Entertainment

If you're a fan of cinema, a trip to Hollywood would be a dream come true. But if you prefer live theater, you'll want to head east — either to New York or across the pond to the United Kingdom. Broadway in New York City and West End in London are far and away the best districts you could visit to see a live performance. Check out the history and culture of these areas in this infographic, and read on for information about the shows you can expect to see in these neighborhoods of London and New York.

These two districts are about the same size and are jam-packed with theaters hosting new performances, classic plays, musicals, operas, and more. There are 40 venues in West End, which borders the River Thames and neighborhoods like Piccadilly Circus and Covent Garden, and 41 venues along Broadway, which is in Midtown Manhattan. These theaters play a selection of newer works such as Hamilton, which premiered in 2015, and classics such as "The Mousetrap," which premiered in 1952.

Fans of the theater will love visiting either of these areas, and there's lots of related history surrounding the districts as well. West End is impressively historic; people have put on performances here for over 350 years. Though Broadway is comparatively younger, you'll still enjoy walking the grounds where millions of travelers have seen live performances since 1904. Whether you're just passing through one of these cities or are finally experiencing your dream vacation, you won't be disappointed in West End or Broadway.

As fast as New York City grows, so does the list of movies that are shot completely in New York City, or that use part of it. The Big Apple has featured in so many movies starting with the first release in 1901, ‘What happened on Twenty-third Street, New York City’, that it has become almost home to the rest of the world. When you spot New York City in a movie, you know exactly where you are. We have chosen some of the most famous movies of all time that have been featured in the streets of New York City. Make sure to check your tours with TopViewNYC.com and experience where each of these movies were set. 

If you are Canadian, you're lucky enough to live in a country with a long and eclectic tradition of folk music. In terms of traditional music that is associated with Canada's native population, there is a long history of drum circles and throat singing. Recently the Inuk throat singer, Tanya Tagaq, won the Polaris Music Prize with an experimental album called Animism. The Canadian group Tribe Called Red has also grown quite popular performing and recording traditional drum music paired with electronic samples; they even perform with live traditional dancers in headdress. Carrying traditional music into the contemporary age is an extremely challenging but worthwhile quest that helps us understand our roots.

In addition to the traditional music of Canada's native population, there is also a rich tradition of folk music that grew out of the music of Celtic settlers from Scotland and Ireland. Cape Breton style fiddle, in a particular is a well loved subgenre of world music that is famous the world over. Notable performers include The Rankin Family, Rita Macneiland Ashley MacIsaac, all of whom grew up in Nova Scotia and borrowed generously from the genre.