Toronto Magazine by Tourism Toronto

C O M P L I M E N TA R Y • INSIDE ❯ NEIGHBOURHOODS • SPORTS • ARCHITECTURE • SHOPPING • CULTURE • PEOPLE

2016

# SEETORONTONOW

STEPPING OUT

THE FESTIVALS, THE CONCERTS, THE SHOWS, THE EXHIBITIONS—AND MORE!

EXPERIENCE CULINARY BREAKTHROUGHS, FASHION ADVENTURES AND FAMILY FUN! MORE TO EXPLORE BRAMPTON, MISSISSAUGA & NIAGARA

YOU’VE GOT A FRIEND IN TORONTO • Located in the heart of downtown Toronto within walking distance of prime retail districts and colourful local neighbourhoods • A variety of guest rooms ranging from comfortable Chelsea rooms to spacious Kitchenettes and Suites • Relax in any of our three restaurants. Market Garden features fresh grab-and-go menu items and the option of indoor or outdoor dining. Enjoy a selection of light snacks and world class wines at express|o coffee and wine bar or indulge in a signature Caesar and authentic Indian curry lunch buffet in T| BAR • Exclusive attraction, theatre and spa discounts through our Show Your Key and Save program • Separate adult and family recreation areas including 2 indoor pools and the 130-foot “Corkscrew” waterslide • Complimentary Wi-Fi • Underground hotel parking available

chelseatoronto.com / 1-800-CHELSEA (243-5732) 33 Gerrard Street West. Toronto, ON M5G IZ4

A member of Langham Hospitality Group

welcome

What’s Online Visit SeeTorontoNow.com for more information, resources and news you can use to make the most of your Toronto visit. Check out an exclusive behind-the-scenes video of our exciting cover shoot outside the revitalized Union Station.

Search our calendar for hot events and cool happenings taking place during your visit.

Welcome to Toronto!

e are delighted to showcase all that this great destination has to offer in the 2016 Toronto magazine and to provide you with both inspiration and information for spending your time with us. Toronto is a sophisticated, cosmopolitan city with fun and enlightening things happening around every corner. Whether you’re travelling with family or having a couples’ weekend, you’re a sports fan or a spa goer, we’ve got you covered. Business travellers will find amenities such as a wide range of event facilities and transportation options that make meeting in the Toronto region a seamless experience. You can plan your visit down to the minute using this magazine, or just pick a neighbourhood and start wandering. You’ll find ethnic enclaves with the delicious food and fascinating culture that goes with them, and uniquely Canadian experiences too. You can walk, cycle, take transit and even paddle a boat if that’s your choice. We recommend trying them all. As a gateway to a vast and diverse region that includes the awesome Niagara Falls, the lakes and forests of Muskoka and the Kawarthas and the capital city of our country, Ottawa, this is an ideal base for a day trip or overnight sojourn. Right next door are the cities of Mississauga and Brampton each of which have a compelling combination of natural escapes, Canadian heritage, ethnic diversity and a growing urban core with big-city amenities like shopping, arts and dining. More than 315,000 dedicated individuals are working in tourism and hospitality and we’re all here to welcome you and make your visit one you’ll remember for a long time to come.

After you read our magazine, head online for bonus content, including wearable souvenirs and high-impact public art.

Finally, don’t forget to share your Toronto experience! Get social and tell us about your stay. What was the highlight of your Toronto trip?

Michael Coteau

Ontario Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport

Johanne R. Bélanger President and CEO, Tourism Toronto

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TORONTO 2016 • 3

TORONTO MAGAZINE 2016, VOLUME 9, ISSUE 1

CONTENTS

Departments

Upfront

3 Welcome

11 Arts, culture, etc.

8 Contributors 12 New in 2016 Here’s what everyone’s excited about this year.

From insider-secret shopping tips to the hottest gallery scenes, find out where to get your culture on.

City Confidential 26 Hot tickets Nine of the year’s most anticipated shows, games, concerts and events. By Amber Dowling

28 Urban fusion Six local landmarks fuse historic Toronto with innovative, modern design.

88 Finding your feet How to get around town.

92 2016 events

By Jamie Bradburn

94 Last look Molly Babad, a boat captain with Toronto Harbour Tours Inc., introduces passengers to the mysteries of Lake Ontario.

32 Strategic moves Four movers and shakers on why they made Toronto their HQ. By Jasmine Miller

36 Collect ’em all Sports fans who want to check off more legendary sports experiences from their bucket lists can start by touching the Stanley Cup and reliving Tiger Woods’s epic shot on the 18th hole at Glen Abbey Golf Club.

38 Winter fun Be enchanted by the sparkle of the season.

44 Your festival, your way Catch your fave acts in one epic weekend. Whether that’s all in one place or all over the city is up to you. By Yuki Hayashi

48 City style From pitch-perfect designer to edgy streetwear, we’ve got wardrobe picks fit for an evening at the opera or a night of clubhopping—along with intel on Toronto’s best shopping haunts. By Vanessa Taylor

By Kat Tancock

40 Family time Discover, delight and devour, and see how you stack up as a city explorer.

11 44

By Yuki Hayashi

42 Canadian content Sample everything that Canada is famous for, without leaving the city. By Jamie Noguchi

4 • TORONTO 2016 l www.SeeTorontoNow.com

CONTENTS

Compass

Food & Drink

66 Go local

61 Always hungry

54 Local flavour Three chefs dish on what makes their cuisine taste like home.

Get your fix with these 24 suggestions to eat around the clock.

By Gizelle Lau

By Ernie Ourique

Eating, shopping and other cool things to do in Toronto’s diverse neighbourhoods. By Jane L. Thompson

58 Short orders

76 The arts blossom in Flower City Brampton’s culture scene blooms with excitement. By Sarah B. Hood

62 Brewer’s choice

Small-plates cuisine goes casual.

82 Niagara adventures From vineyard tours to outdoor excitement and family fun, there’s more to discover beyond the Falls.

By Karen Burshein

60 Savvy sips

Sports, shops, nature, culture: what’s your favourite reason to visit? By Janelle Reed

The experts weigh in on the best places to enjoy their beer.

By Simone Olivero

79 Mississauga meet-ups

Why Ontario wines are making a splash in city restos.

By Yuki Hayashi

By Dee Brun

86 Ontario getaways Visit Ontario’s favourite getaways. By Aliyah Shamsher

62 58

C O M P L I M E N TA R Y • INSIDE ❯ NEIGHBOURHOODS • SPORTS • ARCHITECTURE • SHOPPING • CULTURE • PEOPLE

2016

# SEETORONTONOW

STEPPING OUT THE FESTIVALS, THE CONCERTS, THE SHOWS, THE EXHIBITIONS—AND MORE!

EXPERIENCE CULINARY BREAKTHROUGHS, FASHION ADVENTURES AND FAMILY FUN! MORE TO EXPLORE BRAMPTON, MISSISSAUGA & NIAGARA

ON THE COVER Shot on location outside the ambitiously revitalized Union Station. Photography: Glen Reichwein Stylist: Michelle Paiano, plutino group Hair and makeup: Nina Farrauto, plutino group Models: Aislinn, Juzar Dean, plutino group On her: Fur vest, Pink Tartan; dress, Calvin Klein (available at Hudson’s Bay); shoes, Town Shoes On him: Blazer, shirt, EXPRESS; hat, Harry Rosen; jeans, shoes, model’s own

6 • TORONTO 2016 l www.SeeTorontoNow.com

ELEGANT Accents &

STUNNING Views

The Feature Rooms and Suites at the InterContinental® Toronto Centre integrate classic design and textures with elegant accents and stunning views. Azure Restaurant & Bar offers cuisine with authentic local touches to create something that is truly unique and delicious. Discover a relaxing oasis in the heart of Toronto at the Spa InterContinental®, with it’s sunlit lounge, patio, saltwater indoor pool and calming treatment rooms, it is truly a dynamic urban retreat. Steps from downtown attractions and attached to the Metro Toronto Convention Centre overlooking scenic Lake Ontario, the InterContinental Toronto Centre will ensure that you have an authentic upscale experience so you can bring back memories that will last a lifetime.

225 FRONT STREET WEST, TORONTO, ON CANADA M5V 2X3 416 597 1400 • WWW.TORONTOCENTRE.INTERCONTINENTAL.COM

CONTRIBUTORS Karen Kwan Writer, “Screen city” (page 15), “Stop and go” (page 16) Kwan is a freelance writer and the lifestyle blogger of healthandswellness.com. She is also the Toronto editor at VitaminDaily and the editor-at-large of iRun, and has written for Huffington Post Canada, Glow and wdish.com. Must-attend Toronto festival: “TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival). I love going to screenings and hearing from the director and cast about how the movie came together.”

Gizelle Lau Writer, “Local flavour” (page 54) Lau is a freelance food and travel writer and photographer whose work has appeared on torontolife.com, as well as in Post City Toronto, Eater, Forbes Travel Guide and many other print and online publications. Her perfect Sunday: “Dim sum in Chinatown, then Kensington for coffee, followed by visits to the butcher, cheesemonger and produce shops to pick up ingredients for dinner.”

Javier Lovera Photographer, “City style” (page 48) Lovera is a Colombian-Canadian photographer specializing in fashion and beauty. His client list includes BMW, Nike, Mendocino, Rudsak and Ford, and his editorial work has been published in Elle Quebec, Fashion and the Globe and Mail. Follow him on Twitter @javierlovera. Must-attend Toronto festival: “Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival is my favourite festival. It’s really special to see the entire city turn into a photography gallery.”

Michelle Paiano Stylist, cover Paiano is a Toronto-based fashion stylist whose work has appeared in BlackBook, Sharp and Glow. She has also worked with corporate clients including Nike, MercedesBenz and L’Oréal Paris. Must-attend Festival: “Afrofest. I love hearing music from all over the world, specifically different types of drumming. I bring my drums and drum along! There’s also great food from around the world, a culturally diverse crowd and talent, and great shopping and vendors.”

Tourism Toronto Chair of the Board Heather McCrory President & CEO Johanne R. Bélanger Executive Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer Andrew Weir Editorial Director: Director, Content & Publishing Paula Port Managing Editor: Content Manager Cathy Riches Director, Creative Services Bridget LeGrow Director, Industry Relations Pamela Laite Member Care Director Denise Belgrove Spafax Canada Inc. spafax.com Editorial Executive Editor Amanda Eaton Deputy Editor Yuki Hayashi Copy Chief Jennifer Krissilas Art Art Director Gordon Alexander Designers Shelley Frayer, Rob Norton Operations Production Director Joelle Irvine

Production Manager Felipe Batista Nunes Ad Production Manager Mary Shaw Ad Production Coordinator Joanna Forbes Proofreaders Jacob Sheen, Nicole Gottselig Sales Media Director Laura Maurice National Sales Manager Tracy Miller Sales Account Representative Natalie Hope Account Management Senior Director, Business Development & Client Strategy Courtney MacNeil Senior Strategist, Luxury & Lifestyle Brands Christal Agostino Account Manager, Luxury & Lifestyle Brands Celyn Harding-Jones, Elana Crotin Chief Executive Officer Niall McBain President, Content Marketing Raymond Girard Executive Vice President, Content Marketing Nino DiCara Senior Vice President, Content Strategy Arjun Basu Director, Finance & Operations Faraz Saleem

Glen Reichwein Photographer, cover Reichwein has been creating award-winning ad photography for 25 years, for top clients such as Rogers, Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada, Steam Whistle Brewing, FedEx and Tim Hortons. He has also shot sports icons like Wayne Gretzky, Doug Gilmour, Wendel Clark and Brett Hull. Visit photoGR.com to view his portfolio. His perfect Sunday: “Sunday afternoon runs through High Park, or a Blue Jays game with my boy.”

Membership enquiries: 647-202-3042 Ad sales (Spafax Canada): 416-350-2425 Circulation: 250,000 Published by Tourism Toronto Queen’s Quay Terminal, Suite 405, 207 Queens Quay West, Toronto, ON, Canada, M5J 1A7 Tel: 416-203-2600 Fax: 416-203-6753 Printed in Canada Toronto Magazine © 2016. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission is prohibited. All information is current as of press time. The publisher cannot and does not guarantee the accuracy of all information and will not be responsible for errors, changes or omissions.

This publication is printed on stock FSC certified and is 100% recyclable. ®

8 • TORONTO 2016 l www.SeeTorontoNow.com

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Once a quiet stretch of underdeveloped real estate, today’s waterfront has blossomed into one of the city’s most loved attractions. Harbourfront Centre offers arts and culture festivals, and the Toronto Islands, with their sandy beaches, amusement park and tree-lined trails, are only a short ferry trip away. Go canoeing and kayaking. Have a quiet moment in a mini-park such as Sherbourne Common. Spend the afternoon relaxing by the lake at vibrant Sugar Beach. Take a harbour tour, visit a contemporary art venue (The Power Plant) and explore public spaces (Ontario Square and Canada Square) along the newly revitalized Queens Quay. Everything is connected along the scenic water’s-edge promenade.

Photography: Connie Tsang/Waterfront Toronto

UPFRONT

News

Here’s what everyone’s excited about this year.

Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon

Run this city Toronto is a runners’ city. With safe, scenic and exhilarating trails for every kind of runner, it’s one of Canada’s top places to train—and race! Endurance enthusiasts have three great marathons to lace up for: the GoodLife Fitness Toronto Marathon (May 1, 2016), the Mississauga Marathon (May 1, 2016) and, in fall, the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon (October 16, 2016), which recently earned the International Association of Athletic Federation’s coveted Gold Label status—the only Canadian race to join the ranks of the world’s top marathons. Each of the marathons also offer shorter events, ranging from the 5K (3.1 miles) to the half-marathon, in case you’re not ready to tackle 42.2 km (26.2 miles).

Airport express Toronto airports just got even more accessible! Departing every 15 minutes, the new UP Express (Union Pearson Express) train takes just 25 minutes to travel between Toronto Pearson International Airport and Union Station. Travellers flying out of Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport can now walk from the waterfront to the island airport in about six minutes through a pedestrian tunnel. upexpress.com, bbtcatunnelproject.ca

12 • TORONTO 2016 l

UP Express

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Canadian Opera Company January 23 to February 14, 2016 Opera fans eagerly anticipate the next installment of Wagner’s Ring Cycle, Siegfried, starring two of the hottest superstars on the world stage: Stefan Vinke (Siegfried) and Christine Goerke (Brünnhilde). Goerke is honing her Wagnerian chops for her upcoming appearance in the same role at the Met. coc.ca Beneath the Surface: Life, Death, and Gold in Ancient Panama Gardiner Museum February 18 to May 29, 2016 A glittering exhibit from the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, featuring golden treasures and painted ceramics unearthed during the 1940 excavation of a fascinating pre-Columbian burial site. gardinermuseum.com Tattoos Royal Ontario Museum April 2 to September 5, 2016 Get under the skin of humanity’s most durable fashion statement with a look at 5,000 years of body art. rom.on.ca The Science of Ripley’s Believe It or Not!® Ontario Science Centre May 21 to September 5, 2016 Explore the real science behind the unbelievable oddities, anomalies and fantastic feats documented in Robert Ripley’s legendary compendium. ontariosciencecentre.ca A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder Mirvish Productions May 25 to June 26, 2016 The 2014 Tony Award–winner for Best Musical is the hilarious story of Monty Navarro, who sets out to inherit a fortune by doing away with the eight other heirs who stand in his way. mirvish.com Chihuly Royal Ontario Museum June 25, 2016 to January 2, 2017 A full-blown exhibition of the world’s most famous glass artist, Dale Chihuly, whose vivacious blown-glass blossoms adorn the lobby of the Bellagio in Las Vegas. rom.on.ca Matilda The Musical Mirvish Productions Opens July 2016 The award-winning Broadway musical based on the beloved children’s novel by Roald Dahl comes to the ornate Ed Mirvish Theatre. mirvish.com The Idea of North: The Paintings of Lawren Harris Art Gallery of Ontario July 2 to September 11, 2016 This international touring show throws a spotlight on Canadian landscape painter Lawren Harris (1885–1970), whose work set a record in 2009 when one of his oil sketches sold for $3.5 million, at the time the highest price paid for artwork by a member of the Group of Seven and the second-highest price paid for a Canadian artwork. One of the show’s curators is comedian, musician, actor and writer Steve Martin. ago.net

Photography: Doug Brown (Marathon), Michael Cooper (Siegfried), AGO (Lawren Harris)

What’s on!

upfront

Urban improvements Union Station, Toronto’s main downtown hub for local public transit and intercity bus and train systems, is nearing completion of its $800-million upgrade. In 2015, expanded TTC subway facilities were unveiled, with wider platforms and a new art installation. The Union Station façade has been revitalized and now overlooks a public square on Front Street, which plays host to a summer-long fresh-food market, a Wednesday farmers’ market and other public events. toronto.ca South of Front Street, the redesigned Queens Quay was unveiled in June 2015. The waterfront corridor is now a showpiece of contemporary street design, with two lanes of east-west automobile traffic, a dedicated light rail transit (LRT) line, plus a tree-lined granite pedestrian promenade and multi-use recreational trail that link a series of whimsical parks, beaches, gardens and cultural destinations like Harbourfront Centre. waterfrontoronto.ca

Game on

The Grey Cup

Last year’s Pan Am and Parapan Am Games and the American League Division Series win for the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball were a sports lover’s bonanza, but 2016 promises to be no less exciting! From February 12 to 14, 2016, Air Canada Centre (ACC) hosts the 65th NBA All-Star Game and its accompanying festivities, the first-ever edition outside the U.S. nba.com After a 12-year hiatus, the World Cup of Hockey returns to the ACC from September 17 to October 1, 2016, with national teams from Canada, the U.S., the Czech Republic, Finland, Sweden and Russia, plus Team Europe and Team North America (which feature 23-and-under stars). nhl.com On Sunday, November 27, 2016, the battle for Canada’s football Holy Grail, the Grey Cup, comes to the newly expanded BMO Field, the new home of the Canadian Football League’s Toronto Argonauts and also home to Major League Soccer’s Toronto FC. cfl.ca

Photography: CFL (Grey Cup), T. Carter (Honest Ed’s), Casa Loma (Company & Co.)

Essential Instagram moments Pack the selfie stick for jaunts to some of the city’s most striking locations and attractions! ❯ Start with everyone’s favourite photo subject from the Pan Am and Parapan Am Games, the oversized TORONTO sign at Nathan Phillips Square, which was so popular in 2015 that it’s been booked to stay through 2016. toronto.ca ❯ Toronto’s honest-to-goodness castle, Casa Loma is now the site of Company & Co.’s Casa Loma Escape Series, an immersive adventure game based on scenarios like bootlegging in the 1920s or preventing submarine attacks in the 1940s. escapecasaloma.com ❯ This year is your last chance to gawk at the spectacle of the discount palace at Bloor and Bathurst known as Honest Ed’s (named after beloved local entrepreneur Ed Mirvish). Its quirky lit-up façade is scheduled to go dark forever on December 31, 2016. mirvish.com/honesteds ❯ Among the newest civic attractions is the glossy, glassy new visitor’s centre at Fort York National Historic Site, with exhibits that complement the largest surviving collection of War of 1812 military buildings. toronto.ca ❯ Not far from Toronto, downtown Brampton’s Garden Square has been remodelled with concert stages and a giant LED screen for movie nights. Nearby Mississauga’s Streetsville Village Square has a new covered stage, sound system and lighting, plus a complete restoration of the town’s historic cenotaph, which commemorates local veterans who died during the First World War. ❯ The much-anticipated revitalization of the Ontario Place waterfront is set to open September 2016. Snap a pic of the CN Tower and downtown skyline from the new William G. Davis trail, and capture some evening magic next to the roaring firepit set on a scenic section of rocky beach.

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TORONTO 2016 • 13

I’M A PANDA

AND THERE ARE ONLY 1,864 OF US LEFT IN THE WILD. THAT’S WHY WE ARE ENDANGERED. WE ONLY BREED 24-72 HOURS ONCE PER YEAR AND WHEN OUR CUBS ARE BORN THEY ARE TINY AND VULNERABLE, ABOUT THE SIZE OF A STICK OF BUTTER. BUT, THEY ARE REALLY REALLY CUTE!

Get closer. Discover more.

Major partners of the Giant Panda Experience Major partners of the Giant Panda Experience

torontozoo.com

UPFRONT

Screen city See the big picture at a leading film fest or screening venue. By Karen Kwan

With its dozens of film festivals, noteworthy cinemas and non-stop events, Toronto is a cinephile paradise. Here are some must-views for culture vultures.

TIFF Bell Lightbox

TERRIFIC THEATRES The five-storey TIFF Bell Lightbox (tiff. net) is no ordinary multiplex. The five-screen cinema is the year-round home of the Toronto International Film Festival and runs curated programming from around the globe. It’s also home to two film-centric art galleries, a library, two restaurants (Canteen and Luma) and a rooftop event space. In The Annex the beautifully refurbished Bloor Hot Docs Cinema (bloorcinema.com) screens first-run documentaries. One of the city’s oldest movie houses, the cinema first opened in 1913 as the Madison Theatre. In Roncesvalles Village, The Revue Cinema (revuecinema.ca) runs special series, such as Silent Revue, a tribute to 1920s silent movies, and Business Film Fridays for entrepreneurial types. And if your TV isn’t doing nature movies justice, catch them uptown larger than life at the Ontario Science Centre’s OMNIMAX Theatre (ontariosciencecentre.ca).

Kristen Wiig and fans at TIFF

Photography: PacificCoastNews (Suicide Squad)

FILM FESTIVALS You don’t have to be an industry player to schmooze with Hollywood’s It list at the Toronto International Film Festival (September 8 to 18, 2016, tiff.net): it’s the world’s biggest public film fest. Kids view the best of international children’s flicks at the TIFF Kids International Film Festival (April 8 to 24, 2016, tiff.net). Come spring, the hottest tickets in town offer a dose of reality: Hot Docs, the Canadian International Documentary Festival (April 28 to May 8, 2016, hotdocs.ca).

HOLLYWOOLD BHA GLO NORT

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Proudly one of the top festivals of its kind worldwide, Inside Out (May 26 to June 5, 2016, insideout.ca), now in its 26th year, screens movies by and about lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans filmmakers. Three other hot community-based festivals: the Toronto Jewish Film Festival (May 5 to 15, 2016, tjff.com); the Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival (November 2016, reelasian.com); and the Canadian Film Fest (March 30 to April 2, 2016, canfilmfest.ca), which showcases homegrown talent.

FREE OUTDOOR MOVIE EVENTS All summer long, it’s possible to enjoy alfresco film screenings under the night sky. Bring a camp chair to the Christie Pits Film Festival (christiepitsff.com) on Sundays (carry cash for food-truck bites), or head to Mississauga’s Celebration Square (mississauga.ca). In late August, for one weekend Sugar Beach is transformed by PortsToronto into Sail-In Cinema (sailincinema.com), featuring a two-sided screen that you can watch from a spot on the beach or from your anchored boat in Lake Ontario.

