Sitting on a long bench on the shore of Lake Ontario, I stare out at Centre Island just off the shore. The sun is shining, but my sunglasses keep the sparkle of the water out of my eyes as I watch sailboats ply the blue, and the occasional tourist boat tour navigate between them. I lick an ice cream cone, Turkish coffee from Ice Creamonology, the low 70s temperatures blissful. This is the culmination of what can only be called a perfect day in Toronto. It has been, in fact, the most Toronto of days.

My day began by taking the subway downtown from North York. You’ll notice that in Toronto, a lot of things are named with York. There’s North York, York Mills, Yorkville, and more. That is because, from its founding in 1793, Toronto was named York. It was the capital of British Upper Canada after the British purchased the land from the native Mississauga people, though apparently the locals only believed they were renting it out to their European allies, a disagreement that wasn’t finally put to rest until a settlement in 2010. After incorporation in 1834, York was renamed Toronto, and after Canadian confederation in 1867, it became the capital of the province of Ontario.

The subway in Toronto is a pleasant ride, made more pleasant by the cheeriness of the locals, even on their way to work. There are three lines, but Line 1 is THE subway, stretching well over an hour in ride time from points in the north and making a U around downtown at Union Station. Virtually all tourist sights are off this single line, which also transports locals from the northern suburbs into downtown. Torontonians are diverse, friendly, and helpful if you need directions, so even a long ride passes fairly quickly.

I hopped off the subway at King, eager to begin an exploration of downtown. It is a wonderful mixture of modern and older buildings, with plenty of green spaces and several streetcar lines running down major thoroughfares. I circled east to see Toronto’s flatiron building (not photographed nearly as often as the one in Manhattan) and then made my way to my primary destination: the Hockey Hall of Fame.

If there is one thing that unites Canada, it is hockey. My trip to Toronto coincides with the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and even though the local Toronto Maple Leafs were eliminated in the first round (I’ve become quite a fan of the team over the last few years, as well as of my hometown Los Angeles Kings), excitement for the national sport isn’t diminished. The Hockey Hall of Fame sits right downtown, inside of a shopping mall that is part of Toronto’s underground city (apparently one can travel for miles beneath the streets when weather is icy), a construction that is pretty cool architecturally to begin with.

The Hockey Hall of Fame has existed since 1943, but has been in this location since 1993. The museum consists of two floors. The first (one level below the street) has exhibits ranging from NHL greats (I obviously get excited about anything with Wayne Gretzky) to international hockey to impressive displays of goalie masks through the decades. It is large but not overwhelming, with enough information to educate relative newcomers to hockey like me, videos and interactive displays to immerse a complete newbie, and cool artifacts to excite the most seasoned follower of the sport.

I was especially impressed by the exhibits that focus on women in hockey, as well as the diversification of the sport. I didn’t realize there were black leagues before the NHL integrated, and was fascinated by the stories of Herb Carnegie, the first black hockey star in Canada, and his contemporaries.

Upstairs, at street level, is the true mecca of all things hockey. This is the Hall of Fame itself, with engraved glass portraits of all those players (and others) enshrined here. The Great Hall, as it is called, is huge, airy, and immediately impressive to visitors. Glass cases hold the various trophies given out each year by the NHL, and I found myself transfixed, searching for names I’d heard of.

Attached to the Great Hall is the Vault which, among its other artifacts of great value, holds the original Stanley Cup. There are also retired bands of winners (the Stanley Cup champions all get their names engraved on bands of the trophy, so those get retired with time and replaced as they fill up) and championship rings.

And of course, the centerpiece of the Great Hall, and the Hockey Hall of Fame as a whole, is the Stanley Cup itself. Here, the Cup is sometimes the real version and sometimes an exact replica, depending on whether or not the Cup is out with players or at a league function. I don’t think anyone could tell the difference, and I was thrilled to be allowed to take my photo with it. (True hockey fans would never think to touch the Stanley Cup, but I’m still impressed that it exists outside a case, even if this is the fake one.)

A couple hours later, I headed back out into downtown Toronto, this time in search of food. While I know that poutine is mainly from Quebec and not Ontario, this dish of fries topped with cheese curds and gravy is basically the national food of Canada, and Toronto is not lacking in quality versions. I walked a few blocks to Loose Moose, a cool pub, for truffle poutine. It came with soft cheese curds (not the rubbery kind), awesome beef gravy, parmesan cheese, green onions, truffle oil, and truffle aioli. It was quickly demolished, and it was back to exploring.

Toronto is Canada’s largest city, biggest metro area, and commercial capital. Downtown has the buildings to match, but the highlight is the CN Tower, which at just over 1800 feet was the world’s tallest free-standing structure from its completion in 1975 until 2007. Visitors can go up to one of its observation decks, but I admired it from below. My favorite view came from Olympic Park, one of several beautiful parks within just a few blocks. These green oases are especially beautiful in spring, with flowering trees and a shocking number of tulips blooming.

As I finish my ice cream along the waterfront of downtown Toronto, I reflect on my most Toronto of days. A beautiful city, nice people, terrific food, fascinating architecture, and the central shrine to ice hockey… this was an absolutely incredible introduction to a truly world-class city. Add to it the sheer number of things I passed by that I didn’t have time to experience, and my Toronto Day is sure to inspire many more to come.

Thank you so much to the Hockey Hall of Fame for hosting my visit. I thoroughly loved the experience!

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