Where to go, right now: A ‘citycation’ in Toronto
By Dennis Lennox
Detroit was pretty undesirable when I was coming of age in the early 2000s. It was basically a no-go area, at least outside of a professional sporting event.
As a result, I never had the big city experiences—shopping in flagship downtown department stores, riding a subway, gazing up at massive skyscrapers—that many urban dwellers take for granted until I started going to Toronto for hockey during my high school and college years.
Since then I’ve watched as Toronto has exploded.
And not just downtown, but in every direction. This becomes evident during the last 45 or so minutes of the four-hour drive from Detroit, when Highway 401 becomes abutted by the bland architecture of corporate office parks.
Toronto is closer to Chicago in population, but its dominance over Canadian culture, media, arts and business puts it on par with New York City.
This makes Canada’s largest city the perfect destination for what I call a ‘citycation’ — a long weekend in the big city.
What to do
I spent a recent weekend checking out some of Toronto’s world-class museums, including the nearly two-year-old Aga Kahn Museum.
Getting there was a little bit of a challenge from downtown — plan on using Uber — but the journey was worth the hassle. I found the Aga Kahn’s collection of Islamic art a nice change from what I’m accustomed to seeing. On special exhibit at the moment is “A City Transformed: Images of Istanbul Then and Now,” a collection of rare 19th century photographs of Istanbul under the Ottomans. It’s too bad Diwan, the museum café, isn’t open for dinner as the lunch menu was quite good (I recommend the chermoula-marinated prawns).
Back downtown, the Royal Ontario Museum has a fascinating collection of artifacts from when Istanbul, then known as Constantinople, was the seat of the Byzantine Empire. Best of all, it’s open late—well, 8:30 p.m. — on Friday.
Nearby is the Art Gallery of Ontario, which offers a better experience every Friday evening than the Royal Ontario Museum. If you’re into photography you might enjoy “Outsiders: American Photography and Film, 1950s-1980s,” which runs through May. Those with an interest in architecture will also be drawn to the museum’s façade, which was redesigned by Toronto-born architect Frank Gehry. Chances are you’ll either love it or hate it.
Even if you aren’t into hockey, the Hockey Hall of Fame is a must-visit, if only to better understand the sport that doubles as Canada’s national religion.
You might also consider Fort York, a late 18th century British military fortification that saw action during the War of 1812. Just don’t get into a discussion on who actually won the war. (Canadians will insist they won.)
Where to stay
I recommend the upscale InterContinental Toronto Centre, which is near the iconic CN Tower on Front Street.
It’s perfectly located for a citycation. And with warmer weather now upon us, you can easily walk from the hotel to most of the major sights within 15 or 20 minutes.
Many convention center hotels can feel overwhelming, but not the InterContinental. Not only did I find the service, especially in the restaurant, to be quite good, but the spa and poolside patio made it easy to relax despite being in the midst of an urban jungle.
How to get there
Getting to Toronto is easy even if you don’t live within driving distance.
All major airlines fly into Pearson International Airport, Toronto’s major airport. There are also flights from Washington, Boston and Chicago into Toronto City Centre Airport on Porter, a Canadian-flagged regional airline.
From Pearson, the Union Pearson Express train is the fastest way into downtown Toronto. It terminates at Union Station, which is a five-minute walk from the InterContinental.