SUICIDE SQUAD My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2

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TORONTO 2016 • 15

UPFRONT

Stop and go

COXWELL Just south of this subway stop on the east side of town, you’ll find the bustling and vibrant community of Little India, also known as Gerrard India Bazaar. It’s home to more than a hundred South Asian shops and restos packed into a few blocks for you to discover. FOODIE FUN: Load up on cheese—the professional fromager can make recos—at The Pantry (1620 Gerrard St. E.) for a midday picnic in Greenwood Park (150 Greenwood Ave.). Add in some samosas for your picnic and pick up Indian spices and ingredients to bring home at B.J. Supermarket (1449 Gerrard St. E.). For dinner, grab a bite at Regency Restaurant (1423 Gerrard St. E.). “It’s my favourite Indian restaurant in the area,” says Megan Munro, who lives in the hood and writes for the blog I’m Mr. Fabulous (immrfabulous.com). “There are lots of options, plus friendly service and fresh-to-your-table naan bread.” GALLERY HOPPING: Experience the local art scene—featuring everything from dance to music to performance—at Gerrard Art Space (1475 Gerrard St. E.), which rotates shows of Toronto artists every three weeks. Pop into Rebellion Gallery and Art Academy (1495 Gerrard St. E.) to check out the work of local and international artists in the gallery and salon. STELLAR SHOPPING: For exemplary gift items, cards and sweetsmelling treats such as artisan organic soaps, visit Birch & Co. (1487 Gerrard St. E.). For sumptuously crafted saris, lenghas and salwars, plus bridal wear and menswear, fashion landmark Chandan Fashion (1439 Gerrard St. E.) has got you covered.

Coxwell

DUNDAS WEST Roncey, as Roncesvalles Village is called by locals, stretches south from this westend subway station down to Queen and King Street West. Flanked by pretty brick homes, Roncesvalles Avenue has a cozy, family-friendly vibe. Located just east of High Park, Roncey is abuzz with runners, cyclists and couples out strolling with their newborn baby and dog. WAKE-UP CALL: “A stop at Cherry Bomb Coffee (79 Roncesvalles Ave.) is my morning slice of heaven,” says Tammy Burns, a travel writer and editor (her blog is Anywhere and Here, anywhereandhere.com). “Their Americano is one of the best I’ve had in Toronto, and their berry-almond scones are practically seductive.” If you’d rather have a greasy-spoon brekkie, pull up a stool at the diner Cardinal Rule (5 Roncesvalles Ave.). DE-STRESS: No workout gear in your luggage? No problem. Pick up a stylish outfit at Ardith (373 Roncesvalles Ave.), where you’ll find brands such as MICHI and Lucas Hugh. Once you’re done working out at your hotel gym or sightseeing on the run, baby those tight muscles by booking a massage at Sukha Spa (294 Roncevalles Ave.). GOOD EVENING: As the sun sets, score a table at The Workshop by Latitude (331 Roncesvalles Ave.)—aim for a spot on the back patio lit by fairy lights. “They do cheese flights with wine pairings, which are pretty much my favourite things in life,” says Burns. Stroll over to The Revue (400 Roncesvalles Ave.) afterwards to catch a flick at this charming community cinema.

16 • TORONTO 2016 l www.SeeTorontoNow.com

Dundas West

Photography: Jenna Marie Wakani

Hop off at any one of these subway or streetcar stops and build your own adventure. By Karen Kwan

University Av Bay St Elizabeth St

Photography: Paula Wilson

Church St

UNION More than 250,000 people pass through this busy station daily (it serves VIA Rail, Amtrak and GO Transit as well). The railway station, which opened in 1927, is designated a National Historic Site of Canada, and hopping off the subway here will plant you close to the financial, entertainment, theatre and sports districts. An $800-million, multi-year revitalization has already resulted in more station entrances and a brighter, airy ambiance while preserving the building’s historical Beaux Arts elements. For 2017, look forward to a new concourse chock full of retailers. FINE FOOD: Downtown worker bees and tourists alike have a wealth of resto options. Nelia Belkova, editor of Style Blog (styleblog.ca), recommends Maman (First Canadian Place, 100 King St. W.) for “delectable sandwiches, salads and pastries, as well as perfectly Instagrammable décor.” Chef groupies won’t want to miss Bymark (TD Centre, 66 Wellington St. W.)! This fine-dining spot from top chef Mark McEwan is where you can splurge on his famous $37 P.E.I. grass-fed burger topped with brie de Meaux and truffled dwarf peaches. TREAT YOURSELF: Pose for a pic with the Stanley Cup at the Hockey Hall of Fame (30 Yonge St.), and then nab tickets to catch a Maple Leafs or Raptors game at Air Canada Centre (40 Bay St.) or the 2015 American League Division Series winners Blue Jays at Rogers Centre (1 Blue Jays Way). Or just get pumped up alongside Toronto sports fans at Ford Fan Zone in Maple Leaf Square, the outdoor public square where Maple Leafs and Raptors games are often broadcast live on the 50- by 28-foot screen. If relaxation is what you’re craving, head to Miraj Hammam Spa by Caudalie Paris (Shangri-La Hotel, 188 University Ave.) for some deep, cleansing breaths in the warm, soothing hammam, followed by a gommage treatment that’ll get your skin glowing.

506

Church St

Yonge St

Sherbourne St Parliament St Carlton St

Jarvis St Ontario St

CHURCH AND WELLESLEY Take the Carlton 506 streetcar and jump off at Church Street. It is the epicentre of Toronto’s LGBTQ community, where you’ll find rainbow flags hanging prominently (and a shop stocked with rainbow-themed goods, Out in the Street, at 551 Church St.). By day, the vibe is carefree, but by nightfall, the rowdiness goes up a notch as everyone comes out to play. “There are some Friday nights when the produce section at Loblaws supermarket (Maple Leaf Gardens, 60 Carlton St.) could compete with a fashion runway—this crowd definitely gets all dolled up to buy broccoli!” says local writer-editor and neighbourhood resident Doug O’Neill. GOOD EATS: If you agree that brunch is the most important meal of the day, then dig into eggs Benny, croque champignon or huevos rancheros at Lola’s Kitchen (634 Church St.). “It’s the best brunch in the hood,” says O’Neill. For a classy time in the gaybourhood, Byzantium (499 Church St.) is a solid choice, whether you’re looking for fantastic martinis, great grub or a place to dance on the weekend. SPA ON: Achey visitors who’ve overdone it at the hotel gym can visit Elmspa (557 Church St., third floor) and use the steam rooms and infrared sauna post-treatment. Didn’t have time to fit in a faux-tan appointment before travelling to Toronto? Bora Bora Tanning & Concept Spa (73 Charles St. E.) can hook you up with safe and sunless airbrush tanning. JUST DANCE: For a night out with a dose of classic drag that’s bad, boisterous and full of big hair, O’Neill says lesbians and bisexual ladies hit up Crews & Tangos (508 Church St.). If you go, raise a cheer with boundary-pushing cocktails such as Blue Balls or Sour Pussy.

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TORONTO 2016 • 17

upfront

Living culture

Theatre impresario David Mirvish dishes on which attractions bring out the crowds. By Amber Dowling and Jennifer Krissilas

David Mirvish understands what makes the city’s cultural sector tick. The man behind the Mirvish Productions empire (four theatres, including the Royal Alexandra Theatre and the Princess of Wales Theatre), he’s also a developer and art collector. And as the son of the legendary late Ed Mirvish, David comes by his culture cred naturally. Few families have made as emphatic a mark on this city as the Mirvishes. With its deep discounts, marquee lights and cheeky signs that can’t help but make you smile (“Honest Ed attracts squirrels! At these prices they think he’s nuts!”), the iconic Honest Ed’s bargain emporium has attracted visitors to The Annex neighbourhood since opening in 1948 (snap a pic before the lights dim on December 31, 2016!). As the landmark store grew, “Honest” Ed Mirvish bought up adjacent properties and was encouraged by his wife, Anne, to convert them into restaurants, artist spaces and galleries, eventually forming the European-style Mirvish Village. Anne, a sculptor, had a studio in the village, and David operated a gallery and later an art bookstore there too. It wasn’t long before Ed expanded his business from the store to the stage. In 1963, he restored the Edwardian Royal Alex, kick-starting the development of the now vibrant Entertainment District. Today, David carries on his family’s theatrical interests, producing original musicals and plays, and bringing fresh-from-Broadway touring shows to Toronto. Why is our city’s culture so unique?

There’s a high level of activity and diversity. We have great exhibitions and exemplary opera and ballet companies. There are a number of small museums and galleries in addition to the larger Royal Ontario Museum and Art Gallery of Ontario. We have small theatres that concentrate on new writing, and many other theatre companies doing excellent classical work. We have a wide range of stars who visit the city, lots of concerts, a great symphony…. We also have a winning baseball team, hope for hockey, and we do pretty well in basketball. Otherwise, there’s not much going on! Toronto has also developed a reputation for our festival scene.

Yes, we have one festival after another! There’s the TD Toronto Jazz Festival, Toronto Caribbean Carnival and Pride Parade. In early September, we have the Toronto International Film Festival, and in October, the Art Toronto art fair. There always seems to be an event happening. If you could be a tourist for a day, what would you do?

I’d go for a walk on the Toronto Islands early in the morning. Then, I’d come back into the city and have lunch at Paralia, go to a matinee at one of the Mirvish theatres, meet up with friends and maybe attend an event at the AGO in the early evening. We’d go to dinner at FRANK Restaurant at the gallery, and then I might just take out a book and sit on a park bench behind the gallery and feed the pigeons at some point.

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upfront Aga Khan Museum

Design Exchange

Textile Museum of Canada

Gardiner Museum

Art Gallery of Ontario

Museums and galleries Inspiring destinations for arts and culture lovers. By Tara Nolan

The fabulous museums and galleries of Toronto fan out around the Royal Ontario Museum (100 Queen’s Park) and Art Gallery of Ontario (317 Dundas St. W.) like stars around two suns.

FOR GALLERY GOERS A former foundry provides an industrial backdrop for the abstract art of the Painters Eleven at Christopher Cutts Gallery (21 Morrow Ave.). Mayberry Fine Art specializes in the Group of Seven’s oeuvre, and exhibits works by post-war and current Canadian artists (110 Yorkville Ave.). From glass-blowing to weaving, Craft Ontario (990 Queen St. W.) displays handiwork by the province’s professional crafters. The Distillery Historic District is home to several galleries, including Eskimo Art Gallery (8 Case Goods Lane), with its 500-plus prints and stone sculptures by Inuit artists, and the Thompson Landry Gallery (32 Distillery Lane), the only gallery in Toronto that focuses solely on Quebec-based artists and sculptors. For contemporary photography, head to Bau-Xi Photo (324 Dundas St. W.) or the Ryerson Image Centre (33 Gould St.), which features collections, lectures and exhibits. In trendy Leslieville, Parts Gallery (1142 Queen St. E.) shows contemporary and photo-based art, while Project Gallery (1109 Queen St. E.) encourages engagement between artists and the community.

FOR MUSEUM DEVOTEES Royal Ontario Museum

Myseum of Toronto (myseumoftoronto.com) showcases the city’s history, heritage and culture via

pop-up exhibitions across town. This evolving, street-level initiative is an interactive approach to celebrating Toronto’s communities, cultures and spaces (both urban and natural) in real time. Head online to find the locations of current exhibits. If Canadiana is your thing, take a #museumselfie with Mr. Dressup’s Tickle Trunk at the CBC Museum (250 Front St. W.) and peek into the network’s archives. Check out the rock stars of the ice rink at the Hockey Hall of Fame (30 Yonge St.). And visit the Museum of Inuit Art (207 Queen’s Quay W.), Canada’s only museum south of the Arctic dedicated to Inuit-made art. While it relocates to the Junction, the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art (mocca.ca) offers popup programming across Toronto, addressing challenging themes. Design Exchange (234 Bay St.) hosts installations and experiences across the city as well as at its home base. Events for 2016 include an auction of items donated by design stars, plus the fifth DX Intersection fundraising gala. The Textile Museum of Canada (55 Centre Ave.) boasts 13,000 textiles spanning 2,000 years, while the Bata Shoe Museum (327 Bloor St. W.) presents an ode to footwear through the ages. The Gardiner Museum (111 Queen’s Park) celebrates ceramic art. If you’re crafty, don’t miss the drop-in clay classes. The new–and architecturally stunning–Aga Khan Museum (77 Wynford Dr.) provides exhibitions and programming such as music and workshops that laud the contributions of Muslim civilizations worldwide. Don’t miss the formal gardens, inspired by traditional Persian and Mughal designs, in the Aga Khan Park.

Photography: Janet Kimber (Aga Khan Museum), Melanieps (Gardiner Museum), Daninelle Petti (ROM)

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UPFRONT

Creative spaces From sculpture and murals to architectural pieces and street art, Toronto has plenty to offer lovers of visual artwork. Here are five works worth seeking out. By Helen Racanelli 1. The Guild Installation dates vary Guild Park and Gardens (201 Guildwood Pkwy.) A former artists’ colony, this tranquil park will appeal to those with a taste for salvaged architectural elements and sculptures. Standout pieces include E.B. Cox and Michael Clay’s Bear Sculpture (1979) and Sorel Etrog’s Spaceplough I (1981). 2. You’ve Changed by Jesse Harris, 2012 Residential exterior (1075 Queen St. W.) The Toronto artist’s text-based mural is interpreted as a positive message to nearby patients at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. It’s also a statement about the gentrification of the surrounding West Queen West, once gritty and now the toast of the international scene, including Vogue magazine, which named it the world’s second-coolest neighbourhood.

3. Glenn by Ruth Abernethy, 1999 CBC broadcast headquarters (250 Front St. W.) This life-size bronze of renowned pianist Glenn Gould seated on a bench and dressed for chilly weather invites an up-close and personal look. Gould, ironically, was shy.

5. The Pasture by Joe Fafard, 1985 Toronto Dominion Centre plaza (77 King St. W.) Also affectionately called the “7 Cows” and “Courtyard Cows,” this striking group of life-size bronze cows at rest was created by Saskatchewan artist Joe Fafard to remind us of our ties to farmers and the land. Visit SeeTorontoNow.com/publicart for five more great works of public art.

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Photography: wyn lok (Glenn), coopercolegallery.com (You’ve Changed), dx.org (Design Exchange)

4. Sun Life by Sorel Etrog, 1984 (King Street West and University Avenue) These bronze, mostly abstract sculptures by prolific RomanianCanadian artist/writer/philosopher Etrog are scattered on grounds across the city. Etrog also designed the statuette for the Genie award, Canada’s version of the Oscars.

UPFRONT An insider’s guide to World MasterCard

Simcoe St.

St. Patrick St.

From speedy manicures to statement-making nail art, The Ten Spot beauty bar (Hudson’s Bay, 176 Queen St. W., Concourse Level) has your hands and toes covered. The best part? They open at 7 a.m. during the week. For energy during the day, insiders rely on a healthy boost in the form of a fashionably organic, fresh-pressed juice from Greenhouse Juice Co. (Commerce Court, 199 Bay St., Concourse Level).

University Ave.

McCaul St.

GRANGE PARK

Get prepped The World MasterCard Fashion Week tents at David Pecaut Square form the hub for the entire week. Arrive early to take advantage of the mini-makeover stations and hair demos happening on-site prior to the shows.

The Ten Spot

King St. W.

Bay St.

York St.

Wellington St. W.

For those seeking a curated take on coveted (and hard-to-find) brands like Isabel Marant, Alexander Wang and Acne, visit Jonathan + Olivia (49 Ossington Ave.).

Sid Neigum Autumn, Winter 2015

Front St.

For a midday moment of Zen, the Shangri-La Hotel’s Lobby Lounge (188 University Ave.) is a tranquil oasis that offers 68 kinds of tea (along with a full bar menu). King St. W.

Be sure to visit luxury department store Holt Renfrew (50 Bloor St. W.) and get acquainted with the crème de la crème of Canadian and international labels. Follow their Instagram account (@holtsbloor) for in-store designer appearances and trunk shows.

Front St. W.

With its New York City cred, home-grown budget label Joe Fresh (589 Queen St. W.) is the backbone of many an attendee’s wardrobe. (The brand even flew in Solange to DJ their WMCFW opening party a couple of years ago.)

Design Exchange

Keep the (fashion) show going Between shows, grab a cocktail and rest your feet at the Ritz Bar at The Ritz-Carlton, Toronto (181 Wellington St. W.), conveniently located across the street from the tents.

Spadina Ave.

Richmond St. W.

Curate your look Touted as having the largest shoe department in Canada, Hudson’s Bay (176 Yonge St.) offers a vast selection of high-street brands like Sam Edelman alongside designer names like Nicholas Kirkwood and Charlotte Olympia. Check out Canadian labels Pink Tartan, Sid Neigum and Erin Kleinberg.

Richmond St. W.

Work the beat Busy fashion lovers must budget their time and energy. But no one misses these hot tickets: • Pink Tartan • Mackage • Mikhael Kale

Blue Jays Way

Queen

With Design Exchange (234 Bay St.) a short walk from the tents, edify yourself with an exhibition between shows. Past exhibits have included the on-point “Politics of Fashion/Fashion of Politics.” For the latest info and behind-the-scenes snaps on what’s happening, follow @designexchange on Instagram.

Queen St. W. Bay St.

Each spring and fall, David Pecaut Square becomes the epicentre of cool as World MasterCard Fashion Week takes over with back-to-back shows featuring the best of Canada’s fashion talent. Here’s the scoop on how to “do the shows” like a fashionworld insider, from getting prepped to partying into the wee hours afterwards.

Yonge St.

Fashion Week

Here’s how to navigate the shows like a pro. By Vanessa Taylor

Wahlburgers (46 Blue Jays Way), made famous by brothers Donnie, Mark and Paul Wahlberg, is an after-party hot spot that guarantees to satisfy late-night cravings.

Photography: Jamie Hedworth (Hudson’s Bay), Jenna Marie Wakani (model)

ON THE RISE:

Canadian designers to watch è

Beaufille beaufille.com Sisters Chloé and Parris Gordon’s line of ready-to-wear and jewellery captures a modern, effortless style with a tomboy vibe.

Sid Neigum sidneigum.com With plenty of buzz in the press, Neigum offers a collection that fuses experimental silhouettes with strong architectural lines.

Maison Matthew Gallagher maisonmatthew gallagher.com Since winning the New Labels 2015 competition, all eyes have been on Gallagher’s beautifully crafted feminine line.

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Hayley Elsaesser hayleyelsaesser.com When it comes to Pop Art–inspired prints, a slew of neon colours and a playful sense of style, Elsaesser’s collection is where it’s at.

VisitToronto

Mikhael Kale mikhaelkale.com Counting celebrities like Beyoncé and Jennifer Lopez as fans, Kale’s line subscribes to plenty of high-watt finishes like leather and sequins, or cutout features.

TORONTO 2016 • 21

UPFRONT

Fashionable finds Relive your trip each time you don this cool Toronto gear.

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Torontonians are known to sport their city pride, whether it’s with a cozy toque or TIFF-embellished doggy wear. Here are six ways to show your love! 1. City of Neighbourhoods’ Kensington toque, $35, Tuck Shop Co. Outpost at Love the Design, tuckshopco.com. 2. YYZ Tyvek Luggage Tags, $9 per set of three, Drake General Store, drakegeneralstore.ca. 3. Classic Streetcar Profiles tee, $15, Spacing Store, spacing.ca.

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4. Hotel Doggy’s I Heart TIFF Dog Sweater, $22, TIFF Shop, tiff.net/tiffshop. 5. Toronto Maple Leafs’ ladies scarf, $40, The Sports Gallery, thesportsgallery.com. 6. Blue Jays New Passport Wallet, $48, Roots, roots.com.

Photography: Luis Albuquerque. Styling: Bridget Sargeant

UPFRONT Yorkville NOW:

Sleek shopping mecca Over the years, Yorkville’s coffee houses and counterculture have segued into multimillion dollar condos, spas and designer boutiques. Yesterday’s bohemian scene is today’s shopping mecca, with Tiffany & Co., Burberry, Prada, Hermès and Calvin Klein outposts.

Yorkville THEN:

Bohemian hot spot At Yorkville’s circa-1960s peak, poets and musicians flocked to the neighbourhood’s coffee houses. Margaret Atwood, Leonard Cohen and Gwendolyn MacEwan read poetry at places like the Purple Onion and Penny Farthing. At the Riverboat, you could rub shoulders with Neil Young, Joni Mitchell and Gordon Lightfoot, and even international stars like Simon & Garfunkel and John Lee Hooker.

Hot spots with history

The evolution of two lively neighbourhoods. By Ernie Ourique

Yonge-Dundas NOW:

Photography: Yonge-Dundas Square (BuskerFest)

Town square 2.0

Inspired by the similarly facelifted Times Square, post-millennium Yonge-Dundas Square is a vibrant, tourist-luring nexus that combines entertainment, shopping and dining. The square hosts City Cinema outdoor movie nights, cultural festivals such as Franco-Fête (franco-fete.ca) and the MATSURI Toronto Japanese Summer Festival (kurakake-market.jimdo.com), and live concerts from various NXNE (June 15 to 19, 2016) performers.

Yonge-Dundas THEN:

Neon market

A neon streetscape courtesy of Sam the Record Man and other brightly illuminated music stores, circa-1980s Yonge and Dundas broadcast the boisterous energy of its nearby pinball arcades and street buskers.

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NEW FAIRMONT LUXURY ROOM

Modern Luxury at Fairmont Royal York Fairmont Royal York continues to exude luxury at its finest with the completion of a multimillion dollar renovation. Under 900 Fairmont Luxury guest rooms and suites bring modern sophistication, comfort and aesthetics to our already beautiful historic hotel. Toronto’s landmark hotel is located right in the heart of downtown, just steps away from the city’s most famous sites and attractions, including the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada, CN Tower and the Toronto Zoo and the brand new rail link: UP Express.

fairmontroyalyork

@FairmontRYH

@FairmontRoyalYork

City Confidential Unveiled at last year’s PANAMANIA (the month-long cultural festival celebrating the Pan Am and Parapan Am Games), Nathan Phillips Square’s TORONTO sign was an instant icon. The three-metre-tall, 22-metre-long (10-foot-tall, 72-foot-long) LED-illuminated installation is a must-visit, must-photograph attraction. Snap it during the day, when the translucent white front and colourful sides complement its City Hall backdrop, and after dark, when it glows boldly—a luminous beacon to a city where adventure can be found at any hour.

Hot tickets

Nine of the year’s most anticipated shows, games, concerts and events. By Amber Dowling Sure, you want to pack culture, food and adventure into your schedule while you’re in town, but sometimes there are events so big they’re worth planning an entire visit around. Bookmark your hot tickets now so you can start planning tomorrow.

