TORONTO, CANADA
Toronto had the usual history of colonial towns of the last century: 1812 invasion by the Americans; Great Fires; rebellion in 1837; and there was a slow but steady growth of White Anglo-Saxon Protestants.
In the last five decades, Toronto has metamorphosed into a great world city, where colorful ethnic enclaves mix with imposing banks and government buildings - making this an awesome town to explore. And thias ethnic diversity explains much of Toronto's excitement. Nearly two-thirds of the 3.8 million people who now live in the metropolitan Toronto area were born and raised somewhere else, and that was often very far away.
The boundaries of what Torontonians consider downtown, where one can find most of the sights, are to the south Lake Ontario and the Toronto Islands, to the west Bathurst Street, to the east Parliament, and to the north Eglinton Avenue.
What to see?
- The Waterfront: The most southerly area to explore includes lots of opportunities for outdoor activities and amusements. Among the attractions of the waterfront are Ontario Place, Canadian National Exhibition, CN-Tower (the tallest free-standing structure in the world at 1,815 feet and 5 inches (553 Meters) high), SkyDome (home of the Toronto Blue Jays and the Toronto Argonauts), Fort York, Harborfront, and the Toronto Islands.
- Old Toronto: The first settlements have mostly been obliterated in this earliest part of town, but many public buildings from the 18th and 19th centuries remain. A visually exciting streetscape results from the mix of old buildings, new buildings, and old buildings restored for new uses. The area's draws include the lively St. Lawrence Market and Hall, Flatiron Building, Hummingbird and St. Lawrence cultural centers, St. James Cathedral, and the Hockey Hall of Fame and Museum - a shrine to Canada's favorite sport.
- Financial District: Here, the legal and financial power in Canada is focused. It is home to skyscrapers in various early- and late 20th-century styles as well as to a couple of lovely mini-parks, and major theaters. One can also find here Toronto's vast underground city, a subterranean universe, which lays claim to being the largest pedestrian walkway in the world.
- Others: Enjoy the vibrant street life of Kensington Market, Chinatown, and Nathan Phillips Square. You may also visit the main campus of the University of Toronto - this area is liberally scattered with parks and lawns as well as libraries and museums, including the city's most famous, the Royal Ontario Museum. The place to find all the big Canadian department stores is Eaton Center.
Toronto has, of course, much more to offer - the best method to explore this fancy city is to grab a map and take an extensive walk....
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