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World’s tallest freestanding structure CN Tower dominates Toronto skyline at 1,815 feet.
Toronto: Canada’s Cosmopolitan neighborly city
By Charles Greenfield
cdgpm@bellsouth.net
High above the world, 1,815 feet to be exact, the 32-year-old CN Tower, the world’s tallest freestanding structure, with its Glass Floor observation deck, Sky Pod, and revolving 360 Restaurant, dominates the city of Toronto. From such a height on a clear day the view of distant Niagara Falls is faintly visible 100 miles away. Two million visitors annually take the super-fast elevators up Canada’s most imposing icon to survey the city’s dynamic architecture and sports stadiums, the inner harbor and nearby islands, the diverse, multi-ethnic neighborhoods, and the vast stretches of Lake Ontario to the south. Like a suspended seagull I actually watched directly below the Rogers Centre/SkyDome’s retractable roof opening in preparation for a Blue Jays afternoon ballgame. CN Tower’s nighttime LED red-and-white lighting programs effects at the top of each hour.
Toronto easily assumes the mantle of world city. Not only is the diversity of population stimulating, from Ethiopian cabdriver to recent Shanghai immigrant dim sum shop owner, but their “civic grace” makes the urban experience for the average citizen and visiting tourist quite compelling and variegated. According to Pier Giorgio Di Cicco, former Poet Laureate of Toronto and now Curator of Humanitas Museum and Centre for Global Cities, “Toronto is the city of the future, where sustainability meets civic grace, where livability means prosperity because creativity is our hallmark. We are bounded by imagination.” Not surprisingly, the city’s mélange of Victorian brick buildings, modern skyscrapers and reasonable labor costs has created a vibrant “Hollywood North” film industry with recent productions like The Incredible Hulk, Good Will Hunting, and The Cinderella Man.
To capture its urban seduction I headquartered in the Delta Chelsea Hotel adjacent to Yonge Street, the world’s longest street, near Dundas Square, the city’s version of Times Square, and Eaton Centre, a glass-domed below-street shopper’s wonderland of 285 stores based on Milan’s Galleria Vittorio Emanuele. Despite its 1590 rooms, Canada’s largest capacity hotel, the property appears quite personable with numerous entrances, friendly concierge service, small but functional guest rooms with attractive bathrooms, health club, a family pool with “Corkscrew” slide (Delta Dolphin Swim Program for kids), business center, and liberal pet policy. Its BB33 Bistro and Brasserie provides a bountiful buffet or a la carte nouveau Canadian offerings like marinated quail breast and Quebec foie gras and toasted coriander seed crusted Bay of Fundy salmon roulade.
After breakfast in the hotel’s Market Garden food emporium our group met up with Toronto’s most “personable” city guide, Bruce Bell, for an offbeat walking tour. As we strolled south past Dundas Square and the Queen Street theater district (Massey Hall) he explained that below us Toronto’s 16-mile underground shopping complex or PATH weaves through over 50 buildings, subway stations, hotels, and railway terminal (Union Station). At King and Bay we entered the Financial District, Canada’s business nexus, crowned by architect Mies van der Rohe’s stunning Toronto-Dominion Centre (1964) with four of his black-painted steel towers and a two-story bank pavilion, monumental and graceful with their marble, wood and granite accents. To preserve the past the old Toronto Stock Exchange façade has been incorporated into one of the buildings.
After a quick walk under the coffered ceiling Fairmont Royal York Hotel, home for Canada’s “monarch” Queen Elizabeth II on visit, and a popular film location with its glamorous hand-painted ballroom, we crossed Front Street past the 1927 classical revival Guastavino-tile Union Station (main railroad and metro hub), the 1885-era rococo stained glass-domed (former Bank of Montreal) Hockey Hall of Fame, the modernist Sony Centre for the Performing Arts (1960), and the red brick, Louvre-and-Pyramid style Flatiron Building (1892), all canopied by the shiny silver and black steel-and-glass skyscrapers overhead.