1. TIFF The Toronto International Film Festival (September 8 to 18, 2016) is one of the most-loved film festivals in the world, thanks to the A-list talent that graces its red carpet, but also due to the festival’s populist vibe. Unlike other prestigious film fests, TIFF is one of the few that’s fully open to the general public. With a global roster of films—from Hollywood heavy hitters to emerging talent—this is the festival where everyday cinephiles are most likely to bump into marquee idols like Natalie Portman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Penelope Cruz and Johnny Depp, all past attendees. Tickets: tiff.net 2. Luminato Festival Unleash your imagination as the groundbreaking arts festival (June 10 to 19, 2016) showcases more than 250 art installations, specially commissioned performances and readings at various locations across the city. Past festivals have featured Canadian and global debuts by internationally renowned artists like Matthew Barney and singersongwriter Rufus Wainwright. Tickets: luminatofestival.com 3. Hockey Hall of Fame Induction Weekend Fans of Canada’s unofficial national sport consider this the ultimate hockey weekend (November 11 to 14, 2016), with the annual Legends Classic hockey game and a fan forum leading up to the star-studded Hockey Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Tickets: hhof.com 4. Matilda The Musical Evoke your inner child at the Toronto première of this musical (July 2016). Inspired by the Roald Dahl novel, Matilda The Musical has played for sold-out crowds on Broadway and in London’s West End. Tickets: mirvish.com 5. Rogers Cup From Rafael Nadal to Andy Murray to Roger Federer, the biggest names in men’s tennis have competed in the Rogers Cup, otherwise known as the Canadian Open. Come summer (July 23 to 31, 2016), the game’s biggest names will once again lob, ace and smash it out in front of packed crowds at the Aviva Centre at York University. Tickets: rogerscup.com 6. JFL42 Forty-two of the funniest acts on the planet congregate every fall (September 22 to October 1, 2016) at Just for Laughs’ annual 10-day comedy festival, with events held at various venues across the city. Tickets: Choose from several pass options at jfl42.com. 7. MMVAs The alfresco Much Music Video Awards (June 19, 2016) creates organized chaos each year. Held outside the Much studios at Queen Street West and John Street, this celebration of all things pop culture attracts A-list musicians, actors, celebs and a city block’s worth of screaming, blissed-out fans. Tickets: Fans camp outside the TV network to score a coveted access wristband. 8. NBA All-Star Game B-ball fans come out in droves for an epic weekend (February 12 to 14, 2016) that’s jam packed with marquee stars showing off their biggest moves, as well as contests and autograph ops. Want to catch the jaw-dropping talent of the biggest and brightest athletes in the sport in one place? This is it. Tickets: nba.com/raptors/allstar2016 9. Canada’s Walk of Fame Broadcast Show Celebrate Canada’s top talent as they’re feted and inducted into the star-studded Walk of Fame on King Street West (fall 2016). No ticket to the broadcast show? No problem! Fans are encouraged to line up along the red carpet for the pre-show public unveiling of the new stars. Tickets: canadaswalkoffame.com

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City Confidential

News and Views

Six local landmarks fuse historic Toronto with innovative, modern design. By Jamie Bradburn Call it a juggling act Toronto architects have mastered. Since the late 1960s, their imaginative designs have struck a balance between historical preservation and the needs of developers. As Globe and Mail architecture critic Alex Bozikovic notes, these architects were “interested in finding ways to preserve or work with the existing fabric of the city while updating it.” That legacy has produced a series of landmarks where existing structures mix with exciting new additions. As architect and Architectural Conservancy of Ontario president Catherine Nasmith puts it, “Toronto people know how to do these projects.” HERE ARE SIX TO DISCOVER.

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City Confidential

Photography: Tom Arban (ROM)

1. BROOKFIELD PLACE (181 BAY ST.)

2. ROYAL ONTARIO MUSEUM (100 QUEEN’S PARK)

When this downtown landmark—one of the first Toronto tower complexes to blend architectural eras—opened as BCE Place in 1992, the stylish interior streetscape with its soaring atrium, designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava to mimic a tree canopy, was praised by critics. “The galleria will be important as a new type of privately owned public area that doesn’t assume visitors are mindless consumers or office workers in a hurry to get somewhere,” observed architecture critic Christopher Hume in the Toronto Star. Continuing to deliver that promise, its natural lighting from the atrium illuminates offices, restaurants and occasional artistic installations. Lined with 19th-century buildings, the complex culminates with the former Bank of Montreal branch at the corner of Front and Yonge, which, as the Hockey Hall of Fame, now honours the legends of the ice.

Feel like arguing with a Torontonian? Mention Daniel Libeskind’s still-controversial Crystal addition to the century-old ROM. It is one of the most talked-about examples of new-meets-old architectural fusion in the city. “It’s a provocation,” Bozikovic says. “Love it or hate it, every city needs that sort of building —a building that is unmissable, that makes a bold statement.” Often considered the building that kick-started the local renaissance in cultural architecture, Libeskind’s addition “shows the dramatic changes that needed to happen to the ROM to bring it into the 21st century,” says Michael McClelland, a principal with heritage preservation and reuse specialists ERA Architects. Within the Crystal, kids can marvel at the dinosaur exhibits or hide among its angles.

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TORONTO 2016 • 29

3. CANADA’S NATIONAL BALLET SCHOOL (400 JARVIS ST.) Walk by the windows of Canada’s National Ballet School on Jarvis Street at the right moment and you might glimpse students practicing jetés and pliés. This sense of transparency is evident throughout the complex, fitting it within its surrounding streetscape. The site skillfully blends modern training facilities contained within what Bozikovic describes as “a series of subtle, minimal glass boxes” with two 19th-century buildings: Northfield House (home of a Father of Confederation, former Ontario premier Oliver Mowat, and previously used by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) and Havergal College, the original home of the private girls’ school.

4. MaRS DISCOVERY DISTRICT (101 COLLEGE ST.) MaRS’s mission of spurring innovation is evident from the way its College Street facility is built upon the pre–First World War College Wing of Toronto General Hospital. The heritage aspects are treated respectfully (the site won a Heritage Toronto Award for architectural conservation and craftsmanship in 2006), while the new additions, according to McClelland, reflect the dramatic changes happening to institutions. Drawing on the long presence of medical institutions along nearby University Avenue, MaRS offers 1.5 million square feet of space dedicated to aiding entrepreneurial start-ups in the fields of health, energy, work and learning.

Sports venues rarely have second lives. Once their main tenants move on, the doomsday clock starts ticking. Maple Leaf Gardens is a rare exception, thanks to public sentiment to preserve the Carlton Street landmark. According to Bozikovic, it’s a building that is “deeply important to people in the city, not just as a piece of architecture but as a place where history happened.” After a decade of dormancy, the right tenant mix emerged when the building reopened in 2012: a showcase for Loblaws’s new supermarket design, and athletic facilities for Ryerson University. Hockey fans will enjoy the nods to great moments in Maple Leafs history throughout Loblaws (and may be tempted to play shinny with tuna cans atop the centre-ice dot in aisle 25), and catch the Ryerson Rams in action in the arena above the store.

6. KOERNER HALL, ROYAL CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC (273 BLOOR ST. W.) Nearly two decades in development, Koerner Hall opened in 2009, producing an intimate performance setting ideal for classical, jazz and other musical genres. Curving lines of oak create a comfortable atmosphere that places strong acoustics over luxurious trappings. The hall, part of the Telus Centre for Performance and Learning, blends into the adjoining Royal Conservatory of Music, whose Victorian-era building was the original home of McMaster University. Nasmith feels that the discretion taken in placing the new elements beside the old creates integrity. The three levels of lobbies function as event spaces with stunning views of neighbouring landmarks like Philosopher’s Walk and the Royal Ontario Museum.

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Photography: Wanda Goodwin (MaRS), Tom Arban (National Ballet School), Eduard Hueber (Koerner Hall)

5. MAPLE LEAF GARDENS (50–60 CARLTON ST.)

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City Confidential

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Strategic moves

Four movers and shakers on why they made Toronto their HQ. By Jasmine Miller Photography by Finn O’Hara

ALBERT LAI

Co-founder, Big Viking Games Serial entrepreneur Albert Lai sold his first company when he was still a teen, and in the decade since, he’s launched five more, including social- and mobile-game venture Big Viking Games. The company has grown to include offices in Toronto and London, Ont., 80 employees, and recognition as one of Canada’s Top Small & Medium Employers, as voted by the editors of Canada’s Top 100 Employers.

efore starting Big Viking, I travelled to Shanghai, Beijing, Taiwan, Singapore, India and Berlin—all these up-and-coming new Silicon Valleys outside the U.S.—and none had the potent mixture of strong creative and technical talent that Toronto has. We have U. of T. [the University of Toronto] and the University of Waterloo, and Sheridan College is arguably the No. 1 digital animation school in the world. There’s a thriving film and animation culture, too, which means we will create the next Hollywood. Toronto has a vibrant tech industry that has grown faster [recently] than at any other time. A lot of people have done really well in the past 20 years from a financial and knowledge capital point of view. And that success is being reinvested into both the industry and the city by people like me and many others, who are doing their second, third or fourth start-up. When you have diversity in a company or a country, there’s an increase in innovations, and Toronto has a social system that lends itself to the city embracing multiple cultures. You really see that in the food: I can get more authentic ethnic food in Toronto than anywhere else in the world. I believe there’s a direct correlation between a city’s Chinese food and the success of its start-ups. San Francisco, New York—they have great Chinese food, but Toronto has, hands down, the best outside of Asia. I live for really good Chinese food! And I live for tech.

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City Confidential

CRAIG AND MARC KIELBURGER Founders, Free The Children

The brainchild of Craig and Marc Kielburger, Free The Children is an international NGO designed to help kids help other kids. Through programs like Adopt a Village and We Act, more than 8,000 schools and youth groups in Canada, the U.S. and the U.K. have partnered with the organization to end global poverty. The first annual We Day—a day-long, star-studded concert celebrating the students’ initiatives—was first held in Toronto in 2007 and now takes place all over the globe. CRAIG

abbagetown has a special place in our hearts. Our grandfather immigrated to Toronto from Germany during the Great Depression, and after working a number of jobs, he and my grandmother saved enough money to open a small grocery store in Cabbagetown. They were open for 23 years and only closed for one day, to take the family to Niagara Falls. Now the city is growing in amazing ways, which makes it an exciting place to grow an organization like Free The Children—we’re in fantastic company here. Torontonians love their city and are engaged on so many different levels—whether it’s a neighbourhood issue or something that spans the entire city, Toronto’s citizens want to be involved. MARC

oronto is a city of neighbourhoods. You can go from one end of the city to the other and feel like you’ve travelled the world! I love how easy it is to connect with the entire world from our office in Toronto. Research shows that people—especially young people—care about their communities and about making a difference in the world. The way we see it, our job is to provide them with the tools, resources and platform to make a difference. Now that we have We Day events across North America and in the U.K., we spend much of our time working with teams across Canada, the U.S. and the U.K. We are so proud to live and work in a city as vibrant and diverse as Toronto, where we have the opportunity to meet and learn from people from Craig (left) and Marc Kielburger all around the world.

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City Confidential

FARAH MOHAMED Founder, G(irls)20 G(irls)20 is a Toronto-based social-profit with a big mission: the economic and educational advancement of women and girls in the developing world. The organization’s annual summit is held in that year’s host G20 country, with young delegates attending from all G20 nations, as well as the European Union, African Union, Afghanistan, Pakistan and the MENA region.

oronto has an amazing mix of diversity—and I mean socio-economic diversity, cultural diversity and financial diversity. It is literally the playground that G(irls)20 works in internationally, but all represented here, in one place. Girls and women are part of the fabric of Toronto in a big way. You don’t have to squint too hard to find girls and women succeeding in this city. We’ve got a premier who’s a woman, and look at all the women running in elections. Many CEOs of massive organizations in Toronto are women. We have major hospitals run by women, and our social-profit sector and academia feature women. Toronto is an incredible place for girls and women in all sectors. If I had a summit in Toronto, as we did in 2010, one of my biggest challenges would be deciding whom to put on the podium. There are so many accomplished women here. If people want an education in global diversity and opportunity, Toronto is a great place to come and figure that out. The combination of our financial, academic, health-care and social-profit sectors provide opportunity for anyone from anywhere with any background to participate in some way in Toronto. We’ve got a thriving social sector, our volunteer sector is unbelievable, and people are civically engaged. I’m not being naive. We have challenges, but we are addressing them. People see this as a place to succeed, thrive and build. And they’re right.

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City Confidential

Collect ’em all Sports fans who want to check off more legendary sports experiences from their bucket lists can start by touching the Stanley Cup and reliving Tiger Woods’s epic shot on the 18th hole at Glen Abbey Golf Club. Here’s the ultimate Toronto sports checklist.

Toronto adds an exclamation mark to baseball’s perfect aesthetic with the soaring CN Tower looming high above Rogers Centre. Sit among the sea of Blue Jays blue and red maple leaves that make it clear this is Canada’s team. rogerscentre.com, toronto.bluejays.mlb.com

BMO Join other MLS soccer fanatics at beat Field as they chant, wave flags and game. drums during a Toronto FC home ra Want to spectate like a local? Wea red scarf. torontofc.ca

its m and BA tea g courtside N ly n din a’s o Canad s fans—inclu a uniquely u ame e rapturo rake—exud fter all, the g D A fixture n swagger. ia Canad nted here. ve was in

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Touch hockey’s most coveted prize: the Stanley Cup, which resides yearround at the Hockey Hall of Fame. Take a selfie with it, and then delve through the history of Canada’s unofficial national game. hhof.com

Photography: Chris Owens (Honda Indy), argonauts.ca (Argonauts), Bernard Brault (Canadian Open), Marcus Obal (Blue Jays)

Get an insider’s view of the Honda Indy Toronto. A Paddock Pass gains you exclusive access to team HQs, while a Pit Pass lets you into the Pit Lane during all practice and qualifying races. hondaindytoronto.com

in North American The oldest franchise O ck outdoors to BM ba ves mo rts pro spo wn, 110-yard -do ree Th . 16 20 Field for been played since football the way it’s a s.c 1873. argonaut

Stroll to the fairway bunker on 18 and try to figure out how the heck Tiger Woods hit one of the gutsiest shots in golf history—a six-iron from more than 200 yards away that went out of the sand, over the trees, across the water and landed near enough to the tightly tucked pin to give him a birdie opportunity— and stunningly won the 2000 RBC Canadian Open. glenabbey.clublink.ca

No tickets? Here’s the next best thing to being there.

gs at the Enjoy the sport of kin h summer at eac Queen’s Plate. Held k, this is no mere Woodbine Racetrac race: it’s also rse ho d bre gh rou tho nable sporting hio fas st mo to’s on Tor m .co ate spl een qu event!

Cheer for Canadian favourites Milos Raonic or Eugenie Bouchard at the Rogers Cup, one of tennis’s oldest championships, held each year at York University. rogerscup.com

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Ford Fan Zone: Savvy Raptors and Leafs fans head to Maple Leaf Square (right next to Air Canada Centre) to join 10,00 0 fellow diehards in watching the game outdo ors on an enormous screen, cheering our hometown heroes to victory—or consoling each other in defeat. nba.com/raptors, mapleleaf s.nhl.com, theaircanadacentre.com Real Sports Bar & Grill: This sport s joint really jumps, especially when the Leafs or Raptors are in town. With a multi tude of games to choose from, a bevy of beers on tap and one massive two-storey TV, it’s little wond er ESPN voted Real Sports the best sports bar in North America. realsports.ca The Football Factory  The upscale bistro gets downright boisterous for all the big soccer matches. Enjoy dinner and drinks and mingle with a cross-section of Toronto’s multi-ethnic, soccer-mad population, some of whom have been there since 7:30 a.m. catching a Euro league game. thefootiefactory.ca

TORONTO 2016 • 37

4 1 3

Winter

fun

Be enchanted by the sparkle of the season. By Kat Tancock

38 â&#x20AC;˘ TORONTO 2016 l www.SeeTorontoNow.com

Photography: Doug Brown (Santa, Nathan Phillips Square), Bruce Zinger (The Nutcracker),

City Confidential

6 9

Photography: Allen McGregor (Christmas window), Mark Burstyn (One of a Kind Show & Sale)

1. Embrace your inner Joannie Rochette with a tour around an outdoor skating rink. Three that offer both rentals and lockers are Nathan Phillips Square, the Natrel Rink at Harbourfront Centre and Celebration Square in Mississauga. Or give your ice skates an adventure at one of the city’s public skating trails, like the Brick Works Skating Trail in the Don Valley, the Colonel Sam Smith Skating Trail at Colonel Samuel Smith Park on the lakeshore in Etobicoke, or the newly installed ice trail at east-end's Greenwood Park.

2. Celebrate Ontario’s agricultural heritage at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, which takes place every November. Top attractions include equestrian shows, butter sculptures and a petting farm. 3. Brush up on your hockey-hero trivia, practise your slap shot or test your play-byplay skills behind the mic with a visit to the Hockey Hall of Fame. 4. Pack your red nose and welcome Saint Nick at the 112th annual edition of The Santa Claus Parade, whose route weaves through several downtown neighbourhoods every November.

store of classic Canadian retailer Hudson’s Bay, where Christmas vignettes are unveiled every holiday season.

5. Take in The National Ballet of Canada’s mesmerizing and perennially popular interpretation of the classic Christmas tale The Nutcracker. Charm youngsters with Ross Petty’s nutty annual pantomime over the holidays or treat yourself to a musical at one of the Mirvish theatres. 6. Shop the Europeanstyle Toronto Christmas Market in The Distillery Historic District, where carollers, choirs and mulled wine enhance the “winterrific” vibe.

8. Book a table during Winterlicious to fill your belly for less with prix-fixe lunch and dinner steals at more than 200 of Toronto’s top restaurants. 9. Join locals at Nathan Phillips Square in front of City Hall for the Cavalcade of Lights, the lighting of Toronto’s official Christmas tree, accompanied by a dance party, live music and fireworks.

10. Marvel at the artists’ skills at Icefest, Yorkville’s ice-sculpture festival, which features ice-carving demos and an on-street iceskating performance. 11. Tackle your gift list while discovering local artisans at the One of a Kind Show & Sale, which boasts booths from 800-plus craftspeople, artists and designers.

7. Admire the creativity of window-display designers at the Queen and Yonge flagship @SeeTorontoNow

• 39

Family time Discover, delight and devour, and see how you stack up as a city explorer. By Yuki Hayashi Illustration by Remy Simard With so much to see and do, it takes dedication to win our scavenger hunt. Challenge other members of your family, and check out how many of these experiences you can rack up. One point per item. Winner earns Master Traveller status!

Pet a stingray at Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada.

Take a selfie with the Stanley Cup, on display at the Hockey Hall of Fame. Brag to your friends about riding Leviathan at Canada’s Wonderland. It’s one of the world’s tallest and fastest roller coasters. Bonus point for each extra ride you take!

Go hoarse while cheering your knight on to a jousting victory at Medieval Times. Catch a flick at the TIFF Kids International Film Festival (April 8 to 24, 2016). Bonus point if you get your ticket stub signed by a star!

Find a secret underground tunnel at Casa Loma, Toronto’s famous castle.

Stack, build and create at LEGOLAND Discovery Centre, the best-stocked playroom ever! Brave the Bat Cave, dig for dinosaur fossils and create your own animal-track rubbing to take home at the Royal Ontario Museum. Hoof it over to the Bata Shoe Museum to snap a pic of an historic shoe you’d wear on a dare.

40 • TORONTO 2014 2016 l www.SeeTorontoNow.com

Photography: kaeko (Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada), Hubert Kang (Hockey Hall of Fame, Casa Loma), Jason Campbell (Canada’s Wonderland), A Aninon (Medieval Times), Micheal Fountain (LEGOLAND), Jason Spencer (Playdium), Mike Pochwat (Treetop Trekking), Loozrboy (Fort York), Isaac Yu (The Ex), James G (Blue Jays)

City Confidential

Spot rare livestock such as Cotswold lambs, Tamworth pigs and a Nubian goat at the much-loved Riverdale Farm.

Get a fast-paced bird’s-eye view of the forest canopy while Treetop Trekking at Brampton’s Heart Lake Conservation Area.

Ride the Red Rocket! Bonus point if you collect a transfer from both an old and a new streetcar route.

Explore Fort York National Historic Site, home to Canada’s largest collection of original War of 1812 buildings. Check out the new visitor’s centre and learn more about the birthplace of urban Toronto.

Beat one or both of your parents on the go-kart track at Playdium.

Show off a new hairdo via a truly hair-raising static electricity demonstration at the Ontario Science Centre.

Devour the It food at The Ex (August 19 to September 5, 2016). From crowbars (croissants with bakedin chocolate bars) to deep-fried Kool-Aid, midway vendors think up the silliest (tastiest!) creations each year.

Pose on the CN Tower’s glass floor 342 metres (1,122 feet) above street level. Take a photo as proof!

Catch a game and maybe a foul ball with reigning American League Division Series champs the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre.

Liven up your Instagram with giant pandas Er Shun, Da Mao and the newborn cubs currently living at the Toronto Zoo.

@SeeTorontoNow l

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TORONTO 2016 2014 • 41

1 Canada’s a big country. And our reputation? Huge! You could travel the nation in search of quintessentially Canadian experiences to sample, savour and shop… or you could limit your efforts to the Greater Toronto Area. Because—surprise!— we’ve got it all, from eh to Z. 1. Immerse yourself in over 1,000 years of indigenous art at the Museum of Inuit Art (miamuseum.ca), the only museum south of the Arctic devoted exclusively to the sculpture, ceramic, drawings, prints and wall hangings of Inuit artists, from Labrador to the Yukon to the Northwest Territories. 2. Rub shoulders with Brendan Fraser, Jim Carrey and Shania Twain. OK, maybe not shoulders. But you can touch their stars on Canada’s Walk of Fame (canadaswalkoffame.com).

Canadian content Sample everything that Canada’s famous for, without leaving the city. By Jamie Noguchi

3. Kiss the Stanley Cup, score a goal during a sim game or find your own way to celebrate Canada’s unofficial national sport at the Hockey Hall of Fame (hhof.com). 4. See a polar bear. Canada is home to 60 percent of the world’s population of more than 20,000 polar bears. But you needn’t travel to the Far North to spot one: just head to the Toronto Zoo (torontozoo.com). 5. Canada produces 80 percent of the world’s maple syrup. Our tastiest global commodity can be purchased at any local supermarket.

6. Behold the iconic landscapes that made Canada’s Group of Seven famous as they shook up the early 1900s art world at the Art Gallery of Ontario (ago.net) and McMichael Canadian Art Collection (mcmichael.com).

7. Dig into the gooey, cheesy, gravyliciousness of poutine, our national junk food. Thanks to its millennial resurgence, poutineries can be found all over town.

42 • TORONTO 2016 l www.SeeTorontoNow.com

City Confidential

8. Pick up a paddle at Harbourfront Canoe & Kayak Centre (paddletoronto.com) and explore the waterfront like a true voyageur. Rent a canoe or kayak, or sign on for a guided paddling tour.

Painting: Tom Thomson, Byng Inlet, Georgian Bay, 1914–1915, McMichael Canadian Art Collection

9. The Hudson’s Bay (thebay.com) department store chain predates Canadian Confederation and is woven into the country’s national fabric. It is the place for Canadian Olympic gear (such as the famous Team Canada red mittens) and the company’s legendary multi-stripe point blanket.

10. Tour the birthplace of modern Toronto at Fort York National Historic Site (fortyork.ca), a key outpost during the War of 1812. A new visitor’s centre was unveiled in 2014, providing context to the military significance of the garrison, an 1813 battleground.

11. Feast your eyes on our postcard-perfect fall foliage. Stroll, run or rent a bike to take in the explosive yellow, orange and red tree canopy along the Moore Park Ravine and the Don Valley ravine system (toronto.ca), or in Cabbagetown’s quiet and pensive Toronto Necropolis cemetery (mountpleasantgroup.com).

