Best Ontario Vacation Spot
Toronto
Toronto is like New York, only cleaner, safer and friendlier: big-city fun and entertainment with a small-city sense of community. Plus it’s only a four-hour trip by car or train, making for a convenient and enjoyable weekend getaway spot for metro Detroiters. With four trains leaving daily, Viarail makes getting to Toronto quite easy and reasonably inexpensive. Tickets are only about $65 (U.S.) roundtrip if you book five days in advance, which you can do online at www.viarail.ca. If you drive, be careful on the 401, especially during the winter. Snow squalls and whiteouts are common.
Rolling into town, the CN Tower — the world’s tallest free-standing structure and a Toronto landmark — looms in the distance, which means it’s time to get down to business.
Shopping, clubs and restaurants in Toronto are a must, and with the great exchange rate, your U.S. dollars will take you far. The old standbys are Yorkville (upscale shops and department stores located at Yonge and Bloor) and the Eton Centre (which is basically a giant shopping mall). For a younger, more hip experience, hit Queen Street West and the surrounding areas, especially just to the south at John and Richmond Streets. Nightclubs, vintage stores, restaurants and movie theaters attract University of Toronto students and scenesters by the droves.
Toronto has a wealth of clubs where you can spend your nights away. Be sure to pick up a copy of Now — the local free weekly — to see who’s playing at venues such as El Mocambo, Lee’s and Reverb. Finally, during the summer months there’s the Beaches (a beautiful resort area just outside of the city), the Harborfront along the lake and ferries to Toronto Island.
And this is just scratching the surface, because there’re a million hidden treasures waiting for you in the bustling Canadian metropolis. Get going then!
