Sights in Canada
-
A
Calgary Zoo
More than 900 animals from around the world, many in enclosures simulating their natural habitats, make this Calgary's most popular attraction. Besides the animals, the zoo has a Botanical Garden with changing garden displays, a tropical rainforest, a good butterfly enclosure and the 6½-hectare Prehistoric Park, featuring fossil displays and life-sized dinosaur replicas in natural settings. Picnic areas dot the zoo and a cafe is on-site. During winter, when neither you nor the animals will care to linger outdoors, the admission price is reduced. To get here, take the C-Train east to the Zoo stop.
reviewed
-
B
Marine Building
Vancouver's most romantic old-school tower block and also its best art deco building, the graceful, 22-story Marine Building is a tribute to the city's maritime past. Check out the elaborate exterior of seahorses, lobsters and streamlined ships, then nip into the lobby where it's like a walk-through artwork. Stained-glass panels and a polished floor inlaid with signs of the zodiac await; you should also peruse the inlaid wood interiors of the brass-doored elevators. The tallest building in the British Empire when completed in 1930, it now houses offices. If you're a fan of art deco, the elegant City Hall building is worth a visit.
reviewed
-
Markham Village
Not to be confused with the town of Markham north of Toronto, this downtown enclave entails a couple of blocks of classy shops, bookstores, eateries and galleries along Markham St. Nearby on the corner of Bloor and Bathurst Sts, Honest Ed ' s is a gaudy discount-shopping emporium owned by theatre impresario Ed Mirvish. You might think you've teleported down to Las Vegas as giant multiglobe signs flash corny messages like 'Don't just stand there, buy something!' and 'Honest Ed's a nut, but look at the cashew save!' Comedy gold…The queues before opening time have to be seen to be believed.
reviewed
-
C
Fonderie Darling
Tucked away in a little-visited corner of Old Montréal, the Darling Foundry hosts avant-garde, often large-scale exhibitions in its two sizable showrooms. The brick industrial building, which dates back to the early 1900s, once housed a prosperous iron foundry and is today home to the gallery and live-work studios for artists. The space also houses the Cluny Artbar (entrance around the corner on Rue Prince), a fine spot for coffee, desserts or light lunch fare. In the summertime, the foundry hosts occasional Thursday-night street parties (when admission is free). Check the website for upcoming exhibitions.
reviewed
-
Fort Erie
East of Port Colborne and south of Niagara Falls is the town of Fort Erie, where the Niagara River leaks out of Lake Erie. Across from Buffalo, New York, it’s connected to the US by the Peace Bridge. The main drawcard here is the historic, star-shaped Fort Erie, a key player in the War of 1812, and ‘Canada’s bloodiest battlefield.’ Also known as the Old Stone Fort, it was first built in 1764. The US seized it in 1814 before retreating. Inside there’s a museum and immaculate, uniformed soldiers performing authentic military drills. Take the worthwhile guided tour (every 30 minutes), included in the admission.
reviewed
-
D
Kuan Yin Temple
Called simply the 'Buddhist Temple' by most, this attractive classical Chinese complex is an intriguing stop. The highlight is the sumptuous Gracious Hall, complete with deep-red exterior walls and a gently flaring orange porcelain roof. Check out the colorful 100m Buddha mural and the golden, multi-armed Bodhisattva figure here. The surrounding landscaped garden with its sculptures and bonsai trees is another highlight, but allow yourself time to enjoy a lip-smacking veggie lunch in the ground-floor cafeteria. You don't have to be a Buddhist to visit and the monks are highly welcoming if you just want to have a look around.
reviewed
-
E
Railspur Alley
Seemingly far from the madding crowds of the public market – at least on summer days when every tourist in town seems to be there – this somewhat hidden back-alley strip is a relaxing alternative. You'll find a string of unique artisan stores, including a painter, fiber artist and silk seller. Even better is the Artisan Sake Maker, who produces small batches of junmai sake right here (tastings are $2 each or $5 for three). You can sober up with a strong coffee at the Agro Café, also a great spot for lunch.
reviewed
-
Royal Botanical Gardens
With 1000-plus hectares of flowers, natural parklands and a wildlife sanctuary, the Royal Botanical Gardens is only one of six world gardens to be designated 'royal.' During spring, the rock garden is a highlight, with 3 hectares of rare trees, waterfalls, ponds and 125,000 flowering bulbs. Think a rose is a rose? Think again, pal. From June to October, thousands of different roses (including antique varieties) bloom in the Centennial rose garden. The arboretum is best in May when the lilacs explode into flower. The sanctuary is home to birds, deer, fox, muskrat and coyote, with trails traversing marshes and wooded ravines.
