Manulife Centre

in terms of the lasangna its okay. i mean i come by now and then and get it but its super soggy and soft. nothing special but since its the only italian eatery in the area … im happy its there. too bad it doesnt taste like authentic italian anything…
or not even wow for the matter. perhaps other things on the menu are good and i shouldnt go thru the cafeteria setup and sit in instead?

I had a horrible experience here this evening. I parked here because the lot I usually park at was closed for construction and my back-​up lot is closed on Sundays. I was in a bit of a rush, otherwise I would have driven a bit further to park in a different lot. The parking rates here are exorbitant. $ 20 daily rate on a Sunday! If you’re going to charge $ 20 bucks on a Sunday, you should throw in valet service and a car wash. Sheesh.
Anyway, after I was finished hanging with a pal I walked into the Chapters in the Manulife plopped down my parking receipt on the counter and asked the girl, «What can I buy so I don’t have to pay the $ 20 for parking.» She looks down at my receipt and responds that I have to buy at least $ 25 worth of merchandise. I say, «Fine, I’d rather buy a $ 25 gift card than have to pay $ 20 bucks for parking. I hate paying for parking.»
She tells me where to get my parking validated. I get it validated by this dude beside the elevators and then I head down to the garage. On my way out of the garage the incredibly rude parking lot attendants (Three in a booth, by the way. I have no idea why you need three attendants in one booth) demand that I pay $ 19.50. I tell them that I just bought a $ 25 gift card from Chapters so I wouldn’t have to pay for parking. They get all aggressive and tell me that my purchase merely covered my first two hours of parking. I now have to pony up for the remaining time on my ticket. I say, «So my $ 25 purchase validated me for fifty cents? That makes no sense. The Chapters girl didn’t tell me it was only for 2 hours. I wouldn’t have purchased a $ 25 gift card for a fifty cent validation.»
The parking attendant smirks at me, «She didn’t have to tell you!» Well, I suppose she technically didn’t have to tell me but she knew I was only buying the gift certificate to avoid paying parking so it was incredibly unethical.
A very unpleasant experience all around. I will never park or shop there again. Luckily I’m not in the geriatric set so it’s not really my scene anyway. Rude, rude, rude.

Pretty cool little mall with an array of high end stores. It’s always clean and somehow pleasant in here. Love the flagship Indigo store and the Nirvana furniture shop (and you will too, if you like mid-​century design).
Bloor St Market, which is a downtown Loblaw’s, is very convenient. Not a fan of the Rexall which closes way too early for a Pharmacy. Great lesser-​known movie theatre upstairs.
Use the secret entrance on Balmuto St. down the stairs through the security office hallway for quick access to the parking garage if you’re doing Autoshare.
Speaking of the parking garage, it’s one of the best in the city, but not cheap at all. They do validate at some of the stores upstairs though.
One of the things that frustrates me about this place is the beautiful rooftop garden they have. It’s absolutely lovely, and it stays that way. because NO ONE appears to be allowed to access it.

Has everything you need: Grocery store, pharmacy, coffee shops, massive book store, LCBO, clothing stores… and you can take the underground path to either Bay Station or Bloor and Yonge Station.

All other LCBO locations close at 10pm weekdays but this one happens to close at 8pm (m-​w), and 9pm (th-​sat). A real inconvenience for those that live in the Bay/​Bloor area.

Commercial shopping mall located within the Manulife Building in Yorkville. The mall contains many stores including Indigo’s flagship store, an LCBO, Rexall’s. Wicket and Bloor Bay Audio. Many great eateries such as the Bloor Street Diner are other small Italian restaurants are located here and the center tens to be thriving during normal business hours Monday — Friday, as well during holidays. Conveniently located close to the intersection of Bloor Street West and Bay Street, the Manulife Centre is close to the Yong-​Bloor subway stop on the TTC.

Lovely building with some nice shops.

Why do I like the Manulife Centre?
1) Cineplex
2) Indigo
3) Scaccia, Supermarket, LCBO, Pharma Plus… you can buy supplies for home, or snacks /​drinks for the movies
4) Underground path through to Bay station /​yonge & bloor
5) Seating area in the basement where you can hang out with friends
It’s all very functional, and in a great location. There isn’t much shopping to be done here, but it’s a great place to chill.

So, as a part-​time resident of the Manulife Residences, I have to start my day by stepping foot into this mall on many occasions. While it ain’t exactly my choice to be greeted by a billion old folks and their walkers each morning, I know I should be thankful of the Manulife Centre.
It has everything I need! Too bad only half of it is the price I want to pay for it (LCBO and Post Office)… the rest? Clearly situated here to rob the old people who are not able to travel any further of their old money (Valu-​mart, Ron White — hey have you ever heard of $ 900 shoes? Right here, at Ron White). Also, the mall seems to forget that there are patrons younger than the age of 60 who may need groceries and alcohol beyond 8pm, but they leave Indigo open in case you have a burning itch for some literature at 10pm. Makes sense, right? =/​
Always good to be able to connect to a TTC station without venturing out into a potential blizzard, I guess.

I don’t venture into Manulife Centre much… I might go to Bay Bloor Radio… I might go to Indigo… but on this rainy day I ventured inside and I found
People were walking their small dogs around Manulife Centre, apparently dogs on leash are welcome.
Please don’t let my dog knows about Manulife Centre, if not I might not able to leave him at home. Or maybe he can run away and find a new family that would take him shopping in Yorkville!

