Toronto Star

Except for the fact that Lake Ontario is too dirty for swimming, HtO, Toronto's new "urban beach" is the best thing to happen to the waterfront in decades. This unabashedly man-made facility provides downtown access to the greatest asset this city never had – its location on the edge of one of the largest lakes in the world. The new space, which opens tomorrow morning at 10, was conceived as an amphitheatre; on one side is the water, on the other, the city. The views of both are dramatic and endlessly fascinating. Even the Gardiner Expressway becomes strangely engaging as one sits under a yellow umbrella in HtO's enormous sand pit. So near and yet so far, the city carries on its mad routine, while visitors on the beach relax in the middle of it all. That's the beautiful thing about this place; it doesn't pretend it's something apart from the urban condition in which it exists. Indeed, it revels in the drama of contrasts. The beach, with its boardwalks, benches, berms, trees and lawns, is all about relaxing, enjoying the sunshine, maybe eating a meal and watching kids play in the sand.