Toronto This Canadian Jewel Is A Model Of Urban Planning

So much to do, so little time.

That’s the concern of anyone who has only a weekend to experience Canada’s largest and most diverse city.

According to some guidebooks, Toronto was once a provincial town where curtains were drawn in department store windows on Sunday because window shopping was considered sinful.

But no more.

Now it is a thriving metropolis of 3.5 million people with a vibrant downtown, first-rate theater, nightlife, museums and the imprint of 80 different ethnic groups - so many that the United Nations designated Toronto as the world’s most ethnically diverse city.

And it seems that everyone has a cell phone.

Toronto, which is flat and sprawling, has one thing that many U.S. cities crave: clean and efficient transit. Subway and streetcar systems make getting around easy for tourists. It is a pedestrian-friendly city that is a model of urban planning.

And while there are homeless people and “squeegee” men offering to clean automobile windshields at busy intersections, the city is so safe that women ride the subway alone at 1 a.m.

Toronto also has a downtown stadium with a retractable roof (the Skydome), a burgeoning waterfront district along Lake Ontario, an entertainment area offering more live theater than any English-speaking city in the world except New York and London, and an underground series of shops and restaurants.

The city is so diverse that you never know what you’ll find. Within a four-block area on a funky part of Bloor Street, near the University of Toronto, are restaurants serving Korean, Mexican, Lebanese, Vietnamese, Italian, Chinese and Thai cuisine.

Tucked in between the restaurants is a hip coffee shop named Cafe Orgasmo and a garishly lighted bargain center called Honest Ed’s that occupies a city block and sells everything from mops to dentures.

The city is so diverse that tourists visiting for a short time run the risk of becoming overwhelmed by so many offerings.

If money is no object, this is an easy city to go first class. The Yorkville area includes smart shops such as Louis Vuitton, Giorgio Armani, Versace and Chanel, all close to the Four Seasons Hotel, the flagship for the upscale chain based in Toronto.

However, our objective was to experience Toronto on a budget, and we found that was surprisingly easy to do. With so much going on, it’s more a choice of deciding what you like and fitting it into your budget rather than scrounging around for things to do.

Among options:

See a play.

Such musical blockbusters as “Ragtime,” “Kiss of the Spider Woman” and the recent revival of “Showboat” were developed in Toronto, which has a thriving scene with more than 40 theaters.

“Phantom of the Opera,” “The Mousetrap” and “The Return of Martin Guerre” are other popular productions on stage now.

Half-price tickets to many shows are available on the day of the show at T.O. Tix, a storefront located at 208 Yonge St. in the heart of downtown near the Eaton Centre.

The most popular musicals are usually not included.

Go to a museum.

The Art Gallery of Ontario, known as the AGO, includes the world’s largest collection of sculptures, drawings and prints by noted British sculptor Henry Moore. They are displayed in a large room with natural light, allowing a visitor to get a clear view of the larger-than-life sculptures.

Also featured are works by Warhol, Rodin, Mattise and Picasso in a contemporary museum with light wood floors and stark white walls. A suggested donation is only $3.70.

An exhibition of paintings by Keith Haring recently featured at the Whitney Museum in New York is on display at the AGO through Jan. 18.

The Royal Ontario Museum, known as the ROM, is an eclectic museum of art, archaeology and science, featuring everything from full-size dinosaurs to art by European masters housed in a wonderful stone building. A newly opened gallery of Byzantine art features large mosaics and hundreds of ancient artifacts.

Admission to the museum is $7.41, but if you go the last hour before it closes, you get in free.

Get outdoors.

If it’s a nice day, take a ferry to the Toronto Islands, a series of interconnected islands with picnic grounds, children’s rides, beaches and bikeways - and no cars. The cost of the ferry ride to the islands is about $3 and, once there, the view of downtown Toronto is spectacular.

On weekends, the ferry is filled with in-line skaters and bikers who get around the islands on foot or pedal along a boardwalk. Bikes - some seating four people - are for rent on the islands, along with paddle boats, canoes and rowboats. The cost is about $5 to $15 an hour, with a deposit required.

Back in the city, a pleasant lakeside path passes shops, restaurants, lakeside condominiums and marinas on the waterfront. On Sundays, the sounds of jazz music waft across the water as tourists embark on harbor boat trips.

