I just spent a whopping 24 hours in Toronto, and I can officially say that the Canadian metropolis is my favorite new city. I was in Toronto for TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival), and specifically, to interview the cast of “The Perks Of Being A Wallflower.” The interview opportunity in and of itself was incredible and would have served as more that enough of a travel highlight, but I was immediately intrigued by the city.

Here are a few must-do’s if you only have 12 hours:

The CN Building
A fellow reporter and friend of mine immediately headed from our hotel to the CN building, which is one of the world’s tallest buildings, where we headed all the way to the top lookout spot. It was breathtaking. Let’s put it this way, with respect to height, the CN building dwarfs the Empire State building. We were there when the sun was setting and it was gorgeous.

Shopping on Queen Street
After this, my friend suggested we venture to a Canadian clothing store called Aritzia that she loves that we don’t have in LA. I had zero plans of buying anything, but the moment I walked in I knew I’d do some damage. The employees were so friendly and the clothes were to die for. That said, the shopping on Queen street was great.

Drinks at The Drake
Later that night I met up with a friend who was also in town for the festival. We hit the Drake hotel for cocktails. The vibe was über cool, with a slightly hipster thing going on. The music was great and the roof top was glorious.

Taxi Tour of the City
When it was time to head home, our fascinating cab driver proceeded to take us on a 30-‘minute tour (maybe longer) of the city. It was LOL-inducing to say the least, as he shuttled us around the sights and sprinkled his craziest anecdotes in along the way. He really, really wanted to take us to Niagara Falls, but that was kinda pushing it on time. However, he did take us past Toronto’s version of Time’s Square which was pretty cool. (Sidenote: in any city this is a great way to get a very quick tour)

Trump International Hotel
The following day I spent most of the day prepping for my shoot which was at the Trump International Hotel, which FYI was probably the most secure location I’ve ever been at. You’d swear the CIA was protecting place, but it’d make sense if you saw how much paparazzi was outside. I also want to mention how gorgeous the hotel was, and more importantly how lovely the staff was. They actually legitimately had the whole service with a smile thing going on hardcore.

And, well, that’s about it. I can’t wait to return. If you have any other Toronto hot-spots, leave a comment!

PHOTOS