12. Splurge on a bottle of decadent icewine. Buy it at provincial liquor stores or spend the day exploring the Niagara wine region and stock up there.

city confidential

Y o u r f e s t iva l ,

Y A W R U O Y d. Catc h yo ur fave ac ts in on e ep ic we ek en Wh et he r th at ’s al l in on e pl ac e or al l ov er th e cit y is up to yo u. By Yuki Hayashi

JAZZ

ANNUAL FESTIVALS: TD Toronto Jazz Festival (torontojazz.com), Beaches International Jazz Festival (beachesjazz.com) 2016 dates: TD Toronto Jazz Festival (June 24 to July 3, 2016), Beaches International Jazz Festival (July 8 to 24, 2016) Vibe: The nearly three-decades-old TD Toronto Jazz Festival is the elder (hepcat) statesman of Toronto’s festival scene, having showcased jazz’s biggest headliners, including Miles Davis, Wynton Marsalis and Diana Krall, at Nathan Phillips Square and other venues across town. The Beaches International Jazz Festival adds visual art, youth programming, a street festival and even a charity run to enhance its eclectic lineup of jazz, blues, African, Caribbean and R&B performances.

YOUR DIY FEST LINEUP

Catch live performances at the city’s leading jazz lounges:  The Rex Hotel (therex.ca)  The Jazz Bistro (jazzbistro.ca)  Poetry Jazz Café (poetryjazzcafe.com)  The Reservoir Lounge (reservoirlounge.com) The Jazz Bistro

TD TORONTO JAZZ FESTIVAL

44 • TORONTO 2016 l www.SeeTorontoNow.com

Photography: Luis Enriquez (TD Toronto Jazz Festival), Chris Cheung (Salsa on St. Clair), Anna Encheva (Lula Lounge)

Possibly more than any other city in Canada, Toronto is renowned as a festival incubator, with dozens of music and arts events overlapping throughout the year. But what if—gulp!—your travel dates don’t sync with your dream festival? No worries. Here’s how to DIY your own festival if you’ve missed the “official” one.

City Confidential

FIELD TRIP

ALT & ROOTS

ANNUAL FESTIVALS: Field Trip (fieldtriplife.com), Toronto Urban Roots Fest (torontourbanrootsfest.com), Bestival (bestival.ca), WayHome (wayhome.com), Camp Wavelength (wavelengthtoronto.com) 2016 dates: Field Trip (June 4 to 5, 2016), Toronto Urban Roots Fest (September 14 to 19, 2016), Bestival (June 11 to 12, 2016), WayHome (July 22, 23 & 24, 2016), Camp Wavelength (August 19 to 21, 2016) Vibe: Rock music’s coolest alt, roots and indie acts like Alabama Shakes, My Morning Jacket and Arkells have performed at Field Trip, which takes over the historic grassy field of Fort York National Historic Site, alongside food trucks and a kids’ camp, where wee hipsters can play, create art or catch shows on the kids’ stage. Also located at Fort York’s Garrison Common, Toronto Urban Roots Fest (TURF) features an eclectic mix of indie, folk, soul and roots acts, plus a kids’ area with musical arts and crafts, games and an acoustic stage. Another outdoorsy fest, Bestival brings the show to the verdant Toronto Island, where acts like Florence + the Machine, Nas and Wavves have performed for costumed fans, including “newlyweds” who got “hitched” at the Bestival Inflatable Church. WayHome and Camp Wavelength bring a similarly boho alfresco vibe to the festivities, overnight camping optional.

YOUR DIY FEST LINEUP

The Queen West strip is the best place to catch established and up-and-coming indie bands. Try these venues:  The Cameron House (thecameron.com)  Horseshoe Tavern (horseshoetavern.com)  Drake Underground (thedrakehotel.ca)  The Garrison (garrisontoronto.com)  Hugh’s Room (hughsroom.com)

Horseshoe Tavern

WORLD BEAT

ANNUAL FESTIVALS: Salsa on St. Clair Street Festival (salsaintoronto.com), Small World Music Festival (smallworldmusic.com) 2016 dates: Salsa on St. Clair Street Festival (July 2016), Small World Music Festival (September 23 to 25, 2016) Vibe: Held along a strip of St. Clair West that’s home to many of Toronto’s Latin American restaurants and businesses, Salsa on St. Clair is a high-energy street fest that features live music on multiple stages, dancing (including on-the-spot salsa lessons), a kids’ zone and plenty of food trucks and booths. The three-day Small World Music Festival presents a multicultural mix of international and Canadian artists at Fort York National Historic Site. The family-friendly fest includes on-site animation, vendors and food.

YOUR DIY FEST LINEUP SALSA ON ST. CLAIR

Feel the beat and kick up your heels at these salsa, Latin and world-beat music venues:  Lula Lounge (lula.ca)  Small World Music Centre (smallworldmusic.com)  El Convento Rico (elconventorico.com)  Habourfront Centre (summers only, harbourfrontcentre.com)

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Lula Lounge

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TORONTO 2016 • 45

city confidential

TORONTO CARIBBEAN CARNIVAL

CARNIVAL ANNUAL FESTIVAL: Toronto Caribbean Carnival (torontocaribbeancarnival.com)

2016 dates: July 10 to 31, 2016 Vibe: This three-week-long celebration of Caribbean music, cuisine and revelry is a don’t-miss event. Highlights include reggae, soca, steel drum and calypso performances, as well as the Carnival Ball (featuring a costume runway show), the competition for king and queen of the carnival, and, of course, the Grand Parade, which attracts more than one million spectators and participants each year.

YOUR DIY FEST LINEUP

Luxy Nightclub

NORTH BY NORTHEAST

INDIE

ANNUAL FESTIVALS: North by Northeast (nxne.com), Canadian Music Week (cmw.net), Riot Fest (riotfest.org)

YOUR DIY FEST LINEUP

Catch the music you crave by mixing venues, big and small:  The Silver Dollar Room (silverdollarroom.com)  El Mocambo (elmocambo.com)  Lee’s Palace (leespalace.com)  Mod Club (themodclub.com)

2016 dates: North by Northeast (June 15 to 19, 2016), Canadian Music Week (May 4 to 14, 2016), Riot Fest (September 2016) Vibe: For diehards and industry followers in search of marathon spectating and scouting ops, North by Northeast (NXNE) and Canadian Music Week each bring about 800 artists to 25-plus venues across the city. Both festivals also include films alongside the main event: an electrifying lineup of musical performances from up-and-coming indie bands and established mid-career acts alike. Riot Fest, meanwhile, captures the zeitgeisty vibe with a multi-day lineup of punk, alternative rock, metal and hip hop in a carnival setting. Lee’s Palace

46 • TORONTO 2016 l www.SeeTorontoNow.com @SeeTorontoNow l VisitToronto

Photography: Colin McConnell (Toronto Caribbean Carnival), Vuur (Luxy Nightclub), Tobias Wang (VELD)

“Caribana” is North America’s largest outdoor festival, so replicating the experience isn’t easy. But you can catch Caribbean music at these venues:  Fiction (fictionclub.ca)  Reign Toronto (reigntoronto.com)  Luxy Nightclub (luxyclub.ca)  Vuur Nightclub (vuur.ca)

City Confidential

YOUR DIY FEST LINEUP

21C MUSIC FESTIVAL

 Toronto Symphony Orchestra (tso.ca)  Canadian Opera Company (coc.ca)  Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra and Chamber Choir (tafelmusik.org)  Mississauga Symphony Orchestra (mississaugasymphony.ca)  Roy Thomson Hall (roythomson.com)  Koerner Hall (rcmusic.ca)  Living Arts Centre (livingartscentre.ca)

CLASSICAL

ANNUAL FESTIVALS: Toronto Summer Music Festival (torontosummermusic.com), 21C Music Festival (rcmusic.ca) 2016 dates: Toronto Summer Music Festival (May 25 to 29, 2016), 21C Music Festival (May 25 to 29, 2016) Vibe: Classical music takes centre stage at the Toronto Summer Music Festival, which features top solo performers, orchestras and everything in between. Held at various venues across town, festival programming hews to an annual theme—last year’s was Music of the New World, in honour of the Pan Am and Parapan Am Games. The Royal Conservatory of Music’s 21C Music Festival debuts cutting-edge compositions (performed by innovative artists)—from classical and jazz to pop and world music—all mostly composed in the 21st century. Past performers have included pianist and local indie darling Chilly Gonzales, string ensemble Afiara Quartet and former Police drummer Stewart Copeland.

Toronto Symphony Orchestra

EDM/DIGITAL

ANNUAL FESTIVALS: VELD Music Festival (veldmusicfestival.com), Digital Dreams (digitaldreamsfestival.ca) 2016 dates: VELD Music Festival (July 2016), Digital Dreams (June 2016) Vibe: Electronic music lovers have been flocking to five-year-old VELD for top international acts, including Toronto’s own Deadmau5, the superstar DJ behind summer’s other big EDM event, Digital Dreams.

YOUR DIY FEST LINEUP

Here are great places to catch EDM, dance and DJ sets:  Uniun Nightclub (uniun.com)  The Hoxton (thehoxton.ca)  Fly 2.0 (flyyyz.com)  Sound Academy (soundacademyevents.com)

Uniun Nightclub

VELD MUSIC FESTIVAL @SeeTorontoNow l

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TORONTO 2016 • 47

City style From pitch-perfect designer to edgy streetwear, we’ve got wardrobe picks fit for a night out on the town. Styling by Vanessa Taylor Photography by Javier Lovera

Left: Brunello Cucinelli shirt, Lanvin trousers and cardigan, Z Zegna tie, all Harry Rosen. Right: Z Zegna shirt, Harry Rosen suit, all Harry Rosen.

THE HOT SPOT: Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts (coc.ca) THE STYLE: Understated Luxury From fashions by homegrown high-end talent to styles straight off the runway, these designer pieces feature refined tailoring, impeccable fabrics and gorgeous good looks.

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SHOP THE LOOK: ❯ For designer brands, check out the full selection of casual to formal suits, shoes and accessories at Harry Rosen. Luxury department store Holt Renfrew offers Holt Renfrew Men (holtrenfrewmen.com), which boasts a selection of designer labels along with on-site monogramming and shoe shining. ❯ The Bloor-Yorkville (bloor-yorkville.com) area houses an array of quaint boutiques, including Kate Spade (katespade.com) and Augustina (augustinaboutiques.com), as well as chains like Diesel (diesel.com) and Sunglass Hut (sunglasshut.com). ❯ Canadian designer Kimberley NewportMimran’s Pink Tartan (pinktartan.com) feminine career wear can be found at Holt Renfrew (holtrenfrew.com), Hudson’s Bay (thebay.com) and the brand’s namesake concept boutique in Yorkville. ❯ Leatherfoot (leatherfoot.com) in Yorkville purveys handcrafted men’s shoes from heritage brands like Saint Crispin’s, John Lobb, Gaziano & Girling and Carmina Shoemaker, and offers a made-to-order shoe service. ❯ Yorkville Village (yorkvillevillage.com), Yorkville’s indoor mall, is home to luxe plus-size retailer Marina Rinaldi (world. marinarinaldi.com), as well as Andrews (andrewsco.com), which houses brand-name favourites like Joie, Max Mara Studio and Nicole Miller, and TNT (tntfashion.ca), which carries top-tier designers. ❯ Toronto’s Mink Mile—the stretch of Bloor Street West from Yonge Street to Avenue Road—showcases the flagships of Louis Vuitton (louisvuitton.com), Hermès (hermes. com), Prada (prada.com), Tiffany & Co. (tiffany.ca), Cartier (cartier.com), Chanel (chanel.com), Coach (coach.com), Burberry (ca.burberry.com) and Mulberry (mulberry.com). ❯ The Hudson’s Bay flagship location on Queen Street carries contemporary labels for men and women in its White Space. For the crème de la crème, visit Hudson’s Bay’s fabled The Room for Balmain, Oscar de la Renta, Christopher Kane, Proenza Schouler and more, plus a shoe floor boasting the likes of Derek Lam 10 Crosby, Sophia Webster and Sam Edelman. ❯ Over in The Distillery Historic District, shop night-out looks at lifestyle store GOTSTYLE (gotstylemenswear.com), along with hard-to-find fine jewellery brands at Gilding the Lily (gildingthelil.com). ❯ Yorkdale Shopping Centre has expanded and now includes more than 250 stores and services, creating one of the most fashionoriented mall destinations with its heady mix of premium and luxury brands. Find Britain’s AllSaints (allsaints.com) and Ted Baker (tedbaker.com), plus Italian luxury brand Salvatore Ferragamo (ferragamo.com), as well as U.S. menswear designer John Varvatos (johnvarvatos.com), trend-driven lifestyle brand Vince Camuto (vincecamuto. com), all under one roof.

City Confidential SHOP THE LOOK: ❯ Venture just north of the city to Vaughan Mills (vaughanmills.com), Canada’s premier outlet mall, which has an unrivalled selection of discount designer stores like Michael Kors Outlet, Lacoste Outlet, Calvin Klein Outlet, BCBGMAXAZRIA and Holt Renfrew’s discount store, hr2 (holtrenfrew.com/hr2). ❯ Canadian shoe stores like Browns (brownsshoes. com), Aldo (aldoshoes.com) and Town Shoes (townshoes.com) offer the latest in designer and private-label shoes and accessories. ❯ Founded in Toronto, Club Monaco (clubmonaco. ca) has a modern-classic aesthetic with broad appeal. ❯ Fashion favourite J.Crew (jcrew.com) offers timeless styles that will take you from work to weekend. ❯ Check out the Toronto Eaton Centre (cfshops. com/toronto-eaton-centre.html), Yorkdale Shopping Centre (yorkdale.com), Bayview Village (bayviewvillageshops.com) and Sherway Gardens (sherwaygardens.ca), as well as Mississauga’s Square One (shopsquareone.com) and Brampton’s Bramalea City Centre (bramaleacitycentre.ca). ❯ Spain’s fast-fashion giant Zara (zara.com) and sister store Massimo Dutti (massimodutti.com) offer ontrend clothing, accessories and footwear for both men and women. ❯ Topshop (topshop.com), with its shop-in-shop locations for men and women in Hudson’s Bay (thebay.com), provides affordably priced fashions for the ultimate trendy millennial. ❯ Roots (canada.roots.com) has been rocking a sporty urban style for over four decades. Its quintessentially Canadian look straddles the city and the great outdoors.

THE HOT SPOT: Massey Hall (masseyhall.com) THE STYLE: New Classics For effortless fashions that will amp up any outfit, look to easy silhouettes with a laid-back vibe—add interest with poppy prints, relaxed leather and crisp shirts.

Left: Gap shirt, Roots jacket, Banana Republic skirt and bag. Right: Zara hat, Banana Republic shirt and sweater, Roots pants.

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2013 • 49 TORONTO 2016

City Confidential THE HOT SPOT: Lee’s Palace (leespalace.com) THE STYLE: Eclectic Indie Whether it’s scoring the ultimate second-hand find or discovering the latest downtown-cool boutiques, here’s where you’ll find your latest wardrobe obsession.

SHOP THE LOOK: ❯ Queen Street West is home to a variety of shops specializing in heritage labels and independent brands. Men’s boutique Sydney’s (shopsydneys.com) champions European labels and is the place to order bespoke jeans. Nearby, you’ll find Ben Sherman (bensherman.com), Oliver Spencer (oliverspencer.co.uk) and Fred Perry (fredperry.com). Be sure to check out Frank & Oak (frankandoak.com), where you’ll find wellpriced modern clothing (from casual to office wear) with a full coffee shop in the front. ❯ In the trendy Queen Street West and Ossington Avenue neighbourhood, peruse street-style faves at gravitypope (gravitypope.com) and Tiger of Sweden (tigerofsweden.com). Local talent Jonathan+Olivia (jonathanandolivia.com) offers a well-edited selection of designer labels for men and women like Alexander Wang, Acne Studios, Opening Ceremony and Isabel Marant. ❯ Shop niche clothing and accessories brands at bohemian mecca Anthropologie (anthropologie.com), and gravitate to Getoutside (getoutsideshoes.com) for street-savvy footwear. ❯ For wallet-friendly fashions, visit OAK + FORT (oakandfort.ca) for clean, contemporary separates and H&M (hm.com/ca) for the latest trends. ❯ Fans of sustainable shopping should head to Kensington Market for an array of vintage shops, including jewellery emporium Courage My Love (couragemylove.ca), Fresh Collective (freshcollective.com), which focuses on independent Toronto designers, and Exile (exilevintage.com), which features off-beat, one-ofa-kind finds. ❯ Along Queen Street West, hit up luxury consignment boutiques Fashionably Yours (fashionablyyours.com) and Consign Toronto (consigntoronto.com). ❯ A few blocks north of Bloor Street on Yonge Street, visit WANT Apothecary (wantapothecary. com), an airy boutique that stocks hard-to-find labels and its sought-after in-house brand. Walk five minutes north to Clementine’s (clementinesluxury.com), an expertly curated highend resale boutique. Left: OAK + FORT top, H&M vest, Levi’s jeans, Converse sneakers. Right: H&M.

50 • TORONTO 2016 2013 l www.SeeTorontoNow.com @SeeTorontoNow l VisitToronto

Fly to the airport. Downtown Toronto to Pearson Airport in 25 minutes, every 15 minutes.

With trains leaving every 15 minutes, it’s a short 25-minute ride from downtown Toronto to Toronto Pearson International Airport. On the train, UP Express has complimentary Wi-Fi courtesy of CIBC, comfortable seating with table trays, power outlets, luggage racks, infotainment as well as flight information. Whether you’re heading out or heading home, we can’t wait to welcome you.

Get on board. Purchase tickets at UPexpress.com

Japan? Kariya Park, Downtown Mississauga

Award-winning waterfront, Port Credit, Mississauga

Dubai?

Algonquin Park?

Absolute Towers, Downtown Mississauga

Flyfishing, Erindale Park, Mississauga

Minutes awayâ&#x20AC;Ś worlds apart. Discover for yourself.

discovermississauga.ca

food drink food+drink Spice of life

If you’re the kind of eater who lives to feel the burn, Toronto’s food scene will stoke your appetite. Home to Canada’s most diverse array of ethnic restaurants, the city’s selections will have you breaking a sweat, chowing down on a global heat seeker’s menu: authentic tom yum goong soup at Linda Modern Thai, habanero-spiked cochinita pibil tacos at El Caballito, mouth-searing vindaloo at Bindia Indian Bistro, or the slower burn of Cajunstyle jambalaya from Southern Accent Restaurant. Or pair dinner with entertainment at The Sultan’s Tent, where French-Moroccan dishes like North African piri piri chicken turn up the heat, especially when accompanied by a live belly-dancing performance.

FOOD & DRINK

Local flavour Three chefs dish on what makes their cuisine taste like home. By Gizelle Lau Photography by Geoff Fitzgerald

AUTHENTIC C

Chilies en nogada at Los Colibris

Chef Elia Herrera

54 • TORONTO 2016

HEF ELIA HERRERA was raised in Veracruz, Mexico, where her mother and grandmother—both chefs—stoked her love of cooking. “I grew up in the family business. Our family has owned a catering company for over 75 years,” says Herrera. So it was a given that she’d attend cooking school in Puebla, Mexico. During those four years, she spent summers honing her skills throughout Italy, Belgium, France and Spain. After graduating, Herrera worked in Spain for several years and then came to Toronto. “The plan was to explore Canada and then fly away, but I fell in love with Toronto,” she says. Her intended one-year stay turned into 13 years—and she hasn’t looked back, honing her chops in some of the city’s best kitchens, like Mistura and Canoe. A few years ago, Herrera began working as a restaurant consultant, rediscovering her culinary roots in the process. Around the same time, she observed newfound opportunities in Toronto’s expanding food scene. “When I came to Canada, it was hard to find Mexican ingredients but now it’s easy to get everything you need. It’s incredible,” she says, frequenting shops like Perola’s Supermarket in Kensington Market. In 2014, Herrera helped open not one but two Mexican restaurants on King Street West. The casual El Caballito (elcaballito.ca) offers a crowd-pleasing menu of tequila, margaritas and Mexican street food like guacamole, ceviche and tacos. Upstairs, the upscale Los Colibris (loscolibris.ca) focuses on fine dining and intricate dishes that are a nod to traditional Mexican cuisine. As executive chef, Herrera uses recipes passed down from her mother and grandmother. One of her signature dishes at Los Colibris is the chilies en nogada—pork-stuffed poblano peppers with a walnut cream sauce —painstakingly created using 32 ingredients. It’s authentic to Puebla, and there’s no better place to taste it than in Toronto, a city where homelands old and new mix deliciously.

FOOD AND DRINK

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HEF NICK LIU describes his two-year-old restaurant DaiLo (dailoto.com) as “my story … in a restaurant.” Liu says the College Street restaurant’s menu is an expression of his cultural identity, one that straddles the Chinese-Canadian line. Though his mom hails from South Africa and his dad from India (both are ethnically Chinese), Liu considers himself Chinese-Canadian. “Growing up and going to my grandparents’, we’d always eat Chinese food. But for me and my brother, we loved it when my grandmother made Kraft Dinner—she put hot dogs in it because she read it in a book somewhere—even though she always made it too dry,” he reminisces. Cooking was a natural fit for Liu. “When I first stepped into a kitchen, it felt right,” he says of working under chef Brad Long at 360 The Restaurant at the CN Tower. Under Long’s advice, Liu enrolled at George Brown College’s Hospitality Centre. Upon graduation, Liu spent the next decade and a half working in some of Toronto’s leading restaurants: Scaramouche, Splendido and Niagara Street Café. He also travelled abroad, honing his culinary skills in restaurants in Italy, England and Australia. Through those experiences, Liu found his

DaiLo’s truffle fried rice

niche: “They opened my eyes to the subtleties of French techniques with Asian flavours and ingredients.” Enter DaiLo, which in Cantonese means “big brother” or, in slang, “head of the gang.” Liu bills the menu as “new Asian cuisine, based on my own journey to dive into my own culture and learn about it through food.” The journey has been lifelong, says Liu: “Growing up as a Chinese kid in Markham— before it became predominantly Chinese— we kind of repelled our own culture to fit in and be more white, more ‘Canadian.’ I feel like I missed out, so learning about some of the key dishes of different regions of Asia gave me a stronger connection to my culture, and who I am and where my family has come from.” One signature dish is the truffle fried rice, a traditional Chinese fried rice dish that brings in the French fine-dining flair of truffles, finished with puffed rice for texture. “Egg and truffles is one of the best flavour combinations in the world, so I thought, ‘Why not try it with fried rice?’” explains Liu. It’s that kind of tinkering—taking traditional Asian dishes and incorporating fine-dining technique, local ingredients, and flavours from around the world—that makes DaiLo one of the city’s hottest restaurants.

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Chef Nick Liu Another great example of this is the mapo “doufu” halloumi, a play on the traditional mapo tofu dish, where instead of tofu, he uses halloumi, a Levantine-style cheese from a local dairy, and stir-fries it up with ground pork, grilled scallions, black bean chili sauce, fried chilies and garlic. It’s a global dish that sums up Toronto in every bite.