At Jarvis and Front we entered the bustling St. Lawrence Market (1901), formerly Toronto’s City Hall from 1845-99 (there’s even a creepy jail cell below ground). With neat grids and colorful food stands they offer baked goods, cheese and dairy, deli products, flower and plants, fruit, meat, organic foods, vegetables, poultry, meat and seafood. I was impressed by the fishmongers displaying nearly a dozen varieties of Canadian and foreign salmon, especially the reddish-orange wild varieties. Bruce insisted we try the market’s acclaimed pea-meal bacon sandwiches, actually tasty brine-cured pork slathered with Saskatchewan mustard on a Kaiser roll. Across the street, the North Market is open on Saturdays with a popular farmer’s market of local and regional growers.
A short step away we visited the neo-classical St. Lawrence Hall (1850), once the city’s music epicenter with recitals by 19th century superstars like soprano Jenny Lind and pianist Sigismund Thalsberg (today headquarters for The National Ballet of Canada). Across the street St. James Cathedral (Anglican) has weathered fires, cholera epidemics and four transformations since 1797. With Canada’s second highest church spire at 305 feet, the Gothic Revival’s tower clock houses a peal of 12 change-ringing bells and five bells for public clock chiming (each quarter hour). Inside brilliant and luminous stained glass is found above the high altar, the west porch and the particularly engaging Works of Mercy Window (Matthew 25: 31-46) on the northeast side of the Chancel. Back on Yonge, past the Elgin & Royal Winter Garden (1913), the last surviving Edwardian stacked theater (gild and trompe l’oeil), we walked by the reddish-brown façade of Massey Hall (1894), Toronto’s famous music hall (Oscar Peterson to Frank Zappa and Eric Clapton). In July it was the venue for the annual Just for Laughs Toronto Festival emceed by Ontario-native Martin Short and guests Jason Alexander and Jimmy Fallon. The comedy festival included a fantastic night street fair at Dundas Square with stilt walkers, sound and light, and two cranes holding members of the French troupe Transe Express Circus suspended above in ancient military uniforms drumming and performing trapeze.
From the Delta Chelsea’s prime location it is easy to see most of the city’s architecturally stunning museums by walking or using public transport. Just south of the hotel off Dundas Street there’s the Textile Museum of Canada (St. Patrick subway stop) with 12,000 pieces, from weaving and rugs to Tibetan robes and Chinese embroidery. Across University Avenue and west the Art Gallery of Ontario is under a $254 million renovation by Frank Gehry with a re-opening November 14th (works include Peter Paul Reubens’ Massacre of the Innocents). I took the subway to the Museum stop to visit the Royal Ontario Museum fronted by the new Daniel Libeskind-designed Michael Lee-Chin Crystal, a daring “deconstructivist” façade made of 25% glass, 75% aluminum. Inside the main building roam past Jurassic dinosaur skeletons and natural history exhibits or enjoy a Ming-era tomb complex. Across Queen’s Park Road from ROM the Gardiner Museum had a recent makeover by the distinguished firm of Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg characterized by a bold cantilevered rectangle entrance. Their fascinating collection of ceramic art is simply outstanding, from the Italian Renaissance Maiolica and English Delftware to European Porcelain (Meisen). Don’t miss their terrific ground-floor gift shop and chic Jamie Kennedy restaurant upstairs.
Two of Toronto’s most photographed neighborhoods lie close by: Chinatown and Kensington Market. The former is located mostly on Spadina Avenue, a vibrant strip of Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese, and Japanese eateries, bakeries, noodle shops, grocers and produce stands. Here you can find ginseng roots, kimonos, mung-bean and lotus-paste buns, bok choy, ceramic teapots, herbal remedies, and wicker baskets. I spotted one dim sum shop that sold one dozen steamed or pan fried dumplings for under $5! A block west the Kensington Market comprises part of the old Jewish quarter from the 1920s. Today used clothing and health stores, some of the city’s best cheese shops, and ethnic groceries (Jamaican and Portuguese) dot the motley neighborhood reminiscent of the ‘hippie’ 60s with its laid-back atmosphere.
In direct contrast to the ethnic stew, take a cab east to The Distillery Historic District. Once Victorian-era to WW I manufacturers of Gooderham & Worts Canadian rye whiskey, rum, cattle feed, acetone for smokeless gunpowder and antifreeze, the Distillery is now a hip re-urbanization of 44 brick heritage buildings crammed with art galleries, museums, theaters, craft studios, a plant nursery, cafés, condos, beer gardens, a chocolate micro-factory, and live entertainment.
