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Condé Nast Traveler picks
 Best of Toronto
Modesty becomes Toronto. Without any hype, it has evolved into an exceptional place for those who live in it—safe, clean, courteous. The problem: Modesty doesn’t sell. In recent years, those whose job it is to promote the city as a magnet for travelers commissioned research which found that “Toronto is uncharted territory throughout much of the world—people may recognize the name, but they do not know much about it.” Flying below the global radar is a very large city—the metro area has a population of 4.2 million—with superlative sites, premier cultural institutions remade by world-class architects, and a rich patchwork of diverse neighborhoods.
Attractions & Activities The best time to explore Toronto is May through September. In winter, the city goes underground: A 16-mile network of passages and arcades called PATH runs beneath the downtown, linking well over a thousand shops, restaurants, and entertainment venues. PATH is also connected to the excellent subway system and the Toronto Eaton Centre, the downtown mall that is arguably the city's biggest draw, with a runway's worth of designer boutiques, a fleet of big-box department stores, and even a hotel connected to the complex (416-598-8560; torontoeatoncentre.com). Rising some 1,815 feet above downtown, CN Tower is Toronto's trademark needle and the world's tallest freestanding structure. What is in effect Canada's main communications hub—its antenna transmits several television and radio station signals—is also one of the country's top tourist attractions, with some two million visitors each year. Take the glass elevator to the main observation deck or to the 1,136-foot-high Look Out Level. Then ride a smaller internal lift to the Sky Pod—where, on a clear day, the 1,465-foot elevation allows views as far as Niagara Falls—or descend to the lowest deck, where you can stomp away on a glass floor without worrying about plunging the 1,122 feet to the ground: The 256-square-foot pane is said to be able to withstand the weight of 14 hippos. Jump on a ferry at the dock at Bay Street and Queens Quay for the ten-minute ride to the Toronto Islands. A chain of barrier isles once connected to the mainland by a sandbar, these dots are one of the city's favorite quick getaways, with highlights including the tame Centreville Amusement Park for the young set, a string of sandy beaches for sun worshippers, and miles of bike and pedestrian paths for the restless. A walk through the small, quirky communities of Algonquin and Ward islands, which had their heyday in the bohemian 1960s and '70s, is a nice respite after pounding the asphalt downtown (416-397-2628; toronto.ca/parks/island/index.htm). That gothic castle looming over the north of town is Casa Loma (the name translates as "house on the hill"), the former home of a local financier and, in its time, the largest single-family residence in North America. Today, it's one of the city's main attractions, with tours of its stately Masterpiece Theatre-worthy interiors and strolls in its well-manicured formal gardens (416-923-1171; casaloma.org). One of the most important cultural institutions, the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) was a child of the period when the great European museums were stuffing themselves with archaeological plunder from Egypt, Greece, Asia Minor, and all points east. Opened in 1914, its grand halls displayed what were, in effect, the field notes for a classical education at the University of Toronto, which then ran the museum. In the 1970s, obeying another fashion in presentation, the rooms were broken down into clusters of little black boxes to create audiovisual theaters in which artifacts were rearranged as historical narrative. ROM is currently entering into its third age with an addition orchestrated by architect Daniel Libeskind. Due to be completed by the end of 2007, it comprises some 27 new galleries of angled glass and aluminum that appear to have crash-landed on the old century's most formalized public structure (416-586-8000; rom.on.ca). On a charmless block of Dundas Street at the edge of Chinatown, the Art Gallery of Ontario is an agglomeration of building parts amassed since 1911; the north frontage looks like a bad copy of a Bauhaus factory, and the inside feels claustrophobic. But all that should change in 2008, once local-boy-made-good Frank Gehry finishes his transformation of the city's major art gallery. The architect is covering the north face with what looks like the world's largest solar panel—a tilting, warped frame combining huge areas of clear glass with sheets of metal cladding (416-979-6648; ago.net). Lodging The Four Seasons ranks on Condé Nast Traveler's Gold List of the best places in the world to stay and anchors modish Yorkville. Other area accommodations include the Park Hyatt and the Howard Johnson Yorkville. Luxury will be nudged even higher when The Hazelton opens across from the Four Seasons in early 2007. Another high-end choice is the clubby Windsor Arms, where visiting celebrities often stay when in town making a film. The Fairmont Royal York is a classic of the railway age and is still at the top of its game. Le Royal Meridien King Edward is a favorite in the business district. At the Renaissance Toronto Hotel Downtown, near the base of CN Tower, all doubles overlook the diamond at SkyDome, home of the Blue Jays. Three medium-sized, design-conscious hotels form a category of their own in or near downtown: The extremely well-equipped Old Mill Inn & Spa; the Hôtel Le Germain, which appeared among the world's most stylish new hotels in Condé Nast Traveler's 2004 Hot List; and the newer Soho Metropolitan, less stark than many design-driven properties, thanks in part to the brilliant glasswork of Dale Chihuly that is used liberally as highlights. Dining Toronto has more than 5,000 restaurants, and so many choices in terms of ethnic menus that it's hard to tell what Canadian cuisine is. The basic division lies between clearly defined expat cooking, of which Italian is the dominant cuisine, and a cauldron of experiments in fusion—rather like the city itself. A star of fusion fare is Claudio Aprile, who weaves together Asian and Central American flavors at Senses, at the SoHo Metropolitan Hotel, as if suggesting that they were natural companions. The fine bar menu is an informal alternative (318 Wellington St. W.; 416-935-0400; entrées, $28-$37). Indigenous ingredients such as Alberta deer show up at Canoe, atop the TD Bank Tower, styled for corporate tastes—and wallets (66 Wellington St. W.; 416-364-0054; entrées, $26-$40). In youthful Yorkville, California cool is the note at Sassafraz, where the interior (despite a rather grungy streetfront) is light and airy, like the food (100 Cumberland St.; 416-964-2222; entrées, $23-$32). Two examples of authentic trattorias—both with shrewdly picked and painlessly priced Italian wines—are Spuntini, a few steps north of the Park Hyatt (116 Avenue Rd.; 416-962-1110; entrées, $17-$23), and Bar Mercurio, opposite the Bata Shoe Museum (270 Bloor St. W.; 416-960-3877; entrées, $15-$28). Chinatown is also not to be missed: Among the many bargains, the 500-seat Bright Pearl Seafood stands out for its dim sum (346-48 Spadina Ave.; 416-979-3988; dim sum, $1-$3). A number of bars and restaurants occupy the top floors of skyscrapers. The following are three favorites, in ascending order. On the 18th floor of the Park Hyatt, the Roof Lounge is a longtime rendezvous spot with serious cocktails served in the clubby bar or, in summer, on a terrace with views to the lake. On the 51st floor of the Manulife Centre, the Panorama Lounge has a restaurant, a bar, and two summer patios (55 Bloor St. W.; 416-967-0000; entrées $10-$13). At about 1,122 feet (above the planes on final approach to the nearby airport!), the 360 Restaurant, in CN Tower, is the world's highest revolving restaurant, with vistas to Niagara Falls and Buffalo (301 Front St. W.; 416-362-5411; entrées, $16-$49). Truth in Travel is the guiding principle for all content published in Condé Nast Traveler. Other travel publications often accept free travel and accommodations. Condé Nast Traveler does not. It is independent of the travel industry. The magazine always pays its way, and, as far as possible, its correspondents travel anonymously. By doing so, they experience the world—both the good and the bad—as other travelers do, and their reports and recommendations are fair, impartial, and authoritative.
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