GETTING THERE London is a quick two-hour drive, train ride or bus ride from Toronto. But if you’re in a rush, Air Canada and WestJet both offer flights that will get you there in less than an hour. viarail.ca; greyhound.ca; aircanada.ca; westjet.ca
COVENT GARDEN MARKET
LONDON, ONT.
ESCAPISM
Don’t write off Ontario’s version of London just yet. Peel back the layers to find a lively city with no shortage of things to see, do, eat and drink, writes Jessica Dawdy
I
T’S TEMPTING TO dismiss the food scene in a city like London, Ont. A cursory Google search of local restaurants brings up page after page of stuffy, outdated fine-dining establishments or cheap, lowquality eats aimed squarely at the city’s sizeable student population. Dig a little deeper, however, and you’ll discover a city that’s increasingly recognizing the value of its surrounding farmlands and the potential to convert old industrial buildings into cool independent breweries. Downtown is, of course, the most convenient base for eating and drinking
LONDON, ONT. ◆◆ Population: 352,000 ◆◆ Birthplace of Justin Bieber ◆◆ Also known for: the London Fringe
Theatre Festival
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your way through the Forest City, and Hotel Metro’s prime location near Covent Garden Market is tough to beat. Better still, the hotel’s stylish rooms could easily go toe-to-toe with those you’ll find at a boutique property in Toronto or any other large city. Grey colour palettes and 10-foot-high ceilings – along with brick and wood accents – give the rooms a tasteful, contemporary, industrial feel. Rooms also feature sleek bathrooms with rain showers and separate soaker tubs, plus thoughtful extras like Aveda bath products. f hotelmetro.ca
Founded in 1845, Covent Garden Market is one of London’s most enduring cultural hubs. The modern incarnation of the market is a spic and span building filled with neat rows of vendors selling flowers, fresh produce, baked goods and handicrafts. The market is producer-based, with its vendors growing, raising, baking or otherwise making everything they sell. From May to December, stalls spill out onto the building’s sprawling front patio for an expanded outdoor market. coventmarket.com