reviewed
-
F
Three Courthouses
Along the north side of Rue Notre-Dame Est near Pl Jacques-Cartier, three courthouses stand bunched together. The most fetching is the neoclassical Vieux Palais de Justice, Montréal’s old justice palace and oldest courthouse (1856) that’s now an annex of the Hôtel de Ville. It’s a popular backdrop for wedding photos. The Édifice Ernest Cormier from the 1920s was used for criminal trials before being turned into a conservatory and later a court of appeal. The ugly stepsister is the oversized Palais de Justice, built in 1971 when concrete and smoked glass were all the rage.
reviewed
-
G
Roundhouse Community Arts & Recreation Centre
Those interested in Canadian Pacific Railway heritage should visit the Roundhouse, formerly a CPR repair shed. It now houses the handsome and highly historic Engine No 374, which trundled the first passenger train into the city in 1887. Parked in a smashing little volunteer-run museum, it's a great trainspotter's pit stop. On special occasions, the engine is pulled outside onto the antique turntable. The complex's main building is a busy community center and performance space, with a wide array of shows and cultural events on offer – check the website for listings.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
H
Bank of Montréal
Modeled after the Pantheon in Rome, the grand colonnaded edifice of Canada’s oldest chartered bank, built in 1847, dominates the north side of Place-d’Armes and is still a working bank. The imposing interior has 32 marble columns and a coffered 20m ceiling in Italian Renaissance style over a long row of tellers behind glass partitions. The helmeted marble lady is Patria, representing a minor Roman god of patriotism to honor the war dead. A snoozy money museum inside the bank has a replica of a cashier’s window, old banknotes and an account of early banking in Canada.
reviewed
-
I
Cimetière Notre-Dame-des-Neiges
More than one million people have found their final resting place here since this Catholic cemetery opened in 1854, making it the largest cemetery in Canada. It has a few intriguing mausoleums that emit solemn music, including that of Marguerite Bourgeoys, a nun and teacher who was beatified in 1982. The catalog of permanent guests includes 20 Montréal mayors, several ex-passengers of the Titanic, and Calixa Lavallée, the composer of ‘O Canada.’ The cemetery office has brochures for self-guided tours around the tombs but there’s also a map posted at the entrance.
reviewed
-
J
Bibliothèque et Archives Nationale du Québec
This stunning building houses both the library and national archives of Québec and has been a success beyond planners wildest dreams. Originally conceived as a place to receive between 5000 to 6000 people per day, the reality has been 10,000 to 12,000 Montrealers flocking through its doors each day. The library itself is 33,000 sq meters, connected to the métro and underground city.
Since 1968, everything published in Québec (books, brochures, sound recordings, posters) has been deposited here. It also buys historical documents as well as anything published about Québec outside the province or internationally.
reviewed
-
K
Lonsdale Quay
As well as being a transportation hub – this is where the SeaBus from downtown docks and you pick up transit buses to Capilano, Grouse and beyond – this waterfront facility built for Expo '86 houses a colorful indoor market. The region's second-best market (after Granville Island), this one is a popular spot for fresh fruit and glassy-eyed whole fish on the main floor and trinkets and clothing on the 2nd floor. There's also a lively food court and a couple of sit-down restaurants. It's a nice afternoon jaunt from the city, with many visitors scooping up an ice cream and lingering over the boardwalk vistas of downtown.
reviewed
-
L
The Rooms
Not many museums offer the chance to see a giant squid, hear avant-garde sound sculptures and peruse ancient weaponry all under one roof. But that's The Rooms, the province's all-in-one historical museum, art gallery and archives. Frankly, the building is much more impressive to look at than look in, since its frequently changing exhibits are sparse. But whoa! The views from this massive stone-and-glass complex, which lords over the city from a breath-sapping hilltop, are eye-poppers; try the 4th-floor cafe for the best vistas. There's free admission Wednesday evenings.
reviewed
-
M
St Patrick’s Basilica
Built for Montréal’s booming Irish population in 1847, the interior of St Patrick’s Basilica contains huge columns from single pine trunks, an ornate baptismal font and nectar-colored stained-glass windows. The pope raised its status to basilica in 1989, in recognition of its importance to English-speaking Catholics in Montréal. It’s a sterling example of French-Gothic style and, as you might expect, is classified a national monument. The Irish-Canadian patriot D’Arcy McGee was buried here after his assassination in 1868; his pew (number 240) is marked with a small Canadian flag.
reviewed
-
N
Kids Market
A nightmare if you happen to stroll in by mistake, this two-story mini shopping mall for under-10s is bristling with kid-friendly stores, mostly of the toy variety. If your child's interests extend beyond Lego and Barbie, there are also retailers specializing in clothing, candy, magic tricks and arts and crafts. If it all gets a bit too much, you might try enticing your sprogs away from the shops to the huge Granville Island Water Park just behind the market (or perhaps sneaking yourself to the nearby Granville Island Brewing for a swift libation).
