RESO and PATH are interesting as a sort of urban infrastructure curiosity (and they can certainly be useful in the winter months), but the experience of actually being in them is one of being in an office-serving, windowless mall.
Anyway, I made a little list of the best neighbourhoods to visit in Toronto, from an urban perspective:
1. Kensington Market: Groovy, bustling, well-loved little neighbourhood.
4 by
Eric H, on Flickr
2. Chinatown: I dunno, it's Chinatown.
Chinatown, Toronto by
Janine Riviere, on Flickr
3. St. Lawrence Market: Centred on a major marketplace, while the surrounding neighbourhood is an example of a then-revolutionary 1970s/80s urban redevelopment with some good historic buildings in the mix.
St Lawrence Market by
mooncall2012, on Flickr
4. Distillery District: Once the world's largest distillery in the 19th century, this area was rehabilitated to become a popular shopping district after sitting derelict for decades. In the surrounding areas (which are still a bit of a wasteland), you can also see a massive, ongoing urban redevelopment.
Distillery District Toronto by
James D, on Flickr
5. Cabbagetown: The most well-preserved Victorian residential neighbourhood, with plenty of little lanes and alleys to get lost in.
Streetphoto_Toronto_2011-1-25 by
Aleks Nesterins, on Flickr
6. Yorkville: Rich & kinda douchey, but its laneways and narrow shopping streets, and mishmash of Victorians, 60s modernism, and new high-rises make it quite pleasant.
http://cosmopolitansuites.com/apartments/bay-bloor/
7. Annex & UofT: Gothic revival university campus and its genteel neighbouring area stately Victorian houses and quirky retail once home to Jane Jacobs.
Towers -University of Toronto- (Toronto, Canada. Gustavo Thomas © 2013) by
Gustavo Thomas, on Flickr
8. West End (College, Dundas, Queen West): Quintessential inner-city Toronto. College, Dundas, Queen West, and Ossington are the main high streets here, with lots of great restaurants, bars, and shops, but the residential side streets may also be worth a look.
Dundas West by
niwell, on Flickr
9. Entertainment District: Warehouses & skyscrapers.
http://urbantoronto.ca/news/2014/10/...de-street-west
10. Harbourfront: It might not be that nice in March, but the whole waterfront strip was completely redone and just opened last year.
Harbourfront by
mooncall2012, on Flickr