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TORONTO 2016 • 55

CANADIAN W

HEN RESTAURATEURS and chefs Wayne Morris and Evelyn Wu decided to open Boralia (boraliato.com), they wanted to create a menu that, says Wu, could incorporate flavours of Wayne’s Acadian background and her Chinese upbringing “without being kitschy.” Inspired by her experience working for British chef Heston Blumenthal, who is credited with modernizing traditional British recipes, Wu and partner Morris began looking at Canadian history for culinary inspiration. What they found was lacking, Canada being barely 150 years old, after all. “Toronto has one of the best ethnic-food scenes of any city we’ve lived in,” says Wu. “But people are at a loss when asked about Canadian cuisine and Canadian restaurants that serve things other than the stereotypical poutine and peameal bacon. Everyone knows that Canada is a melting pot of cultures; we wanted to create a menu that would showcase this multiculturalism in the form of flavours.” The duo began delving deeper into Canada’s history from a multicultural perspective. They researched Aboriginal history, including recipes and traditional preparation techniques, as well as recipes from the settlers and immigrants who came after the English and French, specifically those from Poland and China.

Boralia’s menu includes dishes like l’éclade, a recipe that traces back to Samuel de Champlain: pine-smoked mussels come to your table under a glass dome that’s lifted so the smokiness wafts into the air in front of you. The restaurant’s whelk dish is a tribute to the East Coast’s Mi’kmaq Nation, who would fish for whelk (part of the snail family) and use the shell for currency. The whelk are sliced and lightly grilled, served in a whelk shell, under a seaweed beurre blanc, atop a bed of sautéed burdock root and carrot. You’ll also find dishes like chop suey croquettes and perogies, recipes from the 1800s (chop suey is believed to have been invented by West Coast restaurants catering to Chinese railway workers, and perogy recipes were brought by Polish immigrants). Wu sums up that modern take on Canuck cuisine: “Canadian cuisine is the food of the people who built this country. It’s the food of the Aboriginal tribes who know the ins and outs of the indigenous plants. It’s the dishes that the early English and French settlers recreated here and adapted with ingredients they could find in this new land. It’s the flavours of the immigrants that came after them.” Mindful of history yet ever evolving, this type of Canadian cuisine is like Toronto—alive and unlike anything else in the world.

56 • TORONTO 2016 l www.SeeTorontoNow.com

Boralia’s pine-smoked mussels

Chef Wayne Morris

Peoples Eatery seasame noodle bowl

Short orders

Bar Fancy chicken wings

Small-plates cuisine goes casual. By Simone Olivero

Here’s to elevated nibbles and complex culinary masterpieces served up snack size until late. DaiLo Hakka brown wontons

DaiLo Jellyfish Slaw

416 Snack Bar oysters

TAPAS & APERITIVOS The Italians and Spanish practically invented the art of snacking. For classic tapas like jamón Ibérico, patatas bravas and roast bone marrow, Bar Isabel (797 College St.) rightfully occupies one of the top spots in the city with its creative interpretations. On a similar note, Bar Buca (75 Portland St.) serves up Sicilian-style goat-and-ricotta meatballs, soppressata-and-baby-octopus skewers and house-made burrata stuffed with pesto, making every hour aperitivo hour.

CUTLERY-FREE An early adopter, 416 Snack Bar (181 Bathurst St.) opened in 2011, offering small plates that adhere to the resto’s No. 1 rule: no cutlery. Seriously, you won’t find a fork here. Steak tartare, steamed buns and even a salad (Japanese-style with wakame, toasted sesame and miso dressing) are presented as glorified finger food. The same motto goes for its sister restaurant, Peoples Eatery (307 Spadina Ave.). Paying homage to the neighbourhood’s Jewish and Chinese history, the menu features latkes and kibbeh nayeh alongside General Tso tofu and Peking duck.

Bar Buca costolette di manzo

Junked Food Company Smash Bag nachos

ASIAN FUSION

Bar Buca sardella calabrese

Photography: Paula Wilson, Food Stylist: Chantal Payette

Kanpai Snack Bar Cabbage Patch Kids

Taiwanese night market treats are on order at Kanpai Snack Bar (252 Carlton St.), where wok-fried anchovies, fried tofu and gooey pork belly steamed buns pair perfectly with Canadian brews and handcrafted cocktails. At Lopan (503 College St.), DaiLo’s upstairs bar, Asian riffs on North American classics like the Big Mac and KFC chicken are served dim-sum-style until 2 a.m.

CURATED CRAVINGS Junked Food Company waffle sandwich

There’s nothing fancy about the signature Smash Bag nachos from Junked Food Company (1256 Dundas St. W.): they’re prepared right in the Doritos bag with toppings like Dr Pepper pulled pork, dark chocolate chili and mac ’n’ cheese. If fried chicken is more your flavour, Bar Fancy (1070 Queen St. W.) offers a special of $2 fried chicken (and half-price oysters) between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. Plus, “dirty” nachos—complete with a Cheez Whiz–like topping—make the rounds until late.

Bar Fancy olives and pork sausages

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Bar Buca polipo

Kanpai Snack Bar Player Hater

Peoples Eatery grilled short ribs

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food

Savvy sips

Home to 17,000 acres of vineland and responsible for about 75 percent of all Canadian wines, Ontario is the nation’s preeminent wine region. And it’s booming: since 2009, the number of wineries in the province has grown from 133 to 200. For insight into the local terroir, we chatted with Ricardo Chico, wine director and general manager of Cibo Wine Bar on King Street West. Cibo’s three Toronto locations are among the city’s best places to sip, sample and quaff.

Why Ontario wines are making a splash in city restos. By Dee Brun

What goes into creating a restaurant wine list? I consider price, quality, rarity, diversity in taste and how the wines suit the overall experience: you’re trying to give options and represent all major wine regions. Each region must have an entry-level wine, a mid-range one with more complexity and value, and a higher-end option that’s the region’s best example. Ontario wines have all three—great sipping wines from most producers in our growing regions. Cool-climate viticulture is ideal for higher acidity, fruit forwardness and minerality, which make Ontario wines perfect for food pairings.

What is your approach at Cibo Wine Bar? I try to be approachable and honest. I never want the customers to be afraid to ask for something “off the menu.” I try to stock fun bottles that will fit every customer’s taste and budget.

How do you feel about Ontario wines and wineries? I am a huge fan and feel that we all need to be wine tourists in our own backyards. The soil composition and cool climate of Niagara and Prince Edward County are ideal for the many great varietals that grow here. Rieslings and Cabernet Francs really flourish in Ontario.

Ricardo gave us his top three Ontario wineries worth visiting in person—and their signature bottles. Norman Hardie Winery, Wellington

Wine director and general manager Ricardo Chico shows off Cibo Wine Bar’s 2,500-strong, 20-feet-tall wine cellar while wine angel, Laura Darby selects the perfect vintage for a client.

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Photography: Geoff Fitzgerald

Renowned for its Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays

Cave Spring Cellars, Jordan

Renowned for its Rieslings

Tawse Winery, Vineland Renowned for its Pinot Noirs and Cabernet Francs

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Get your fix with these 24 suggestions to eat around the clock. By Ernie Ourique

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MIDNIGHT Goldstone Noodle Restaurant (266 Spadina Ave.). NOON Kinton Ramen (51 Baldwin St.). Japanese Midnight Late-night BBQ duck and mango shakes beckon. noodles are even better with gyoza and kimchee. 1 A.M. Weslodge Saloon (480 King St. W.). Crispy pig’s ears and 1 P.M. Perola’s Supermarket (247 Augusta Ave.). thrice-cooked fries fuel the party at this see-and-be-seen bar. Latin American empanadas washed down with Mexican Coke—yum! 2 A.M. The Thompson Diner (550 Wellington St. W.). Now’s the perfect time 2 P.M. Carousel Bakery (93 Front St. E.). The classic peameal bacon sandwich for buttermilk fried chicken, right? is pure Canadiana. 3 A.M. The Lakeview Restaurant (1132 Dundas St. W.). With its 24-hour 3 P.M. Bar Ape. Follow @Bar_Ape for the gelato truck’s location and daily flaves. brunch and milkshake menu, The Lakeview is a late-night institution. 4 P.M. Hot dog carts. Polish sausage, spicy Italian and veggie are Toronto 4 A.M. Owl of Minerva (5324 Yonge St.). Korean bulgogi and bibimbap are the twists on a street classic. perfect fuel for a madcap, non-stop night. 5 P.M. Bangkok Garden (18 Elm St.). Feast on traditional Thai just a stone’s 5 A.M. 7 West (7 Charles St. W.). Pita pizzas, pastas and salads: any time of day throw from Yonge-Dundas Square. or night, 365 and 24/7! 6 P.M. 360 The Restaurant at the CN Tower (301 Front St. W.). An inspired 6 A.M. Fran’s Restaurant & Bar (20 College St.). All-day breakfast to start the menu and 9,000-bottle wine cellar make it a culinary landmark. workday… or cap an epic night out. 7 P.M. Skin + Bones (980 Queen St. E.). Trust the chef and choose the 7 A.M. Sunset Grill (1 Richmond St. W.). Eggy delights like omelettes, eggs four-course tasting menu at this Leslieville locavore hot spot. Benny and Florentine arrive promptly at this biz-district diner. 8 P.M. Momofuku Noodle Bar (190 University Ave., ground floor). This popular 8 A.M. Bonjour Brioche (812 Queen St. E.). Locals credit this quaint Riverside ramen resto’s surprising hit is the group dinner: a by-reservation-only duo of fried bakery and café with the best baguettes this side of the Right Bank. chicken—one Korean-style, the other Southern—with all the fixings. 9 A.M. Easy Restaurant (1645 Queen St. W.). This Parkdale brunch spot has a 9 P.M. Drake Hotel (1150 Queen St. W.). Charcuterie and cocktails now, laid-back vibe and killer coffee. dancing after. (Or is it the other way around?) 10 A.M. Mitzi’s Café (100 Sorauren Ave.). This neighbourhood café serves up 10 P.M. Caffé Demetre (400 Danforth Ave.). Scarf down artsy sweets and succulent French toast on a tree-shaded patio. coffee-based bevvies at this GreekTown dessert bar. 11 A.M. Emma’s Country Kitchen (1108 St. Clair W.). If 11 a.m. feels too early 11 P.M. Pravda Vodka Bar (44 Wellington St. E.). Late-night caviar, vodka and to eat, order the “hangover helper” burger. cherry perogies, served to DJ beats.

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TORONTO 2016 • 61

With more than 80 craft breweries in the Greater Toronto Area, locals and visitors have plenty of options when it comes to raising a cheer (and enjoying a bite). Need ideas? We asked three of the city’s top brewmasters for their fave craft brew spots and food-beer pairings.

Brewer’s choice The experts weigh in on the best places to enjoy their beer. By Karen Burshein

“Bar Volo (barvolo.com) serves our farmhouse ales, which I like to pair with their incredible charcuterie platter. Bar Hop (barhopbar.com) is another fine local spot. It has a fairly changing menu but always pairs beer with food very well. I’d recommend our Starke Pilsner with any of the daily pies.” – Iain McOustra, brewmaster at Amsterdam Brewery since 2013

“Against the Grain (atgurbantavern.ca) is a great craft beer gastropub. The flatbreads and pulled pork are designed to go with beer. C’est What (cestwhat.com) carries our specialty brews and more obscure beers, with a great rotating tap. Junction Craft Brewing (junctioncraftbrewing.com) is another great drinking place. I also like Opera Bob’s Public House (operabobspublichouse. com) for bar food and local beer. And try our 100th Meridian beer, which will just make you happy, at The Beer Hall at Mill Street Brew Pub (beerhall.millstreetbrewpub.ca) in The Distillery Historic District—our home and one of Toronto’s best beer patios. – Joel Manning, brewmaster at Mill St. Brewery since 2005

Photography: Paula Wilson

“I’d recommend Bier Markt (thebiermarkt. com). They serve the kind of food I like best with our premium Canadian Pilsner: charcuterie boards, cheese plates and European comfort food like schnitzel.” – Marek Mikunda, master brewer at Steam Whistle Brewing

62 • TORONTO 2016 l www.SeeTorontoNow.com

360 Restaurant is one of Canada’s finest dining destinations, located atop the iconic CN Tower in Toronto. Featuring spectacular 360-degree views of the city and an inventive, Canadian sourced, seasonal menu, 360 Restaurant is an inspiring gastronomic experience in an unsurpassed setting. 360 boasts an extensive array of wines from Canada and around the world, with over 550 labels from its innovative cellar in the sky. Reserve the ultimate dining experience cntower.ca/360 • 416-362-5411 Discover great event options at the CN Tower sales@cntower.ca • 416-601-4718

Please note that elevation to 360 Restaurant and access to the LookOut and Glass Floor levels of the CN Tower, following your meal, are complimentary with the purchase of a prix fixe by each guest. Gift certificates available.

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compass Scarborough Bluffs This spectacular 15-km (9.3 mile) stretch of linked waterfront parks is a landmark worth exploring. The surrounding Scarborough area is a cosmopolitan food lover’s dream, with eateries offering everything from Lebanese to Filipino, Sri Lankan and Persian food. Explore local history at Scarborough Museum, marvel at the Guild Park and Gardens’ quirky sculpture park, or visit the 47-sq-km (18-sq-mile) Rouge Park, recently designated Canada’s first National Urban Park, which encompasses First Nations archeological sites and 1,700 plant and animal species.

Go local Eating, shopping & other cool things to do in Toronto’s diverse neighbourhoods. By Jane L. Thompson With additional research by Sarah B. Hood

Toronto-Dominion Centre

No matter where you are in and around Toronto, you’ll find safe, walkable neighbourhoods and convenient transit links (not to mention a growing network of bike facilities) that make it easy to play it by ear, strolling, snacking and shopping wherever you feel the urge. Here’s a starter list of places to visit—complete with some foolproof Instagrammable locations!

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compass Harbour Sixty Steakhouse For serious steak aficionados, fine dining in a historic Harbour Commission Building with a prodigious wine list of more than 1,000 offerings. 60 Harbour St., 416-777-2111, harboursixty.com Epic at The Fairmont Royal York Hotel Best to reserve for this award-winning dining room, with its exemplary farm-to-fork menu. 100 Front St. W., 416-860-6949, epicrestaurant.ca

SHOP Bay of Spirits Gallery Buy a gift or invest in a piece of Aboriginal art at this gallery that presents everything from dream catchers and talking sticks to paintings and sculpture from artists and craftspeople of Haida, Iroquois, Ojibway and Inuit heritage. 156 Front St. W., 416-971-5190, bayofspirits.com Gotstyle The Menswear Store These hip clothiers are casual downstairs; upstairs, a high-style men’s wedding boutique. 21 Trinity St., in The Distillery Historic District at 55 Mill St., 416-260-9696, gotstylemenswear.com

SEE

The Distillery Historic District

Old Town + The Distillery Historic District MEET THE NEIGHBOURS Many of Toronto’s historic buildings now accommodate the needs of urban sophisticates. Union Station, St. Lawrence Market, The Esplanade and The Distillery Historic District cater to lovers of food and culture. King and Sherbourne is the centre for condo-sized furniture and more elaborate décor pieces. The Distillery has galleries, restaurants, chocolate, clothes and more.

King St.

Old Town

Berkley St. Parliament St.

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Jarvis St.

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Best routes: Begin at St. Lawrence Market (Front Street East at Jarvis), then stroll east to Parliament before turning south toward Mill Street and The Distillery Historic District.

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St. Lawrence The Esplanade Market Lake Shore Blvd. Queens

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Cluny Bistro A playful spin on classic French cuisine in artfully redesigned historic surroundings. 35 Tank House Lane, in The Distillery Historic District at 55 Mill St., 416-203-2632, clunybistro.com Fisherman’s Wharf Lighthouse Recently relocated, a dependable and reasonably priced seafood restaurant serving classics like bouillabaisse and Coquille St. Jacques. 97 Church St., 416-364-1344, fishermanswharf-toronto.com

Sony Centre for the Performing Arts This palatial centre hosts major theatre, dance, music, comedy and kids’ productions, like Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (March 2016). 1 Front St. E., 855-872-SONY (7669), sonycentre.ca

The Sultan’s Tent & Café Moroc The scents and spices of North African cuisine served amid decorative opulence that evokes Berber splendour. 49 Front St. E., 416-961-0601, thesultanstent.com

Segway of Ontario Tour The Distillery Historic District the fun way: on a two-wheeled, self-stabilizing Segway scooter. 30 Gristmill Lane, in The Distillery Historic District at 55 Mill St., 416-642-0008, segwayofontario.com

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EAT Bindia Indian Bistro  Fresh contemporary Indian food for eat-in or takeout.16 Market St., 416-863-0000, bindia.ca

St. Lawrence Market  Named the world’s best food market by National Geographic, it has more than 100 food vendors, a Saturday farmers’ market and a Sunday antiques market in the north building. 92–95 Front St. E., 416-392-7219, stlawrencemarket.com

Eas

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The Distillery Historic District

Gooderham Building (a.k.a. the Flatiron Building) Stand on the traffic island at the intersection of Front Street East and Church Street to catch the building’s narrow end dead centre and include the two skyscrapers directly behind it. Then walk behind the building to Berczy Park and shoot the building’s wider end, with its multi-storey trompe l’oeil mural. 49 Wellington St. E., 416-392-1975, toronto.ca

denotes subway station

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TORONTO 2016 • 67

compass Yuk Yuk’s Comedy Club Toronto’s top standup comedy venue has helped launch the careers of comics like Howie Mandel, Jim Carrey, Rick Moranis and Russell Peters. 224 Richmond St. W., 416-967-6425, yukyuks.com

Canyon Creek Chop House Great for groups: the downtown edition of a classy but casual chain dishing up steaks, burgers, tacos, wraps, salads and cocktails. 156 Front St. W., 416-596-2240, canyoncreekrestaurant.ca

SHOP

King Street West

Entertainment District MEET THE NEIGHBOURS Nightclubs, theatres and cinemas make this area jump, along with such key tourism venues as the CN Tower, Steam Whistle Brewing, Rogers Centre, Air Canada Centre, Roy Thomson Hall and Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada.

Front St. W.

Best routes: King Street West between University Avenue and Spadina Avenue for theatres and restaurants; Richmond Street West between Spadina Avenue and Simcoe Street for nightclubs. Church St.

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Entertainment District

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EAT Blowfish Restaurant & Sake Bar The club crowd congregates for luxe sushi and cocktails at this tony restolounge. 668 King St. W., 416-860-0606, blowfishrestaurant.com

 Luckee Restaurant and Bar Internationally known Toronto chef Susur Lee’s latest project features his own Nouvelle Chinoise take on the classic cuisines of China’s Guangzhou, Hunan, Shanghai and Szechuan districts. 328 Wellington St. W., 416-935-0400, luckeerestaurant.com

CN Tower Gift Shop Souvenirs from classic to clever, including clothing, jewellery, crafts and edibles, with a few of Canada’s favourite furry creatures standing guard. 301 Front St. W., 416-868-6937, cntower.ca Toronto Antiques on King Unique discoveries from Victoriana to mid-century modern at this 6,000-squarefoot temple of vintage charm. 284 King St. W., 416-260-9057, torontoantiquesonking.com Umbra Flagship Store  This multi-level pink palace is dedicated to affordable home design: take home the work of industrial designers like Karim Rashid that’s also featured in major museums. 165 John St., 416-599-0088, umbra.com

SEE Real Sports Apparel This 10,000-square-foot shrine to sports offers jerseys, caps, jackets and more. Air Canada Centre, Gate 1, 40 Bay St., 416-815-5746, realsports.ca TIFF Bell Lightbox Home to the Toronto International Film Festival, it has five cinemas and two casual restaurants. 350 King St. W., 416-968-3456, tiff.net Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada The new aquarium houses a 660,000-gallon shark tank in the Dangerous Lagoon, bringing you nose to gill with incredible 12-foot-long sand tiger sharks. 288 Bremner Blvd., 647-351-FISH (3474), ripleyaquariums.com/canada

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SNAP THIS  CN Tower Some of the best views of the iconic tower, the adjacent Rogers Centre and the skyline are from the Toronto Islands, across the Inner Harbour, but if you keep an eye out, you may see it framed in an interesting way from almost anywhere in the downtown core. Watch for nighttime illuminations, like red and white for Canada Day and rainbow colours for Pride celebrations. 301 Front St. W., 416-868-6937, cntower.ca

The Second City If you’re looking for sketch comedy, improv and lots of drinks to help keep the laughs coming, you’re in the right place. 51 Mercer St., 416-343-0011, secondcity.com Canada’s Walk of Fame Stroll Canada’s Walk of Fame and snap photos of tiles dedicated to Canadian pioneers from all walks of life, from heroes like Terry Fox to music legends like Oscar Peterson to pop culture stars like Pamela Anderson and Sandra Oh. Along King Street West between John Street and Simcoe Street Steam Whistle Brewing and Roundhouse Park A former railway roundhouse hosts the Toronto Railway Museum, with full-sized rail cars, a mini-railway and a preserved CPR station, as well as Steam Whistle Brewing, where you can sample organic beer and tour the brewery. 255 Bremner Blvd., 416-214-9229, 416-362-2337, trha.ca, steamwhistle.ca Roy Thomson Hall  The home of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra also hosts numerous high-profile classical and jazz concerts, appearances by notable speakers, and Toronto International Film Festival events. 60 Simcoe St., 416-872-4255, roythomson.com

Photography: Clifton Li (King Street West), Michelle Wright (CN Tower)

Buonanotte House-made pastas and wood-fired pizza, with a lively nighttime club scene. 19 Mercer St., 416-599-7246, buonanotte.com

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The Mink Mile Dupont Ave.

Yorkville + The Annex

EAT Blu Ristorante & Lounge Contemporary décor in a Victorian building; this elegant spot draws raves for its exquisitely cooked traditional Italian dishes. 17A Yorkville Ave., 416-921-1471, bluristorante.com Il Posto A long-established favourite with genuine Yorkville flair, serving fine Italian fare. Save room for the extensive list of indulgent house-made desserts. 148 Yorkville Ave., 416-968-0469, ilposto.ca

 ONE Restaurant Food by local star chef Mark McEwan and décor by Yabu Pushelberg: perfect for business lunches or cocktails. 116 Yorkville Ave., 416-961-9600, one.mcewangroup.ca Southern Accent Cajun, Creole and Soul Restaurant Andouille sausage and jambalaya rule at this New Orleans–style restaurant that’s so authentic it has its own in-house psychics. 595 Markham St., 416-536-3211, southernaccent.com

Mistura Chef Massimo Capra of TV’s Restaurant Makeover oversees this fine Italian kitchen with an event space (Sopra) upstairs. 265 Davenport Rd., 416-515-0009, mistura.ca

SHOP Mayberry Fine Art For more than 40 years, this has been the place to view and shop for important historical and contemporary Canadian art. 110 Yorkville Ave., 416-923-9275, mayberryfineart.com

 La Casa del Habano The home of fine tobacco and cigars. 113 Yorkville Ave., 416-926-9066, lacasadelhabano.ca Jeanne Lottie Fashion Inc. The pink Victorian house showcases designer Jane Ip’s colourful, affordable, original handbags. 32 Scollard St., 416-975-5115, jeannelottie.com

Yorkville Ave. Cumberland St. Bloor St. E.

