What's New

When you're strolling around Toronto these days, you may feel that you should have packed a hardhat. The city is caught up in renovating its art institutions and building new skyscrapers. Here's a quick look at what's new.

Planning Your Trip -- With the cost of fuel making airfares soar, it's good to note that there's a new option for flying into Toronto from the U.S. A relatively new airline, Porter (tel. 888/619-8622 or 416/619-8622; www.flyporter.com), has several daily flights from New York City to the Toronto Island Airport; there are plans to expand its service to other U.S. cities, including Chicago.

Where to Stay -- The Hazelton Hotel (118 Yorkville Ave., tel. 866/473-6301; www.thehazeltonhotel.com) recently opened with a splash. It's a lovely space -- and it boasts its own private screening room -- but it's proud of having the priciest room rates in the city. Neighboring luxury hotels, such as the Park Hyatt tel. 800/233-1234; www.parktoronto.hyatt.com) and the Four Seasons (tel. 800/268-6282; www.fourseasons.com/toronto), look like a steal by comparison.

While you're in town, you may notice that there are some new hotel-construction projects going on. The city is set to get its first-ever Ritz Carlton, the Trump empire is building a tower, and the Four Seasons plans to open a new property. However, none of these options will be available anytime soon (some are still on the drawing board at press time).

Where to Dine -- Toronto's most famous chef, Susur Lee, has left for New York (with promises to open a new restaurant in Toronto down the road), but the city is studded with culinary gems. There's Amuse-Bouche, 96 Tecumseth St. (tel. 416/913-5830), an elegant bistro on a quiet side street downtown; Four, 187 Bay St. (tel. 416/368-1444), is located in the Financial District, in what used to be a subterranean watering hole; and Greg Couillard's Spice Room & Chutney Bar, 55 Avenue Rd. (tel. 416/935-0000), is an opulent dining room hidden inside -- surprise! -- an upscale mall. There are also some changes with well-established Toronto restaurants: Le Papillon, the Quebecois creperie, is in a new location at 69 Front St. E. (tel. 416/367-0303) and will open a second spot at 1001 Eastern Ave. in 2009.

What to See & Do -- The CN Tower lost its title as the world's tallest freestanding structure in 2008, but that doesn't make visiting it any less breathtaking. As a matter of fact, its newest attraction -- an incredible glass-floored elevator -- just opened in the summer. The transformation of the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) is finally complete. The Daniel Libeskind-designed galleries -- which included the dinosaurs and the new costume gallery -- are located inside the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal, which dominates Bloor Street West. The Ontario Science Centre has also completed its major makeover, adding even more hands-on galleries and creating a new outdoor exhibition space. The highlight is the new KidSpark gallery, designed for kids 8 and under.

At press time, the Frank Gehry-designed renovation at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) is ongoing. If all goes according to plan, it should reopen in November 2008, with 40% more viewing space than it had before the renovation. There will also be newly acquired pieces in the collection, including Peter Paul Reubens's masterpiece, "The Massacre of the Innocents," new galleries of African and Australian aboriginal art and a permanent photography installation.

Shopping -- I know that many travelers head to the Eaton Centre to get their retail fix. I drop by, too (hey, there's an Apple store there now, after all), but Toronto has so many great shopping neighborhoods that it's a shame to focus on chain stores. The Art & Design District along Queen St. West and the Distillery District near King St. East and Parliament St. are both great areas to find unique boutiques. See chapter 9 for details.

Visitors familiar with the legendary Canadian department store The Bay will be in for a shock: they may see Lord & Taylor signs in some of its stores. The Bay was purchased by the same company that owns the American retailer in the summer of 2008, and while plans are still developing, it sounds like some Bay stores with be operating under a different banner.

Unfortunately for American shoppers, the Canadian dollar has gotten so strong that it's roughly on par with the U.S. dollar (that's why prices in this volume are listed in Canadian dollars and British pounds). However Toronto remains a great shopping destination.

After Dark -- If you're an opera lover who's visiting Toronto, buy your tickets for the Canadian Opera Company right now. Its performances at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts have been at 99% capacity this past year, making it one tough "get." Of course, since Toronto is such an opera-loving city, there are plenty of other opera companies to check out.

Toronto's dance clubs run the gamut. Some of the newest, like Park Lane, are expensive and all about the velvet rope; others, like the massive Circa, run by club king Peter Gatien, are big enough to offer something for everyone.

The Sony Centre for the Performing Arts -- formerly known as the Hummingbird Centre -- will be dark in 2009. Architect Daniel Libeskind, the man responsible for the Royal Ontario Museum's crystal galleries, has designed a 49-story residential tower that will loom over the theater, which will also be completely overhauled. At press time, there's no information about when the theater will reopen.

Side Trips -- Niagara Falls is in the middle of upgrading some of its attractions and introducing new ones (believe it or not, it's just not enough to have the famous falls anymore). The Table Rock Centre, essentially the "gateway" to the falls, is getting a $32 million upgrade. Its new star is Niagara's Fury, which opened on June 27, 2008. Visitors are invited to "experience" the creation of the falls in a chamber that swirls visual images over a 360-degree screen, has the ground shake beneath them, envelops them in a blizzard, and makes the temperature drop from 75°F to 40°F (24°C to 4°C) in 3 seconds.