Toronto

Toronto is to Canada what New York is to the U.S. — not the capital, but the country’s loudest, most global urban expression. It is the world gathered around one lake, a city where nearly half the residents were born outside Canada and hundreds of languages shape daily life. The CN Tower and harborfront give you the postcard, but the real Toronto lives in its neighborhoods: Kensington Market’s colorful chaos, Little Italy on College Street, Greektown on the Danforth, Chinatown around Spadina, and Little India on Gerrard. The food scene tells the story best — Caribbean patties, Portuguese bakeries, dim sum, souvlaki, thalis, injera, kebabs, jerk, shawarma, and everything in between. Take the ferry to the Toronto Islands for a car-free escape and the best skyline view in the city. Come for the tower, but stay for the feeling that the whole world learned to share one lake.