Open Yourself to the Unusual in Toronto

A Canadian powerhouse with strong finance, media, and arts industries, Toronto has much going for it, including a prominent multicultural component and an acceptance of "otherness" in people, art, food, trends, and cultures. World-class in its offerings, Toronto has traditionally been a city of immigrants, and nearly half its population was born outside of Canada. As a result, diversity is prized, and citizens gain an appreciation for things outside of their own bounds of familiarity.

Faced with such a penchant, visitors should adopt a similarly open-minded attitude when they visit – setting aside preconceptions and abandoning themselves to adventure. If home is about doing what's expected, then travel should be about countering expectations and taking what the world offers, whether it be strange, exotic, spur-of-the-moment, or frighteningly delicious.

Certainly, bucking your own habits may require bolstering inner courage and accepting the fact that additional dollars may be required. After all, there's a reason that partaking of the unique isn't readily available to everyone. Experience and memory, however, are impossible to put a price on, so indulge gladly and purposefully.

A great place to embark on your pursuit of novelty is downtown Toronto. The district, set alongside Lake Ontario, encompasses the city's historic center and admirably represents Ontario's capital and Canada's largest city. It maintains a good concentration of residents and businesses and always promises something to do. It's also serviced by an efficient subway system that makes travel quite easy.

As always, first priority is finding a centrally-located home base. Embrace your newfound freedom and throw budgetary caution to the wind by booking a room at Pantages Suites Hotel & Spa. This "lifestyle hotel" is a sleek, urban-chic haven that relaxes and pampers while it provides stimulation in the way of design, food, and ambience. Have your cares massaged away at the spa, enjoy the onsite restaurant and lounge, or simply sink back into a plush bed and watch TV – but only momentarily, because there's much to see.

Breakfast begins graciously at Over Easy, a wonderful place that sees limitless possibilities in the humble egg. Eggs Meurette, for example, poaches the star ingredients and dresses them with bacon, pearl onions, mushrooms, and a savory red wine sauce. It also thoughtfully accompanies them with toast and home fries to ensure that all of that delectable sauce doesn't go unenjoyed. For folks with bottomless stomachs, OE serves the Big Breakfast, which adds traditional British sides like tomato and baked beans to eggs, bacon, pancakes, and home fries, plus toast.