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Toronto: City on the (High) Rise

William Hennelly

What feels like a cross between London and New York, with a dash of Paris thrown in?

Toronto -- the booming financial and cultural capital of Canada -- a polyglot city that is emerging as a cosmopolis.

Toronto, which got its name from the Huron Indian word for "meeting place," is like London because of its English settler roots and Britishisms in language. You have a nine "storey" building and you are taken "to hospital" if you're unlucky; Queen Elizabeth II is still on the C$20 bill.

The city is like New York because of its diversity, its finance-centric nature (it's home to the Toronto Stock Exchange and where Donald Trump plans a major high-rise) and Times Square-like signs in some parts, such as in Dundas Square. Parts of Toronto look enough like New York, in fact, that it often serves as a surrogate for the Big Apple in films.

The Parisian flavor comes from French being a national language in Canada. Most signs and menus are in English and French, and tour guides and drivers speak both languages. (But if you really want a Canadian city with French influence, try Montreal, or Quebec City.)

Toronto, which juts into the north shore of Lake Ontario, boasts the world's tallest building -- the CN Tower. Ride up the tower in an elevator that travels 15 mph, and you'll get sweeping views of the city and of Lake Ontario. You're also allowed to walk around the tower outside and feel the fresh air that high up -- behind a taut iron-mesh barrier.

Toronto also contains two of the biggest ethnic neighborhoods of their kind in the world -- Chinatown (where there's a restaurant at practically every street number) and Little Italy. There also is a large Greektown, and Thai, Vietnamese and Cambodian communities. Truffles, a French restaurant in the Four Seasons Hotel, was named the city's most popular restaurant in a Zagat's survey. Yonge Street, a busy mix of commercial establishments, lays claim to being the longest street in the world.

Growing Pains

But with that growth, not surprisingly, has come an increase in crime and gun violence. Public safety took center stage on Nov. 2 when the police staged a demonstration at City Hall, seeking a new contract. Some 150 cops showed up at the rally in uniform, and the police commissioner vowed to punish them. (They later agreed to a new contract.) The police claim they've been outmanned and outgunned lately. New York City's own Rudy Giuliani was in town that week discussing how he cut crime in his city with his "hot spot" policing.

The national political leadership also has been under scrutiny with the recent publication of the long-anticipated Judge Gomery report, which alleged former officials in ex-Prime Minister Jean Chretien's government used some C$150 million from an approximately C$335 million "sponsorship" program (now dubbed AdScam) to kick back cash to advertising agencies and cronies supportive of the ruling Liberal Party in Quebec. Back in the 1990s, Quebec almost voted to secede from Canada. The subsequent sponsorship program was the Ottawa government's attempt to promote and advertise support for national unity. Earlier this week, the ruling Liberal Party received a vote of no confidence, and an election for a new parliament has been tentatively scheduled for Jan. 23.

Loonie Tunes

One thing Toronto isn't is cheap -- even with the U.S. dollar at a premium. The buck netted anywhere from $1.10 to $1.20 Canadian the first week of November, depending on where money was exchanged. By the way, you don't have to change it at all. American dollars are taken everywhere (you get change in Canadian) and if you use an ATM or credit/debit card, you won't have to fuss with exchange rates -- the banks will handle it, for a small fee.

As for the prices, how about C$12.95 for a six-pack of Molson Canadian beer? One may say, but that's a domestic beer there. Do I hear C$10.95 for a six of Miller Genuine Draft? Yes you do. One also must buy booze at LCBOs (Liquor Control Board of Ontario) stores. In Toronto, the PST (the provincial sales tax) and the GST (the government sales tax) will be on any receipts. The GST is refundable on certain items C$50 pretax and over, and a total of C$200 must have been spent. The receipts must be stamped by customs before leaving the country in order to submit a refund application by mail.

CN Tower World's tallest building

And get used to carrying around a lot of change, as the C$5 note is the smallest paper denomination. The C$2 coin (the toonie) and the C$1 coin (the loonie, so named for its depiction of the national bird) do come in handy, though, for small purchases.

Getting around Toronto is pretty easy. The street grid is easy to navigate, and the city is easily walkable. The subway (with a C$2.50 fare) is a U-shaped line that is good for going north to south, but not so useful for traveling east to west. Taxis are plentiful, with an initial fare of C$2.50. Toronto also has street cars.

You Hockey Puck

What would a trip to Canada be without ice hockey? The Toronto Maple Leafs are like the New York Yankees of Canada (although some fans of Montreal's Canadiens might object to that observation). The Leafs now play in the Air Canada Centre downtown, after the fabled Maple Leaf Gardens got too old and tired. A Maple Leafs game is an experience, and management takes crowd participation seriously. Each night, a number is drawn for a seat that is, one could say, a little further from the ice than the others. The lucky fan then is shown -- on the giant video screen -- being escorted to a rink-side seat as Moving On Up, the theme from "The Jeffersons," blares away.

The Leafs sell out almost every game, but if you want to attend, the cheapest seat available on game night is C$42; a good upper-deck seat could be had for C$82. (Oh, and by the way, a large beer at the game -- not a six-pack, but one beer -- is C$12.95, which makes Yankee Stadium vendors appear charitable.)

BCE Place The Hockey Hall of Fame is here

Toronto also houses the Hockey Hall of Fame, which is worth a trip whether you're a hockey fan or not. You'll see tributes to all of the original National Hockey League teams, old jerseys (some of which are surprisingly small in comparison to what many of today's NHL brutes would wear), old skates and equipment used in the primitive stages of the game, pictures of bygone arenas, a stack of pucks Wayne Gretzky used when he broke the NHL single-season scoring record, and more.

Lodging, Sightseeing and Shopping

Toronto has two major museums, the Art Gallery of Ontario, where artifacts from Imperial Russia's Catherine the Great are currently on display, and the Royal Ontario Museum.

If you're looking for some upscale shopping, then Bloor Street in the city's fashionable Yorkville quarter, known as the "Mink Mile," is where you'll find all the big-name designers, in addition to some chic storefront displays. The area is also lively at night, with a number of cafes and small nightclubs.

Toronto also has plenty of world-class hotels. The Fairmont Royal York, where the queen stays when she visits, is probably the most prestigious. Also notable are The Four Seasons, the Intercontinental and Le Royal Meridien. For something ultramodern, you could try the gleaming Soho Hotel.

If you're a news junkie, you won't be let down. The Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star, the Sun and the National Post all are enjoyable daily newspapers, with the tabloid Sun the one for indulging the baser tastes.

See That Squirrel? They're jet black in Toronto

Finally, crossing the border into Canada isn't as easy as it used to be -- nor is getting back into the U.S. -- without either a passport or a birth certificate. It is still possible to get in with a driver's license and supporting government and/or other IDs, but only after a customs agent may remind you of how foolish you are for not traveling with either a passport or birth certificate. They may then send you to a different, more interrogative branch of customs.

If you want to visit a world-class city without leaving North America, then Toronto -- only a 90-minute flight from New York -- has a lot to offer. Just don't forget to bring plenty of loonies.