December 18-20, 2012 ---- Since Nathan and I were planning to go to Niagara Falls for our special 5th wedding anniversary, we decided that we should spend some time in Toronto since it is only an hour and a half from the falls. Neither of us had ever been to Toronto, and it would be nice to have a long vacation during the winter break. Also, I could use our Mileage points for free hotels in Canada, 2 nights in Toronto and 2 nights at Niagara Falls.
Day 1
We left home as early as possible because it would take us about 8 hours to get to Downtown Toronto. Driving wasn't so bad because the weather was nice and there wasn't a lot of traffic all the way through Pennsylvania and Upperstate New York. Once we reached the border, it was already dark, but we didn't wait too long to get through the immigration. There was a currency exchange service with no fee at the border, so Nathan pulled over and got some Canadian cash for our trip.
Driving from the border to Downtown Toronto was like a straight line. The traffic was really bad, so it took us longer to get to our hotel. I booked a room at Courtyard by Marriott located right in the middle of downtown, and it was a very convenient to walk to anywhere from the hotel.
Once we checked in, we parked our car at the hotel's garage and walked down Yonge St. looking for a nice place for dinner. There were a lot of Japanese restaurants across the street from the hotel, so we had Japanese food for our first night in Toronto. Just like in Vancouver, Asian food in here is cheap and tasty.
When we finished our dinner, Nathan and I just walked down Yonge St. to see the city a little bit. Because it was almost Christmas time, the street was decorated with lights and there were a lot of people strolling up and down the street to do their holiday shopping. It was a nice, joyful atmosphere.
The US - Canada Border
Downtown Yonge Street
Day 2
At first I was planning to go to Royal Ontario Museum for our second day in Toronto because the weather was supposed to be rainy and miserable that day, but it turned out that it was nice and sunny that morning, so Nathan and I just decided to walk outside and explore the city.
We walked down Yonge St. toward Lake Ontario. The whole city was so clean that I couldn't find a single piece of trash on streets, and there weren't any homeless living on streets either. I loved the architecture in Toronto. There were a lot of old, classic buildings mixed among the modern skyscrapers along the street.
The first famous site of the city we went to was St. James Cathedral located on King St. It looked gorgeous from the outside, and I bet It was even more stunning inside. Nathan peaked through the door, but there was something going on in the church, so we didn't get to see the inside.
Then we walked to St. Lawrence Market for lunch and to find a souvenir.The market was very lovely. There were a lot of interesting local products and restaurants. Nathan and I got our lunch fresh made from a seafood restaurant located in the back of the market, and it was delicious! We walked around but didn't buy anything because we didn't have a refrigerator in our hotel room.
After lunch we walked along Front Street to go back to Yonge St. and walked toward the Waterfront. It was a gorgeous day and there were many swans swimming in the lake. We found a rental bike station where anyone could take the bike after paying at the operating machine.
We walked back toward the city to the CN Tower, but we didn't go up to the top because it was too expensive and the dark clouds were all over the sky now. It wouldn't be worth it. The CN Tower was the tallest building in Toronto and it was very pretty at night. It was lit up in colorful lights and you could see it from everywhere. Just right across the street from the CN Tower was the Toronto Railway Museum. There were a few old trains lining outside.
It was getting colder as the dark clouds covered the sky, so we decided that we should visit a place where we could be indoors. While walking to the subway, we checked out St. Andrew's Church. It was a lovely little church in the middle of downtown. The subway in Toronto was nice, too. It wasn't complicated like NY subway, but it was a little expensive, $3/ride. Nathan and I took the subway to Queen's Park Legislative Building because it was too cold to walk outside.
Queen's Park Legislative Building was very beautiful. There was a free tour of the building, and we had a lovely lady lead us through the whole building and explain about their history and how the Canadian legislature works.
Nathan and I also walked around the University of Toronto. It was a very beautiful campus, and there were a lot of Asian students. I wouldn't mind taking classes here at all if I ever have a chance! I would have plenty of Asian friends and live in the country of my dreams. :-)
At dinner, Nathan and I had Peking duck in Chinatown. It was really good, and we could tell that the restaurant we picked was very popular among Chinese people. I don't remember its name, but it was located on Dundas St. W. Chinatown in Toronto was as big as the one in Vancouver, but I like the food selection in Vancouver better.
After dinner we were so tired, so we just walked back to our hotel and soaked in the hot tub. It was a nice day, and we saw most of the city by walking.
Downtown Yonge Street
St. James Cathedral
St. Lawrence Market
Front St. E
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| Hockey Hall of Fame |
The Waterfront
CN Tower
Toronto Railway Museum
St. Andrew's Church
Toronto Subway
Queen's Park Legislative Building
University of Toronto
Kensington Market
Chinatown
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| Art Gallery of Ontario |
Day 3
The last day in Toronto was very cold. We checked out pretty early, put everything back in the car and walked to Royal Ontario Museum. We got to the museum just in time when it opened, so it wasn't crowded at all.
The museum was pretty big, and there were exhibits on the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd floors. Everything was nice, and I loved that they had a chair, couch, or sitting area in every exhibit room in the entire museum! I think it's a smart idea because sometimes when you walk slowly in a museum, your feet will grow tired and you just want to sit down. Nathan and I spent about 4 hours in the museum, and I liked everything I saw there, especially the exhibit about minerals.
Because we were so tired of walking, Nathan and I took the subway back to the hotel to pick up our car. It was a nice visit, and there still are many things I want to do in Toronto. I wish to go back in the summer to visit Casa Loma and Toronto Island.
Royal Ontario Museum
