It’s really impossible to distill just how cool of a city Toronto is. There is an energy that rivals New York, a cultural mix reminiscent of London, an urban beauty in the mold of Chicago, and classical Canadian friendliness. The place is incredible. And while there really isn’t a single must-visit sight, and nothing overly…
Sometimes, a day just seems to work out. Here I was, armed with a Toronto VIP Pass from Destination Toronto, with a free day downtown before meeting family to attend the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. (As a total aside, the concert and venue were both wonderful.) What to do? I gazed through the list of activities…
Sometimes my only plan for a day in a cool city is a nice walk in the sun. I might have a building or two in mind that I’d like to see and to photograph, a restaurant I want to try, or something else that draws me to a particular walk in a particular area,…
At the turn of the 20th century, Toronto was booming. Mining in northern Ontario, shipping on the Great Lakes, and a huge new financial sector led to rapid growth both in the city and in the money found there. With that came a new elite class, one that could make its money locally in addition…
It dominates the skyline like few other buildings in the world, standing head and shoulders above the rest of what has become one of the meccas for skyscrapers. Toronto would look unnatural without the CN Tower, and though it isn’t the city’s official logo - that honor belongs to the “new” city hall building -…
For the entirety of my life, Canada and the US have had a close relationship. We have been military allies, trade partners, diplomatic supporters… and we have been each other’s top travel destination. In a brief few months under the current American administration, those things seem to have changed. We hear anecdotes of anger on…
If it seems like you read something like this, maybe only a year ago, it is because you did. In 2024, A and I went to Toronto, my first time in Canada’s largest city. We visited family, but I was also able to take some time to see a bit of the place. And wow,…
Victoria, British Columbia is a cool city with a lot to do and see. But since it is a place that you’ll likely have a rental car, it is also easy to get out of town for a day to see a bit more of the southern portion of Vancouver Island. The Victoria region is…
In 1867, the United Kingdom passed the British North America Act, whereby Canada became an independent country. Four years later, in 1871, the colony of British Columbia - itself an 1866 merger of two colonies, British Columbia on the mainland and Vancouver Island - was talked into joining the new nation, urged in part by…
Walking past the Gate of Harmonious Interest along Fisgard Street in Victoria, British Columbia, the city’s tiny - but mighty - Chinatown opens before me. Shops, restaurants, lanterns… it might only go a block or so, but the effect is outsized. And indeed, that is the biggest takeaway from a visit here to what is…