Trying to get to know this city of nearly 2.5 million people in two evenings and one afternoon is not only impossible, it`s masochistic. In that time, all you can do is tickle the surface of its offerings. And don`t even think about plumbing the depths of its soul.
A quick visit is just about enough for Toronto to show you it has a lot worth seeing and doing. Then, thoroughly tantalized, you go home, nursing the realization that you did not see a lot, too, for it would take a solid month of dedicated touring to sample everything-and this entire section to describe them.
There is no reasonable list of ”must sees”; no single site that, if you don`t see it, you`ll perish or suffer social embarrassment: ”What?! You went to Toronto and you didn`t . . .”
If there is a ”secret” to enjoying a short visit to Toronto, it`s to go there armed with the certain knowledge that you`re going to miss more-a lot more-than you`re going to see. And then don`t waste another moment bemoaning the fact. Just enjoy what you have time for.
Treats from Mother Nature
Toronto is a working city, the biggest in Canada, the capital of Ontario and the commercial and financial center of the country. Tourism is a sideline. It`s kind of like Chicago in that regard. The fun, interesting, enlightening, entertaining things to see and do were put there by and for the residents or by Mother Nature. Tourists are welcome, and they`re certainly there in abundance, but the CN Tower, for example, wasn`t built just to entice Yanks to come and visit. This is not the Wisconsin Dells.
But not to worry. Even if you haven`t the vaguest idea of what you`re doing, you`re going to have a fine time. That`s the magic of Toronto.
For starters, it`s a mighty handsome town. Approaching it from the airport to the northwest, it sports a skyline reminiscent of Chicago`s, with Lake Ontario glistening to the right. Its crowning glory is the needle-like CN Tower, at 1,815 feet, 5 inches, ”the world`s tallest free-standing structure.” Chicago`s Sears Tower, the tallest building in the world, is 1,454 feet tall.
Though incorporated as a city in 1834, downtown Toronto looks as if it were built the day before yesterday. Broad boulevards are lined with sparkling glass towers interspersed with venerable buildings of another era. Unfortunately, according to some natives, too many of the newest buildings were built on the lakeshore.
”You Chicagoans have the right idea,” one man told me. ”Keep the lakeshore for parks.”
It is while strolling those glass-and-steel canyons that another appealing aspect of Toronto is driven home: This is a very cosmopolitan place. ”Cosmopolitan” is a much-abused word, often applied to any large city in an attempt to lend it an air of sophistication. This is not the case with Toronto. It fits Webster`s definition to a T: ”common to or representative of all or many parts of the world; not narrow in outlook, habits, etc.”
French and English, naturally, are the most common tongues heard on the streets, but it`s not unusual to hear British accents along with Japanese, German and Spanish. We took a guided bus tour to Niagara Falls (see accompanying story) and our driver was Canadian and the passengers were a young woman from Sweden, a young man from Japan, a couple from England, a couple from Australia, a family from Mexico City and a couple from America-my wife and me.
So on this one excursion, we not only saw Niagara Falls, but we got a glimpse, however fleeting, of six cultures. That`s a nice bonus.
Setting out on foot
Toronto draws business travelers from all over the world as well as just plain tourists. Its thousands of commuters set a brisk pace, giving a rush-hour walk through downtown the feel of Michigan Avenue at the same hour. But for tourists, it`s a town that can be savored at leisure and on foot, which is pretty much all my wife and I did, owing to time restrictions.
Arriving from the airport, we dumped our stuff in our hotel, put on our walking shoes and went exploring to nowhere in particular, looking for a place to have lunch.
Toronto does not disappoint. Its streets are wide and clean, the people courteous and the dining choices as varied as anything you might find on the menu in the United Nations cafeteria: Chinese, Italian, French, Japanese, American-style steakhouses and a McDonald`s that advertises itself as the only one in the chain where you can buy a hot dog. Toronto claims to have 5,000 restaurants, representing 70 ethnic cuisines.
Eating is not cheap in Toronto. In fact, nothing is cheap in Toronto. Sounding a lot like New Yorkers who point to their city`s crime rate with perverse pride, Torontonians point to their city`s recent ”distinction” of being named the most expensive city in North America. What that means is a ground sirloin steak goes for $8.60; breakfast (juice, eggs, bacon, coffee)
for two is $19; our hotel, the Royal York in the heart of downtown, had a published nightly rate of $129; and a taxi from the airport to downtown-12 miles-is $25.80, vs. $7.30 for the bus.
So despite a favorable exchange rate, walking not only is a more satisfying way to explore the city, but it`s cheaper.
But in which direction to set your feet in motion? The answer is as simple as it is complex, especially if you`re on a quickie visit and are willing to expand your options by taking public transportation, cabs or tours: What`s your pleasure?
If you`re in to museums, for example, and decide to spend one afternoon at one museum, that doesn`t leave much time for the other dozens of museums and galleries. And that`s a shame because Toronto has some dandies. To name a few:
The Royal Ontario Museum with its ancient Chinese and Egyptian collections; the McLaughlin Planetarium; the Marine Museum of Upper Canada;
the Sports and Hockey Halls of Fame; Ft. York, maintained as it was when it was a military outpost during the War of 1812; the Ontario Science Centre; and Casa Loma, a 98-room castle built by millionaire financier and industrialist Sir Henry Pellatt between 1911 and 1914.
How about theater? Well, there`s the O`Keefe Centre, where Broadway shows are regularly performed. It`s next to the St. Lawrence Centre, a showcase for Canadian performances and community productions. Or how about the Royal Alexandra, the Theatre Passe Muraille, the Toronto Workshop Productions or Second City-The Old Firehall, to name a few? During our visit, touring companies were performing ”Les Miserables” and ”Phantom of the Opera.”
But then you wouldn`t want to miss a ride in the glass-sided elevator that runs up the outside of CN Tower-or maybe you would just as soon take a pass on that. Lots of people find such elevators daunting and the prospect of a fine view at the top simply not worth it. An alternative at the base of the tower is a simulated space shuttle flight to Jupiter called Tour of the Universe. We didn`t try it-no time. Instead, we walked around the spectacular new SkyDome, the sports palace with ”the world`s largest retractable roof”
and home of the American League`s Toronto Blue Jays.
Which brings up another problem with short visits: Most likely they occur on weekends. Our one afternoon in Toronto was a Sunday. Lots of things worth seeing and doing are closed on Sundays, including many of the shops and restaurants that ring the base of the SkyDome.
For shopping, there`s Queen`s Quay (pronounced key) Terminal on the Harbourfront, an easy walk from downtown hotels. Fairs and other special events are held on the Harbourfront regularly. Lake cruises-including those for lunch and dinner-are available and offer a different view of the skyline. Other shuttles go to the Toronto Islands, where there`s an amusement park.
A different sort of park is Ontario Place on the waterfront, which has beaches, picnic areas, a giant indoor movie screen that shows experimental movies, playgrounds and the Forum, an outdoor amphitheater where rock groups and orchestras perform.
So if I`m forced to suggest an itinerary for a two-evening, one-afternoon visit to Toronto, here it is: One museum, your choice; CN Tower;
one show; and a shopping spree. And bring your walking shoes. On the way back home, you can begin planning your next visit, which you`ll promise yourself will be longer-a lot longer.
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For more information, contact the Ontario Government Tourist Board, 208 S. La Salle St., Chicago, Ill. 60604; 312-782-8688.
