Metro Hall

I came here today to request a court date for my friend’s parking ticket. She lives in Waterloo and didn’t want to drive all the way down here just to file a form.
The process was a mess and the staff were ridiculously rude.
Locating the office was a battle. The signs on the third floor need to be reorganized. And then getting a number to be served was an uphill Mt Everest adventure. The ticket/​number machine is not located in a logical place at all.
The service staff treated me with less respect than I grant used condoms.
Never thought I would say this, but —
Thank Jesus I don’t own a car and will therefore never receive a ticket.

Recently I had the opportunity to be at the starting line for City Chase Toronto, an event which has teams of two race around the city of Toronto (a la The Amazing Race) to solve clues and puzzles and try to get all 10 stamps the fastest.
I was helping out a friend with her booth located in the center of Metro Hall Square and was amazed a what a great venue this was for so many Toronto events: Luminato, Toronto Fashion week, City Chase etc etc. Lots of open space and natural seating, good coverage from the elements from the surrounding buildings and plenty of grass and trees. I walk past this park every day on my way to work and I never noticed how great it truly was.
I know I know, but Kris, how is this exciting, how is this cool — well friend let me answer that for you. If you are familiar with the city you will know that in the busier areas that its difficult to find a nice open place to sit down and have lunch — let alone a space big enough to host so many fancy events.
To be honest I only walk into Metro Hall itself on my way into The Path when I am looking for lunch ideas (their caffeteria is one of the better ones for sure), BUT walking in the path from Union station is great because I always come up from the under ground here and its conveniently located near my office.
Suggetions for this space: meet ups, picnics, acoustic music sessions on the weekend with friends, or just get some sun on your lunch.

Free Concert? Bah… Free if you want to watch a TV screen!
VENUE
I think it was absolutely horrible to have the venue at Metro Hall. The space is so compact, there is no view of the stage, there are buildings blocking your view. It was just horrible!
VENDORS
Why did they have so many vendors there? There were so many big white tents around that not only couldn’t I see the real Aretha, I couldn’t even see the fake one on the screens.
SOUND
By 10:30, I could barely hear the music. They turned the music down so much that everyone started leaving.
FREE?
Free if you get a wrist band… and how do you get that wrist band? Who knows! I bet those big guys/​sponsors got those seats! And Aretha was in an enclosed tent so you really couldn’t see her.
Suggestions
Dundas square is truly a venue for the people. I hope they bring the concerts back to this location.
The event gets a 2 star b/​c it was free… sort of…

I recently had the privilege of witnessing the «Queen Of Soul» Aretha Franklin bring the audience to a delirious stupor during her FREE show at the opening night of the TD Canada Trust Downtown Jazz Festival 2011. As throngs of spectators gathered inside and outside the main marquee tent, clamouring for position to see their idol in the flesh, I couldn’t help but be impressed by the way that the physical space of Metro Hall was seamlessly able to accommodate them.
The Jazz Festival has been a Toronto staple since 1987, providing 500,000 loyal patrons the opportunity to enjoy more than 350 performances with over 1,500 musicians performing at approximately 40 locations across Toronto. Previously held at the venerable Nathan Phillips Square, the Festival has since relocated to the strategically situated Metro Hall. I have been a semi-​regular patron for the better part of the decade and freely admit that I am more than impressed with the layout, location and overall ambiance that Metro Hall provides. There is a beautiful open green space right in the center of the bustling grounds where people are encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs and blankets and can enjoy free shows every afternoon during the Festival-​a nice perk indeed.
Jane Jacobs with her primary interest in communities, urban planning and use of space in relation to people would be proud of the way that physical space is optimally utilized and enjoyed at Metro Hall. Jacobs of course was a prescient thinker that ultimately saw cities as living and breathing organisms, and Metro Hall, in its relation to the Jazz Festival, is a true microcosm of Jacob’s embodiment of this grand ideal.
A truly complimentary pairing to be certain!

I agree with Todd. I always thought Metro Hall was just a bureaucratic mess of offices and not open to the public.
It’s a great meeting spot for the public and many community groups; I’ve gone to some forums and lectures here, one of which I won a free (albeit ugly) t-​shirt. Pretty sweet. Schwag!
The library, too, is one of more spacious and quiet libraries in the city. Very civilized. Perfect to get some studying done, but if you may be outta luck for general reference materials: it specializes in Urban Affairs.
But what’s up with a civic centre with NO FREE WIRELESS? Humph.

I had always assumed that Metro Hall was solely used for office space for the local city and had no idea that it offered the opportunity for room rental for organization meetings. Not a bad proposition at all.
As a former member of a product management community, the last Tuesday of the month held meetings at the Metro Hall in one of the many meeting rooms it houses. Upon entry to the large open space, I found the appropriate floor and went searching for my meeting room. As I passed meeting after meeting that was being held that night, it became very apparent that Metro Hall has the ability to afford virtually any shape and size of meeting. Facilities are brightly lit, spacious, clean, and given the frugal nature of the organization I was in, affordable.
Metro Hall provides much in its location and facilities, and also has a large outside courtyard which is also a good place to sit down, relax, grab a snack or a coffee, and gear up for any meeting that you may have inside.