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historical statues and monuments. Avenue Road at Queen’s Park Circle North Royal Ontario Museum The photogenic Michael Lee-Chin Crystal is the entryway to an exciting world of dinosaurs, armour, ancient artifacts, historic costumes and major touring exhibits. 100 Queen’s Park, 416-586-8000, rom.on.ca Honest Ed’s The late beloved Toronto businessman “Honest Ed” Mirvish opened his iconic bargain warehouse, festooned with lights and humorous sayings, in 1948. This is the last chance to see Canada’s kitschiest storefront before its scheduled closing in December 2016. 581 Bloor St. W., 416-537-1574, mirvish.com/honesteds

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Yorkville Village The upscale Hazelton Lanes mall has been reimagined, renamed and expanded. Anchored by Whole Foods and Equinox Health Club, it now embraces several buildings grouped around the original space with its sunlit central atrium. 87 Avenue Rd., 416-968-8680, yorkvillevillage.com

DID YOU KNOW…

The stretch of Bloor Street West between University Avenue and Yonge Street is known as the Mink Mile for its high-end luxury shopping. Boutiques calling the Mink Mile home include Tiffany & Co., Gucci, Hermès, Harry Rosen, Holt Renfrew, Chanel and Louis Vuitton.

Yorkville

Bloor St. W.

Harbord St.

Best routes: Start strolling at Bloor and Bay’s Mink Mile; turn north, heading toward Cumberland and Yorkville for shopping. To visit The Annex and the University of Toronto, head back to Bloor, walking west toward St. George and beyond to Spadina. Continue to Bathurst and Bloor for Mirvish Village.

Hazelton Ave.

Avenue Rd.

St. George St.

Spadina Ave.

Bathurst St.

Brunswick Ave.

inhabited by power brokers and visiting celebs. For luxury shopping, visit Bay and Bloor, Holt Renfrew, Yorkville Village and the surrounding boutiques of Yorkville; Mirvish Village on Markham is known for one-of-a-kind specialty stores, art galleries, jewellery, DVDs and comics.

Markham St.

MEET THE NEIGHBOURS Home to the elite of the 1870s and the hippies of the 1960s, this area encompasses The Annex, Yorkville, the University of Toronto and the Mink Mile. It’s known for its museums and Victorian homes, as well as commercial office towers, luxury hotels and condos

Davenport Rd.

The Annex

SEE Queen’s Park The parkland and grounds surrounding the Ontario Legislative Building house more than a dozen

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Bata Shoe Museum Not your average shoebox, this unique, angular, contemporary building shows well from directly across Bloor Street or even from the far corner of Bloor and St. George. 327 Bloor St. W., 416-979-7799, batashoemuseum.ca

TORONTO 2016 • 69

compass SHOP The Wine Shop  Looking to experience the best of Ontario’s terroir? Sign up for a tasting or shop for a range of award-winning wines, including exquisite icewines— a local specialty. 228 Queens Quay W., 416-598-8880, thewineshops.com Centre Shop Browse this shop for unique and surprising contemporary crafts and design, including items for creative kids. Harbourfront Centre, 235 Queens Quay W., 416-973-4993, harbourfrontcentre.com/centreshop Queens Quay

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Jarvis St.

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EAT Aria Ristorante Exceptional wines and fine Italian fare abound in an elegant contemporary urban setting. 25 York St., 416-363-2742, ariaristorante.ca Cabana Pool Bar Beautiful bathers soak in the Miami vibe while playing volleyball, dancing, dining or sunbathing. Private cabanas with bottle service attract celebs such as Justin Bieber and Deadmau5. 11 Polson St., 416-479-7645, cabanapoolbar.com Carousel Café & Toronto Island BBQ and Beer Co. Two licensed eateries serving seasonal sit-down fare. Centre Island, Carousel Café, 416-203-0405, Toronto Island BBQ, 416-234-2345, centreisland.ca/foodanddrink

Waterfront + Islands

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Queens Island Ferry Dock rd Wa

Toronto Island Airport

Spadina Ave.

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MEET THE NEIGHBOURS Toronto’s bustling 19th-century Great Lakes shipping port is being dramatically revitalized and opened for public use. The stunning new Water’s Edge Promenade links innovative parks, shoreline amenities, cultural centres and quirky installations like the popular and photogenic pedestrian WaveDecks and the permanent pink beach umbrellas of Sugar Beach. To escape the confines of the city, people also head to the Toronto Islands, where 650 residents forgo a car for a ferry and live a cottage-like existence. Best routes: Walk or bike the Martin Goodman Trail from the Humber Bridge in the west to the Rouge River in the east. Or head to Centre Island, with its grassy parkland, marinas and rental kayaks. To get away from it all, hit sleepy Ward’s Island.

Pearl Harbourfront Restaurant Find great Chinese food here, especially the Peking duck and dim sum. Queens Quay Terminal, 207 Queens Quay W., Second Floor, 416-203-1233, pearlharbourfront.ca The Rectory Café Open all year (check seasonal hours), this quaint island café is known for its house-made sweet baked goods and generous vegetarian options. Ward’s Island, 102 Lakeshore Ave., 416-203-2152, therectorycafe.com

SEE Harbourfront Centre A four-hectare (10-acre) site dedicated to arts and cultural programming, like the World Stage theatre festival, NextSteps dance series, free outdoor food and culture festivals, and The Power Plant, Canada’s leading public gallery of contemporary visual art. 235 Queens Quay W., 416-973-4000, harbourfrontcentre.com Mariposa Cruises  Six vessels ply the lake with harbour tours and dinner cruises. 207 Queens Quay W., Pier 6, 416-203-0178, mariposacruises.com HTO Park A playful (and photogenic) urban beach with permanent yellow umbrellas and Muskoka chairs. 339 Queens Quay W., toronto.ca Fort York National Historic Site With its stunning new visitor’s centre, Canada’s largest collection of original War of 1812 buildings presents historic exhibits, plus a living history portrayed by costumed interpreters. 250 Fort York Blvd., 416-392-6907, fortyork.ca Centreville Amusement Park The Haunted Barrel Works, 1907 antique carousel and Centreville Train are standouts at this children’s amusement park, a perennial favourite. Centre Island, Avenue of the Island, 416-203-0405, centreisland.ca/centreville Redpath Sugar Museum Find out about the history of sugar and the Redpath family business at the refinery, where boats unload raw sugar for processing. 95 Queens Quay E., 416-366-3561 (call ahead), redpathsugar.com

DID YOU KNOW…

 Amsterdam BrewHouse

The newest outlet for this respected craft brewery serves tried-and-true favourites and seasonal novelties to complement a beer-themed menu. And, yes, you can buy beer to take away. 245 Queens Quay W., 416-504-1020, amsterdambrewhouse.com

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The Toronto Music Garden was designed by internationally acclaimed cellist Yo-Yo Ma and landscape designer Julie Moir Messerv to be a “landscape reflection” of Bach’s “Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007.” 479 Queens Quay W., harbourfrontcentre.com

Photography: Waterfront Toronto (Queens Quay), Derrick Wee (Amsterdam BrewHouse)

Waterfront + Islands

compass SHOP Getoutside The source for boots and classic kicks, including Converse, Hunter, Frye and more. 437 Queen St. W., 416-593-5598, getoutsideshoes.com Goorin Bros. Hat Shop è Whether you favour the Indiana Jones fedora or the Walter White pork pie, Goorin has a classic hat for you. 320 Queen St. W., 416-408-4287, goorin.com

EAT Nota Bene This fine-dining spot is renowned for its fresh take on Canadian cuisine, with many international influences. 180 Queen St. W., 416-977-6400, notabenerestaurant.com The Citizen Eclectic comfort-food snacks, sandwiches, BBQ and burgers accompany house cocktails that echo the manly ’30s décor. 522 King St. W., 416-703-2800, thecitizento.com

West Queen Street West

Queen West + King West + Liberty Village

The Drake The hip Drake kitchen supplies food and drinks that are in season and on trend to all its spaces, from the ritzy ground-floor Lounge to the bohemian rooftop Sky Yard. 1150 Queen St. W., 416-531-5042, thedrakehotel.ca ç Mildred’s Temple Kitchen Upscale comfort food and a commitment to local producers draw families for brunch, and friends and colleagues for dinner and lunch. 85 Hanna Ave., Unit 104, 416-588-5695, templekitchen.com

MEET THE NEIGHBOURS The 18th-century military garrison and 19th-century manufacturing shaped this district, where designers, tech professionals and media types now congregate in hip lounges, brunch queues, art galleries and industrial-chic décor stores. Immigration has created vibrant residential quarters like Little Italy and Little Portugal, which, along with Trinity Bellwoods and Ossington, are rich in independent cafés, restaurants and shops. It’s no surprise that Vogue magazine ranked West Queen Street West as the second-hippest district in the world. For home furnishings and indie boutiques, wander Queen between Bathurst Street and Ossington Avenue. Or head south to Liberty Village for The Shops at Liberty Market Building, off Hanna Avenue, south of King Street West. Best routes: Start at College and Bathurst in Little Italy, then head south down Grace Street to Trinity Bellwoods Park. Stroll through the park to exit onto Queen Street West. Two options: Walk east toward Spadina or head southwest to Liberty Village (King Street West and Atlantic Avenue).

309 Dhaba Indian Excellence Enjoy gently upscale Indian cuisine featuring local ingredients in a recently redesigned room. 309 King St. W., 416-740-6622, dhaba.ca Marcel’s & Le Saint Tropez è Downstairs, a Provençal bistro (Le Saint Tropez), with bouillabaisse and live cabaret tunes; upstairs, fine French fare at Marcel’s. 315 King St. W., 416-591-8600, marcels.com

Spacing Store Spacing, a magazine that promotes the merits of public spaces, has opened a retail outlet that offers all kinds of items celebrating Toronto and other Canadian cities. 401 Richmond St. W., 416-644-1017, spacing.com Stylegarage One of the city’s top sources of locally designed and built home furnishings, this chic boutique is loved by condo and loft dwellers for its contemporary flair. 78 Ossington Ave, 416-534-4343, stylegarage.com

SEE Perpetual Motion sculpture This giant corkscrew-like sculpture by Chilean artist Francisco Gazitua was inspired by machines that reflect Liberty Village’s industrial heritage. Liberty Park, 70 East Liberty St. Graffiti Alley è Treat your eyes to the visual splendour of Graffiti Alley, where colourful street-art murals flourish in this back lane behind Queen West. Rush Lane, known as Graffiti Alley, is the backdrop to Rick Mercer’s streetside rants on The Mercer Report. South of Queen Street West from Spadina Avenue to Portland Street, beginning at 1 Rush Ln.

Liberty St.

Liberty Village

East Liberty St.

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Bathurst St. Queen St. W.

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Portland St.

Manning Ave.

Dundas St. W.

Niagara St.

Strachan Ave.

Queen West

Queen St. W.

Atlantic Ave.

Photography: goorin.com (hat)

Argyle St.

King St. W.

Grace St.

Crawford Ave.

Trinity Bellwooods Park

Ossington Ave.

Gladstone Ave.

Dovercourt Rd.

College St.

CP24 “Breaking News” Van The heritage building at Queen and John streets was built in 1913, but it has housed media production facilities since the ’80s. Now, as the headquarters of Bell Media, it features a CP24 television news van “crashing” through a wall into mid-air. For the best angle, cross the street and walk east to a point about halfway between the entrance to St. Patrick Square and McCaul Street. 299 Queen St. W., muchmusic.com

Niagara St.

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DID YOU KNOW… The Canada Life building’s illuminated tower is a weather beacon. It’s solid green for a fair-weather forecast, flashing white for snow, flashing red for rain and solid red for cloudy. The lights flash in sequence up or down to show a slowly rising, fast-rising, slowly dropping or rapidly dropping temperature. 330 University Ave., sunlife.ca

Downtown Core MEET THE NEIGHBOURS High finance and overtime may drive this area, but for many, it’s the heart of Toronto. City Hall, the Financial District, the Yonge Street strip, Yonge-Dundas Square and Union Station are all anchors of the downtown core. Brokers, bankers, lawyers, students and thousands of office workers keep this district hopping during daylight hours, while singles and couples are active at night, taking in movies, theatre and shopping. The Toronto Eaton Centre is the country’s best-known mall, but equally impressive is the PATH system, the world’s largest underground shopping complex, which connects most of the downtown towers with more than 1,200 shops and services.

EAT Bravi Ristorante Hearty Tuscan cuisine in an elegant setting. 40 Wellington St. E., 416-368-9030, bravi.ca Signs Restaurant Staffed by deaf community members, Signs lets guests try out their American Sign Language skills to order (with the help of a cheat sheet). 558 Yonge St., 647-350-7446, signsrestaurant.ca The Senator Restaurant Classic diner serving burgers made from locally raised beef, plus house-smoked salmon, handmade sauces and signature crab cakes. 249 Victoria St., 416-364-7517, thesenator.com

Best routes: Begin at Yonge-Dundas Square and head south on Yonge Street, then west on Queen to University Avenue, south on University to King Street West and back east to finish at Yonge.

Jazz Bistro  Listen to top jazz acts while noshing on bistro and brunch fare. 251 Victoria St., 416-363-5299, jazzbistro.ca Reds Midtown Tavern A new, second location of the downtown business crowd’s destination for serious wine and cocktails. 382 Yonge St., 416-598-3535, redsmidtowntavern.com The Shore Club Sumptuous steak and seafood restaurant and cocktail bar. 155 Wellington St. W., 416-351-3311, theshoreclub.ca

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Allan Gardens Conservatory A favourite with wedding parties, this romantic Victorian greenhouse, with its cast-iron-andglass domes, is as lovely inside as it is out. The most striking angle is the straight-on front view from a good distance along the central entrance path. (Bonus shot: The dog area at the north end of the park features surreal giant multicoloured dog sculptures!) 19 Horticultural Ave., 416-392-2489, toronto.ca

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Rock ’n’ Horse Saloon The place for bull riding, buttermilk fried chicken and margaritas, featuring a rooftop patio with a sensational view. 250 Adelaide St. W., 647-344-1234, rocknhorsesaloon.com Bangkok Garden Spacious, lovely and authentic Thai restaurant with a lunchtime buffet. 18 Elm St., 416-977-6748, bangkokgarden.ca

SHOP Toronto Eaton Centre  Shopaholics, unite! Here, you’ll find more than 235 stores and services, including WilliamsSonoma, Michael Kors, Stuart Weitzman and J.Crew. 220 Yonge St., 416-598-8560, torontoeatoncentre.com Hudson’s Bay Queen Street The iconic and eclectic multi-level department store with roots in the fur trade boasts the first Canadian location for the opulent Brooklyn wedding shop Kleinfeld Bridal (of Say Yes to the Dress fame) and a Saks Fifth Avenue store (opening February 2016). 176 Yonge St., 416-861-9111, thebay.com

SEE Yonge-Dundas Square This public square is busy all day, thanks to its free Wi-Fi, tables and umbrellas. It’s also home to free concerts, films and special events. Southeast corner of Yonge and Dundas streets Sir John A. MacDonald Plaza (formerly Union Station Plaza) The new-and-improved plaza is not just a commuter hub. With its summer food market and restored circa-1927 heritage clock, it’s a destination in its own right. Front Street between University and Bay Streets

Photography: Henry Lee (Downtown Core)

Queen Street West and Yonge Street

compass SEE Kensington Market è This historic neighbourhood is an eclectic shopping and dining zone, as well as a vibrant bohemian culture magnet, especially during its monthly summertime Pedestrian Sundays and the December Winter Solstice Festival. West of Spadina Avenue between College Street and Dundas Street West, kensington-market.ca Art Gallery of Ontario The city’s top art gallery, with its spectacular remake by Frank Gehry, is especially noteworthy for Canadian, African, Oceanic and contemporary art, 17th-century Dutch and Italian work, and 19th-century French painting. 317 Dundas St. W., 416-979-6648, ago.net

Chinatown

Chinatown + Kensington Market + AGO District

Chinatown

Dundas St. W. Sullivan St.

Photography: Clifton Li (Kensington Market)

Rosewood Chinese Cuisine Above Chinatown’s bustle, the hearty dim sum dumplings circulated on trolleys please big groups on a budget. 463 Dundas St. W., 416-593-9988, rosewoodchinesecuisine.ca Torito Tapas Bar Chef Luis Valenzuela unleashes his dual passions for traditional Spanish cuisine and sustainability with fresh ingredients, including imported chorizo sausage, serrano ham and Manchego cheese. 276 Augusta Ave., 416-961-7373, toritotapasbar.com

George Brown House A great example of Ontario’s Second Empire–style architecture and home to a father of Canadian Confederation and a newspaper editor. 186 Beverley St., heritagetrust.on.ca

AGO

Phoebe St.

Best routes: For inexpensive shopping, head to Dundas and Spadina and Kensington Market; for clothing boutiques, check out Queen West at Soho.

EAT

Baldwin St. McCaul St.

Kensington Ave.

Baldwin St.

Beverley St.

Huron St.

Kensington Market

Spadina Ave.

A vital commercial district, this is where you’ll find art students chatting over cheap eats, expats stocking up on foods from home, and a mix of local condo, loft and townhouse dwellers.

Gateway sculptures è Artist Millie Chen created towering red poles with a qilin (which resembles a unicorn), a dragon, a phoenix and a Monkey King to represent the Chinese character for “gateway.” Spadina Avenue just north of Dundas Street West

College St.

Augusta Ave.

MEET THE NEIGHBOURS This culturally dynamic quarter has been home to the generations of Chinese, eastern European, Jewish, Caribbean, Latin American and Vietnamese immigrants who transformed Toronto into the diverse city it is today. Encompassing Kensington Market, Chinatown and Queen Street West, this area is known for everything from international produce and discount goods to cutting-edge clothes and blue-chip art.

Grange Park Located in Toronto’s first elite neighbourhood in the early 1800s, the park and its manor have been owned by the Art Gallery of Ontario since 1910. Following the gallery’s dramatic expansion designed by renowned architect Frank Gehry, the park is undergoing a revitalization that will include a great lawn, a play zone and a quiet, shady area. Beverley Street south of Dundas Street West, grangeparktoronto.ca

Queen St. W.

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SHOP ShopAGO è Take home a piece of the Art Gallery of Ontario: stationery, clothing, innovative design, and original artwork to rent or buy. 317 Dundas St. W., 416-979-6610, ago.net/shop Blue Banana Market Crafts, fashion and food at an indoor bazaar infused with Kensington Market’s quirky homegrown creativity and zesty cultural diversity. 250 Augusta Ave., 416-594-6600, bluebananamarket.com

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OCAD University Architect Will Alsop’s exuberantly in-your-face Sharp Centre is the Ontario College of Art and Design University’s unmistakable extension. Straddling the older art-school buildings atop angled candycoloured pillars, the black-and-white box is a bracing hit of contemporary architecture. For the best effect, pick a vantage point—by shooting from the north, you can include the CN Tower in the frame as well—and snap a set of shots over the course of your trip. Its mien changes against white clouds or blue skies and at night. 100 McCaul St., 416-977-6000, ocadu.ca

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compass SHOP Arts Market Browse the wares of more than 120 local indie artists, artisans and craftspeople from Wednesday to Sunday, all under one roof. 1114 Queen St. E., 416-546-8464, artsmarket.ca Good Neighbour A quirky emporium in the former Degrassi TV series production centre. Go for the hipster togs, men’s apothecary, children’s toys and vintage wear, plus Leslieville-themed apparel. 935 Queen St. E., 647-350-0663, goodnbr.com

SEE The Beaches

East Side + The Beaches MEET THE NEIGHBOURS The long-established neighbourhoods of Cabbagetown, GreekTown, Riverdale, Riverside, Leslieville and The Beaches have attracted families and film-industry types with their blend of heritage homes and repurposed warehouses next door to natural beaches, parks and ravines. For shopping, choose The Danforth around Carrot Common for offbeat home and fashion design, Queen Street East around Leslie for vintage and collectibles, and Queen East at Kew Gardens for gifts and souvenirs.

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Woodbine Ave.

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Greenwood Ave.

Pape Ave.

Withrow Park

Carlaw Ave.

Broadview Ave.

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Queen St. E.

Don Valley Parkway

Parliament St.

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Danforth Ave.

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The Beach Kew Gardens

Best routes: From Broadview and Danforth east to Carlaw, then south to Withrow Park for Riverdale; Broadview and Queen East to Jones for Leslieville; the boardwalk in The Beaches, beginning at Kew Gardens, shouldn’t be missed.

Danforth Music Hall Established in 1919, this beautifully restored GreekTown concert hall is an entertainment staple. 147 Danforth Ave., 416-778-8163, thedanforth.com Alexander the Great Fountain The tiny square is a social focal point in the middle of GreekTown. Danforth and Logan avenues, northeast corner Bloor Street Viaduct Built in 1918. Michael Ondaatje portrayed its immigrant workers’ experiences in his novel In the Skin of a Lion. As a legacy of the 2015 Pan Am and Parapan Am Games, the Luminous Veil barrier was fitted with lights that change colour based on the wind, temperature and season. Bloor Street East near Broadview Avenue

King St.

EAT Allen’s Savour exceptional whisky (choose from more than 330 varieties) at this ageless classic. 143 Danforth Ave., 416-463-3086, allens.to Paralía  A high-end taverna with a lake view. Fresh seafood is flown in from Greece. 1681 Lake Shore Blvd. E., 416-6983456, paralia.ca Whistler’s Grille This spacious, laid-back corner restaurant fuels family celebrations, business lunches and neighbourhood sports teams with pasta, pizza, wings and rings. Upstairs, The McNeil Room caters to private functions. 995 Broadview Ave., 416-421-1344, whistlers.ca

Tapas at Embrujo Small, shareable plates highlighting Spanish cured meats and seafood, with live flamenco performances Thursday through Sunday. 97 Danforth Ave., 416-463-8272, tapasatembrujo.com The Forth A spacious multi-floor restaurant and cocktail lounge featuring sustainable local fare, from B.C. shrimp to heirloom vegetables to wild boar. 629 Danforth Ave., 416-465-2629, theforth.ca Magic Oven One location of a small chain that offers local gluten-free, vegan and organic pizza to eat in or take away, along with chicken wings, wraps, pastas and salads. 1450 Danforth Ave., 416-462-0333, magicoven.com Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre A little out of the way, but every facet of Japanese culture is celebrated, demonstrated or exhibited in this spectacular contemporary building whose elements recall traditional Japanese features like lanterns and shoji screens. 6 Garamond Crt., 416-441-2345, jccc.on.ca

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SNAP THIS  Queen Street Viaduct This historical bridge was built in 1911. In the ’90s, it was embellished with artwork by famed Canadian artist Eldon Garnet. It includes a banner atop the span, which reads, “This river I step in is not the river I stand in.” In 2015, stunning illumination was added, making it a vision after dark as well. Queen Street East at the Don Valley Beaches Boardwalk The boardwalk provides many photo ops, but one of our favourites is the white clapboard lifeguard station and tower at Kew-Balmy Beach. Beautiful when captured on a sunny summer day with the city skyline in the distance, it’s even more so with the nostalgia-infused longing of a winter shot, against wind-carved drifts of icy sand and snow. South of Queen Street East between Coxwell Avenue and Silver Birch Avenue

compass EAT Duke of Kent  A comfortable traditional-style English pub populated by locals, rugby players and English expats, with local draft beers. 2315 Yonge St., 416-485-9507, kent.thedukepubs.ca Tabülè Middle Eastern Cuisine This bright, relaxed Lebanese restaurant is named for a signature salad of parsley and bulgur wheat. Elegant Middle Eastern décor touches and nourishing vegetarian options. 2009 Yonge St., 416-483-3747, tabule.ca Mandarin Restaurant A 35-year-old local institution with an all-you-can-eat Chinese, Japanese and Canadian buffet, a salad bar and a sundae bar: truly something for everyone! 2200 Yonge St., 416-486-2222, mandarinrestaurant.com Caffé Demetre One location of a small local chain of luscious dessert cafés serving mouthwatering sundaes, cones, crepes, cakes, pies and Belgian waffles. 188 Eglinton Ave. E., 416-485-4610, caffedemetre.com The former North Toronto railway station (now an LCBO)

Mysteriously Yours Dinner Theatre While dining on a three-course meal, the dinner audience helps unravel a murder mystery enacted before their eyes. 2026 Yonge St., 416-486-7469, 1-800-NOTDEAD (668-3323), mysteriouslyyours.com

MEET THE NEIGHBOURS Home to the elite since the 1800s, today Rosedale, Summerhill, Deer Park and Davisville Village are aspirational addresses where successful downtown financial titans build their domestic retreats. A must for exquisite food is The Markets at Summerhill, which locals call The Five Thieves. Yonge Street from the Rosedale subway north to Woodlawn Avenue is filled with home décor and clothing boutiques. Mount Pleasant at Belsize has collectibles and décor, plus costumes, chocolates and toys. Best routes: Walk north from Yonge Street at Crescent Road to St. Clair, or wander along Mount Pleasant from Davisville to Eglinton. To view majestic homes, stroll Crescent Road and Cluny Drive.

