The Traveling Teacher in Toronto
Me as the “T” in front of the famous Toronto sign at Nathan Phillips Square
Okay, say that 5 times fast! Ha! This spring break, my partner Stu and I decided to take a trip to Canada. We love Montreal and talked about returning there but decided to try a Canadian city that was new to us- Toronto. We are so glad that we did!
Pit stop: The Belhurst Castle on Seneca Lake
Toronto is about a 6.5 hour drive from our home in upstate New York. Since both of us are not keen on long car rides, we stopped in the Finger Lakes region of New York to break up the trip. We stayed at the Belhurst Castle on Seneca Lake. The castle has character and charm. The rain kept us from walking around the grounds but we still enjoyed views of the lake from inside.
Niagara Falls
Neither of us have been to Niagara Falls so we planned to stop en route to Toronto. As you can see in the photo below, the weather was less than ideal so we decided to stop on the journey home. Saturday was a gorgeous day and we were so impressed by the falls. While we did not stop on the American side, we did cross the border at the Rainbow Bridge so we had a sense of the view from there.
No stopping at the falls today!
A much better day for Niagara Falls!
Toronto Highlights
Public Transportation
We rolled into town at around 2:30 pm to a rainy city. Fortunately, Toronto’s public transportation is phenomenal and easy to navigate. The Saint Lawrence Market was an easy street car ride from our hotel downtown. You can purchase a pass or just scan your credit card or phone to pay the fare.
Escaping the rain via the Street Car
Saint Lawrence Market
Coming out from the rain, I was impressed by the vibrant colors of the market’s huge fruit stands. It was like stepping into the tropics! We wandered past and found Carousel Bakery (a spot I saw on one of the many Toronto videos I watched before our trip). The bakery serves the local favorite: the Peameal Bacon sandwich. It is basically what we think of as Canadian bacon, rolled in cornmeal and served on a Kaiser bun with mustard. It is to Toronto what Poutine is to Montreal. It was not exactly my cup of tea but I was happy to experience the local fare.
After my late lunch, we wandered around the market and took some local recommendations for Canadian cheeses, picked up some bread and jumped back on the streetcar to enjoy a snack in our hotel room.
The People!
Every time we appeared lost or confused, a Torontonian offered to help us. The New Yorker in me was on edge when a local told us to follow him so that he could show us how to get on the right side of the subway but after the initial surprise, I embraced it. When I dropped my scarf at a restaurant, a woman picked it up for me. Drivers generously let cars into the lanes. People really are that nice here.
Nathan Phillips Square and The Eaton Center
We then took the subway to Nathan Phillips Square and took the obligatory photo as the “T” in the famous Toronto sign. The Eaton Center (an underground mall that seems to go down forever) was right next door so we went inside and wandered around. A mall is typically not my idea of something to explore in a new city, but the weather and underground nature of it all made it pretty cool! There is a huge underground culture there! Being that it was lunchtime, we saw hundreds of people in business attire getting their lunch. We heard lots of laughter and there was even a DJ playing in front of the lunch spots!
The Distillery District and the Locks of Love
We headed to the Distillery District for lunch. The area was quiet on a Thursday at 2:00 so there was lots of room to wander around the little area. I was delighted to find the locks of love art installation! I thought it was in Kensington Market and was surprised to find it here! We had a great lunch at a French bistro, stopped at a chocolate shop named Soma and then took the streetcar back to the hotel.
The Love Locks in the Distillery District
The Flatiron building downtown.
The trompe l’oeil on the back of the Flatiron building
This bookstore markets reading as an experience. It seems like the US equivalent of Barnes and Noble but what makes this store special are the displays of cozy pjs and reading socks (yes you read that right), coordinated to match certain titles. I had to practice some pretty strong self control not to buy all of it!
Color coordinated jammies and books
Reading socks anyone?
A side street leading to Graffiti Alley
The Neighborhoods: Chinatown, Kensington Market, Yorkville
Toronto is known for its graffiti art. It is beautiful and covers many city walls. The most famous place is Graffiti Alley but unfortunately for us, the road was closed for construction.
We then wandered up through Chinatown to Kensington Market. I can imagine how vibrant this area is on the weekend and in warmer weather. Yorkville is also lovely. We enjoyed wandering around the residential streets and daydreamed about living here.
There are so many more neighborhoods to explore. We had dinner at a delicious Brazilian restaurant (called Rio 40) in Saint Clair West and drove by High Park.
The sun shines on our last day
We woke to the sun filling our hotel room on the last morning. I took full advantage of the weather, enjoying a quick walk back to Saint Lawrence Market before the long ride home. Now that we have a sense of the city, I’d like to return during warmer months and explore the lake front, the islands and art galleries. But it’s back to work tomorrow and I’m looing forward to showing my students photos of that book store!
