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The City Has Everything

When visiting any large city there are always lots of activities to see and do. If you have chosen a downtown hotel then you are close to the action, and if you are staying at an airport hotel then the action is a short drive from your hotel.

One of the nice things about staying in a hotel is that every hotel, regardless of if it is a downtown hotel, a boutique hotel, an airport hotel, chain hotel or independent hotel, is that there is usually a hotel concierge who can assist you in planning your stay. Additionally, pretty much every hotel has a hotel information kiosk which has information about events and attractions near the hotel you are staying in. Many hotels also provide an attractions map upon check in and show the distance from the hotel to the hot spots.

For those who want to get an overview of the city, it is best to check with the hotel staff as many of the hotels are on a city tour bus route which will pick up passengers right in front of their hotel. If you are visiting on business, many hotels will offer shuttle service to convention centres, and if a hotel hosts a large convention, often there will be a dedicated conference representative in the hotel lobby.

With museums, theatres, shopping, dining and attractions, the best person to get your information from is the hotel concierge or any hotel staff member. As they are from the area, they know the city best. When it comes to dining, a hotel staff member would be able to guide you to some lesser known restaurants near the hotel which may not necessarily be well known, but offer great experiences. Hotel staff can also tell you where all the best shopping deals are close to the hotel. Never be afraid to ask a hotel staff member for their recommendations as they are the ones who know the area around the hotel the best.

Exploring new cities and destinations are what makes a trip more memorable. Venture outside the hotel’s doors and find a world waiting for you. Why dine in the hotel restaurant, when you can explore the local flavors of the city which can be just around the corner from the hotel. And remember, Guide books can only tell you so much, but a hotel employee who has worked and lived near the hotel can offer more information and reveal hidden secrets to the area the hotel is in, so when you arrive, make sure you introduce yourself to the hotel staff and enjoy your stay.

Art Gallery of Ontario

Website: www.ago.net

Location: Art Gallery of Ontario

Founded in 1900 by a group of private citizens as the Art Museum of Toronto, the Art Gallery of Ontario is one of the largest art museums in North America, with a physical facility of 486,000 square feet. newly opened, the AGO’s new facility will boast 583,000 square feet, and will re-open in 2008 with an innovative architectural design by world-renowned architect Frank Gehry.

<strong>>Collection</strong>

The AGO currently has more than 68,000 works in its collection, spanning from 100 AD to the present. Highlights include:

• More than 40% of the collection vividly documents the development of Canada’s art heritage since pre-Confederation, including one of the largest and finest Inuit art collections in the world. The collection includes pivotal works by Cornelius Krieghoff, Lucius O’Brien, James Wilson Morrice, Tom Thomson, the Group of Seven, David Milne, Emily Carr and Paul-Emile Borduas.

• Major holdings of the work of pre-eminent Canadian artists Paterson Ewen, Betty Goodwin, Greg Curnoe, David Blackwood, Kazuo Nakamura and American artist Robert Motherwell.

• The world’s largest public collection of works by internationally renowned British sculptor Henry Moore.

• Masterpieces of European art, including works by renowned artists such as Anthony van Dyck, Thomas Gainsborough, Auguste Rodin, Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, Paul Cézanne, Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso and René Magritte.

• A collection of photographs representing the emergence of the medium in its artistic, cultural and social diversity. Works by 19th-century British, French, American and Canadian photographers, and 20th-century modernists, including one of the foremost collections of works by Josef Sudek.

• A contemporary collection illustrating the evolution of artistic movements in Canada, the U.S. and Europe, including major works by Claes Oldenburg, Andy Warhol, Mary Kelly, Jannis Kounellis, Jenny Holzer, General Idea, Joanne Tod, Jeff Wall, Rebecca Belmore and Luciano Fabro.

Exhibitions

As one of Canada’s most distinguished art museums, the AGO organizes and hosts a wide spectrum of major exhibitions. Over the past decade, the AGO has presented:

• Emily Carr: New Perspectives on a Canadian Icon, 2007

• Two Photographers. Two Visions Ansel Adams/Alfred Eisenstaedt, 2007

• ANDY WARHOL/SUPERNOVA: Stars, Deaths and Disasters 1962–1964, 2006

• The Shape of Colour: Excursions in Colour Field Art, 1950 – 2005, 2005

• Catherine the Great: Arts for the Empire - Masterpieces from the Hermitage Museum, Russia, 2005

• Massive Change: The Future of Global Design, 2005

• Turner, Whistler, Monet: Impressionist Visions, 2004

• Tom Thomson, 2003

• Voyage into Myth: French Painting from Gauguin to Matisse, from the Hermitage Museum, 2002

• Y E S YOKO ONO, 2002

• Treasures from the Hermitage Museum, Russia: Rubens and His Age, 2001

• Greg Curnoe: Life and Stuff, 2001