I have been visiting Toronto ever since I was a teenager because my grandparents lived there and it was the place that we would all gather at. It never dawned on me to go discover Toronto until my last visit. Downtown Toronto has a great public transit system that bring millions from the suburb to the city and once in the city you can take the bus, street car or walk from one place to another. On my last visit, my cousin and I took the Young-University Line and got off at the Museum Station. Just steps away is the old Royal Ontario Museum and around the corner is the new addition designed by architect Daniel Libeskind. At this museum I recommend seeing the gallery of mineralogy which houses countless precious stones and crystals that are symbolic of the museum's exterior facade. Next to the museum, on Bloor St, is the Royal Music Conservatory, a prestigious music education institution. This massive gothic inspired structure was built in the early 1900 and its original red brick exterior facade is eye catching. Walking down Bloor St. towards St. George St., we passed through the historic University of Toronto. It is an architecturally significant campus consisting of Romanesque and Gothic Revival buildings dating back to 1858 and 1929. The heart of the campus is the main building of University College, designed by Canadian architect Frederick William Cumberland. Across the giant oval lawn, we came upon the neoclassical Convocation Hall that is characterized by its domed roof and ionic-pillared rotunda. We took a peek inside and was astonished to find a large auditorium comprised of two main seating floors. We hopped from St George St. over to Spadina Ave. and headed down to Chinatown for lunch. After lunch we took Spadina Ave. down to Dundas St. and headed to the Art Gallery of Ontario. The museum was redesigned by architect Frank Gehry, who created dramatic sculptural staircases, covered the interior with Douglas fir, and use glass which infuses the galleries with natural light. After the museum, we walked down Dundas St. and spent time checking out Dundas Square, the Time Square of Toronto. We called it a night, hopped on the subway and headed home.
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