You’ve no doubt gathered by now I’m a bit of a water fan! I love the ocean, lakes, streams, and yes, even a babbling brook now and again. During our recent trip to Canada I took a few sunrise photos at Toronto’s HarboUrfront (note the conspicuous, “u”). Having the absolute pleasure of living so close to Lake Michigan seems to provide me with a comparative nature when it comes to our Great Lakes! Lake Ontario is what you see in the above photos.
There is a huge difference between Chicago’s lakefront and that of Toronto’s: accessibility. Thank goodness for the visionaries of Chicago’s waterfront marvel. They realized the sheer and utter importance that accessibility for all would play for decades to come. Chicago’s lakefront shoreline boasts 28 miles (or for those keeping track in the metric world, 45 km) of parkland, beaches, and walkways.
I’m afraid the same cannot be said for Toronto’s water spectacle. Most of the area is lined with private companies and residences; not easily reachable for the most part.
Almost equal in distance, Toronto’s 46 km of shore along Lake Ontario is limited in its public usage. Such a shame, really. I do hear through the proverbial grapevine that Toronto is attempting to do some much needed improvements to the waterfront in order to make it enjoyable for everyone. Not to play favorites, mind you, but Chicago’s founding fathers certainly invoked their visions in the proper direction: right towards Lake Michigan:
The Chicago Files 