Across the street near the Skydome, the Harbourfront Antique Market is open to those who like to browse for everything from fine antiques to old Life magazines. Admission is free. The market, Canada’s largest, is a two-story maze of booths in a nondescript building with concrete floors. It’s also a good place to find a bathroom, which is called a “washroom” in Canada.

Act like a tourist.

Most all tourists visiting Toronto head to the CN Tower, the city’s best-known landmark. Billed as “the highest free-standing structure in the world,” the tower’s primary function is to send out radio and TV signals.

A glass elevator climbs up the outside of the tower to two observation desks - one indoors and one out. On a clear day, it is said, you can see Buffalo, N.Y., 60 miles away.

More impressive to most visitors is the section of glass floor that allows a view to the ground 113 stories below. Some people get nervous when others stomp on the glass with their feet; others lie down to have their photo made with the Skydome in view below.

The cost to go to the top of the tower is about $12, which seems a little steep for what’s up there. Even so, it’s highly popular with tour groups.

Down below, a number of attractions are aimed at the younger set. Cosmic Pinball is a three-dimensional ride that those with queasy stomachs should avoid. Q-Zar is a fun game where participants run around a darkened room in orange vests and zap each other with laser guns.

Other popular destinations for tourists include the Hockey Hall of Fame, which traces the history of hockey and houses the Stanley Cup, and the Bata Shoe Museum, which is devoted solely to the history of footwear.

Admission to the Hockey Hall of Fame is about $7; the Bata Shoe Museum is about $4.50.

Shop.

Shopping doesn’t seem like such a bargain in Toronto, particularly at those stores that are also found in the States such as The Gap and Banana Republic. More unique to visitors is Roots, a Canadian-based clothing store that still seems Gaplike.

For funky, one-of-a-kind shops, head to Queen Street West. There are many vintage clothing stores, fabric shops and other quirky shops with names that include Artzy Phartzy, Pepo’s Bismol and Way Cool Tattoos.

Within a few blocks, the shops range from one selling items from Tibet to a shop called Siren that sells vampire regalia.

Now who says Toronto is dull?

Map of area

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: IF YOU GO Here’s what you’ll need once you land at Lester B. Pearson Airport in Toronto. Documentation: Native-born U.S. citizens need to carry a valid passport, birth certificate or voter’s registration certificate. Resources: The Metropolitan Toronto Convention & Visitors Association provides a wealth of brochures and information, sells blockbuster theater tickets and books hotel rooms. Phone 800-363-1990. The association’s Internet address is http://www.tourism-toronto.com. For information about all of Ontario, call 800-668-2746. Currency: The U.S. dollar currently exchanges for about $1.40 Canadian. It is a good idea to exchange some currency before leaving the United States or immediately upon arriving in Canada to pay for taxis or incidentals. Getting around: Taxi and bus service is available from the airport to downtown. Bus service to most major hotels is $12 in Canadian currency and can be charged to a major credit card. Public transportation via subway, tram or bus is efficient. A single-day pass to use all public transportation costs $6.50 in Canadian currency. Attractions: As in any huge city, Toronto offers hundreds of diversions that appeal to various interests. Here are some popular ones, with contact numbers for requesting brochures, costs, opening hours and other information: Art Gallery of Ontario, 317 Dundas St. West, 416-979-6648. Bata Shoe Museum, 327 Bloor St. West, 416-979-7799. CN Tower, 301 Front St., 416-360-8500. Eaton Centre, 220 Yonge St., 416-598-8700. Harbourfront Antique Market, 390 Queen’s Quay West, 416-260-2626. Hockey Hall of Fame, Yonge and Front streets, 416-360-7765. Royal Ontario Museum, 100 Queen’s Park, 416-586-8000. Second City (comedy club), 110 Lombard St., 416-863-1162. SkyDome, 1 Blue Jays Way, 416-341-3663. Toronto Islands, Metro Parks and Culture, 416-392-8186. Travel tip: Allow ample time when leaving Toronto because you will clear U.S. Customs there. The lines are slow, but don’t panic. An official keeps track of departing flights. Once you’re back in the United States, you don’t have to fool with customs.