Travel

The 1,815-foot CN Tower reaches
skyward in downtown Toronto.

You can’t kiss it, lift it, hug it, parade it or take it. At the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, however, you can look, photograph and read the Stanley Cup all you want.

The 113-year-old trophy is the crown jewel of the Hall of Fame in a city that combines the big-city life with the manners on which Canadians have long prided themselves.

Toronto slowly is becoming New York City North. Hollywood has long since fell in love with Toronto for its clean, cosmopolitan look. The city’s skyline resembles that of many other bustling metropolises, but Toronto’s attractions are more than eye candy.

Beginning with the Hall of Fame, the city’s rich tradition is more than evident in its architecture. The Hall is housed in a Romanesque building, whose columns tell the casual visitor that the building is more than a run-of-the-mill façade.

In addition to housing the oldest trophy competed for by professional teams, the Hockey Hall of Fame offers tourists a behind-the-scenes look at the evolution of the game and its teams. Skates, pucks and sticks of varying historic importance adorn the interior. In addition to walking deep into a vault-like structure (think the Bellagio in Ocean’s Eleven), the Cup’s importance and rich history is laid out nicely by an informational video, which is shown in the Hall’s interior theater.

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Ogunquit Beach is seen as viewed from the Marginal Way.

It’s never too early to start planning a fall getaway, especially when it means heading to the colorful Northeast during the foliage season.

Thousands flock to the New England states to catch a glimpse of trees in their fall splendor. Visitors not familiar with the area’s fall colors are wowed by the chromatic explosions that accompany the seasonal change.

While Vermont, New Hampshire and Connecticut have cornered the market on the foliage season – an entire industry exists solely for out-of-towners and their obsession with leaves – the state of Maine has emerged as a leading alternate to the other foliage states.

Located just two hours north of Boston, Maine in the fall combines scenery unwitnessed by most in their lifetime.

Making their way up the coast, visitors are treated to the rough, wind-blown Atlantic coastline. By the time fall rolls around, sea swells are beginning to build, and the ocean breeze that provided the coastal area with cool summer air begins to bite.

Inland, the scenery is just as breathtaking in an entirely different way. While the ocean’s waves constantly batter Maine’s coastline, the tranquility of the changing leaves provides visitors with a quieter kind of peace.

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The Massachusetts Statehouse.

There’s something about the city of Boston that draws visitors in and doesn’t let them go.

There’s the rich history, the blue-collar posturing of its citizens and, of course, the wicked awesome drawl. The city, located just three and a half hours from New York City, is somewhat of a little brother to the Big Apple – the overachieving kind of brother.

Unlike New York, Boston doesn’t have the crime-riddled reputation that NYC seems to hang its hat on. Beantown has the hustle and bustle of a major city, but manners seem to wedge themselves between the dock worker and the day trader who share a crowded train car.

Boston is the quintessential small-big city. Nearly 6 million people call Boston home (New York City numbers 8.1 million), but visitors aren’t just another face in the crowd, shuffling from crosswalk to crosswalk, hoping to get by without being harassed, mugged or accosted. The city’s history alone sets it apart from nearly every other major metropolitan setting in the country.

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Local NFL fans will get a fall treat this season when Detroit travels to Cleveland on October 23. Chants of “Here we go Brownies, here we go!” already can be head echoing in the distance.

The 16th meeting between the two area teams will be the first since a September 23, 2001 match up. Former Browns quarterback Tim Couch – remember him? – led Cleveland to a 24-14 win at home nearly five years ago.

Although Detroit holds a 12-3 edge in the overall series, Cleveland might have the inside track when it comes to entertainment.

In honor of the game, Playlist is breaking down the highlights of each metropolis. As hard as it was, we’ve overlooked the fact that one city managed to set fire to a river and the other is so crime-ridden that many drivers don’t stop for red lights in certain downtown locales.

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Central Park has many castles
open to visitors.

It’s easy to be overwhelmed by the sheer size of everything in New York City. It’s home to one of the world’s tallest buildings, America’s largest urban population and some of the most noted musicians, authors and politicians of our time.

With a tightly held purse and some inside information, however, you can enjoy some of the smaller pleasures that give New York its charm.

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