Toronto may very well be my favorite city in the world (so far). If I could find a way around the whole immigration/work permit thing I'd be living there tomorrow. Toronto has all the benefits of a major metropolis, plus clean streets you can safely walk at night, convenient subways that don't smell like urine, and citizens that don't get in your face. Even the street people are polite. I've only been there twice but it feels like home. There are so many neighborhoods to explore it is possible to get bored. In spite of the skyscrapers and the traffic, it feels more like a collection of small towns than a big city.

Although I don't have any paintings listed here as being "inspired by" Toronto, the city has had a profound effect on my art since it was here that I first learned about Canadian Art. (Lesson #1: Canadian artists actually exist. They don't teach you that in American art school.) I'm particularly interested in the landscape painters, and Canada has a lot of great ones, most notably the Group of Seven. The influence of their work can be seen in many of my paintings, for example Early Morning Fog, Early Snow, and some of the Wyoming paintings. There are two excellent art sites to see in Toronto: The Art Gallery of Ontario is a must-see. The permanent collection gives a sweeping overview of Canadian art, and the temporary exhibitions are topnotch. It's not just a bunch of landscape painters either. There is plenty of contemporary art on view also. If you WANT to see a bunch of landscape painters, there's no better place to do it than the McMichael Collection of Canadian Art. This museum houses the best collection of works by the Group of Seven and their peers. It is located in the suburb of Kleinburg, Ontario, about a 40-minute drive from downtown.

Canada's largest museum is the Royal Ontario Museum, which has exhibits on everything from Chinese art to dinosaur bones to mummies. Another popular tourist destination is the CN Tower, the world's tallest freestanding structure (whatever that means). A ride to the top offers beautiful views of the city, especially at night. I could offer a long list of attractions, but the best thing to do in Toronto is just wander the streets and enjoy the atmosphere of the different neighborhoods. You can eat food from all over the world in places like Chinatown, Little Italy, Greektown, and Little India. While Montreal is definitely the French center of Canada, overall Toronto has the imprint of British heritage, and it seems you are never more than a couple blocks from a good pub. Chances are you'll stumble upon some live music and a few Torontonians who aren't shy about striking up a conversation.

View from a hotel window: CN Tower at left

Fountain at Nathan Phillips Square, New City Hall in back

Harbourfront, with Skydome in background

A fleet of rickshas awaits

A typical street corner in Toronto combines the old with the new

Blocks and blocks of tree-lined streets with pubs and sidewalk cafes

Honest Ed's, taking retail to obnoxious levels