Buttressed at both ends by 30-story skyscrapers, this high-tech center, which cost over C$250 million (US$175 million) to build, stretches from Dundas Street south along Yonge Street to Queen Street, an area that encompasses 557,418 sq. m (6,000,000 sq. ft.). A Sears department store (which replaced the original Eaton's store) anchors the north sections, and more than 285 stores and restaurants and two garages fill the rest. Some 20 million people shop here annually.

Inside, the structure opens into the impressive Galleria, a 264m-long (866-ft.) glass-domed arcade dotted with benches, orchids, palm trees, and fountains; it's further adorned by Michael Snow's 60 soaring Canada geese, titled Step Flight. The birds are made from black-and-white photos mounted on cast fiberglass frames. Three tiers rise above, reached by escalator and glass elevators, which afford glorious views over this Crystal Palace and Milan-style masterpiece designed by Eb Zeidler (who also designed Ontario Place). Don't be surprised by the twittering of sparrows, some of which have decided that this environment is as pleasant as the outdoors.