Titillating Toronto

A visit to Toronto, Canada’s largest city that’s home to 200-plus ethnicities, recalls the world’s greatest cities. London, New York, Hong Kong, Barcelona, Beijing – they all come to mind when exploring this thriving metropolis’ myriad ethnic neighborhoods, striking skyline, inspiring arts scene, and first-class dining. But despite Toronto’s chameleon-like tendencies, it maintains a presence all its own. Seemingly immune from the economic downturn, Toronto boasts more new hotels, attractions, and restaurants than ever.

Luxurious New Digs
The recently opened Four Seasons Hotel Toronto features a 30,000-square-foot luxury spa and three-star Michelin Chef Daniel Boulud’s Café Boulud. One of only two properties in North America, the Shangri-La Hotel Toronto wows first-time visitors with a spectacular multi-story sculpture that begins outside the building and winds its way through the lobby. The Trump International Hotel & Tower Toronto adds some height to Toronto’s dynamic skyline, the rest of which can be seen from the warmth of a 65-foot saltwater lap pool and negative-edge whirlpool.

Entertaining Places
Legoland (Canada’s first) measures in at 34,000 square feet, complete with a 4-D movie theater, a Lego Master Builder Academy, and a Lego mini-replica of the City of Toronto. The new $130 million Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada is home to 13,500 aquatic creatures, a tropical reef tank, and a 315-foot, tunneled walkway that moves people below a 750,000-gallon Shark Lagoon. Two giant pandas recently left their homes in China to reside at the Toronto Zoo where the Panda Interpretive Center educates visitors about worldwide conservation efforts. And get your jumping, basketball, and dodgeball on at Sky Zone Toronto, the $1.5-million trampoline facility that bounces the fun up a notch.

Irresistible Eats
The white hot David Chang has a branch of Momofuku, his cult-like shrine to ramen and pork buns, in the Shangri-La Hotel in downtown Toronto. For cocoa bean lover, bliss out at the Chocolate Lab at Trump International Hotel & Tower Toronto, where hand-dipped chocolates, truffles, and other delights – like scones baring Valrhona chocolate chunks – come to life. Sample Toronto’s buzzing culinary scene at the Southern Italian gem, Strada 241 : everything’s handmade – in Chinatown no less.