- Summer Traveler in Niagara Falls and Toronto
- Day 1 Travel and Niagara Falls
- Day 2 Niagara Falls Park Sightseeing Begins
- Day 3 More Sightseeing in Niagara Falls
- Day 4 Last day in Niagara Falls
- Day 5 Toronto Sightseeing Begins
- Day 6 More Touring in Toronto
- Day 7 More of Toronto
- Day 8 A Leisurely Day in Toronto
- Day 9 The Final Day in Toronto
We started the day meeting on the patio on the sixth floor of the hotel. Everyone brought the items they had purchased at the St. Lawrence Market the day before and their coffee. We spread everything out and shared a wonderful breakfast.
Our driver for the day was Michael. He also told us some interesting tidbits about Toronto:
Our driver for the day was Michael. He also told us some interesting tidbits about Toronto:
- Toronto is the fourth largest city in North America.
- University Boulevard has 14 parks and is the widest street in Toronto.
- Roger Center was originally known as the Sky Dome.
- There are six Chinatowns in Toronto. The one on Spadina Road is the largest in North America.
- Bloor Street is known as the Mink Mile due to all the high end shops like those on Fifth Avenue in New York.
Next we headed to Casa Loma (Spanish for House on the Hill). It is a 98 room turreted castle that sits on a hill overlooking the city. It is also the largest house in Toronto, built from 1911 – 1914 and sits on five acres.( www.casaloma.org/) The house was so big that without a map you could easily get lost. It was considered very technologically advanced for its time made with engineered stone that looked like sandstone but was much stronger and could withstand the Canadian winters without crumbling. There was electricity in every room. The bathrooms were covered in marble and had flush toilets, bathtubs, foot tubs and even a six nozzle shower in the master.
Mom and I wandered around and eventually met up with Linda C on the third floor. Linda and I went off exploring the upper floors. We headed toward the Norman tower and up a very narrow spiral staircase for two floors. We found ourselves in an open turret with 360⁰ view of the city. Linda commented that it was a better view than from the CN Tower. I agreed. We came down and headed up the Scottish Tower on the east side. Part way up we came upon furniture that looked as if it had been used as stage setting for a movie. I kept going at this point. It was a little disappointing at the top. The area was an enclosed room with small windows. I went back down to Mom and we headed down to meet the others. We wished we had had more time because we didn’t get to walk through the tunnel to see the antique car collection or the stables and carriage house. One of the most impressive things about the house is the number of movies filmed there. Some of the more well know movies were: Cocktail, X-Men, The Pacifier, and Chicago.
Mom and I wandered around and eventually met up with Linda C on the third floor. Linda and I went off exploring the upper floors. We headed toward the Norman tower and up a very narrow spiral staircase for two floors. We found ourselves in an open turret with 360⁰ view of the city. Linda commented that it was a better view than from the CN Tower. I agreed. We came down and headed up the Scottish Tower on the east side. Part way up we came upon furniture that looked as if it had been used as stage setting for a movie. I kept going at this point. It was a little disappointing at the top. The area was an enclosed room with small windows. I went back down to Mom and we headed down to meet the others. We wished we had had more time because we didn’t get to walk through the tunnel to see the antique car collection or the stables and carriage house. One of the most impressive things about the house is the number of movies filmed there. Some of the more well know movies were: Cocktail, X-Men, The Pacifier, and Chicago.
Next we visited two market areas in Toronto. The distillery District was once an actual distillery. The Gooderham and Worts Distillery was founded in 1832 and by the late 1860s was the largest distillery in the world. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Distillery_District) When the distillery closed down due to deindustrialization, the buildings fell to disrepair. Revitalization of the area began in 2001 with the district opening as a shopping and entertainment area in 2003. Mom and I walked around, got some gelato, and did a little shopping. What was very fascinating were the old pipes that stretched from one building to the next.
Michael dropped us off at Kensington Market which is an older area of the city. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kensington_Market) Its beginnings date back to the War of 1812 where it was used as a parade ground for the Volunteer Calvary. During the 1880s, houses were built on small plots for Irish and Scottish immigrant laborers. In the twentieth century, European Jewish immigrants settled there, giving it the name, The Jewish Market.” The Jewish population moved out after the Second World War making way for East Asian and other global immigrants. As we walked down the street there were so many cultures represented by the little shops and restaurants. We stopped at a Portuguese restaurant for lunch. It proved to be a good choice.
After lunch we continued to meander down the street. At the end, we caught the bus back to the hotel. The bus driver was so nice that he didn’t charge us the full fare, although, when we first got on and asked how much, he replied, “$500, but because you are all seniors that will be $600”. He even let us off in front of the hotel.
After lunch we continued to meander down the street. At the end, we caught the bus back to the hotel. The bus driver was so nice that he didn’t charge us the full fare, although, when we first got on and asked how much, he replied, “$500, but because you are all seniors that will be $600”. He even let us off in front of the hotel.
Dinner was an adventure. Lee had been wanting Chinese food so I asked the concierge for a recommendation. He suggested New Sky, a place in Chinatown that he liked. Linda C commented that if we were going for Chinese food then it should be in Chinatown. We piled into two cabs and headed out. The cab that Mom, Evie, Lee and I rode in was a little scary. The driver was dealing with his phone the whole trip. If he wasn’t looking for a number then he was talking to someone. He wasn’t even sure where he was going. It’s a good thing I was following along on the map. I had to tell him where to turn. I was so glad when we got there that when he gave me my change giving himself a $4.50 tip on a $10.50 fare, I just climbed out of the cab.
We walked into the restaurant and were escorted to our table. The restaurant was filled with large round tables that had Lazy Susans on them. Ninety percent of the customers were Asian. This we took as a good sign. Our table was in the back, so as we walked through, we could look at what everyone was eating. My mouth was watering.
Ordering was confusing, the menu was so large. We eventually decided on doing family style where for one price you shared soup, rice and a variety of dishes. We chose the 5 family special. Everything we had was very good. I was surprised at the hot and sour soup. It was very hot, very spicy, and came with shrimp in the soup. This came out first. Next was the egg drop soup. Then the food started coming out. We were all wondering where the egg rolls were that we ordered. Apparently, things are brought to the table as they are ready. Linda K ordered wonton soup which showed up just after the first two dishes did. The eggrolls made an appearance in between the last two entrees. The food was very good, not too spicy. We got cabs for the ride back to hotel and decided since we did not have a guide for tomorrow we could get a later start. I was all for that.
We walked into the restaurant and were escorted to our table. The restaurant was filled with large round tables that had Lazy Susans on them. Ninety percent of the customers were Asian. This we took as a good sign. Our table was in the back, so as we walked through, we could look at what everyone was eating. My mouth was watering.
Ordering was confusing, the menu was so large. We eventually decided on doing family style where for one price you shared soup, rice and a variety of dishes. We chose the 5 family special. Everything we had was very good. I was surprised at the hot and sour soup. It was very hot, very spicy, and came with shrimp in the soup. This came out first. Next was the egg drop soup. Then the food started coming out. We were all wondering where the egg rolls were that we ordered. Apparently, things are brought to the table as they are ready. Linda K ordered wonton soup which showed up just after the first two dishes did. The eggrolls made an appearance in between the last two entrees. The food was very good, not too spicy. We got cabs for the ride back to hotel and decided since we did not have a guide for tomorrow we could get a later start. I was all for that.
