A Visitor’s Guide to Toronto

Author: Casey Gale       

Following up on yesterday’s post with food and drink suggestions while you’re in Toronto for ASAE’s 2017 Annual Meeting & Exposition, we have more recommendations for how to spend any downtime you may have — courtesy of Sarah Fulford, Toronto Life editor. Here’s what she tells her friends who come to Toronto for a visit:

1. Check out the art scene. The Art Gallery of Ontario has great Canadian art, some international stuff, and it’s in a marvelous Frank Gehry building,” Fulford said.

2. The shopping is superb. “For a unique shopping experience, you could go to The Distillery District, which was an early 19th-century whisky-producing area that has since been refurbished and has great little shops, cafes, and the best chocolate in the world — Soma Chocolate,” Fulford said. “I love walking around there.”

3. Toronto isn’t all about the city life. “For a quick urban escape, take the ferry to the Toronto Islands. There’s a great view of the skyline, and it’s a lovely place to walk around, with beaches, playgrounds, frisbee games, picnics, etc.,” Fulford suggested.

4. The city’s cultural diversity makes for exciting attractions. “The Aga Khan recently opened a massive gorgeous Islamic art museum — called The Aga Khan Museum — which is unique in the world. He was going to open it in London, but picked Toronto instead. My mom says it has the best gift shop in the city. But it’s on the outskirts of the city — almost in the suburbs, and will be a bit of a schelp in a taxi,” Fulford said. “No trip to Toronto is complete without a visit to Kensington Market. Like the Lower East Side in New York City, it’s the immigrant stopping ground — Jewish, then Chinese, and now thick with hipster boutiques, bars, and gourmet food shops.”

5. This is a destination with world-class arts and entertainment offerings. The Four Seasons Centre is home to our opera company and our big ballet company,” Fulford said, “and the hall has great acoustics. Koerner Hall is another great performance center in Toronto — a lovely place to hear music.”

For more information, check out these other Toronto Life resources for visitors:

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