reviewed
-
O
Anglican Cathedral of St John the Baptist
Serving Canada's oldest parish (1699), the Anglican cathedral is one of the finest examples of ecclesiastical Gothic architecture in North America. Although originally built in the 1830s, all but its exterior walls were reduced to ashes by the Great Fire of 1892. It was rebuilt in 1905. The Gothic ribbed ceiling, graceful stone arches and long, thin, stained-glass windows are timeless marvels. A gargoyle dating from the 12th century – a gift from the Diocese of Bristol – stands guard over the south transept. Students offer tours, organists play concerts and elderly church ladies serve tea and crumpets.
reviewed
-
P
Vancouver Museum
One of the three well-established educational attractions clustered together in Vanier Park, the Vancouver Museum recounts both distant and recent city history. It includes some colorful displays on 1950s pop culture and 1960s hippy counterculture - a reminder that Kits was once the grass-smoking center of Vancouver's flower-power movement. Permanent exhibits include a look at the everyday life of First Nations people; passenger quarters on a groaning life-sized immigrant ship; and a full-scale sawmill wheel. The temporary exhibits are usually intriguing - check the museum's website to see what's coming up.
reviewed
-
Q
Église Notre-Dame-des-Victoires
Dating from 1688, Our Lady of Victories Church, a modest house of worship on the square, is the oldest stone church in the USA and Canada. It stands on the spot where Champlain set up his ‘Habitation, ’ a small stockade, 80 years prior to the church’s arrival. Inside are copies of works by Rubens and Van Dyck. Hanging from the ceiling is a replica of a wooden ship, the Brézé, thought to be a good-luck charm for ocean crossings and battles with the Iroquois. The church earned its name after British ships were unable to take Québec City in 1690 and again in 1711.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
Washow James Bay Wilderness Centre
At the time of research, the Moose Cree were constructing the Washow James Bay Wilderness Centre. The goal of the center, 70km east of Moosonee, is to re-create several villages, each at different points in history. One camp has bark-construction dwellings typical of the precontact era, and another will feature contact-era canvas tepees. Guests travel between the main base and the villages by canoe, and activities in the area might include demonstrations of trapping and fishing. Practical details and prices had not been established at the time of research, so check the website for the latest information.
reviewed
-
R
Robson Street
Locals, international tourists and recent immigrants – count the number of accents you catch as you stroll along here – throng the hotels, eateries and shops of Robson St, Vancouver's de facto urban promenade. While most shops are of the ubiquitous chain-store variety, it's also worth heading to the Stanley Park end of the strip, where you'll find a modern 'mini-Asia' of internet cafés, authentic izakayas (Japanese neighborhood pubs) and discreet karaoke bars populated by homesick Japanese and Korean language students. It's a great area for a cheap-and-cheerful, authentically south Asian lunch.
reviewed
-
S
Distillery District
The slick, 5-hectare Distillery District emerges phoenixlike from the 1832 Gooderham and Worts distillery – once the British Empire's largest distillery. Victorian industrial warehouses have been converted into soaring galleries, artists studios, pricey design shops, coffeehouses, restaurants, the Young Centre for Performing Arts and the Mill Street Brewery. Wedding parties shoot photos against a backdrop of redbrick and cobblestone; clean-cut couples shop for leather lounge suites beneath charmingly decrepit gables and gantries. In summer expect live jazz, exhibitions and food-focused events.
reviewed
-
T
Emily Carr University of Art + Design
Named after BC's most famous historic painter (Emily Carr, 1871–1945), Vancouver's leading art school occupies a corrugated-metal factory complex near a cement plant. Nip into the Charles H Scott Gallery on your right for a glimpse of student and graduate work. There's also a portfolio show every May, where challenging photography, multimedia and the occasional oddball installation go on display. If you're an art lover, you'll also enjoy the school's excellent bookstore.
reviewed
-
U
Hockey Hall of Fame
Inside an ornate rococo gray stone Bank of Montreal building (c 1885) on the Yonge St lower concourse, the Hockey Hall of Fame gives hockey fans everything they could possibly want. Check out the collection of Texas Chainsaw Massacre–esque goalkeeping masks, attempt to stop Wayne Gretzky's virtual shot or have your photo taken with hockey's biggest prize – the hefty Stanley Cup (no trifling shield or pint-sized urn for these boys, oh no). Even visitors unfamiliar with this super-fast, ultra- violent sport will be impressed with the interactive multimedia exhibits and hockey nostalgia.
reviewed