Thrify Travel in Toronto

By Ilya Belkin

Why pay any attention to a city that hasn’t won the Stanley Cup in 38 years?

The Stanley Cup lives in Toronto, and you can see that among other things with your family. You receive the opportunity to be educated, entertained and most importantly united with your family as you discover all that this city has to offer. Toronto is a city speckled with character. “The most outstanding quality of Toronto is its diversity, because the different cultures have attributed to the growth and character of the city,” said Stacy Miller, of Toronto Tourism. If price and fun are your family’s criteria for a great getaway then Toronto is your answer.

Toronto gears its tourism towards family friendly attractions such as, the Toronto Zoo, Ontario Science Centre, Hockey Hall of Fame, Paramount Wonderland, CN Tower, and the Habourfront Centre.

Let’s start by bringing your family to the top; the CN Tower has approximately 2 million visitors per year. “Toronto has geared itself towards families; most hotels are doing promotions for various family sizes that include packages involving attractions, such as, tickets to the Canadian National Exhibition, CN Tower, a continental breakfast and all this at a great price,” said Miller.

The CN Tower (Canadian National Tower) is the tallest building in the world. The equivalent of 5 1/2 football fields stacked end-to-end 553.33 m (1,815 ft, 5 inches) to be exact, according to the Guinness Book of World Records. The complex includes: 360 The Restaurant, The Skypod, Look out Level, The Glass Floor, and 6 high speed elevators to get you there.

360 The Restaurant is a revolving restaurant that comes with a full menu. Surrounded by panes of glass, this restaurant has a theme of circles. The bar sits in the centre and the tables cascade outwards towards the edge. Christina Barbour a 21year-old native of Detroit, Michigan said, “The restaurant moves very slowly and you can’t tell that it’s moving unless you stand still.” The menu includes such things as: Maple Glazed Boneless Half Chicken, Grilled Canadian AAA Beef Tenderloin, Roasted Portobello Mushroom and the list continues with a range of other items.

When venturing to the Outdoor Observation area make sure to bring a jacket because it can get a little breezy at this level. From here you can view all the Torontians below you. “My brother Adam, 10, tried to spit off the edge and my dad got really mad,” said Melissa Miceli, a resident of King City, Ontario. “Some parents looked worried that their kids were running around, but don’t worry because the ledge is taller than me, said Miceli as she raised her outstretched hand to designate she is just above 5’0ft. tall. “You can tell the people that are afraid of heights because they don’t even go close to the edge.” The deck also has a metal beams that keep everyone in if an incident was to occur.
Look Out Level is the observation area 346 stories high. This observation deck is enclosed with glass and is the middle stage of panoramic views available from the CN Tower. Horizon’s Café is located on this level and possesses a light menu at just the right price.

By Ilya Belkin

The Skypod is an observatory deck found 33 stories higher then the Look Out Level area. This level is the tallest man-made observation deck in the world. To get here you take an elevator to the Look Out Level and then take a special Skypod elevator up to overlook Toronto from the highest standing location possible.
The Glass Floor 1,122 ft. above the ground is built with the intention of people having fun standing on it. “It’s really cool because you can see everything,” said Miceli. “I jumped on it.” The floor is five times thicker than the standard for industry flooring. “Some people looked uneasy about the whole thing, but it was fun,” proclaimed Miceli. The glass floor exposes the city below and creates the illusion of walking in mid air. “My mom was standing near the edge of the glass floor and my dad pushed her from the regular floor unto the glass and she got scared, it was funny,” said Miceli, who has been to the CN Tower 3 times. Load tests are performed annually on each panel to ensure safety so there is no need to worry.
These places can be reached through the CN Tower’s 6 high-speed elevators and the best part is that it only takes 58 seconds. “You expect it to be longer,” said Miceli, “there is usually a line and your ears pop, but it’s worth it. The way down was really fun. It was just my family in the elevator and we were all jumping up and down, and my 6-year-old brother Gregory fell.”

