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Guides for the Business Traveler
Toronto (2008)
4 hours in Toronto (2008)
Alison Stein Wellner checks out an award-winning chocolatier, great art and books, and Napoleon’s hot-red boots
 | Art Gallery of Ontario Toronto is a city abuzz this winter, as its premier art museum, Art Gallery of Ontario, reopened in November. It took three years to complete the expansion, which added 97,000 square feet to the museum and increased art-viewing space by 47 percent. You could easily spend the entire day—and then some—exploring the museum's extensive collections. But you don't even have to enter the building to appreciate one of the museum's newest works: the curving glass and wood façade, designed by native son and star architect Frank Gehry. Take it in from the street, and pause for a peek into the sculpture gallery, which you can see from the road.
317 Dundas Street West; tel. 877-225-4246; www.ago.net
|  | Bata Shoe Museum For a museum experience more scaled to a quick trip, start at the Bata Shoe Museum. This quirky museum is an only-in-Toronto experience and provides a unique view on culture, history, beauty, and status by examining the shoes worn in different cultures, throughout time and history. Here you'll find shoes worn by just regular folks, but it's also fun to check out the celebrity footwear. Scope out Napoleon's hot-red leather boots and contemplate the similarities to the bold platform boots worn by Geri Halliwell (better known as Ginger Spice of the Spice Girls).
327 Bloor Street West; tel. 416-979-7799; www.batashoemuseum.ca |  | Open Air Books & Maps Hop on the subway and take the Yonge-University-Spadina train to King Station. (If the weather's lousy, grab a free transfer when you buy your ticket, as you'll want it for later.) Walk east on King Street for two blocks and hang a left onto Toronto Street. It's easy to miss this tiny shop—it's down a ramp, below street level—but it's worth looking for, as this may be the place with the most books per square foot in the entire world, making its name quite ironic. In these cozy quarters, you'll find an extensive collection of travel and nature-themed publications, as well as many other genres. Satisfy any curiosity about Canada in its excellent selection of local books, or start to plan your next armchair, or actual, adventure. Just be careful as you move around—book avalanches are apparently a daily event here.
25 Toronto Street; tel. 416-363-0719 |  | Distillery District Continue east on King Street—either on foot or use your transfer for the streetcar—to Parliament Street. Make a right, and then after three blocks, a left onto Mill Street. By the time you reach Trinity Street, you'll feel like you've entered another era. This is the entrance to the historic Distillery District, considered North America's largest and best-preserved collection of Victorian industrial buildings. This was the site of the Gooderham & Worts distillery, which started operation in 1831 and was, at one time, the largest distillery in the British Empire.
After the distillery shut down in 1990, this area became one of the most popular filming locations in the world, second only to Hollywood. In 2003, it took on its current form: a pedestrian-only area dedicated to the arts, culture and entertainment. The area's brick buildings and pathways stand in contrast to the sleek glass buildings that surround the area—you can take in the history and still see the futuristic shape of the iconic CN Tower. Continue the blend of past and present by hopping on a Segway tour of the district—they're either 30 or 90 minutes long. On foot, don't miss the Case Goods Warehouse (located in Building 74), home to working artists' studios, galleries and boutiques.
55 Mill Street, Distillery District; tel. 416-364-1177; www.thedistillerydistrict.com
|  | Soma Chocolatemaker No visit to the Distillery District would be complete without a stop for a snack at Soma Chocolatemaker. This award-winning artisan chocolatier has a glassed-in "chocolate lab" where you can watch their confections in creation, and a "gelato lab," where unusual flavors like quince or butternut squash are produced, along with more traditional flavors. If you're a little chilly—as is expected in Toronto—the spicy Mayan hot chocolate will warm you right up. And don't forget to stock up on mini-chocolate bars to snack on later.
55 Mill Street, Distillery District, Building 48, Unit 102; tel. 416-815-7662; www.somachocolate.com |
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