To me this mall’s greatest strength is that it serves as an underground walkway for when I want to go from my place to either Yorkville, Cumberland 4, the Varsity. …or if I have guests, then to Panorama if it is raining/​snowing.
What I am trying to say is that most stores here are nondescript and easily forgettable and they come and go in your mind
Although from time to time, one will catch your attention. For example, their LCBO tends to be open later AND they have a good selection of vintages. Or I used their Wind store to pay by old cell bill before realizing I must have been on cheap drugs to have even experimented with Wind Mobile and cancelled my plan. See? And now, do I even remember there is a Wind store there? Barely. …The memory is beginning to fade again… *poof*
Some good men’s stores too, a fun science shoppe and a HMV store for those of you who still think purchasing CD’s or DVD’s is relevant.
The Indigo is a great place to hangout and play the piano –if you know how to play and to catch the odd book or magazine.
If you are hungry and money is no issue, then Le Café La Rotisserie L’express is a GREAT find. Their brunch/​buffets are to die for AND they do have live jazz music. Easily a great place to come hungry!
If you want to get ripped off via grocery shopping then there are two Whole Foods within walking distance and yes, you can walk out $ 75 poorer yet all your purchased food may fit in just one bag. Specially if you like spices. :-(
There is a Bricks if you are bored and want to buy diamonds and of course there is a connection to Holt Renfrew which I generally avoid like the black plague. In fairness, I have shopped there but it is just my cup of tea.
Plus there is a GoodLife Fitness and the ever famous Bay Bloor Radio which if it wasn’t for a friend who used to work there a decade ago, I would not even be aware of their existence. PS:. @BBR, do not buy their extended warranties, they will so-​rip-​you-​off.
Overall the place is relatively clean and I can only assume it exists because when they were constructing both the business and residential (rental) buildings, it just made more sense to fill the architectural buttress with a small mall than with an elevated parking lot or a solid block of concrete.

A small mall with some neat features.
I go here quite a bit, as I like the movie theatre a lot. It’s also where my blood donor clinic happens to be, so I’m here at least every two months. It’s close the subway, and it has an Indigo, which is perfect for books and gifts, as well as a high-​end kitchen store, which I’ll peek into the windows of, but not enter, lest I lose my entire paycheque. The mall also has a Timothy’s with wifi, a gourmet chocolate shop and the Bloor Street Diner, which I worked at for two months years ago, but somehow have never dined at. There’s also a GoodLife fitness and Panorama restaurant.
All in all, a good variety of stores, entertainment and food options.

Love the Cineplex movie theatre here — clean, big, and I watched Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows pt. 2 in 3D here!
I went to see the movie because I was dying of heat in the apartment and needed a cold respite.
The grocery store is amazing! I kept eyeing the fresh pastas. We picked up all kinds of fruits here for a potluck dinner at my friends’ house in the suburbs. All the fruits were really fresh.
I kept coming back to the Manulife Centre b/​c of the AC and clean atmosphere. (A nice change from the seedy strip joints and druggies on Yonge street)
The Italian restaurant has really good pasta dishes — that was my last meal in Toronto and I’m happy I went there with good company!

Oh, the Manulife Centre. It’s basically an underground strip mall, complete with grocery store (the Bloor Street Market), booze shop (LCBO, holla!), bookstore (Indigo), post office (The Wicket), a few restaurants, and a movie theatre. It’s not a destination, but a quick stop for sundries when you’re in the ‘hood and on the go.

I love this place & when my knee heals, I will be back. It has just about anything you could ever want here. It houses my favourite movie theatre in Toronto (the Varsity) which is enough for me to come here. They have a great Indigo Books, Pharma Plus, Timothy’s, Valu Mart, Bloor St Diner & my personal favourite ‘Scaccia’s’ where you will find the best, freshest sandwiches around. (Try the chicken breast/​tomato w pesto). The clothes & shoe stores are for people with more cash in their wallet than me, but the whole complex is seldom crazy busy & they keep this place clean. They also have an LCBO minus the beggars, winos & bums. I told you it was clean. There are also tables for eating alone if you don’t feel like hearing cell phone conversations. Definitely my No.1 place to hit on a Saturday afternoon.

There is something compelling about this retail/​office/​condo complex, the obvious thought would be that I am drawn by its magnetically central location (Bay and Bloor). But I don’t think that’s it. I think what I truly love about the Manulife Centre is it’s staunch commitment to mediocrity — Jacob is pretty much the haute couture of the mall and Ashley’s (the fancy china store) is the place to go there if you are in need of a thrill.
Snideness aside, I love the Manulife Centre because it houses the best non-​independent theatre in Toronto — The Varsity. The Varsity is as committed to sameness as its surroundings, refusing to adorn itself with air hockey tables or fancy neon lights.
If you are in the mood for an evening of the run of the mill head to the Manulife Centre; buy some underwear at Jacob, a cookbook at Indigo, and head up to the Varsity for a 2-​star flick

I don’t know what «Retail Customer Service» stands for in the title, but I’m going to talk about the Manulife Centre. I’ve had to go here a few times, a job interview twice, and a few meetings, so I know the area fairly well.
The manulife centre office space is home to Bank of Montréal (BMO) employees. It’s a very central and happening location (Bay and Bloor being right there). Downstairs, there are a few stores, such as Jacob, Bagel Stop, a movie theatre and Indigo. There’s also a gym, BMO branch, and copy centre on the upper floors. All the stores are pretty generic and bigger well known stores. Nothing too fancy or outrageously expensive.
The best part of the Manulife is that it’s right on the subway line (intersects the Yonge line and the Bloor line) and it’s accessible through the underground PATH. So if you take the subway, you never have to walk outside. A great feature for the wintertime.
Though I’m not sold on the idea of working down there (it’s quite busy), I like going from time to time just to see what I’m missing out on!