Financial District & Underground City, Toronto

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This is one of the more interesting aspects of downtown. If the weather outside is frightful, you can get to many key areas by walking around in what is for all intents and purposes, a huge underground mall. As you can see in my pictures, there are signs from time to time directing you to the major buildings in the financial district, and there are maps along the walls to help you find your way. The areas in between are like mini-malls - you'll have restaurants, clothing stores, drug stores, etc. lining the pathways. Even if you aren't shopping, this is a great way to get from one place to another without being exposed to the elements.

A very convenient underground location which provides residents, local visitors, and tourist alike with a safe haven from the winter cold and snow, and the summer heat. Comfortable in the sense that you can do your shopping spree in this largest underground shopping complex with 16 miles of shopping arcades. There are approximately fifty office towers, twenty parking garages, five subway stations, two huge department stores, six major hotels, and a railway terminal station that is accessible through P.A.T.H. If you enjoy theatre and concerts, or you are a sports enthusiast, then this is the place you should not miss as it has links to the Hockey Hall of Fame, Roy Thomson Hall, Air Canada Centre, and Rogers Centre. To top it all, the P.A.T.H. is connected to tourist attractions like the CN Tower, City Hall, Metro Hall, Convention Centre to name a few. The P.A.T.H. is the place whether you are visiting a client, shopping for gifts and souvenirs, to see a movie, or just catching a subway train. Just follow the P.A.T.H. sign and you will find your way!

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Toronto is Canada's premier financial centre and, for this reason, the financial district of the core is quite an impressive area - if you're into mirrored glass structures. The recent upswing in the Canadian economy and, particularly, the importance of the financial sector, has meant that more and more impressive buildings will be going up in the near future. This is only compounded by the boom in luxury residential/commercial buildings, which has added a few more exhorbitantly priced structures to Toronto's skyline. Unfortunately, you cannot enter and visit most of the buildings - then again, most of the interiors are just offices and the like - but those who are interested in the architecture of the financial core should definitely visit Brookfield Place (30 Yonge Street). Formerly BCE (Bell Canada Entreprises) Place, the atrium is quite impressive and designed specifically to impress tourists and business visitors alike. The financial district buildings are connected to one another, Union Station, the Eaton Centre, City Hall and the Metro Toronto Convention Centre through the PATH system. PATH is an underground tunnel and shopping complex that makes life incredibly easier in the winter, when -20 degree weather combines with the wind tunnel effect to make the financial district feel like it has been immersed in liquid nitrogen. Be foreworned, though - even Torontonians get lost (frequently) in the underground maze.

While wandering through the Downtown Core of Toronto you definitely have to visit the astonishing Galleria of BCE Place. This is one of the more stunning open spaces in all of Toronto with high buttresses soaring 85 feet overhead. The place seems more like a cathedral than a commercial office complex. The Galleria was designed by Santiago Caltrava and actually serves to connect to two main office towers of the complex. Also of interest with BCE Place is the manner in which they incorporated the facades of several 1850's building into the design of the overall structure. It has been superbly done.
BCE Place is also the home of The Hockey Hall of Fame. Besides that there are several very good restaurants and shops that will make your visit worthwhile.

We go to Toronto at all times of the year and sometimes it's really cold. The winter winds in the skyscraper canyons of downtown can be brutal at times so if there is a protected shortcut available you "go for it". Our favorite is an architectural and totally secular cathedral...BCE Place. The building is actually several impressive towers but what caught our attention was the incredible 380 foot long 85 foot high atrium that connects Bay Street to Yonge Street. It is without a doubt one of the most spectacular interior spaces I have ever seen.

As you may have surmised from my introduction, however, my travels to Toronto have generally been pretty non-directed. As a result, discovering this wonderful building was really happenstance...a warm shortcut on a cold day. It wasn't until later that I discovered that it was designed by one of my favorite architects, Santiago Calatrava. It was at that point that the "ah-ha" light went on in my head with a bit of embarrassment.

When I worked here I was amazed at how many tourists I saw wandering in a daze. Especially underground on the weekend. Unless you're from the country and have never seen fifty-story towers before, there is nothing to see here. It is close to a lot of other stuff that is worth seeing, but please, don't waste your time here. Toronto is filled with wonderful neighbourhoods that showcase cultures from around the world. Some are easy to find, others not so much. I have listed a few of them here. Please leave the Financial District at once and go to one of them.

The best way to get to know Toronto is to explore the downtown area on foot. Most of the attractions in Toronto are concentrated in this area and they are relatively close together. Of course you can buy a daypass and go around downtown by taking street cars too.

Toronto downtown has a mix of old and new architectures. There are many modern skyscappers that are belong to big banks, insurance companies, telecom companies etc. However you may also find many historical buildings, such as churches, hotels, theaters... Walk around and you will definitely find something that would interest you.

As Canada's largest city, Toronto certainly has an amazing array of skyscrapers. Be sure to take advantage of a self-guided stroll through the canyons of the financial district. The streets are very clean and pedestrian friendly, while the skyscrapers are very glassy and tall, making for an ideal urban stroll.