Northern Lights Of Toronto

Tell people you are going to Toronto and they will probably ask what on earth for. Whatever reason would you have for visiting Toronto the Good, where the sidewalks are almost free of people from 8 o’clock at night and the stores are shuttered on Sundays? Well, I thought I had one good reason to scoff, as this was the only gateway from New York to the archipelago of Cuba.

What unveiled before me was a thriving, modern city known for its cultural diversity. A mix of old and new, the architecture and culture of Toronto display the marks of British influence, as well as more exotic characteristics. Going to the theater and dining out are favorite activities. You can find virtually every type of food here in both the restaurants and local markets. I have discovered a world-class city that is inexpensive, safe and clean. Many of Toronto’s new loft and commercial projects are good examples of modern Canadian design.

Surrounded by the best of food, fashion and design, New Yorkers have it all. But the real challenge has always been to find a don’t-break-the-bank admission price to this amusement park of cities. So, if you fear the prospect of blowing your budget at yet another Barneys warehouse sale, try Toronto, the cultural frontier of Canada. This city promises to soothe your shopping soul with a definitive retail scenario. And with the strong US dollar, Toronto is one trip that will always be fifty percent off.

If you’re in New York, make a run for the border to this cultural frontier of Canadian cool. The city is transforming itself into a genuinely hot destination by throwing off some of its British colonial reserve, extending its bar hours, and playing host to several annual international arts festivals, from photography to film to Caribana. Toss in a weak Canadian dollar and Toronto will surely be fun.

The Curtain Rises

The capital of Ontario, Toronto bears a name taken more than 300 years ago from the Mohawk language and translates to "fish trap." The city lies toward the western end of the north shore of Lake Ontario, the smallest of the Great Lakes. A little more than half of the lake’s total area sits on the Ontario side of the border shared with New York State.

The new Toronto is a vibrant, cosmopolitan city bursting with entrepreneurial energy and ethnic diversity. As I came from the airport, one of the first things that struck me is the needle of the CN Tower piercing the sky, and the cluster of buildings around it that make up the downtown skyline. On a clear day, other strong images are the blue waters of the lake and the parklands that run alongside it, two immediately visible features of the city.

Once downtown, I was able to discover a mixture of historic and contemporary architecture – solid Romanesque-revival masterpieces contrasting with skyscrapers and handsome Victorian residences.

The flavors of the different neighborhoods quickly assert themselves and leave their impression, from the hip Queen Street West to smart Yorkville, from Chinatown to Little Italy, from the Caribbean-Portuguese Kensington Market to Greektown, and from the quirky Beaches on the lake to moneyed Rosedale.

No longer a bastion of Anglophile conservatism, the city has blossomed with restaurants and cafes offering all kinds of ethnic cuisines and an annual calendar that is punctuated by all manner of multicultural festivals. Both developments reflect the increasing diversity of the city’s population, which now represents more than 80 different ethnic groups speaking more than 100 languages.

Though the population of Canada is a little more than 30 million, more than 11.4 million live in Ontario, and 4.6 million live in Canada’s largest city Toronto. That means roughly 14 percent of the country’s population lives here.

Despite rapid growth and change, Toronto has managed to preserve a gentle demeanor and feel for tradition. And while the diversity of the population sometimes results in racial and ethnic tension, the city retains a strong sense of community which is clearly exhibited in the clean, safe streets and public facilities.

The attitudes that informed the loyalist founders of Canada – peace, order and good government – still resonate in Toronto and the city represents a pleasant compromise between the unbridled freedom of the United States and the conservatism and social hierarchy of many European countries.

‘Toronto The Good’

The economic and cultural focus of English-speaking Canada, Toronto is the country’s largest metropolis. It sprawls along the northern shore of Lake Ontario, its surprisingly vibrant center encased by satellite townships and industrial zones that comprise "Greater Toronto" – no less than 100 square kilometers.

For decades, Toronto was saddled with unflattering sobriquets, such as "Toronto the Good" and "Hogtown," which reflected the deserved reputation for complacent mediocrity and greed. Spurred into years of image-building, the city’s post-war administrations lavished millions of dollars on glitzy architecture, slick museums, an excellent public transport system, and the reclamation and development of the lakefront.

Toronto has become one of North America’s most likeable cities, an eminently livable place with a proud sense of itself.

