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GAY & LESBIAN TRAVEL
Canada’s Eastern
GAY CAPITALS Travelers will find the Canadian capitals offer big-city and small-town delights. Story By Marc Kassouf • Photography By S. Nathan DePetris
Along Canada’s coast, the cosmopolitan capitals of Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa beckon to gay and lesbian travelers and provide communities rich with heritage, culture, attractions and nightlife. It’s no wonder that the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association (www.iglta.com) counts dozen of hotels and even cities themselves as members.
TORONTO Gay Pride & Events Pride Toronto has grown in size and popularity. With over one million attendees, Toronto’s Pride festival and parade week is one of the biggest in the world. When planning a trip for Pride, ensure you book well in advance to avoid disappointment. Clubs, Bars and Nightlife Toronto’s nightlife and gay establishments are clustered around the Church Wellesley Village , adjacent to the Wellesley TTC metro station. The dual bars of Woody’s and Sailor are an institution drawing local and international visitors alike. Nearby Byzantium is a restaurant bar with mean martinis and lays claim to being the first martini bar in Toronto. Around the corner, the Fly rocketed to worldwide fame with the filming of the American version of Queer as Folk.
Toronto’s CN Tower dominates the city's skyline.
Sights, Sounds, and Attractions Start your village explorations at Cawthra Square on Church just south of Gloucester with a sobering visit to the AIDS Memorial. You can stroll down Church Street to the Alexander Wood statue at the corner of Alexander Street, covering the bulk of the village while window shopping. Make sure to visit the palatial Casa Loma, former mansion and dream home of
TRAVELWORLD INTERNATIONAL / 11.3 NOV.DEC