With a population over 2.6 million spreading to suburbs and outlying districts (Ontario and Quebec represent 62% of Canada’s aggregate) Toronto transitions easily from skyscrapers to green parks, water and forest. A quick way to escape the downtown rush is to hop on a one-hour harbor and island excursion with Toronto Tours, Ltd. on Harbour Street just below Union Station. Once sandbars and part of a peninsula Toronto Island Park rests directly across the shallow bay with the city as a dramatic backdrop. Perfect for great CN Tower digitals, the boat ride is relaxing and informative. Supporting Indian encampments to 19th century Sunday carriage promenades to the Toronto Maple Leaf pro ballpark in 1897 the island now houses 262 cottages, three yacht clubs, a public marina, amusement area, petting zoo, a clothing option beach and wildlife reserve. For sports trivia buffs Babe Ruth hit his first professional home run here in 1914.
Another waterside attraction just west of Toronto Island Park is Ontario Place, the city’s only waterpark (Soak City) with river rafting, hydrofuge, bumper boats, and Cinesphere, the world’s first permanent IMAX Theater. Their annual nocturnal Rogers Chinese Lantern Festival (ends Oct. 12th) brings Zigong Chinese craftsmen to create 32 sets of “lanterns” or illuminations of silk animals, marine creatures, dinosaurs, the Eiffel Tower, the Kremlin, Big Ben and the Taj Mahal. Further east on the Lake Ontario shoreline residents and tourists alike enjoy Toronto’s charming lakeside community of small parks, shops and restaurants, two-mile boardwalk, and small town ambiance called simply, The Beach. From 1907-25 it was Toronto’s “Coney Island” with dozens of rides, freak shows, gambling, dance halls, a ¼ mile long roller coaster, and bathing pavilions. Today it’s a great place for walking, biking and rollerblading against the lovely lake shoreline and old-fashion lifeguard stations. Since 1989 in July Beaches International Jazz Festival has presented R&B, jazz, hip-hop, African, Caribbean, and Latin beat to over 800,000 listeners in tranquil Kew Gardens off Queen Street East. Finally, for tennis fans, summer also brings the Rogers Cup at the Rexall Centre at York University north of Toronto. After Rafael Nadar’s victory against Nicolas Kiefer July 25th the tournament will resume next year August 15-23. With its $2.45 million prize money it is the oldest ongoing championship after Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.
From pan-Asian and gourmet French to homespun Canadian, Toronto cuisine boasts variety, consistency and imagination. In four days I ate quality food with decent proportions at reasonable prices. When the dollar was stronger top-notch restaurants were sometimes 30% cheaper than their U.S. equivalents. At the elegant Mengrai Gourmet Thai on 82 Ontario Street chef Sasi in her cramped kitchen dishes up crispy panko jumbo prawns, lemongrass coconut soup in the shell, and pork ribs in a tamarind garlic reduction. Homemade pastas like taglioni with chestnut squash and corn linguine with black tiger shrimp are followed by braised veal cheeks or pan fried provimi calf liver with marsala wine at Noce at 875 Queen Street. Breakfast and brunch lovers will gravitate quickly downtown to le petit dejeuner at 191 King Street for Toronto’s best Belgian waffles, savory and sweet crepes, eggs Florentine, and naturally, croque monsieur, just like a Parisian café. And French chef J.P. Challet at The Fifth Restaurant and Social Club (225 Richmond Street), the city’s decade-long popular nightclub at 225 Richmond Street, now serves sophisticated “steak” house dishes like steak tartare, escargot, seared foie gras, bison ribeye, Atlantic lobster, and mascarpone cheesecake. Ask for the large table on the north end terrace with great rooftop view of the CN Tower.
