Toronto is one of the most progressive and wealthy cities in Canada. This city is gradually becoming a little copy of New York. Due to their similarity, many films about New York are shoot here.
Just imagine, what modern Toronto is like…To look over the whole city, you would need at least a week! Long and short of it- the four places in the city, which are described above, are the first thing worth a visit! If you are not having much time and you want to push things on, it is better to rent a car in Toronto.
CN Tower
This is the most notable landmark of the city, a symbol of Toronto, which could be seen on most pictures of Toronto. The TV Tower was the world’s tallest building until the year 2007, since its construction, which began in 1972 and took 4 years.
Its height is almost 555 meters. Currently, the tower remains the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere, it is twice as tall as the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
Initially, the owner of the TV tower was the Canadian company (Canadian National Railway) that is why it is called the ‘CN’. This name was preserved even after the building was bought by another company. In 2007, the tower was fitted up with a special backlight, glowing with the colors of the Canadian flag. During the holidays, other colors are added as well.
At a height of 380 meters, there is an observation deck with a glass floor, capable of handling the load of about 100 kg per 1 sm². Visitors are reaching the deck with the help of high-speed elevators. The journey up to the observation deck takes 58 seconds. The number of tourists climbing the tower each year reaches 2 million people.
In good weather, you can view from here a panorama of 160 km around you, down to Niagara Falls and Lake Ontario. The tower has a high level of security: it can withstand wind speeds (up to 400 km/h) and earthquakes with magnitude up to 8 on the Richter scale. In addition, it could withstand more than 70 lightning strokes per year.
Harbourfront Centre
This major cultural center is, actually, a 40-hectare space that the Canadian government has turned into a huge and wonderful area by the water. Here, on the shore of Lake Ontario, you can listen to music, see the exhibitions, take a walk, do shopping, dance, eat and enjoy yourself a lot. As it is seen from the name of the center- the main part of it is the port, but there are also parks, alleys, musical platforms. It is a place, where all holidays and festivals are celebrated.
For the first time it opened its doors on January 1, 1991. The Harborfront Center is a favorite place for Toronto residents. There, various street actors and circus performers are constantly performing. In the center, there are art galleries, concert halls, cinemas, theaters, museums, restaurants, cafes, theatrical schools, artists’ studios, bistros and even the apartments. In winter, the center is offering an extensive concert program and an open rink is made, which is very popular among Toronto residents.
Distillery District
This is the place, where the factories used to be, and now it is the historical and cultural center of the city. There are many artists, workshops, small jewelry factories, a chocolate factory and excellent restaurants at this district.
Located in the eastern part of Toronto downtown, there is a complex of Victorian industrial buildings owned by the company, which produced alcoholic beverages. In 2003, it was transformed into a major cultural and exhibition center. The district consists of 40 buildings on 10 streets and occupies 6 hectares of land. This is the largest collection of Victorian’s era industrial buildings of the industrial purpose in North America. Now there are boutiques, art galleries and salons, restaurants and cafes, as well as a theater. On this area, frequent exhibitions and sales of local artists in the open air take place. You could see performances and listen to the street musicians. It is located near the quay, on the Parliament Street, and along the Gardiner Expressway.
Niagara Falls
Despite the fact that Niagara Falls is located in about 45 km from the city of Toronto, it could be called its main natural attraction. Niagara is one of the most picturesque waterfalls in the world. Its headwaters are in the US, but its most fascinating views are in Canada.
The sound of blustering water is heard for many kilometers around, especially frightening it sounds at night, as when you are standing near the waterfall, you can hear nothing, except the falling water. Its name (on the Indian dialect) means “rumbling water”.
Niagara Falls is a wonderful natural miracle. It separates the territory of America from Canada. It is the most powerful and, undoubtedly, the most famous waterfall in North America. It is one of the three most beautiful waterfalls in the world, which attracts many people each day. Among tourists, there are even some desperate brave souls, who decided to subdue the elemental force. That, undoubtedly, could be called madness, since the waterfall crashes down from a height of 56.6 meters with a force of 2.8 million liters per second.