After 8 years of living here, I thought that I'd pretty much 'been there and done that' as far as Toronto is concerned. When two of my closest friends said they were coming over, I felt challenged to present them a view of Toronto that would rival the other cities they'd already seen: Paris, Prague, Shanghai, Hong Kong, etc. But anything that invites comparison was doomed to fail. Our CN Tower versus the Eiffel Tower? Whoever heard of "CN" outside Canada?
The trick, I discovered, was to let them be my guide. Who was I to decide what would be interesting to them? I figured out that my role was to facilitate their own process of discovery. And here are eight things we discovered together.
The trick, I discovered, was to let them be my guide. Who was I to decide what would be interesting to them? I figured out that my role was to facilitate their own process of discovery. And here are eight things we discovered together.
- One can get Filipino-style doughnuts in Toronto. My friend inspected 3 bakeries in Montreal and 3 bak
eries in Toronto, hoping to find a 'pianono'. Instead, he found Filipino-style doughnuts at Hongkong Island Bakery on Spadina. It was a new bakery I hadn't been to myself and it was amazing to find how much they had available, even European style pastries and cakes, all at reasonable prices.
- Horse racing here is a far cry from what I remember back home. I used to go to San Lazaro racetrack in Manila with my dad when I was a kid and all I could remember was the awful smells and guys who were looking for the 'next big
win'. There was a lot of greed and desperation in the air. Here in Toronto, the crowd consists of retirees and well-dressed young couples. Woodbine Race Track has indoor seating for spectators surrounded by tv monitors, some of which show other races going on in North America. They serve pizza and fried chicken at the food court and one can even go down to trackside and talk to the trainers while they groom the horses. You don't need to bet to enjoy the atmosphere, but if you want to get in the game, $12 can last all racing day.
- Our churches are architectural treasures. None of them have suffered from
'revisions' inflicted by parish priests with architectural pretensions. A lot of them feature English-style stonework. Aside from praying and hearing mass, my friends took lots of pictures at the Notre Dame de Montreal, Notre Dame of Otttawa, St. Joseph's Basilica as well as our very own Our Lady of Fatima church in East York. We even found a quaint German church tucked away downtown. And those are only the Catholic churches.
- It's possible to take a 3-hour nature walk minutes from downtown toronto. Always a popular summer destination for Torontonians, Toronto Islands are calmer in
the Fall with fewer picnic crowds. Gibraltar Point was recently given a natural-looking 'facelift and it's nice to sit there on a couple of boulders and watch the geese and squirrels go about their business.
- 5. One can get front row at a free concert. Claimed to be Toronto's favorite musical, The Sound of Music cast performed highlights from the show at Nathan Phillips square. Elicia Mac Kenzie who plays Maria was the people's choice in the reality
show "How do you solve a problem like Maria?". Her beautiful soprano voice complements her wholesome good looks and makes comparisons to Julie Andrews totally unnecessary. Elicia is a star in her own right.
- Toronto is not Florence, but there is a strong desire to bring art closer to the people. Conceived as a copycat of Paris' own Nuit Blanche, Toronto's Nuit Blanche is so pop
ular that the streetcars remained crammed late into the evening. This year's exhibits consisted of 135 art installations all over the city, including a giant 4-letter word generator at City Hall. Too bad it took almost an hour to form one word, but it could have been worse.
- Cold, freshly brewed beer actually tastes the best. I learned this after we toured the Steamwhistle Brewery and got free samplings. That's the only t
ime I found out that Steamwhistle was established only a year before I arrived in Toronto. I always thought it was older because they use a vintage-looking bottle.
- On a warm sunny day, the Toronto Harbour Front actually feels like a slice of Italy.There are boats on the dock, music, cafes and a view of the water. And yes, crowds of people speaking different European languages.