Eglinton Ave. Belsize Dr.

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Mt. Pleasant Cemetery

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Cluny Dr.

St. Clair Ave.

Yonge St.

Mount Pleasant Cemetery There’s nothing morbid about strolling this historic cemetery’s leafy, winding trails, a favourite among in-the-know dog lovers, cyclists and runners. In fact, one of the city’s popular Discovery Trails wends right through it. It’s perfect for autumn leaf photos as well as local colour: headstones are a multi-ethnic mix of motifs such as crosses, Stars of David, dragons and modern art. 375 Mt. Pleasant Rd., 416-485-9129, mountpleasantgroup.com

Rd.

Davisville Ave.

Avenue Rd.

Dufflet Pastries Since the early ’80s, Dufflet Rosenberg has been Toronto’s acknowledged queen of cake. Enjoy her handmade confections whole or by the slice. 2638 Yonge St., 416-484-9080, dufflet.com

Casa Loma Secret passages, towers, stables and sumptuous suites and ballrooms fill this majestic castle built in the early 1900s. Live music nights enhance the experience. Those seeking action amid the splendour should consider the new Escape from the Tower immersive game. 1 Austin Terr., 416-923-1171, casaloma.org

Spadina Ave.

Mabel’s Fables Uptown’s beloved children’s book shop. 662 Mt. Pleasant Rd., 416-322-0438, mabelsfables.com

Midtown

SEE

Bathurst St.

SHOP Tuck Shop Trading Co. Outdoor-inspired quality apparel that celebrates Ontario’s cottage country and Toronto’s neighbourhoods. 1226 Yonge St., 416-859-3566, tuckshopco.com

Midtown

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The arts blossom in Flower City Brampton’s culture scene blooms with excitement. By Sarah B. Hood

Peel Art Gallery, Museum and Archives

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compass CeleBRAMPTON

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Brampton Visit tourismbrampton.ca for more information and attractions.

nce known for its commercial greenhouses, Brampton, nicknamed the Flower City, has blossomed into a thriving arts and cultural centre. Toronto’s neighbour to the west now nurtures the performing and visual arts, film and festivals, local heritage and new digital media.

CULTURAL IMMERSION

With an 870-seat mainstage and a 150-seat secondary space, Studio 2, Brampton’s Rose Theatre (rose theatre.ca) programs a full yearround season of live music, comedy and theatre. The 2016 lineup includes theatre productions like the film-based musical Saturday Night Fever (January) and the successful solo show Trudeau Stories (April), along with internationally known headliners like Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Sharon and Bram, Tom Green and Gowan, and tributes to perennial-favourite rock acts like Queen, Kiss and Rush.

The adjacent Garden Square (brampton.ca) is the site of yearround activities, from summer’s Shakespeare in the Square to New Year’s Eve celebrations. This year it will see an increase in its alreadyexciting roster of events, with the recent completion of upgrades that include a giant video screen, which will add visual spice to live performances and special events. A popular new feature of the Square is Brampton’s Arts Walk of Fame (brampton.ca), a tribute to homegrown stars like comedian Russell Peters, actor-comedian Scott Thompson, novelist Rohinton Mistry, singer-songwriter Keshia Chanté, actors Michael Cera and Scott Lale and painter Jack Reid. Free live concerts and screenings of recent and classic family movies also draw crowds to the city’s cultural hub. On Saturday mornings, Main Street becomes a farmers’ market near the Square. It’s also the epicentre of the annual CeleBRAMPTON and Flower City Parade (June 11, 2016) and Brampton’s own take on the Santa Claus Parade (November 19, 2016), a sparkling nighttime affair. The nearby Peel Art Gallery, Museum and Archives (pama. peelregion.ca)—better known as PAMA—is a vital and multifaceted space housed in historic buildings that once served as a courthouse,

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registry office and jail. PAMA presents contemporary art exhibitions, hosts museum exhibits on topics as wide ranging as geology and fashion, and showcases local history and culture in all its forms. In early 2016, the Art Gallery hosts Stephanie Raymer’s intriguing sculptural installation The Boat of Eternal Return, plus Point of Inspiration, which explores the intersection of inspiration and creation, featuring work by Inuit artist Samuellie Pudlat and Montreal artist Marcelle Ferron. Brampton’s diverse cultural makeup—especially its robust South Asian population—brings a wealth of international programming, particularly in the area of cinema. The city hosts components of the exhilarating combined BMO International Film Festival of South Asia (IFFSA) and BMO Punjabi International Film Festival (PIFF) (May 19 to 23, 2016, pifftoronto .com). The 10-day celebration, which has quickly grown into the largest South Asian film festival in North America, includes international feature film screenings, as well as documentaries and short films, plus a lavish cavalcade of concerts, parties, seminars and workshops across the Greater Toronto Area. The four-year-old Sikh International Film Festival Toronto, a.k.a. SIFFT (sifft.ca), focuses on the Sikh experience in Canada and around

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CAN’T-MISS BRAMPTON ATTRACTIONS 1. Ziplines and treetop climbs are in order at Treetop Trekking (treetoptrekking.com) in the lovely Heart Lake Conservation Area.

Gage Park

the world, with programming at the Rose Theatre. The 20th annual Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival (November 2016, reelasian.com) Turnberry takes place at multiple Golf Club venues, including nearby Richmond Hill. Canada’s largest Asian film festival presents a panoply of contemporary East, South and Southeast Asian film and video, as well as work from the Asian diaspora and related cultural events. A dynamic new addition to the city’s cultural attractions is MakerSpace, Brampton’s Creative Hub at the downtown Four Corners Branch of the Brampton Library (brampton. ca). The city has joined the booming movement of public spaces for hands-on experimentation with technology like 3-D printers, robotics and computer-assisted design software. The MakerSpace is as inviting and as accessible to curious kids and teens as it is to ambitious entrepreneurs hoping to break through with an innovative product. RINKS AND LINKS

You don’t have to go far afield to enjoy nature in Flower City: just try a local park (brampton. ca)! Brampton’s winter wonderland is Gage Park, located at Main and Wellington streets, where visitors and residents make the most of the chilly season by gliding on the picturesque ice path through mature trees, delighting in a holiday light show and enjoying a free New Year’s Eve concert. The park is also the home of annual events such as the Rotary Rib ’n’ Roll (May 27 to 29, 2016, ribnroll.com), a weekend of sizzling BBQ and family entertainment. Donald M. Gordon Chinguacousy Park, in the middle of town, offers an astonishing

2. A 19th-century farmhouse is preserved as a fascinating museum at Historic Bovaird House (bovairdhouse.ca)—with a haunted nursery! The gift array of facilities for active fun: shop offers an enticing year-round tennis, beach volleyball, selection of handmade Historic Bovaird House mini-putt golf, formal gardens, paddlecraftworks; locals eagerly await seasonal teas, historic boats, a petting zoo, a skate park, and a dinners and December’s snow hill for skiing, snowboarding and inner Christmas gift sale.

tubing—just to name a few. Professor’s Lake, a former quarry, is now a spring-fed lake where you can rent canoes, kayaks and other watercraft. It’s a popular haunt for triathletes in training. Claireville Conservation Area draws birdwatchers and horseback riders, while Eldorado Park is a family favourite for its outdoor swimming pool and picnic areas (it also attracted Laurence Fishburne, Hugh Dancy and Scott Thompson for the filming of the gripping TV crime drama Hannibal). Golfers have an embarrassment of riches around Brampton. Lionhead Golf Club and Conference Centre (golflionhead.com) has two courses: the tricky Masters and the downright difficult Legends. The clubhouse at Lionhead underwent a $6-million redesign in 2015 that added Iggy’s, a new 188-seat restaurant with an outdoor patio. The 18 holes at Turnberry Golf Club (turnberrygolf.ca), once a gravel quarry, boast uniquely undulating terrain. Castlemore Golf & Country Club (castlemore.com), reopening after a 2015 closure, presents a deceptively challenging nine holes. Parkshore Golf Club (parkshoregolf.ca) is Ontario’s longest nine-hole course, with six large ponds and a winding creek. Another ninehole course is Peel Village Golf Course (brampton.ca), located in an award-winning wildlife sanctuary. This year, Tourism Brampton (905-8743601, tourismbrampton.ca) celebrates the city’s diverse and flourishing cultural scene with its recently launched Public Art SelfGuided Tour: Discover Brampton’s Artistic Flair, available as a downloadable print file through Tourism Brampton.

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3. There’s always time for shopping, and Bramalea City Centre (bramaleacitycentre.ca) is one of Canada’s largest malls, with more than 300 shops and services, anchored by Sears and Hudson’s Bay. The mall has a free electric vehicle charging station. 4. For three days, the city’s diverse communities go all out to impress “passport”holding visitors at pavilions representing international food, culture, music and dance at Carabram (July 8 to 10, 2016, Carabram carabram.org). 5. Splash down between late May and early September at the recently upgraded Wild Water Kingdom (wildwaterkingdom.com), with its thrilling waterslides and giant wave pool, or drift the day away on the Lazy River. At Dolphin Bay Water Playground, kids won’t want to come out of the water.

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Sports, shops, nature, culture: what’s your favourite reason to visit?

Photography: Brook Tyler (Gage Park), Etobicoke Camera Club (Historic Bovaird House), Malton Women Council (Carabram)

By Janelle Reed With additional research by Sarah B. Hood & Hilary Marchildon

ississauga is Canada’s sixthlargest city, with a population of about 750,000. Residential enclaves include a mix of mature family homes and glittering condos geared to the young-professional set. Lively shops and restaurants flourish, along with unique arts and multicultural events, while the region’s lovely lakefront and rivers offer boating, fishing and other nature-based activities. From August 11 to 14, 2016, Ontario’s best youth athletes will converge here to compete in more than 20 sporting events at the 2016 edition of the biennial Ontario Summer Games. Involving about 3,500 participants, including

the athletes, their coaches and supporters, the Games will turn the spotlight on Mississauga’s wealth of indoor and outdoor sports venues, like Erindale Park, Jack Darling Park, the Hershey Centre (a Pan Am and Parapan Am Games venue) and its adjacent Hershey SportZone, and the facilities of the University of Toronto Mississauga.

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Early settlement hugged the lakeshore, but today Mississauga is centred at Burnhamthorpe Road East between Hurontario Street and Confederation Parkway, with a cluster of key destinations: the postmodern Mississauga Civic Centre, a performing arts centre, a public square, an art gallery and

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Mississauga Visit discovermississauga.ca for more information and attractions.

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Port Credit

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The Living Arts Centre (livingartscentre.ca) features performance venues, studio spaces and exhibit display areas. It’s a hub for all things creative, where you might catch a performance by Juno Award–winners Chantal Kreviazuk and Raine Maida or the Mississauga Symphony Orchestra, or improve your flame-working skills at a glassmaking workshop. Topping any shopaholic’s mustvisit list is Square One Shopping Centre (shopsquareone.com). With more than 300 retailers like Apple, Michael Kors, Zara and Whole Foods Market, it’s Ontario’s biggest mall. Currently undergoing a $380-million renovation and expansion project, it recently added new shops such as Pinkberry, Volcom and Urban Outfitters. The first Ontario outlet for Quebec’s La Maison Simons store opens in a lavish two-storey location in early 2016, along with a 120,000-square-foot Holt Renfrew. STREETSVILLE

For an old-fashioned Ontario main-street experience, stroll through historic Streetsville (villageofstreetsville.com), known as The Village in the City, where you can relax in a tea room or browse charming boutiques. Streetsville

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has a new focal point at Streetsville Village Square on Main Street, which provides a pretty, pedestrian promenade and a canopied space for public celebrations. For more than 40 years, The Streetsville Founders’ Bread and Honey Festival (June 3 to 5, 2016, breadandhoney.ca), named in honour of the local mills and apiaries, has been the community’s benchmark family outing, loved for its petting zoo, musical performances, carnival rides and popular Bread & Honey Parade. PORT CREDIT

The lakefront village of Port Credit (portcredit.com) is a relaxing retreat within the city, a pedestrian-friendly enclave of restaurants, boutiques and a scenic boardwalk. Cool off with a scoop of blood orange sorbetto or a taste of chocolate hazelnut gelato, a couple of the 30-odd flavours on offer at Port 1 Café and Gelateria (port1cafe.com) on Hurontario Street. The Credit River is known for its excellent catch-and-release ops, for Chinook salmon, plus rainbow (steelhead), brook and brown trout, and more, thanks to the conservation work of local anglers. The stretch of river between Norval and Streetsville is legendary for non-stop steelie strikes during the month of May.

Photography: Steven Der-Garabedian (Celebration Square)

the massive Square One Shopping Centre, all within sight of Absolute World, the eye-catching condos nicknamed the Marilyn Monroe Towers for their curvy forms. Here, the beautifully revitalized 2.7-hectare (6.6-acre) Mississauga Celebration Square (mississauga.ca/ celebrationsquare) hosts hundreds of free public performances and activities annually. This state-of-theart multimedia destination includes an amphitheatre and an interactive water fountain that becomes the city’s largest skating rink each winter. The multidisciplinary TD Mosaic 2016: South Asian Heritage Festival of Mississauga (August 12 to 13, 2016, cre8iv80studio.com) brings a glittering roster of arts and entertainment superstars to the city centre and has featured such headliners as Bollywood heavyweight Shafqat Amanat Ali Khan and Britain’s Stereo Nation. Dance, food, arts, film and music permeate this all-ages celebration of cultural diversity. The Art Gallery of Mississauga (artgalleryofmississauga.com) is a free-admission public gallery located across from Mississauga Celebration Square. Exhibitions range from historic to contemporary art, photography, design and crafts.

compass Check online for current fishing regulations (craa.on.ca). At Port Credit Memorial Park, the annual Mississauga Waterfront Festival (June 17 to 19, 2016, themwf. com) draws as many as 50,000 people to enjoy live performances by Canadian stars such as Sam Roberts, Jann Arden and Jim Cuddy. In September, the park hosts the Tim Hortons Southside Shuffle Blues and Jazz Festival (September 9 to 11, 2016, southsideshuffle. com), Port Credit’s weekend jazz and blues festival, which unites the likes of Dr. Hook, Elvin Bishop and Mavis Staples on multiple stages. Don’t miss the food trucks, the beer gardens or the Saturday street party. BREATH OF FRESH AIR

Mississauga’s lakefront and parkland retreats (mississauga.ca) offer numerous possibilities for cyclists, birdwatchers and other outdoor aficionados to explore. Lakefront Promenade Park blends protected natural areas and spaces for outdoor recreation, including boating at the Mississauga Sailing Club, the Port Credit Yacht Club and the Lakefront Promenade Marina. BraeBen Golf Course, designed in the style of a traditional Scottish Highlands course, is home to a rich variety of wildlife and is located on the city’s highest point of land. It boasts a green energy system capable of generating enough renewable energy to power more than 5,000 Mississauga homes. Play 18 holes at the Lakeview Golf Course, twice home of the Canadian Open golf tourney. The parkland-style public course, more than 100 years old, is an official Ontario heritage site. BROWSING AND GRAZING

Major international retail brands and farm-fresh country fare are all to be found within a single day trip around Mississauga. When the weather isn’t cooperating, a mall like Square One can fill the bill on its own. The busy Erin Mills Town Centre (erinmills.ca) is in the midst of a $100-million nip and tuck. Don’t worry, though: all 180 stores and food-court restaurants remain open

Mississauga Marathon

to cover your retail-therapy needs! Pick up shoes at Aldo or Walking on a Cloud, browse the jewels at Rainbow Jade or perk yourself up with a froyo sundae at Menchie’s. Sherway Gardens (sherway gardens.ca), at Highway 427 and the QEW, is well into its $550-million expansion and makeover, set to include an expanded Harry Rosen, a new Sporting Life location, Saks Fifth Avenue (2016) and Nordstrom (2017). Bargain hunters will delight in Dixie Outlet Mall (dixieoutletmall. com), at the QEW and Dixie Road, home to more than 135 stores, including brand-name outlets such as Tommy Hilfiger, Levi’s and Guess. The summer farmers’-market boom has swept Mississauga. Shop for local fare Wednesday mornings at Mississauga Celebration Square (lionscentral.com), Fridays at Sherway Gardens (farmfreshmarkets.ca), Saturdays in Port Credit (portcredit. com/farmers-market), Streetsville (streetsvillelionsclub.ca) and Oakville

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(farmfreshmarkets.ca), and Sundays at Square One (lionscentral.com). TAKE IN THE TOWN

Runners of all ages test their mettle at the Mississauga Marathon’s race weekend (April 30 to May 1, 2016, mississaugamarathon.com), with events ranging from a two-km (1.2-mile) fun run/walk to the full 42.2-km (26.2-mile) marathon. More than 72 different cultures show off their food and traditions at 30 pavilions across Mississauga during Carassauga (May 27 to 29, 2016, carassauga.com), a festival that tips its hat to the area’s ethnic diversity. Mississauga programs more than 70 free special events highlighting the city’s visual and performing arts talent during the national Culture Days celebration (September 23 to 25, 2016, mississauga.ca). A highlight is Doors Open (September 24, 2016), which offers an inside view of more than 35 heritage spaces like historic houses, churches and gardens that are generally closed to the public.

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Niagara adventures From vineyard tours to outdoor excitement and family fun, there’s more to discover beyond the Falls. By Yuki Hayashi

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130 km (80 miles), approximately a 90-minute drive, from downtown Toronto. Visit tourismniagara.com for more information and attractions.

bout a 90-minute drive from downtown Toronto, the Niagara Region has epic adventures to suit all travellers. From the awe-inspiring power of Niagara Falls to the quaint, rustic charm of Niagara’s wine country, there’s so much to see and do on a jam-packed day trip. Here’s what we suggest for three traveller types likely to go gaga over Niagara.

WINE LOVERS

Blessed with rich soils and unique microclimates, Niagara’s wine country is Canada’s largest, best known and most prestigious (hello, icewine!). With more than 80 wineries spread across the region, touring by car— or, better yet, bike—is an enjoyable way to pass the day.

Zoom Leisure Bikes (zoomleisure .com) offers a relaxed three-and-ahalf-hour bike tour along meandering, bike-friendly country roads, with stops for winery tours and tastings along the way. Everything you need is included: bike, helmet and tour guide. For those who want their wine without exercise, Niagara Vintage Wine Tours (niagaravintagewinetours.com) provides group and customized private tours with a driver and a guide. Prefer to explore on your own? In Vineland, Vineland Estates Winery (vineland.com) boasts incredible vineyard views, an acclaimed restaurant and award-winning Riesling and Cabernet Franc. Nearby Niagara-on-the-Lake is home to Trius Winery at Hillebrand. This producer of sparkling wines and icewines won the Ontario Winery of the Year award at the 2015 WineAlign National Wine Awards of Canada. Or for an unforgettable night of food, wine and music under the stars, visit Jackson-Triggs Winery (jacksontriggswinery.com). Start with

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dinner in the barrel cellar, then meander to the amphitheatre for the winery’s summer concert series. Past acts have included Stars, the Sam Roberts Band and Arkells. Want to put together your own custom wine-tour itinerary? Visit winecountryontario.ca for its Wine Route Planner. No wine tour is complete without a few bottles for the cellar. Niagara’s world-famous icewine and lateharvest Riesling are souvenirs you can savour long after you return home. THRILL-SEEKERS

Ever since Annie Edson Taylor made her successful barrel ride over Niagara Falls in 1901, thrill-seekers have visited the Falls looking for whiteknuckle adventures of their own. Luckily, a number of tour providers offer opportunities galore. Catch an adrenalin rush riding the Class 5 rapids of the Niagara River. Whirlpool Jet Boat Tours (whirlpooljet.com) offers two options: a dry cruise in the Jet Dome boat and the get-stoked-and-soaked Wet Jet ride.

