Toronto from above: views from the CN Tower

I’ve been wanting to visit Toronto, Ontario for years. Not only do I have some awesome friends living there, but with one of the most striking cityscapes in the world, I've been super keen to take a wander through its downtown streets. 

Two weeks ago I boarded a Westjet flight from Gatwick and a few hours later as I was touching down at the Toronto Pearson. As I peered out the train window on my way into the city, I was struck by the size of its building's. With over 2,300 high rise towers, it's now the tallest city in North American behind New York.  

But it was the CN Tower which stood out in particular. Not only is the building monstrous, but it stretches out of the city cluster with a super cool 1970s, retro swag. 

After an initial building boom in the late 19th century, the '60s and '70s saw Toronto undergo its second major urban transformation. As the city refocused itself from manufacturing industries to the services economy, it began tower upwards, rather than just outwards. 

Completed in 1976, the CN Tower became a symbol for the rise of Toronto as an innovative, global city and marked a new era in high rise development of the downtown. 

Standing at over 550 m, the CN Tower held the record of the world’s tallest freestanding structure until the completion of the Canton Tower in 2009 and Burj Khalifa in 2010. For over 34 years it set the bar for tall buildings across the world. 

As my friend Jesse Darling (who also happens to be a Toronto expert) and I ate and drank our way through the city's neighbourhoods, it wasn’t long before I asked if she’d be up for doing something "really, really touristy". 

In just a matter of hours, we were on our way to the CN Tower observation deck to check out the city from above.

Looking down at Toronto below I could see the intricacy of the city's neighbourhoods, and the beauty of the natural landscape beyond. As towers flood the horizon and 100 more stand under construction, its clear to see the importance planning tall buildings carefully.

Not only can high-rise towers drastically change the look of a neighbourhood, but they can very quickly change the feel of one too. Characterful neighbourhoods which have evolved over many decades can suddenly take on a whole new vibe - often at stake of its old one. 

At the same time however, when located carefully and designed well, tall buildings can add to the beauty and vibrancy of a a city, as well as provide people with needed homes and workspaces. As controversial as it may have been at the time, the CN Tower has - in my opinion -  stood the test of time. And if anything else, gives locals a visual landmark and enables millions of visitors like me to admire the beauty of the city beyond. 

Make sure you check out the YouTube video and photos below. Of course, if you love or hate the CN Tower, let me know in the comments section... Yew!

Photos, video and text all copyright Tom Oliver Payne. Music courtesy The Postal Service. 

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What I loved about Lisbon

Last week I took off down to Lisbon, Portugal. I spent most of our days romping about the city on bikes, drinking beers and soaking up the glorious sunshine. It took just a matter of hours before I was in love with the city. Here's why:

1.Lisbon is life-sized

Lisbon's streets, buildings and squares have been built at a human-scale. And because of that, the entire city feels intimate. Its parks and squares are bustling with people, small bars and cafes flow out onto the busy streets, and the miniature laneways of the Alfama neighbourhood are full of people - young and old - chatting and hanging out. Forget huge shopping centres, oversized buildings and massive car parks, Lisbon is a life-sized city where people interact.

2. It's colourful

There's no doubt that a lot of cities around the world are a bit - well - grey. Take my city of London for example. It's a great place to live, but weeks on end of men in grey suits, surrounded by grey skies and grey buildings, can begin to get you down.

As my plane descended through the bright blue skies into Lisbon, I saw a city of reds, blues and yellows below. Exploring its streets, everything seemed to be splashed with colour. People's clothes, the building facades, and even the cars were bright and colourful. On top of that, there was loads of awesome street art spread right across the city for constant visual stimulation.

3. Getting around is easy

One of the best things about a small city is that there is little need to drive a car. And not only is Lisbon small, but it's filled with huge sidewalks and beautiful public spaces, bike paths, a underground metro and even a cool little tram network.

Local guide Jorge told me, "in the last few years so many people are riding push bikes. We still have some traffic problems but its getting so much better". Looking around, it was easy to see why. The government is spending tonnes of money into building segregated bike paths across the city and improving public spaces along main roads to encourage people to get out of their cars.

4. The food is amazing

Man, I loved Portuguese food! Tapas, seafood, Enchidos, beer and wine. Just about everything I ate in Lisbon was amazing. But it's not just what Lisboeta's (yep - that's what someone from Lisbon is called!) eat, but its where they eat. Amazing little tapas bars line the street, and hot nuts are cooked up on sidewalks. If you feel like a nibble, its super easy to grab a small cheese and bread snack. There are loads of awesome Portuguese dishes - but make sure you try a Francesinha, Portugese Steak or the local shellfish.

5. The locals love their city

You know a city is good when the locals themselves rave about it. From day one in Lisbon, everyone I met had such an awesome love for their city. From random old people telling me about the history of a place, or local dudes giving me a mini tour guide of their neighbourhood, the passion that people had for their town gave the whole trip such an amazing vibe.

Have you been to Lisbon? What did you love about it? 

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I just went to Paris: I loved its boulevards

I just got back from a few days in Paris. Perhaps the most recognisable features of the its urban landscape are its huge boulevards and symmetrical road networks.

Its large avenues, boulevard rings and urban squares are not a historical accident, but were part of a major plan to modernise the city in the 18th and 19th century with the radical plans of Baron Georges-Eugène Haussmann. Funded by Napoléon III, The Haussmann Plan completely restructured Paris, giving it its present day form. Cutting through traditional alleyways, new rationally-designed boulevards and avenues and new open spaces established the foundation of what is now one of the most popular and highly regarded urbanist features of Paris.

Haussmann took a highly militarised approach to planning and has been criticised for the demographic and social effects of his urbanism operations. Even today, he is still seen as both a 'hero' and 'destroyer of Paris'. Looking back however, it seems to me that these major changes just 150 years ago have brought significant benefits to Paris -  changes that would be virtually impossible to implement and fund today. In addition to their obvious function to create public spaces and increase pedestrian, bicycle and vehicle mobility, the boulevards create a beauty that few other cities in the world possess. These shots I took over the last two days illustrate the perfect uniformity created by the Haussmann Plan.

Photos by Tom Payne.

All photos by Tom Oliver Payne