Toronto – Around Town – Harbourfront & the Financial District (part 2) – An Art Walk

by

An Art Walk


Morning

Start at
Commerce Court North
 to admire the stunning lobby. Walk west to Bay St and the
TD Centre
, noting the
Wall and Chairs
 sculpture in the plaza and Joe Fafard’s life-sized bronze cows lounging on the lawn behind 

77 King St W.


Just around the corner at 

234 Bay St

is the
Design Exchange
. Explore it for an hour before enjoying a pan-Asian lunch at Kubo DX, on the first floor.

Afternoon

Zigzag your way to Simcoe Park, on Front St west of Wellington, and the luminous Anish Kapoor sculpture. A monument beside it honors city founders. Continue west along Front, past the CBC at No. 250, noting the Glenn Gould sculpture, in memory of the eccentric pianist. You’ll soon come to SkyDome, and
The Audience
, Michael Snow’s larger-than-life fans.

Turn left on Spadina Ave; crossing the bridge, look to your left to see Eldon Garnet’s memorial
commemorating Chinese laborers who helped build Canada’s railroad. It’s
five minutes to the lake and, just west on Queens Quay, Toronto Music Garden, in bloom spring to fall. Wander this oasis for an hour, then walk 15 minutes east to
York Quay Centre

to watch artisans at work and stroll the Photo Passage.

End the day with a steak dinner at Harbour Sixty 

(60 Harbour St)

, in the opulent former Harbour Commission building.

Best of the Rest




  1. Union Station

    Built
    by 1921 but not opened until 1927 due to legalities, this elegant train
    station features a frieze citing Canadian destinations .

    • 65 Front St W

  2. 401 Richmond Street

    Many
    of the city’s best artist-run galleries are here in this gorgeous old
    warehouse. Exhibit openings are often held Thursday evenings and
    Saturday afternoons.

    • 401 Richmond St W

  3. Design Exchange

    This gallery showcases innovative Canadian postwar design.

    • 234 Bay St

    • open 10am–6pm Mon–Fri, noon–5pm Sat–Sun

    • Adm to special exhibits

  4. Toronto Dominion Gallery of Inuit Art

    An outstanding collection of postwar Inuit sculpture.

    • 79 Wellington St W

    • Open 8am–6pm Mon–Fri, 10am–4pm Sat–Sun

  5. Steam Whistle Brewing

    This railroad roundhouse now functions as a microbrewery. Tour the facilities, then sample the tasty results at the bar.

    • 255 Bremner Blvd

    • Open May–Aug: noon–6pm daily; Sep–Apr: noon–6pm Mon–Sat




    Steam Whistle Brewing

  6. Commerce Court North

    The
    star of Toronto’s early skyscrapers, this massive 34-story Romanesque
    structure housing the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce was the tallest
    building in Canada when completed in 1931. Today it matches
    aesthetically, if not in height, its towering neighbors.

    • 25 King St W

  7. Fairmont Royal York

    This grand château-style hotel , once the largest in the British Commonwealth, was built in 1928 by the Canadian Pacific Railway.

    • 100 Front St W




    Fairmont Royal York

  8. Air Canada Centre

    Home
    to basketball’s Raptors and hockey’s Maple Leafs, the arena is in the
    old Toronto Postal Delivery Building. Carvings on the façade depict the
    history of communications.

    • 40 Bay St

  9. Exhibition Place

    Princes’
    Gates herald the entrance to the Canadian National Exhibition’s
    fairgrounds, hosting major events such as the Royal Agricultural Winter
    Fair.

  10. Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery

    Toronto’s premiere contemporary art public gallery.

    • 231 Queens Quay W

    • open noon–6pm Tue, Thu–Sun, noon–8pm Wed

    • Adm