I was in Toronto last week and had the chance to experience some of the great food and art venues offered in the city, which is undergoing a bit of a cultural renaissance.

First off, the city does have a lot to offer on the cultural scene. The Gardiner Museum is dedicated to ceramics and has a top-notch restaurant owned by Jamie Kennedy, a popular Toronto chef. The Royal Ontario Museum, which recently opened the Lee-Chin Crystal, an addition added to the existing structure and designed by Daniel Libeskind, features all kinds of exhibits - from dinosaurs to Canadian history to diamonds and textiles. I attended the press launch of the Art Gallery of Ontario, which reopened November 14 after a major redesign by famed architect Frank Gehry. If you are a shoe lover (like myself), the Bata Shoe Museum is a quirky place to check out. I was a bit disappointed with the lack of contemporary shoes on display, but it is a fun place to wander around for an hour. And the Four Seasons Center for the Performing Arts is home to the Canadian Opera Company and the ballet. I caught a free jazz concert there featuring Adi Braun and pianist Jordan Klapman. If you are into the arts, Queen Street West is the spot for you - almost thirty blocks of art galleries and other funky stores and hotels. If you are looking for somewhere different to stay, try the Drake or Gladstone.

There are a ton of other things to do in the city as well. You can stroll through St. Lawrence Market, Kensington Market or the Distillery District. The city prides into on its rich ethnic diversity, so check out tons of different neighborhoods and eateries all throughout the city.

With quick service on Porter Airlines, getting to Toronto from the New York and Chicago areas has never been easier. The airline is the only one that takes you directly into Toronto City Centre Airport! Look for a comprehensive review of the service in an upcoming eFlyer.

I was on a quest for a bagel as I hear Canada is renowned for them, but alas I never had a chance to grab one. But I hear Montreal is really the spot for the world’s tastiest bagels, so maybe next time!

Stay tuned for more about Toronto and all the great spots to visit in the February issue of Global Traveler!

-Kimberly Krol, eFlyer editor, circulation and public relations executive

This week I saw the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra play at The Met. The concert was conducted by Antoni Wit and featured the invigorating pianist, Valentina Lisitsa. The program was broken into pieces by three major European composers from the late 1800s, including Polish composer Mieczyslaw Karlowicz (1876-1909), Hungarian composer Franz Liszt (1811-1886) and the German composer Johannes Brahms (1833-1897).

The performance was held in Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium, which provided great acoustics and a level of intimacy for the audience. The music was dramatic and inspiring, but Ms. Lisitsa gave the most ardent performance of the night with Piano Concerto No. 1. Her fiery expressions and gusto alone were attention grabbing, while the trills she accomplished on a giant blue grand piano were riveting.

The concert was a memorable one. Wit’s encore was an exuberant rendition of “Stars and Stripes”. Before they closed the show with this last (of three) encores, Mr. Wit dedicated the song “to celebrate your new president, Barack Obama.”

-Courtney Centeno, account executive

I am in the middle of doing something I absolutely hate. No, not holiday shopping. I am talking about car shopping.

I bought my last car in 1995, a 1996 Chevy Blazer. It has been the perfect vehicle for me, but Chevy no longer makes a Blazer.

I bought my Blazer before everyone decided they needed an SUV for the rugged terrain of the Chicago area. Now, it seems that I see SUVs everywhere I look. Unfortunately, I don’t like the looks of any SUV I see.

I think the concept of the SUV has changed. My Blazer is a two-door vehicle which has a fold-down back seat. It fits four comfortably. Now, I cannot even find a two-door SUV and most seem to seat seven.

I don’t want to fit my entire extended family in my vehicle. I just want a small SUV that doesn’t resemble a station wagon from the 70s. Is that too much to ask?

Fortunately, my luck is changing. The salesman at the car dealership today offered me the car at a loss to the dealership - WOW! They are willing to lose money on the car. Even more fortunate for me is that today is the last chance to make the deal, since the auditors come in tomorrow. The auditors will never allow this deal to happen.

So, here I sit, knowing I need to figure out something soon. My Blazer has a life expectancy of about two to three weeks. Yet, I simply do not like anything I see. Driving my Honda scooter around in Chicago’s frigid weather isn’t an option, either.

Well, I have to make a decision. Once I decide exactly what vehicle I “want” (a relative term for me right now), I am sure the process will go much better (or at least much faster). Don’t worry, though, because soon I will be riding around Chicago in my new “Whatever,” but I’ll still be wishing I could have gotten just one more year out of my Blazer.

-John Wroblewski, distribution specialist

I love all animals, but dogs take the cake for me anytime, especially over cats! I grew up with dogs and I’m a dog person. Five years ago, I lived in an apartment building and I thought it was terrible. The apartment and building were fine, but the people never smiled, it was a fight to get anything done, and, of course, I blamed it all on the neighborhood. When my lease was up, I searched all over town for the right neighborhood. Where did I end up? Directly across the street from the old building, and I love it! The difference? My new building allows dogs.

As I often mention in my blog, I like to take advantage of the fact that I live across the street from Central Park. In one blog I even mentioned how I think it’s great that the park allows unleashed dogs prior to 9 a.m. That is a great sight to see, but nothing compared to what I saw yesterday — it blew me away! I though I’d seen it all, but apparently I was wrong. I saw four good-looking men, all sporting the same jacket, each with about 10 dogs, all of different breeds, on leashes. They would walk them and then make them all sit, lie down and obey any command their hands waved. The dogs were perfect, and I realized it was an obedience school.

But the name on the jacket is what really made me smile - Zen K9. Yes, that’s right, despite the economic crisis and everything else going on in the world, rest assured, because your dog can find its spirituality. I guess as crazy as the city can make humans, it can stress out dogs, too. I am glad to see they have a place to go while their owners go to yoga class.

Now, that may sound sarcastic, but if I had a dog, I would trust the people I saw yesterday. All the dogs looked happy and extremely well-behaved. I hope I run into them in the park again!

-Alex Young, vice president and associate publisher

Early Friday morning (Thursday night), I departed from JFK to Incheon on Asiana Airlines flight 221 in first class. It is always a pleasure to fly Asiana due to their fine service and flight attendants, who have a fine attention to detail. Of course, flying in their new sleeper seat is a real perk and a must-have for the executive willing to hit the ground running in Asia.

On board, I was escorted to my seat, 2A, located on the left side of the fuselage of the massive B747-400. The A380 is larger, but there is nothing like the grace of a 747 at lift-off and landing. I have written before about the sound of the nose gear entering the plane at lift-off, and it is a sound you only hear in first class. It is a signal that you have arrived and are in the best section of the plane.

As always, the service was impeccable and the goal of the cabin staff was to present us with a “heavy snack” and allow us to sleep through the 13.5-hour flight. I chose the Korean meal and was fast asleep for about nine hours. This time I decided to use the Asiana pajamas, which were very comfy. The seat is a true lie-flat – long enough for most travelers about 6′6″.

Upon waking, I changed back into my street clothes, had a little breakfast and worked on the computer for about two hours.

In a few minutes, I will depart the beautiful new first-class lounge for my flight to Beijing. The new lounge at Incheon has the feel of a stately library, and it must be at least three times larger than the previous facility. Previously, shower facilities were shared with the business-class lounge, but in the new arrangement, the first-class lounge has its own individual shower facilities. Next to WiFi (which works perfectly in the Asiana lounge), comfortable seats and decent food, a shower is key to keeping fresh and feeling awake after a long flight. Check out a picture of the lounge below!

More to come!

-Fran Gallagher, publisher and CEO