Being up early on my first day I started at the only attraction open at 9am on a Sunday - the CN tower. This space-needle like building was once the tallest in the world and offers spectacular views across Toronto and for miles and miles beyond. Whilst it is somewhat expensive to go up a small frustration is that you don't get the full 360 degree view - a quarter of the internal viewing area is taken up with a restaurant! Whilst it is possibly in the less interesting direction it is frustrating nevertheless! Also up the tower is a glass platform where you can effectively walk with a clear view below - amazing how many people were nervous of it (it is lightly disconcerting, but I am sure they are not going to let you fall!)
The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) has progressed over the years from a small house to a huge gallery (which now towers over it). It was everything a gallery in a place like Toronto should be - a collection which spanned from the traditional to the modern and a focus on Canadian artists (particularly a "group of 7"). One of the notable things was the quantity of pictures on display - whereas a lot of galleries will have them spaced out in some places the AGO had walls covered in them! It also had a collection of works by Henry Moore and a most fascinating wooden staircase!
To the south of Toronto, in the Ontario lake, are a collection of islands accessible by ferry. Whilst the afternoon I went there was not the greatest for weather (although not quite raining) it was a good place to get out for a walk and you could see how they would get packed on warm summer days! it also gave great views back across to the main city.
Casa Loma is a castle-like house built to the north of the main city. It was built by a rich industrialist about 100 years ago who (after not too many years of living there) ran out of money and it nearly got demolished a few years later. It is done with great detail (and once included a quarter of all telephones in Toronto!) and also includes displays on his old regiment and classic cars.
The Royal Ontario Museum is a museum which combines elements of the Natural History Museum (including a dinosaur skeleton in the foyer), the British Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum in one large site. A bit like the AGO it also combines modern and "classical" architecture, with the two buildings almost looking like they have been crashed together.
Also visited in Toronto included the St Laurence Market, the CBC (Canadian Broadcaster) museum, the old distillery district and the university (which was very Harvard-like in its collection of buildings). There were also a number of art galleries that I would have visited (and indeed tried to) only to find that they were closed for rehanging (will have to come back in a couple of weeks...).
Around town there is a lot of impressive architecture, both big modern skyscrapers and older buildings. Indeed some combine the two, with a skyscraper being built around an original building. The old and new city halls are impressive in their own different ways - the new city hall as a piece of 60's architecture that still woks today. There is also a lot of building work going on across the city (something that I seem to regularly find in Canada).
Getting around is easy - a lot of attractions are within walking distance of each other and if not there is a subway system and even trams still running! All relatively quick and efficient from that which I saw. The od thing is buying a day pass which is effectively a giant scratchcard where you just need to scrape off the date for which you want to use it - that and metal tokens for the entry barriers show that there are some aspects still a bit low tech.
So, very much worth the visit (and I could have easily filled some more time) - it is a good job I am writing this on a 4 hour train journey as it means I get a sit down!
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