Toronto Eaton Centre

Toronto Eaton Centre review

One of Toronto's top tourist destinations is, ahem, a shopping mall. Long frequented by bargain-hungry Americans spending their super-charged bucks, the mall still draws the crowds despite the surging Canadian dollar. The Eaton name comes from a family dynasty done in by the dinosaur status of their nationwide department store chain in 1999. Though bargain chain Sears picked up the pieces of this flagship store, the Eaton name lives on. The south, or Queen Street, end is anchored by the venerable 400-year-old Hudson's Bay Company. Between these retail titans are hundreds of shops, from mid-range international chains (including H&M and Zara) to more pedestrian, home-grown styles like B2 by Browns designer footwear, kitchenware and lifestyle shops such as Williams-Sonoma and Pottery Barn or trendy cosmetics boutique Sephora. The basics are covered, including books at Indigo, and middling fashions at The Gap and Banana Republic. There is also a low-key food court packed with chain outlets.