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TORONTO
Canada’s Multicultural Melting Pot
One of Toronto’s strengths is its diversity of people, which translates to a delightful medley of languages, cuisines and cultural influences. Ontario’s capital and Canada’s largest city is a clean, safe and vibrant metropolis. Located on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario, it extends across 2,000 parks and green spaces.
Mosaic of
Diverse Cuisines
There are more than 7,000 restaurants representing flavours and ingredients from, literally, around the world. Choose from an eclectic array of cafes, bistros, patisseries and restaurants – fine dining, al fresco, casual and budget-friendly. These line Baldwin, King, Queen, College and Bloor streets,
Bayview Avenue and Yorkville.
At street level, Torontonians declare that their 1,896km Yonge Street is the longest in the world. Up in the sky they have their over 553.33mt (1,815ft) high CN Tower. Take a glass-elevator up the world’s tallest free standing structure to its glass-floored observation deck or further to the revolving restaurant, and feast on spectacular panoramic bird’s eye views.
Museums Galore – and Much More
Beyond that, ground reality brings with it a plethora of museums and art galleries. There is a museum for practically everything! In the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) visit the Royal Ontario Museum, Bata Shoe Museum, Art Gallery of Ontario, Canadian National Exhibition, Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art and Hockey Hall of Fame, among a multitude of others.
If architecture interests you, imbibe it from the architectural
heritage around you. The past dwells in semi-circular
neighbouring Toronto City Hall and Old City Hall, the Do: Gooderham (Flatiron) Building (c. 1891) and St. James
Cathedral. Among stunning contemporary icons are the
Royal Ontario Museum’s Michael Lee-Chin Crystal, and
the unique ‘table top’ Sharp Centre for Design at the Ontario
College of Art & Design. For family outings, visit the Ontario
Science Centre and its Omnimax, head to Ontario Place, or
interact with the animals at Toronto Zoo. Or take a peep into
history at Casa Loma and Black Creek Pioneer Village.
Shop Till You Drop
If shopping’s high on your itinerary, Yonge fits in as the touristy street with restaurants and souvenir shops. High-end Yorkville and Eaton Centre present trendy branded stores and chic boutiques. The underground shop-lined PATH System, stretching from Eaton to Union Station, offers solace during extreme summer and winter weather.
For something slightly offbeat, wander around Spadina Avenue and head to the bohemian hub Kensington Market for its music shops, surplus outlets and food stalls. Queen West SoHo is one of the hipper, trendier shopping scenes and a goldmine for the fashion-hungry. The strip is filled with cool, upbeat shops selling styles that cover everything from grunge to cutting-edge to ultra-chic.
Chinatown, infused with the sights, sounds and smells of China, Vietnam, Korea and more of Asia, offers ethnic cuisine and souvenirs from these countries.
• Visit the Niagara Falls – an hour’s drive from Toronto.
• Give yourself an hour to get to/from Toronto International Airport.
Don’t:
• Argue with the Torontonians about Yonge Street actually not being the longest street in the world! It is locally regarded as such and they are fiercely proud of it!
ENDLESS VACATION 15