On my final night I ate at Sassafraz Restaurant at 100 Cumberland Street in toney Yorkville just north of the Gardiner Museum and University of Toronto. Inside there’s an impressive 20-foot-high vertical garden with waterfall adding pizzazz to an already sophisticated menu: Brazilian pear caipirinha cocktails, bison tartare, cumin scented red lentil soup, sweet pea risotto, a pomegranate and pink peppercorn lacquered Muscovy duck breast, Jail Island salmon with scallion emulsion, and chocolate banana custard cake with fleur de sel ice cream. Afterwards, it was a quick tram ride to “Little Italy” on College Street for a cappuccino and gelato on Toronto’s nightly version of La Dolce Vita. Walking back to the hotel I thought, “Here’s a city and lifestyle I could seriously consider!”
Charles Greenfield is a Miami-based travel writer who has contributed to Travel & Leisure and regional magazines. As Travel Editor of the Coral Gables Gazette, he specializes in luxury travel on Europe, Asia/Africa, the Caribbean and the U.S. He won the prestigious Cacique Award 2000 for International Consumer Travel Writing from the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism. He also is Cultural Arts Contributor to WLRN 91.3 FM, South Florida’s NPR affiliate.
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If you go
ACCOMMODATIONS: Delta Chelsea Hotel, 33 Gerard Street West, Toronto (Downtown), Ontario, 1-800-243-5732 (www.deltahotels.com), standards, $135, deluxe, $175, 1 bdr. suite w/full kitchen, $225 (AAA card discount);
RESTAURANTS: Mengrai Gourmet Thai, 82 Ontario St., 416-546-0331 (www.mengraithai.com), moderate; Noce, 875 Queen St., 416-504-3463 (www.nocerestaurant.com), expensive; le petit dejeuner, 191 King St. E., 416-703-1560, moderate; The Fifth Restaurant and Social Club, 225 Richmond Street West, 416-979-3000 (www.thefifthgrill.com), expensive; Sassafraz, 100 Cumberland St., 416-964-2222 (www.sassafrz.ca), expensive;
MUSEUMS: Textile Museum of Canada, 55 Centre Ave., 416-599-5321 (www.textilemuseum.ca), adults, $12, kids, $6, Wed. ‘Pay what you can’; Frank Gehry-designed Art Gallery of Ontario, 317 Dundas St. West, 416-979-6648 (www.ago.net), re-opens Nov.14th; Daniel Libeskind-designed Royal Ontario Museum, Bloor Street West at Avenue Rd., 416-586-8000 (www.rom.on.ca), adults, $22, children (4-14), $15, free – Wed. 4:30-5:30pm, half-price Friday nights, 4:30-9:30pm; Gardiner Museum, 111 Queen’s Park, 416-586-8080; (www.gardinermuseum.on.ca), adults, $12, children, free (12 and under);
ATTRACTIONS/FESTIVALS: CN Tower, 301 Front St. West, 416-868-6937 (www.cntower.ca), adults, $21.99, children, $14.99; Just for Laughs Toronto Festival, prestigious galas hosted by comedy’s biggest stars, free outdoor concerts and street arts in downtown (July, 2009), 1-888-244-3155 (www.hahaha.com); The Distillery Historic District, 55 Mill Street, 416-364-1177; (www.thedistillerydistrict.com); Rogers Chinese Lantern Festival, Ontario Place, 955 Lakeshore Blvd. West, 1-866-663-4386 (www.ontarioplace.com), July-Oct. 2009 (www.chineselanternfestival.ca); The Beach, 416-693-2242 (www.beachbia.com); The Beaches International Jazz Festival, 21st season, July 17-26, 2009, 416-698-2152 (www.beachesjazz.com); Rogers Cup, July 2009, 416-665-9777 (www.rogerscup.com);
TOURISM: Bruce Bell Tours, “Four Great Walking Tours of Toronto,” Tour 1- St. Lawrence Market Food & History Tour,” 2 hours, 647-393-8687 (www.brucebelltours.ca), $25, includes food samples; Toronto Tours Ltd., 60 Harbour Street, 416-869-1372 (www.torontotours.com), one-hour harbor & island cruise (April-October), Tourism Toronto, 1-800-499-2514 (www.torontotourism.com), purchase the Toronto CityPass with six top attractions including CN Tower and the Hockey Hall of Fame for $64 ($119.58 value), $43, kids.
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