Evergreen Brick Works
How do you change a city? You create a community of sustainability champions through pizza nights, school field trips, corporate sleepovers, farmers markets, and more. You also lead by example.
Once home to deteriorating heritage buildings and a massive clay quarry, the site of the former Don Valley Brickworks contributed bricks to some of the city’s most impressive historical buildings, including Casa Loma and Osgoode Hall, but once the usable clay was gone it began a downward slide to abandonment. The city of Toronto and the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) began restoration efforts in the early nineties. A few years later Evergreen, a national not-for-profit led by urban environmentalist Geoff Cape, began plans to transform the abandoned buildings (which had become a popular site for raves and graffiti artists) into an urban environmental center.
Evergreen Brick Works officially opened in September 2010 and continues to be a vibrant social enterprise where city building ideas and strategies are imagined and tested by Evergreen's entrepreneurs and experts, who engage visitors of all ages through their year-round programs. (Evergreen also has an on-site restaurant, Cafe Belong, led by chef Brad Long of Food Network's Restaurant Makeover, and an urban bike shop, Sweet Pete's.)
Today, the ponds and meadows surrounding the recently accredited LEED Platinum-certified headquarters offer city dwellers an oasis to explore, including one of the best views of the iconic Toronto skyline. “Everyone thinks the best view of the city is from the waterfront,” says Terrence Eta. The founder of Toronto Bicycle Tours regularly leads tours of the area and the lush forestland below. “This is the skyline view that best represents what the city truly is.”
CN Tower
If riding a glass elevator 1,136 feet straight up what was once the world’s tallest freestanding tower (the tower itself is 1,815 feet high) while standing on glass panels isn’t enough of a thrill for you, EdgeWalk—the world’s highest full circle hands-free walk—should do the trick. With only a few well-placed harnesses you can walk around the outside of the top of the CN Tower on a five-foot ledge, 116 stories above the pavement.
Activities like these continue to draw more than 1.5 million visitors annually to the 39-year-old iconic Toronto landmark. Need a drink when you’re done? The award-winning 360° rotating restaurant boasts the world’s highest wine cellar, according to Guinness World Records. Those with less of a stomach for high-flying adventure can enjoy the tower and surrounds from outside. It’s lit nightly in Canadian colors (and others on special occasions) and is steps from Harbourfront attractions and key sports arenas.
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Yonge-Dundas Square
Toronto’s version of Times Square sits at the corner of Yonge and Dundas, and locals and tourists alike quickly embraced its creation in 2003. Shifting the location of community events from City Hall farther south, Dundas Square has given movie festival gatherings, cultural group presentations, and even political rallies a more “of the people” urban feel without the watchful ever presence of the city’s political vanguard. These days it’s the go-to stop for free events with flair, from iconic concerts to film showings to sport fan pride. Sit on one of the benches here and you’ll catch a glimpse of the city’s people on parade.
Neighborhoods
Toronto’s multicultural makeup is legendary. More mosaic than melting pot, the city is a mishmash of international pockets easily explored. Couple that with the natural communities that have arisen around distinct interests and you are left with a city that has something for everyone.
Hipster? Head to Leslieville for bright brunch spots and one-of-a-kind stores. Foodie? Dundas West takes you through Chinatown and the eclectic independents of Kensington Market and Little Portugal, along with restaurants offering up everything from nose-to-tail meals (the Black Hoof) to intimate, artsy pastas (Cafe Bar Pasta).
Fashionista with an eye for the quirky? Queen Street West has long been the go-to spot for those with an eye for the next big fashion trend and an aversion to big box stores. And if you’re looking for wine bars, coffee spots, and chocolate with an artistic touch, the Distillery District—once home to the largest distillery in the world—and its neighbor, the white-sand Sugar Beach, give you a place to grab your snacks and eat them too.
http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/top-10/things-to-do-in-toronto