As you might guess from the title of Eugene Levy's latest series, The Reluctant Traveler, he's a man happy to stay put.
The show, currently in its second season on Apple TV, stars Mr. Levy, a 77-year-old comedy legend known for his roles on “Waiting for Guffman,'' “American Pie'' and “Schitt's Creek.'' That's what I followed. Ignoring his anxieties about airports, heights, temperatures, textures, and the vast swaths of the animal kingdom. With great surprise, he leaves his comfort zone in Canada to tail an expert elk caller in Sweden, herd 600 sheep in a resort in Germany, and politely avoid an octopus on a trawler in Greece. .
Mr. Levy, who grew up in Hamilton, Ont., about 60 miles southwest of Toronto, starred in the famous production of “Godspell” at Toronto's Royal Alexandra Theater in 1972, starring Martin Short, Gilda Radner, Victor Garber and Andrea.・A big breakout with Martin, Paul Schaefer and others. . He has called this city, and its historic, green district, his home ever since.
“Rosedale is a residential area in the heart of Toronto,” he tells me over coffee at Tavern on the Green in New York. There he joined the cast of the fourth season of Only Murders in the Building. He said new skyscrapers were being built “a mile a minute” in Toronto, and the view from our table in Central Park was a little like his view from Rosedale. . He and his wife Deborah Devine are local supporters, and local bistro Avant Goux has been their go-to for decades, but other area spots also rank high.
Here are five of Levy's favorite places in Toronto.
1. Teroni Bar Centrale
“Deb and I usually do our morning routine and end it with a latte and a fancy pastry at Bar Central,” he said, adding that the croissants at the shop in neighboring Summerhill are especially delicious. . Bar Centrale, located on the ground floor of his multi-story Teroni Price restaurant in a 19th-century brick building, is free from the Wi-Fi you'd expect when drinking coffee, with international magazines lining the walls; Levy said staff are a priority. There are many people who are good at conversation.
2. Harry Rosen
The family-owned men's clothing store's flagship store on Bloor Street is one-stop shopping for Levy. “I hate traveling to different places to get different things,” said the very brand-obsessed guy. The place has “designers for anything you're interested in. We have everything from socks to tuxedos.” A luxury grooming department, tailoring services, and themes such as race cars, lockers, and tattoo art. There is also a good selection of coffee table books.
3. CN Tower
A tourist destination? Indeed, Levy admitted. Still, the 1,815-foot communication and observation tower offers unparalleled views of the city and Lake Ontario, even if, like him, you avoid the glass floor that causes fear of heights. can. “I used to take my kids there when they were little,” he said. “I couldn't even put my toes on the edge of the glass, but the kids just destroyed me. They laid on the glass.” A less stressful view: At the neighboring stadium, Rogers Center , you can watch a Toronto Blue Jays baseball game. “I've been a Jays fan probably since they started in 1977,” Levy told me. He made his own brand of fandom clear in the Season 2 episode of “The Reluctant Traveler.” He told Spanish footballer Hector Bellerin, “I'm not going to go get paint on my face,” but “in a championship match, I'm going to stand up,” and give them a thumbs up. . ”
4. Royal Academy of Music
“The musical talent that comes out of the Royal Academy of Music is truly amazing,” said Levy, who was quick to note that his wife “used to go there when she was taking piano lessons as a child.” (Students at the 138-year-old school include pianist Glenn Gould and singer Sarah McLachlan.) Mr. Levy loves concerts in the attached Koerner Hall, saying, “The acoustics are perfect.'' You can see performances by top students and international stars. .
5. Windsor Arms Hotel
A role in 1972's “Godspell” was Mr. Levy's first steady acting income. “It was huge,” he said. And with his windfall (“$140 a week”) he began enjoying meals and late-night cocktails, or cake and coffee, at the Windsor Arms, a 10-minute drive from the theater. He said the hotel was popular because it was “quieter and closer to residential areas” than other hotels. (The suite has the feel of a classy prewar apartment, with plenty of musical instruments and plush seating.) One of Mr. Levy's favorite old hangouts there, his Courtyard Cafe, is now is now a courtyard. Elton John and David Furnish also held engagement parties. Now a fan of 5:30 p.m. dinners, Levy is no longer the late-night cake-and-coffee guy he once was, but he still praises the place.