The capital of Ontario, Canada's largest and most multicultural city offers a host of sightseeing attractions and things to do.
No visit to Toronto would be complete without seeing the CN Tower. At 553.33 meters high, it is the world's tallest free-standing structure and features a breathtaking view of the city from the upper deck, six glass elevators and the revolving 360 Restaurant below the peak. It was completed in 1975 and holds several records besides the coveted "world's tallest" spot, such as having featured the highest revolving restaurant in the world, the highest disco and more.
Built in the late 1980s, the SkyDome is in close proximity to the tower. This is the home of the Toronto Blue Jays as well as a venue for many large concerts and events, and notable because of the gigantic dome that can be retracted to leave the stadium completely open. This dome takes a full hour to open or close and allows events to go on in any kind of weather, as well as having synthetic turf that can be put down or taken up as needed.
As mentioned above, Toronto is famous for its multiculturalism. There is a strong population of Chinese, Indian and East Indian, Japanese, Italian, Greek and many other ethnicities, many of which possess a small section of the city devoted to their origins. The original Toronto Chinatown, easily the biggest and right in the heart of the city, occupies several blocks of metro Toronto with all matter of shops, from bubble tea cafes to entire stores of Sanrio and Korean-imported accessories. Vendors sell fish, fruit and other wares on the sidewalk, and Chinese clothing adorns the windows of most shops. Two good-sized malls, a mere block away from each other, are filled with food courts and clothing, anime and stationary shops, cybercafés, confectionaries and more. The Yonge subway line meets with the Bloor subway line at this point, and quaint red streetcars pass directly through Chinatown, stopping at every intersection.
Neighboring Little Italy, as its name might imply, is smaller and more discreet than Chinatown but holds no less allure. Cafés and restaurants hide amid houses and small shops, and it is fenced in by Kensington Market, essentially the oldest area of the city. The entire area known now as Kensington was originally the property of some of Canada's leading citizens, and by the 1880s had been subdivided into a middle-class neighborhood. It is now mainly residential but features a large open-air market and many small retail shops of every kind. South of these areas is the Danforth, well-known for its Greek population and stores that often show no trace of English on their outer signs. "A Taste of the Danforth," a yearly Greek festival, takes place here each August. It is also a main part of the subway line, of which there are now four, and the Bloor Street subway continues under the Danforth right to the edge of the city.
None of these attractions are far from the Yonge subway line, and Yonge Street is famous in itself. It arguably is the longest street in North America at 1900 kilometers, and little of the downtown area of the street is residential. Stores of every kind occupy the lengthy street, from pawn shops to punk clothing to candy stores, bookstores, tattoo parlors, fast food restaurants and pubs.
Also on Yonge Street is the Eaton Centre. Having housed the flagship store of Eaton's Drygoods since the 1970s, the historic store was sold in 1999 to Sears, but the name of the shopping center was retained. At five floors and over 300 shops, it is one of the largest indoor malls in the world. Outside the center, buskers and street vendors roam once again on the curb opposite of Dundas Square, a granite public space lined with fountains for outdoor concerts and other performances.
Further south you will find the Toronto Islands. Originally a peninsula that was washed out in the 1800s and now accessible from the waterfront via ferry, it is an urban community of great interest. The Islands house an amusement park, a nude beach, swimming beaches, yacht clubs, picnic grounds and more. The Toronto City Airport (not to be confused with Pearson Airport on the west side of the city) is also located here. Private cars are not permitted on the Islands, however bicycles can be rented there for transportation.
In the suburb of Vaughan, Paramount, Canada's Wonderland can be found. It is open from May to September and features roller coasters, water rides, a concert hall and more, and is definitely worth a trip if you enjoy amusement parks. It is Canada's first and largest theme park with over 200 attractions and 65 rides.
Toronto is so large that no weekend trip could ever be enough to accommodate it all, nor could one guide be enough to describe all the places to visit. There is more to explore than one person could ever see, and it is constantly evolving into something different. See as much as you can, because if or when you return it might have been replaced with something new.
After seeing Toronto, your first thought may even be when to plan your next trip!
