have to because (a) there’s no way you’re going in and (b) there’s way too much annoying traffic to deal with, the lot behind the Sporting Life bike shop at Roselawn is a great spot for people watching the crowds moving up and down Yonge Street.
Fancy-shmanciest parking lot
Yeah, this one’s gotta be the Yonge Eglinton Centre — especially with the new renovation. It’s pricier and (as we said up top) often full. But if you can get a spot there, we recommend you take it. Who wants to get back into a cold car?
Hidden gem for street parking
Just south of the flagship Sporting Life at Blythwood is a street called Craighurst — noteworthy because you can park on both sides of the street FOR FREE! It’s a bit of a schlep (5ï€7 minutes), but like in Monopoly, free parking’s always the best.
