Toronto Vacation

Flicking through the latest paparazzi magazines you may have seen Eva Longoria of Desperate Housewives in Toronto filming her latest movie. The city is fast becoming one of the places for film-makers who flock here for their latest shoot in the city dubbed “Hollywood of the North”.

With a glut of cheap flights, it is already a happening vacation for star-spotters – there are plenty of red carpets and designer frock premieres – without the expense of LA or New York.

But celebrities aren’t the only thing to look at – on a good day you can see the tops of the buildings in Niagara, 100 miles away, from the 1,465ft high Skypod observation deck at the CN Tower, Toronto’s major landmark. At 1,815ft the sky-piercing tower is currently the world’s tallest free-standing building with an elevator whisking you up 1,136ft in just 58 seconds. Don’t miss the adrenaline-rush of stepping on the glass floor with nothing but a clear pane of glass between you and the ground 1,122 feet away.

It overlooks the mighty Rogers Centre (formerly the SkyDome) whose sparkling white retractable roof takes 20 minutes to open. In good weather, buy cheap tickets up in what are known as the nosebleeds and watch Vernon Wells of the Blue Jays baseball team hit a home run, as you drink a pint of Skyfoam beerand watch up-close on the big screen. If the roof’s open you can crane your neck up at the soaring CN Tower in a star-filled sky.

If you only have two days to vacation in Toronto, you really must make time for a day trip to Niagara’s famous falls. The huge Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian side are a roaring spectacle not to be missed. They even starred in their own movie – Niagara.

If the thought of donning a plastic blue mac and being showered with the spray from the whopping 170 feet (53 metre) falls gets you going, then the Maid of the Mist boat is a never-to-be-forgotten exhilarating experience as the captain revs hard in reverse to get you as close as possible to the thundering water.

Maybe avoid Niagara itself – it’s a little tacky with Blackpool-style souvenir shops, but the value-for-money eat-all-you-like buffet lunch at the Casino will keep you going for days.

Cross the Rainbow Bridge into the US – for a few US dollars you’ll have a US visa in your passport. There’s not a lot here though and the US falls, although you can get close, are nowhere near as heart-racing as the main falls.

Back downtown, and for a bit of star-spotting, the Distillery Historic District is probably one of the most filmed places in Toronto and the main location for the film Chicago with Renée Zellweger and Catherine Zeta Jones. When not being filmed, the cobblestoned former distillery takes on a life of its own with film tours, a cool jazz festival in summer, and is home to numerous outdoor cafés, restaurants and trendy artists’ studios selling jewellery and ceramics.

Night owls should head towards Toronto’s entertainment district packed with bars. Style gurus sip sultry cocktails at candlelit tables with R&B grooves at the smooth Sugar Café. Or enjoy a touch of traditional jazz and blues while rubbing shoulders with Nick Nolte or other visiting celebs at the Reservoir Lounge – a 50s style bare-brick piano bar.

To bed down starlet-style, Toronto is full of stylish hotels but the rooms of the boutique Cosmopolitan come complete with crystal gem fountains, crisp white Egyptian linen, yoga CDs and chakra-balancing toiletries to restore both body and mind after a heavy night out.

Next morning’s caffeine-injected hangover cure has to be provided by Tim Horton’s – Canada’s favourite coffee-chain – with coffee and sticky Canadian-maple topped donuts oozing with vanilla creme to help with the sugar cravings.

Before heading home, stop off at The Eaton Centre – one of Canada’s largest shopping centres. With anchor store Sears and more than 300 shops including Roots, Timberland, H&M and Lush, you’d be mad not to spend a few pennies topping up your wardrobe.

One tip though: if you’re here in winter, you can keep out of the cold and wet by taking the PATH, 27 km of underground walkway linking the downtown shopping malls and hotels. And even better – it’s lined with a staggering 1,200 shops for you to relieve your wallet of its shopping dollars.

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