The streets of Toronto are buzzing with excitement and
painted in vibrant color as athletes from the Americas compete in an array of
sporting events. From gymnastics to rugby, diving and track you can cheer on
your country and wave your flag with pride as the medal count continues to
climb and Panamania ensues.
When Toronto first decided to host Pan Am I was a bit skeptical.
Although this is a beautiful city I didn’t think our faculties and limited
public transportation could withstand the hoards of visitors along with local
rush hour commuters. In fact they asked us locals to stay at home or leave our
cars in the driveway to prevent sluggish traffic jams (like that’s going to
happen!). Although there have been a few frustrating moments including very
limited (terrible) TV coverage from main broadcaster CBC and some hilarious
mishaps including a man who used the new 3 person car pool lane with 2 mannequins,
for the most part the games have been great for the city!
Since the tiresome construction has finally cleared up around
Harbour Front I have been down there quite frequently. It has become a great
place to spend the evening with lots to take in including: boat cruises, an outdoor market, live cultural
entertainment, dance parties, street performers, Pan Am tents, bars, lakeside restaurants,
patios, walking trails and more!
Yesterday I went to Hamilton Ontario to watch the soccer games- Panama played Peru (Pan-2, Per-1) and Canada played Brazil (Can-1, Brazil-4).
Although the commute to the stadium was a bit of a journey the weather was
gorgeous, the flags were flapping in the wind and it was a wonderful evening!
Prior to the game we stopped at Webster Falls in Hamilton to
stroll through the lush park. There are many multicultural events and
entertainment going on in the city plus a lot of sightseeing to take in so if
you are visiting from out of town welcome and enjoy!
Webster Falls
Here are some recommendations of things to do around the
city and throughout the province:
*Lakefront parks and restaurants
*Malls and shopping (Vaughn
Mills, Eaton Center & Square One)
*Boat cruises & tours
*CN Tower
*Sporting events
*Casaloma (photo below)
*Port Credit Lakefront & harbour
*The Royal Ontario Museum
*Ripley’s Believe it or not Aquarium
*Niagara Falls Canada (photo below) & Niagara on the Lake + great wine
tours!
*Celebration Square Mississauga (outdoor concerts, aerobics,
music, food events, dancing, movies under the stars & more!)
*Belfountain Conversation Area
*1,000 islands & Gananoque (1,864 islands that straddle
the Canada U.S. border)
*Canada’s Wonderland theme park
*Centerville (Center Island)
*Georgian Bay and Wasaga Beach
*Blue Mountain Resorts and Scandinave Spa Blue Mountain
*Algonquin Park
*If you are here in August then don’t miss the Canadian
National Exhibition
For live streaming and event info click HERE
