Canada #21 Toronto
The subway journey from our suburban Airbnb to Toronto’s CBD was not long but the difference in outlook was amazing. In High Park, a few people were out walking or enjoying the summer weather on their front verandahs.
At Union Station in the city centre, we were engulfed by a bustling crowd all intent on their own agenda. Unlike most of those people, on our first day in Toronto, we had no particular destination. We spent the day exploring.
From Union Station, we headed south along Bay Street towards Lake Ontario. At Harbour Square Park, we watched the ferries coming and going, taking passengers over the water to Toronto Islands.
Our plan to walk some way along the lake shore was dashed by the horrified look on the face of the lady in the Tourist Information van. “Oh no. Don’t go there,” she said with an expression which told us it wasn’t a good idea. She directed us back along Bay Street with a right turn onto Front Street, assuring us this was a safer and more interesting route. She was right! There was a lot to see along Front Street.
We didn’t have to read the name on this building; the images on the sides gave away its purpose. The Hockey Hall of Fame, first opened in 1943, moved to Front Street in 1993. The building dates from 1885 and was originally head office for the Bank of Montreal.
At Berczy Park we came across this fanciful fountain, where 27 dogs pay homage to a golden bone. Later we found out there is also one cat and wished we’d known to look for it.
Just beyond Berczy Park is the original Flatiron building. Constructed in 1892, 10 years before its more famous cousin in New York, it was head office for the Gooderham and Worts Distillery for 60 years. Today, commercial offices and a popular pub fill the building. The rear façade of the Flatiron is decorated with a large trompe l’oeil mural, a mirror image of the building opposite.
Further along Front Street is St Lawrence Market. Farmers have sold their fresh produce on this site since 1803 and the current building dates from 1848. Voted the world’s best food market by National Geographic in 2012, there are 120 speciality stores selling locally sourced fresh foods. The market is open every Tuesday to Saturday.
Our final stop in this direction was the historic Distillery District, founded by the same family who built the Flatiron building. The first building on the site was a windmill constructed in 1832. The Gooderham and Worts whiskey distillery soon followed and, by the 1860s, was the largest distillery in the world. Production continued until 1990. In 2001, the abandoned buildings were repurposed as boutique shops, restaurants and residences surrounded by gardens, sculptures and artworks. The district hosts a vibrant series of cultural events and festivals throughout the year.
We retraced our steps along Front Street back to Union Station and continued on in the other direction to CN Tower. At 553.3 metres high, the communications and observation tower is visible from anywhere. Up close, its height is daunting and tourists braving the Edge Walk outside the observation deck look like tiny insects.
The Rogers Centre, a multi-purpose stadium and home of Toronto’s major league baseball team the Toronto Blue Jays, is nearby. This day the stadium was quiet but when a home game is played more than 30,000 people come to cheer on their team.
Leaving Front Street, we walked along York Street to our final destination. Nathan Philips Square, where the old and new City Halls sit side by side, is one of the most photographed parts of the city. Toronto City Council operated in the old City Hall from 1899 before moving across the forecourt to the new building in 1966.
Three Freedom Arches dedicated to Canadians who have fought for freedom for all span the reflecting pool. The TORONTO sign is flanked at one end by a maple leaf commemorating the 150th anniversary of Canadian Confederation and at the other by a traditional medicine wheel acknowledging First Nations peoples.
We were glad we talked to the lady in her information van at Harbour Square Park. She really did send us in the right direction!
Join Jo for more Monday Walks
It always pays to ask a local 🙂 I really like the dog fountain. I wonder where the cat was hiding though.
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The dog fountain was fun to look at. We tried to identify all the different breeds. There are drinking fountains for real dogs too.
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Great post. I have never visited Toronto, so looking foward to learning from your experiences. Love your pictures.
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We were there for 11 nights so there will be plenty more to come. Glad you’re enjoying coming along with me.
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Oh, Toronto does look very attractive. I do love street art, and the peace and love art is no exception.
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It is a very nice city. The LOVE sign was made up of lovelocks attached to the shape. I thought it was a nice variation to the usual lovelock theme.
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It is!!
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Did you ever find out what was so horrendous about the lake shore walk?
I must say Toronto seems a very pleasant city to walk around. Not sooo busy compared to other cities.
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When we investigated further there wasn’t really a way to walk far along the edge of the lake. We just assumed there would be and perhaps further out of the CBD there are places where you can. The impression we got was that it wouldn’t be very safe. We enjoyed all the walking we did in Toronto. There are six million people but it was never really crowded except in the trains.
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It looks to be on a huge scale, Carol. I felt dwarfed by the buildings but how wonderfully quirky! The trompe l’oeuil defiinitely caught my eye and those dogs in the fountain- bizarre! 🙂 🙂 No self respecting cat would sit in a fountain so she must be somewhere looking on. Thanks for sharing, hon! I appreciate it.
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I wish we’d known then to look for the cat. We were too busy checking out all the different dogs. Toronto is enormous – six million people live there.
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I have a cousin there. Haven’t seen him for years 💕
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Wow the tromp l’oeill is fantastic. What a pretty looking city.