Shopping malls and skyrise office blocks reflect the economic successes of the last two decades, a boom that has attracted immigrants from all over the world, transforming an overwhelmingly Anglophile city into a cosmopolitan one. Furthermore, the city’s multiculturalism goes far deeper than an extravagant diversity of restaurants and sporadic pockets of multilingual street signs: Toronto’s schools, for example, have extensive "Heritage Language Programmes", which encourage the maintenance of the immigrants’ first cultures.

Getting the feel of Toronto’s diversity is one of the city’s great pleasures, but there are attention-grabbing sights here as well. Other than the most celebrated CN Tower, the world’s tallest freestanding structure, next door to which lies the modern hump of the Sky Dome sports stadium.

The city’s other prestige attractions are led by the Art Gallery of Ontario, which possesses a first-rate selection of Canadian fine arts, and the Royal Ontario Museum, where pride of place goes to the Chinese collection. But it’s Toronto’s smaller, less-visited galleries and period homes that really add to the city’s charm. There are superb Canadian paintings at the Thomson Gallery and a fascinating range of footwear at the Bata Shoe Museum. The Toronto Dominion Bank boasts of the eclectic Gallery of Inuit Art, and the mock-Gothic extravagances of Casa Loma, the Victorian gentility of Spadina House along with the replica of Fort York, the colonial settlement where Toronto began, all vie for your attention.

Toronto’s sights illustrate different facets of the city but in no way do they crystallize its identity. The city remains opaque – too big and diverse to allow for a defining personality. This, however, adds an air of excitement and unpredictability to the place. Toronto caters to everything, and the city surges with Canada’s most vibrant restaurants, performing arts and nightlife scenes.

Toronto is also a convenient base for exploring southwest Ontario, a triangular tract of land that lies sandwiched between lakes Huron and Eerie. Significant parts of the region have been heavily industrialized, but there are also miles upon miles of rolling farmland and a series of first-rate attractions, the pick of which are within a two- to three-hour drive from downtown Toronto.

Shop In This City

In less than two hours by plane from New York, I have my finger on the pulse of the city’s shopping scene. Surrounded by chic restaurants, these avant-garde retailers and modern design stores have transformed Toronto’s nerve center. A stroll down Queen Street West begins at University Avenue (it’s best to ignore the chain stores and seek out the smaller boutiques peddling locally crafted goods).

Hip retailers are clamoring to get a coveted Queen Street West address, even if it means coaxing the crowds ever westward, where reinvented greasy spoons and houseware outposts that cater to loft dwellers are reshaping the more bohemian end of this concrete catwalk.

The recently opened Caban is Canadian retailer Club Monaco’s first lifestyle concept store. Ideally located at the heart of Queen’s Street West, Caban focuses on providing affordable fashion, furniture and living accessories in a unique shopping environment. Owner of the establishment is the Ralph Lauren Corporation.

Holt Renfrew is an upscale department store that carries a good selection of international fashions, including many of the top designer labels. Take advantage of the complimentary personal shopping and concierge services, and pamper yourself at the Estee Lauder Spa. Founded in 1837, Holts has managed to remain current, contemporary and fresh.

For seekers of shabby chi, Kensington Avenue in Kensington Market boasts a range of second-hand threads, while its close neighbor Chinatown – where a magical convergence of Vietnamese, Thai, and Chinese cultures happen – offers an unforgettable diversion into all things Asian.

Recently named one of the Top 10 places to live in Canada by the Utne Reader, Toronto’s own Little Italy is quickly evolving from modest butcher shops and bakeries into an upscale café society. After sunset the area becomes a stage for Canada’s parade of Prada puppets.

Elsewhere, Bloor Street West mimics Fifth Avenue with its fair share of Henri Bendel and Bergdorf Goodman equivalents, like Chanel, Gucci, Hermes and Louis Vuitton. This stomping ground of Canada’s rich continues a block north on Yorkville Avenue. Thankfully, the recent influx of fashion ateliers showcasing the work of native designers has breathed a much-needed fresh vibe into this tony, albeit conservative, neighborhood.

So while visiting Toronto, make sure there’s at least one empty suitcase between you and your companion. Trust me, after two days of waving your Amexco and Visa across the border, even your carry-on will be full – and your wallet will still be, too.

Hospitality Rules

As Toronto’s popularity as a tourist destination has increased, the availability of hotel accommodation, especially in the mid-price range, has shrunk. During peak season (late June-August) and especially around summer events like Caribana, it is essential to book well in advance. Prices tend to fluctuate depending on when and for how long you stay, but in general, a clean, centrally located hotel rooms starts at US$ 80 to 100. These are the two best-bet hotels I would strongly recommend.