Harbourfront Centre
The Harbourfront Centre could entertain your family for a week with things like ice-skating, an art gallery, the waterfront, the marine, and Sunday family concerts. Park admission is free and all events are reasonable priced. For instance, the Sunday family concerts are $25 for a four pack, or $8 each.
The centre directs its focus on culturally diverse acts and the corporate community’s participation allows them to entice a plethora of international talent. There are 12 major venues for music, dance and other cultural events; these are housed in two multi-use locations. The Queens Quay Terminal puts on a variation of shops and services. The York Quay Centre holds an art gallery, and the Lakeside Terrace, that is a patio and information booth. The large pond that doubles as a seasonal outdoor skating rink is a great spot for a picnic any time of year.
From its beginnings as "Harbourfront" in 1974, it became Harbourfront Centre to encompass and introduces Toronto audiences to artists and art forms that would be less likely seen in commercial venues. Harbourfront Centre was formed on January 1, 1991, as a non-profit charitable organization. It organizes and presents public activities and events over a 10-acre site. Harbourfront Centre's professional staff reports to a community-based, 26-member volunteer Board of Directors.

Ontario Science Centre
Their mission is, "To delight, inform and challenge visitors through engaging in thought-provoking experiences in science and technology."
The thirty-five-year-old facility was first designed as a centennial tribute to the evolution of science. Fun things happen here. For instance, there is a hair-raising electrical ball, lasers that burn through wood and flowers that shatter into icy shards. The official name is the "Centennial Centre of Science and Technology."
The centre boasts 800 exhibits in 11 different halls. “The Ontario Science Centre is nifty. I liked it, because of the interactive games and exhibits. The one I remember, you would have to uncover fake dinosaur fossils that are buried in sand,” said Barbour. This attraction is featured in many hotel packages that offer a free trip for your family when you stay, that information can be found on the web site.

Paramount Canada’s Wonderland
Adults might even have more fun then their children here. Paramount Canada’s Wonderland has over 60 rides. If you are a thrill seeker than Dropzone, the 23 story high drop at a speed of 100 kilometres per hour (60mph), might be what you’re looking for. Test your stomach on Top Gun Canada’s only inverted jet roller coaster or maybe Vortex the first suspended coaster. The Bat has a cork-screw effect that never gets tired, or maybe you like turning in circles like the Dragon Fire’s two 360-loops that land most in a spin cycle. But no trip to Canada’s Wonderland is complete with a ride on the largest and longest wooden roller coaster in the country, The Mighty Canadian Minebuster.
Located just outside downtown Toronto, in Vaughan, is an amusement park. This summer park that opens May 1st every year contains KidZville and Hanna-Barbera Land, two children-oriented sections with over 16 different attractions, many rides, and a theatre.
Splashworks is a water park within the venue that has 16 rides, varying from tubing, to tube slides, to drop slides and children’s Pumphouse; an area of levers and pumps that result in everyone getting wet.

Hockey Hall of Fame
“I thought it was cool because you can play games, like shooting at targets in a hockey net. You can touch the Stanley Cup and feel the imprints of the names on your fingers,” said Barbour. The initial idea began in Kingston, Ontario by Capt. J.T. Sutherland. In 1955, he thought we should honour hockey players for their efforts. The first Hockey Hall of Fame was opened in August 26, 1961 on the Canadian National Exhibition Grounds. The facility was moved on June 18, 1993, and a new $35 million Hockey Hall of Fame opened.
The Hall offers interactive exhibits, for instance, testing your slap shot or playing goal against "virtual reality" players in the NHLPA Be A Player Zone. Or you can do the play-by-play of some of best hockey's goals in the TSN Broadcast Zone. The new Hockey Hall of Fame quickly established a reputation as a world-class sports and entertainment facility, with over 500,000 visitors in its first year.

Toronto Zoo
People of all ages come together to appreciate the nature of things and the fun of nature. The Toronto Zoo is home to over 5,000 animals representing over 450 species. You can venture to an award-winning African Savannah, then waltz into the largest indoor Gorilla rainforest exhibit (home to baby gorillas Johari and Shalia) or see the always-amusing Polar bears. Wait all this in one day? Not a chance. The 710 acres zoo boasts the three rare Sumatran tiger cubs, and the two Komodo dragon hatchlings, another Canadian first. “I went about five years ago,” remembered Barbour “It took us all day and we didn’t even make it through half of the zoo.”
The Toronto Zoo is open year round (excluding Dec. 25), so bring and your family and don’t forget your running shoes. “There is a shuttle that takes you from one end to the other, or you can walk around and see everything, that’s what we did.” The interactive portion of the zoo is fun too; there is a Virtual Reality Safari Simulator, you can talk to animal keepers, feed the animals yourself or take in a camel ride on the weekends. Try this one with your family and you can monkey around all day.

Walk on glass, touch the cup, monkey around, get flipped upside down, and have an electrical hair rising experience. You can do all this in Toronto.

Tell us what you think or Toronto.