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Hornblower Niagara Cruises Brock’s (niagaracruises.com) Monument serves up state-ofat Queenston the-art catamaran tours Heights that bring you to the heart of the action (just with less whitewater). An on-board bar opens for nighttime cruises. For a higher, dryer but equally breathtaking tour, try a helicopter ride. Niagara Helicopters (niagarahelicopters.com) flies passengers close enough to feel the power of the Falls as more than 168,000 cubic metres (5,932,864 cubic feet) of water spill over the edge every minute. Want some human-powered Niagara action? Just a quick jaunt from the Falls, you can cycle the Upper Canada Heritage Trail, a converted rail line along the Niagara Escarpment. Mountain bikes are best for the 14-km (nine-mile) gravel trail, which wends its way past farms, fruit orchards and wineries. Or cross another item off your bucket list and skydive! Niagara offers options for all levels of daredevil. At Niagara Freefall & Interactive Center (niagarafreefall. com/freefall), your skydiving experience is simulated in an indoor vertical wind tunnel. Skydivers of

all ages can experience the thrill of flying at simulated speeds of about 190 km/h (120 mph). For those looking for a more vérité experience, Niagara Skydive Centre (niagaraskydive.com)—at Niagara Central Airport in Pelham, about half an hour from Niagara Falls—does things the old-fashioned way: from up to 3,810 metres (12,500 feet). Regroup, recover and refuel at Niagara Falls’ Syndicate Restaurant & Brewery (syndicatebrewery.ca), where pub comfort food, such as chicken pot pie and lobster-andshrimp BLTs, goes down easy with local wines and craft beers. FAMILY-FUN FANATICS

For multigenerational family excitement, Niagara Falls can’t be beat. Between the Falls and the adjacent Clifton Hill entertainment district, an action-packed day is guaranteed. The Falls themselves are an obvious starting point, offering loads of oohing, aahing and great family photo ops. Intrepid kids and parents will love standing behind the massive sheets of water of the Horseshoe Falls at Journey Behind the Falls. You’ll be awed at how loud the Falls are! Gain a deeper insight into the spectacle at

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Niagara’s Fury: The Creation of the Falls. This immersive big-screen multisensory infotainment experience takes place on a moving platform as you watch water spray and splash. Feel the temperature drop as snow begins to fall, all explaining the Falls’ formation (niagaraparks.com). For those who haven’t had enough watery fun, the Fallsview Indoor Waterpark (fallsviewwaterpark.com) beckons. At more than a hectare (three acres), it’s one of North America’s largest indoor water park and resorts, featuring 16 waterslides, a massive wave pool, a ginormous tipping bucket and an outdoor rooftop pool with basketball nets and an all-season sundeck. The water park’s resort has its own games arcade, but for more arcade action (with prizes, too!), walk to the Great Canadian Midway (cliftonhill. com) for its 300-plus games, including a haunted-house ride, located within a 6,500-square-metre (70,000-squarefoot) entertainment complex. A few steps away, Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Odditorium (ripleys.com/ niagarafalls) offers oddball feats, facts and artifacts, such as the world’s rarest egg and a collection of two-headed animals. You can also visit the nearby Ripley’s Moving Theater and Louis Tussaud’s Waxworks. By now, you’ve probably worked up an appetite. The kid-fave Rainforest Cafe (niagarafallsrainforestcafe.com) has an outpost on Clifton Hill, as does Hard Rock Cafe (hardrockcafe.com). Skip dessert and walk over to the famed Hershey’s Chocolate World (hersheys.com) for freshly made fudge, freshly baked chocolate-chip cookies, hand-dipped chocolate pretzels and strawberries, and souvenir Hershey products. Finally, catch your breath and enjoy the view from the Niagara SkyWheel (cliftonhill.com). The climate-controlled, enclosed-gondola Ferris wheel offers a 53-metre-high (175-foot) vantage point of the Horseshoe Falls, American Falls, Niagara River and surrounding areas. At dusk, it’s a beautiful sight as twinkling lights come alive on Clifton Hill, and the Niagara skyline and light displays showcase the wonder of the Falls.

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Visit Ontario’s favourite getaways By Aliyah Shamsher With additional research by Sarah B. Hood

1. MANITOULIN ISLAND The drive and ferry ride: 297 km (184 miles) to Tobermory, plus a two-hour ferry ride to South Baymouth; approximately six-and-a-half hours from Toronto. What we love: With its status as the largest freshwater island in the world, Manitoulin Island attracts adventure enthusiasts year-round for such outdoor fun as hiking and biking in summer and ice fishing and snowmobiling in winter. Eat local: A flower-bedecked farmhouseturned-local-eatery, The Garden’s Gate (manitoulin-island.com/gardensgate) is known for its creative use of local ingredients.

2. TOBERMORY The drive: 297 km (184 miles); approximately four hours from Toronto. What we love: Calling all divers, hikers, kayakers, golfers and art lovers: hike the majestic cliffs of the Niagara Escarpment or scuba dive in Fathom Five National Marine Park. Eat local: Try Georgian Bay whitefish prepared four ways at the Grandview Dining Room (grandview-tobermory.com), overlooking the bay. For a more casual atmosphere, follow the locals to The Fish & Chip Place (thefishandchipplace.com).

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The drive: 160 km (99 miles); approximately two hours from Toronto. What we love: Nestled between Georgian Bay and the Niagara Escarpment, Blue Mountain (bluemountain.ca) is a ski and snowboard mega-resort destination. But it also has plenty of green-season sports to keep fitness freaks happy: a mountain-bike park, mountain tours and an adventure park with a Timber Challenge high-ropes course. Eat local: Blue Mountain Village’s Kaytoo (kaytoo.ca) offers representative dishes from across Canada: B.C. salmon, Alberta beef, Saskatoon berry pie, Manitoba bison, Ontario pork, Montreal smoked meat and East Coast lobster. Canadian campfire-cooked s’mores end winter meals on a sweet note.

4. WASAGA BEACH

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The drive: 133 km (83 miles); approximately two hours from Toronto. What we love: With its 14 km (8.7 miles) of white sand, Wasaga Beach has drawn summer visitors to the shores of Nottawasaga Bay for more than a century. Nearby golf courses, bike paths, hiking trails and crosscountry skiing and snowmobile routes keep people busy year-round. Eat local: Catch 22 Fresh Market Grill (catch22grill.com) is a TripAdvisor favourite. Locally

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farmed ingredients pepper a menu heavy on populist hits: steak, pasta, seafood and a different burger featured every day.

5. MUSKOKA The drive: 165 km (102 miles); approximately two hours from Toronto. What we love: National Geographic Traveler editors chose Muskoka as the No. 1 summer destination in the world for its 1,600 lakes, granite cliffs carved out of the Canadian Shield, and artistically gnarled pine trees. Eat local: Rub shoulders with such high-profile guests as Goldie Hawn and Kate Hudson at The Rosseau Grill at Windermere House (windermerehouse.com).

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The drive: 450 km (280 miles); approximately four hours from Toronto. What we love: As Canada’s capital, this dynamic city with more than 1.3 million residents is always buzzing. Visit Parliament Hill or one of the many national museums, galleries and theatre companies, or take in the Rideau Canal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Eat local: The finest French culinary techniques marry with Canadian ingredients at Le Cordon Bleu Bistro @ Signatures (bistroatsignatures.com), the North American HQ for the famous cooking academy. Or head to Chinatown for locally grown fruits and vegetables in the endlessly creative dishes of ZenKitchen (zenkitchen.ca). Or explore the Ottawa region’s impressive craft beer scene at a brewpub or café.

7. PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY The drive: 216 km (134 miles); approximately three hours from Toronto. What we love: Ontario’s newest wine region makes a great excursion, with award-winning wineries and Chowhound-pleasing eateries and artisan food producers. The Globe and Mail

newspaper recently named the region the “gastronomic capital” of Canada. Eat local: East & Main Bistro (eastandmain.ca), a top choice among Toronto chefs, had the smart idea to combine luxury comfort food with fresh, local ingredients, paired with an outstanding selection of County wines.

8. NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE The drive: 133 km (83 miles); approximately two hours from Toronto. What we love: Take a carriage ride through the Old Town or a boat up the Niagara River. Then golf, sip and shop your way through what is often referred to as the loveliest town in Ontario. Eat local: Executive chef Jason Parsons, who works with winemaker Katie Dickieson to showcase wines in his seasonal menus, leads Zagat winner Peller Estates Winery Restaurant (peller.com).

9. NIAGARA FALLS The drive: 129 km (80 miles); approximately two hours from Toronto. What we love: Hornblower Canadian Falls tours; dining on board is now an option! Ride the jet boat, tour at the whirlpool or stroll through Niagara Parks Botanical Gardens. Eat local: Casually upscale, newly opened Weinkeller (weinkeller.ca) is Niagara Falls’ first winery-restaurant. Sip your way through the offerings and enjoy a glass with fresh oysters. For best value, it’s tough to beat the $25 Grand Buffet at Fallsview Casino (fallsviewcasinoresort.com).

10. STRATFORD The drive: 149 km (92 miles); approximately two hours from Toronto.

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What we love: The town’s architecture reflects its Victorian past, but many come for the Justin Bieber hometown tour (visitstratford. ca/justin-biebers-stratford). The Stratford Festival (stratfordfestival.ca) enjoys international acclaim, especially for its Shakespearean productions. Eat local: At Rundles (rundlesrestaurant.com), a favourite pre-theatre spot among locals, choose the River Room for formal dining or the Garden Room to try chef Neil Baxter’s take on casual French haute cuisine. The Chocolate Trail (visitstratford.ca/chocolatetrail)—20 shops offering everything chocolate, from biscotti to chocolate mint tea—provides the ultimate sweet finish.

11. POINT PELEE The drive: 360 km (224 miles); approximately four hours from Toronto. What we love: As Canada’s southernmost tip, Point Pelee is celebrated for its world-renowned bird sanctuary and has captivated visitors who marvel at the migration of birds and butterflies. Eat local: First sip, then dine at Pelee Island Winery (peleeisland.com), known for its Pinot Noir, where an in-depth look at the winemaking process is followed by a how-to session on wine and food pairing.

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Finding your feet How to get around town. AIRPORT 411

TRAVELLING BY BUS

Toronto Pearson International Airport (code YYZ) is the main point of landing for most domestic and international flights. Toronto Pearson is 27 km (17 miles) west of downtown (about a half-hour drive). To get from the airport to downtown, you can: 1. Take the UP (Union Pearson) Express, a brand-new dedicated express rail service connecting Union Station to Toronto Pearson, departing every 15 minutes. Go to upexpress.com to find out more. 2. Take public transit: Ride the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC). Catch the 192 Airport Rocket bus to Kipling subway station or take the 52A Lawrence West bus to Lawrence West subway station. Both stations are on subway lines servicing the downtown core. Visit ttc.ca for fare information. 3. Hire a taxi or an airport limo: Look for the lineup signs for taxis. The average cost into the city is about $60. 4. Catch a shuttle bus: Many hotels offer airport shuttles, so check whether yours does. 5. Rent a car: You’ll find major car-rental outfits at both Terminal 1 and Terminal 3. Most are open daily from 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. Find detailed directions to the city at torontopearson.com. Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport/Porter and Air Canada airlines (code YTZ), located on the Toronto Islands, services domestic, chartered and select U.S. flights. Billy Bishop is just a short ferry ride to Toronto’s Harbourfront district, and then mere minutes to downtown by taxi and public transit. A pedestrian tunnel opened in July 2015, making the connection even faster.

Toronto Coach Terminal is the main intercity bus depot, located downtown at 610 Bay St. It serves such bus companies as Greyhound, Coach Canada/Trentway-Wager and Ontario Northland. Union Station Bus Terminal is located at 140 Bay St. (south of Front Street and just east of Union Station). It is the hub for GO Transit buses servicing inter-region travel in and around the Greater Toronto Area. For more information, call 1-800-GETON-GO or 416-869-3200 or visit gotransit.com.

IMPORTANT FYIs 

TRAVELLING BY TRAIN All trains arrive and depart from Union Station (65 Front St. W.). VIA Rail handles most of Canada’s intercity routes and connects to the U.S. via Amtrak. The Amtrak/VIA Maple Leaf route runs between New York City and Toronto daily and takes about 12 hours, depending on the border wait. For more information: 1-888-VIA-RAIL and viarail.ca; 1-800-USA-RAIL and amtrak.com. GO Transit services inter-region travel in and around the Greater Toronto Area. GO’s green-and-white trains also operate from Union Station. For more information, call 1-800-GET-ONGO or 416-869-3200 or visit gotransit.com. For general station information, call the Travellers’ Aid Society of Toronto at 416-366-7788.

❯ The legal drinking age is 19. Licensed establishments serve alcohol between 11 a.m. and 2 a.m. ❯ To get married in Ontario, consenting partners age 18 and older must first obtain a marriage licence.

If you submit the application (available online) with two pieces of valid ID, along with the $140 fee, the licence can generally be processed within a day, after which it’s valid for 90 days. Same-sex marriage has been legal here since 2003. Find more info (including the application form) at settlement.org. ❯ General retail hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., with some malls offering extended hours and some smaller boutiques closing earlier. Most shops and malls close earlier on Sundays. ❯ Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA): Starting March 15, 2016, all visa-exempt foreign fly-in visitors will need an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA). American citizens and travellers with valid visas are exempt, as are visitors who arrive by land or sea.

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visitor resources

EXPLORING THE CITY 69 stations, Toronto’s subway system is easy to navigate. Maps are displayed on all subway cars and are available at station ticket booths. Subway stops connect to streetcar or bus routes that weave throughout the city and extend to the Greater Toronto Area (hold on to your paper transfer for free connections). Single fare is $3.25 for adults, $2 for students/seniors and free for children 12 years of age and under; keep in mind that drivers don’t provide change. You can save money by buying multiple tokens or tickets or a one-day or one-week transit pass. Single-day passes cost $12 and allow unlimited rides from the start of service until 5:30 the following morning. On weekends and statutory holidays, the $12 day pass provides unlimited travel for a group of up to six people, with a maximum of two adults. GTA Weekly Passes, valid from Monday to Sunday, cost $61 and are valid in parts of Brampton, Mississauga and York Region as well as Toronto. Monthly passes are also available. Visit ttc.ca or call 416-393-INFO for more information. ❯ By regional transit: Visiting Mississauga? Go to the Click n’ Ride route planner on mississauga.ca, type in your origin and destination, and the website will map out your best route. For route information in Brampton, visit Brampton Transit at brampton.ca. ❯ By GO Transit: For routes from Toronto to the suburbs and neighbouring regions, check GO Transit bus and train schedules at gotransit.com. ❯ By taxi: Toronto has numerous cab companies, and all charge the same base rate of $3.25, plus $1.75 per kilometre ($1.09 per mile) or 52 cents a minute. The easiest cab number to remember is 416-TAXICAB, which connects you to all taxi and airport-limo companies. ❯ By bike: Renting a bike is easy. Keep an eye peeled for automated bike stands throughout the city. Bike rentals are ideal for shorter rides and are a great alternative to taxi jaunts. Grab a bike at one stand, then return it to another. Visit toronto.ca for an online Toronto cycling map, or pick up a free paper copy at a civic or community centre, library or bicycle shop. ❯ By foot: Toronto is a safe and walkable city. Look for trails throughout the parks, gardens and beaches; routes are outlined at toronto.ca. Explore the PATH, an easy-to-navigate system of underground walkways and shopping arcades that runs beneath the downtown core. The 30-km (19-mile) PATH connects six subway stations, major hotels and several attractions, including Union Station, Roy Thomson Hall, Air Canada Centre, CN Tower, Toronto Eaton Centre, Queens Quay and City Hall. Maps are available at toronto.ca. ❯ By water: Visit the city’s largest parkland, the Toronto Islands, just minutes from the downtown core. You can board Toronto’s ferries hourly to get to and from the islands. Buy your tickets in person or book online at toronto.ca/ferry.

GET INSIDER ADVICE The Toronto Greeter program (TAP into TO!) will send a volunteer to welcome visitors. By pairing guests and greeters with similar interests, the program offers newcomers a chance to connect with Toronto—and Torontonians—on a personal level and to tap into the pulse of the city. Call 416-33-TAPTO for more info. MORE QUESTIONS? Call 311 Toronto at 416-392-CITY (2489), or dial 311 within city limits, from Monday to Friday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.

TRAVEL AID 

TOURIST INFO + SERVICES

FIND INFO: Visit the Ontario Travel Information Centre at the west end of Union Station (65 Front St. W.) in the Main Hall, near the Skywalk. Specialists at the Toronto desk can provide information to help you get the most out of your visit to Toronto.

Confused? Need assistance? ❯ Travellers’ Aid Society of Toronto (TAS) at Union Station provides emergency assistance in crisis situations as well as information about navigating transit and finding accommodations. You can also call 416-366-7788 or visit travellersaid.ca. ❯ Travellers Assistance Services of Toronto is a non-profit volunteer organization providing free tourist and referral information and assistance to Toronto visitors. Booths are run by volunteers at Toronto Coach Terminal and Toronto Pearson International Airport. Call 647-808-0098 (info) or 905-676-2868 (Airport Terminal 1) or visit travellersassistance.ca.

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Photography: Freaktography (train platform)

❯ By Toronto Transit Commission (TTC): With four lines and

hotel@neill-wycik.com

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calendar

January

April

Toronto International Boat Show January 8 – 17 torontoboatshow.com

TIFF Kids International Film Festival April 8 – 24 tiff.net

Interior Design Show January 21 – 24 interiordesignshow.com

Creativ Festival April 22 – 23 csnf.com

Winterlicious January 29 – February 11 toronto.ca

Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival April 28 – May 8 hotdocs.ca

February Canadian International AutoShow February 12 – 21 autoshow.ca NBA All-Star Game Weekend February 12 – 14 nba.com Beach Village BIA’s Family Sunday in the Beach February 14 thebeachvillage.com Bloor-Yorkville Icefest February 20 – 21 bloor-yorkville.com March Canada Blooms: The Flower and Garden Festival March 11 – 20 canadablooms.com National Home Show March 11 – 20 nationalhomeshow.com St. Patrick’s Day Parade March 13 topatrick.com Toronto Sportsmen’s Show March 16 – 20 torontosportshow.ca One of a Kind Spring Show & Sale March 23 – 27 oneofakindshow.com

Mississauga Marathon April 30 – May 1 mississauga marathon.com

Digital Dreams June digitaldreamsfestival.ca The Streetsville Founders’ Bread and Honey Festival June 3 – 5 breadandhoney.com Luminato Festival June 10 – 19 luminatofestival.com Ontario Craft Beer Week June 10 – 19 ocbweek.ca CeleBRAMPTON and the Flower City Parade June 11 brampton.ca Ideacity June 15 – 17 ideacityonline.com North by Northeast June 15 – 19 nxne.com

May

Barilla Taste of Little Italy June 17 – 19 tasteoflittleitaly.ca

GoodLife Fitness Toronto Marathon May 1 torontomarathon.com

Mississauga Waterfront Festival June 17 – 19 themwf.com

Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival May 1 – 31 scotiabank contactphoto.com

The Pepsi North America Cup Horse Race June 18 woodbine entertainment.com

Canadian Music Week May 4 – 14 cmw.net Toronto Jewish Film Festival May 5 – 15 tjff.com Inside Out Toronto LGBT Film Festival May 26 – June 5 insideout.ca Carassauga: Mississauga’s Festival of Cultures May 27 – 29 carassauga.com Doors Open Toronto May 28 – 29 toronto.ca

Taste of Toronto June 23 – 26 tasteoftoronto.com TD Toronto Jazz Festival June 24 – July 3 torontojazz.com Pride Toronto Festival June 24 – July 3 pridetoronto.com Toronto Fringe Festival June 29 – July 10 fringetoronto.com

VELD Music Festival July veldmusicfestival.com Brampton Chinguacousy Park’s Canada Day July 1 brampton.ca Canada Day July 1 toronto.ca Mississauga Celebration Square’s Canada Day July 1 mississauga celebrationsquare.ca Redpath Waterfront Festival July 1 – 3 towaterfrontfest.com Queen’s Plate July 3 woodbine entertainment.com Beaches International Jazz Festival July 8 – 24 beachesjazz.com Carabram: Brampton’s Multicultural Festival July 8 – 10 carabram.org Summerlicious July 8 – 24 toronto.ca Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition July 8 – 10 torontooutdoorart.org Toronto Caribbean Carnival July 10 – 31 torontocaribbean carnival.com Honda Indy Toronto July 15 – 17 hondaindytoronto.com RBC Canadian Open July 18 – 24 rbccanadianopen.com Toronto’s Festival of Beer July 22 – 24 beerfestival.ca Rogers Cup Tennis July 23 – 31 rogerscup.com

July Salsa on St. Clair Street Festival July salsaintoronto.com

August Krinos Taste of the Danforth August 5 – 7 tasteofthedanforth.com

PLEASE NOTE: Dates subject to change without notice. Please consult websites. For a complete calendar, visit SeeTorontoNow.com

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TD Mosaic 2016: South Asian Festival of Mississauga August 12 – 13 mosaicfest.com

Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon October 16 torontowaterfront marathon.com

Canadian National Exhibition August 19 – September 5 theex.com

International Festival of Authors October 20 – 30 ifoa.org

Toronto International BuskerFest for Epilepsy August 25 – 28 torontobuskerfest.com September Fan Expo Canada September 1 – 4 fanexpocanada.com Toronto International Film Festival September 8 – 18 tiff.net Tim Hortons Southside Shuffle Blues and Jazz Festival September 9 – 11 southsideshuffle.com Toronto Urban Roots Festival September 14 – 19 torontourban rootsfest.com Toronto Beer Week September 16 – 24 torontobeerweek.com World Cup of Hockey September 17 – October 1 nhl.com JFL42 September 22 – October 1 jfl42.com Toronto Food & Wine Festival September 23 – 25 torontofoodand wine.com The Word on the Street September 25 thewordonthestreet.ca October Buffer Festival October bufferfestival.com Creativ Festival October hwww.csnf.com Nuit Blanche Toronto October 1 nuitblancheto.ca

Planet in Focus Environmental Film Festival October 20 – 23 planetinfocus.org Art Toronto: Toronto International Art Fair October 28 – 31 arttoronto.ca Halloween on Church October 31 churchwellesley village.ca November Winter Woofstock November woofstock.ca Royal Agricultural Winter Fair November 4 – 13 royalfair.org Hockey Hall of Fame Induction Weekend November 11 – 14 hhof.com The Santa Claus Parade November 23 thesantaclausparade.ca One of a Kind Show & Sale November 24 – December 4 oneofakindshow.com Cavalcade of Lights November 26 toronto.ca Grey Cup November 27 cfl.ca December Toronto Christmas Market December (closed Mondays) torontochristmas market.com New Year’s Eve at Nathan Phillips Square December 31 toronto.ca

Photography: torontobuskerfest.com (BuskerFest), Derrick Wee (Canadian National Exhibition), Maxine Lowe (Fan Expo)

2016 EVENTS

June

calendar

Luminato Festival

Toronto International BuskerFest for Epilepsy

Toronto Caribbean Carnival

New Year’s Eve at Nathan Phillips Square

Canadian National Exhibition

Honda Indy Toronto

CNE

Pride Toronto Festival Tim Hortons Southside Shuffle Blues and Jazz Festival

Photography:

Fan Expo Canada

New Year’s Eve at Nathan Phillips Square

Luminato Festival

@SeeTorontoNow l

VisitToronto

TORONTO 2016 • 93

last LOOK

On the waterfront

Meet Captain Molly Babad, harbour ambassador. By Sarah B. Hood Molly Babad will never steer you wrong. The 24-year-old chemistry major (who also works as an educator at Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada) has spent four summers as a certified boat captain with Toronto Harbour Tours Inc., introducing fascinated passengers to the mysteries of Lake Ontario and its island lagoons. Why did you sign on to be a captain? I just love Toronto, and I thought it would be fun to meet people from around the world. And it sounds really cool to call myself a boat captain!

What are your favourite waterfront locations? Ward’s Island is amazing: you feel like you’re on a tropical beach. And HTO Park, because it’s such a clean beach, and you get an unbelievable view of the harbour.

What mainland features do you love to share with visitors? I’m a big nerd, so on the water I really like to point out the towers of the five major banks [Royal Bank Plaza, Scotia Plaza, TD Canada Trust Tower, First Canadian Place, Commerce Court] to use as landmarks. And Redpath [the waterfront sugar refinery and museum] is my ultimate favourite, because it’s such a cool part of Canada’s history, not just Toronto’s. Redpath started in Montreal and then made its way to Toronto and was super-successful in both areas. It’s environmentally friendly: it’s steam powered, and they don’t use any chemicals in the refining process.

What’s a can’t-miss sight for nature lovers?

What makes the harbour a must-visit destination? The stunning view and the great cultural events that go on at Harbourfront Centre. I recommend that everybody go to the islands because it’s an unforgettable experience. I’ve had zero unhappy customers!

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Photography: Paula Wilson

My favourite birds are the mute swans. Technically this species is protected by the Queen, so no one can harm them. She gave Canada several pairs of mute swans, so they and their offspring are her birds.

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