Toronto, Canada

Our latest adventure, a cruise around the Great Lakes on Viking’s new expedition ship Octantis, starts in Toronto. And of course we wanted to become better acquainted with this sophisticated and very accessible city.

The CN Tower offers a bird’s eye view of Toronto. Once the tallest tower in the world and today the tallest in North America, it gives sweeping views of the harbor, the city and beyond.

The urban core of Toronto feels compact compared to California cities. It hugs the harbor of Lake Ontario and quickly spreads out into low-key wooded neighborhoods. The wide swath below is the train system cutting through the city.
The 1,815-feet concrete and steel CN Tower rises dramatically next to the city’s aquarium on the right.

The St. Lawrence Market is a treasured and trendy landmark in Toronto. For over 200 years it has been a center for sharing food, culture and community. Today you can choose from over 100 vendors of all kinds of foods as well as specialty goods. It’s a delightful place to browse and eat.

We never got a chance to sample Toronto’s famous peameal bacon sandwich, a signature dish of the city, but just the thought of it makes Joel happy.
In the summer, Market Street becomes a flower filled pedestrian lane where people can sit and eat and stroll.

“Doesn’t this remind you of Times Square,” Joel said when we arrived at Dundas Square. Turned out the city planned it to create that vibe. The square stands in as a junior version of New York’s Times Square in many movies. Toronto’s neighborhoods have been used in countless films thanks to its variety of architecture, skilled labor and generous tax structure.

The Dog Fountain in the lovely Berczy Park is the whimsical center of a very successful urban revitalization scheme. Note all the different breeds of dogs shooting water and the bone floating at the top.

We strolled through the fashionable and luxurious Yorkville neighborhood. The designer stores, boutiques and galleries were reminiscent of Rodeo Drive, though frankly prettier and with more interesting architecture. The neighborhood has certainly changed from its bohemian hippie days in the 1960’s when it was a counter culture center and folk rock legends Joni Mitchell and Gordon Lightfoot performed here.

Just below our hotel was the Nathan Phillips Square, which made a beautiful display lit up at night. The huge open square, adjacent to the City Hall, is a center for concerts, art festivals, a farmers market, and in the winter the fountain pool becomes a public ice skating rink.

Center is the City Hall and on the left is a permanent stage for community events.
Just across the street from the square is the historic old city hall, today used as a courthouse.
We had a beautiful nighttime city view from our hotel window.

Goodbye Toronto! We hope to visit again and spend more time exploring the city’s vibrant food and entertainment scenes. But now it’s time to board the Octantis.

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