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It was hard to believe that building was painted on. The craftsmanship was fantastic. Toronto is a very big city but we really liked the parts we saw.
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Fabulous! I remember all these from our trip a few years ago. Did you get out to the islands? We enjoyed walking them (though it was April and absolutely freezing so i’m guessing you had better weather!)
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Yes, we spent a day on the Islands and yes, the weather was glorious! More about that in another post.
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Well you had a very interesting walk anyway! We were only in Toronto for a few days whilst waiting for our train to Vancouver so we didn’t explore the CBD much. We did however do a walk along the lakeside, though the first part was not pretty as it was alongsde the main road, but we ended up in Woodbine Beach which was nice.
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I think in the CBD there is no walking track along the lake. We spent 11 nights in Toronto and there was so much to do and see. It’s an amazing city.
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Hope you got to Cabbagetown!
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No, that’s one place we didn’t get to this time. We were so busy every day. Our daughter was living there so when she wasn’t working we did things with her.
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I’m visiting from Restless Jo’s site. I’m glad you enjoyed your time in Toronto, my home city.
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Welcome Natalie! We had a great time in Toronto. Our daughter was living there so we stayed for 11 nights and did lots of exploring. She loved living there and misses it now she’s home again.
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I really loved my visit to Toronto too but I wish I had seen that dog fountain. The Distillery district is really fun and I loved the Mexican place.
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Lorraine, you might have found a little Mochi at that fountain. 🙂
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Toronto looks like an amazing city Carol. Definitely on that list of cities to see. 🙂
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We stayed there for 11 nights so there will be more stories to entice you. 🙂
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👍🏼😊
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I love the rear end of the Flatiron Building!
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Isn’t it amazing!
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I love the dogs paying homage to the golden bone and the amazing trompe l’oeil mural on the Flatiron. The Freedom Arches and the CN Tower are great too. I hope I can make it to Toronto one of these days.
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Cathy it’s well worth visiting Toronto and I’d suggest staying several days to do it justice. Like any city there is so much to do and see and the public transport choices make it easy to get around.
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It is definitely on my list, Carol, and I hope I can get to it sooner rather than later. So many places to see and so little time! 🙂
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That was a fabulous tour. I agree with your other readers about the golden bone worship. I also loved the huge mural and just the shapes of the buildings. Thanks for sharing a link on the Always Write FB page. Hope you make lots of new friends. 🙂
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I took many photos of the tall buildings. There were so many interesting shapes. We’re not dog people but we did love that fountain.
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I am a dog person, and I LOVE it! 🙂
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Thank You presenting Toronto. Many years ago, we spent a New year there. Thank You showing the photos of Hockey Hall of Fame. There I saw the photo of Teemu Selänne, which is one of our best Hockey players ever! 🙂
Have a good day!
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Ice Hockey isn’t a sport we’re familiar with so we didn’t go to the museum this time. I’m glad you enjoyed it though.
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It looks like there’s a lot to see in Toronto! How lucky that the Tourist Information lady pointed you in the right direction. The dog fountain is great, and how clever is that trompe l’oeil?
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We were there 11 nights and managed to fill in every day. It’s a great city to visit.
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And you probably didn’t manage to see everything!
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I’m sure there are still places we could visit.
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It’s years since we lived in Toronto – this area is one I always enjoy revisiting. But I’ve never seen that dog fountain. It’s hilarious and now on my list for when I next visit. I’ve never been inside the Hockey Hall of Fame (shame on me!) but what a gorgeous building! Your photos brought back fun memories – thanks!
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The dog fountain was great and it was fun to try and identify all the different breeds. We didn’t visit the Hockey Hall of Fame either. Glad you enjoyed this post. Thanks, Susi.
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A very impressive city, Carol. You certainly did get pointed in the right direction. I love the freedom arches and the gorgeous trompe l’oeil. What a brilliant idea! Peace and love signs are always welcome in our world. Thanks for showing me around Toronto. I have made a brief visit there, but obviously never got directed properly. 🙂
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We were there for 11 nights so I have plenty more to share.
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We have been to Toronto on many occasions but you have found some things we have never seen. The dog fountain is intriguing. I think we may need to go in search of the cat!
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If you find it, let me know. We would have looked for it had we known it was there.
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It’s always good to listen to the locals isn’t it. Love that dog fountain. Actually the whole city looks gorgeous 😊
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As cities go, Toronto was a really place to visit. Our daughter was living there so we stayed for longer than we usually would, but we managed to fill every day.
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We’re going for my fiancé’s birthday in a couple months. Do you have any restaurant recommendations or unique places to grab a drink?
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My daughter lived in Toronto for 18 months. Her recommendations for drinks are Pretty Ugly Bar on Queen St West, The Lockhart which is Harry Potter themed on Dundas St West and the Drake Hotel. For good food, she says The Keg. Little Italy district has great food too.
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Awesome, thank you so much! 🙂
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Have a great time!
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GREAT BLOG, CHINA
china.alexandria@livingthedream.blog
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Thanks!
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