Toronto ,CA
This was my first trip out of the country, but that’s not the reason it’s one of my favorite places to visit. I love the mixture of mini green space and city. Toronto has a vibrant personality about it that doesn’t interrupt the calm of the city. The locals were welcoming and I was able to explore parts of the city on foot, a walkable city is always a plus.
Here’s a run down of my journey from the local side and the cliche touristy attractions. On day 1 I ate breakfast at a quaint cafe in downtown Toronto, there I spoke with some locals that gave me the run down on what to do. They told me about markets, current events, and good restaurants to help make the best out of my time there. It’s always important to get the locals opinion on the haps of the area you’re in. After all it’s their home and whether they like tourism or not they’ll more than likely have some valuable information places to go and things to do that will enhance your experience. One of the first places they recommended we visit was Cold Tea for drinks. In the afternoon on Sundays they host a BBQ that’s like a house party. Now who doesn’t enjoy a good BBQ on the weekend? And for my people who don’t necessarily want to have a hard drink, but enjoys the occasional craft brew there are a few breweries in what’s called the distillery district so take your pick and don’t forget to toast, cheers. The Distillery District is not too far from the infamous CN Tower, that surely should be on your list of places to visit. In fact, Steam Whistle Brewing is right across the street from the tower so you could book a tour at both and kill two birds with one stone. Once you fill up on brews it’ll be time to walk some of it off.
If you enjoy local shops there’s the Kensington market. It’s a block where they have cut off traffic and allowed local boutiques and shops to setup that is full garage sale style style along the street, selling a variety of goodies. If you prefer entertainment you can walk along the harbor near downtown. There, I ran into a Carnival celebration, which is another characteristic that I like about Toronto. The city is diverse and right amidst the diversity is people of the Caribbean culture, one of my favorites. At the time I was there it was a Barbadian celebration, which just so happened to be a prelude to a trip I had planned later in the year for Crop Over. They also have their own carnival celebration Caribana. It normally takes place at the end of July/Beginning of August, so of course that is a festive time to visit. People were dressed in the native threads and walking the streets and in the park celebrating their culture to Soca music blasting and performers dancing on the stage. They had food vendors with grills blazing selling the native cuisine and other vendors with the essential Barbadian products. The festival was for all ages and full of excitement, you could feel the spirit of Barbados right there in Toronto.
Next up for me was graffiti alley, which is a string of alleys over maybe a mile or two of graffiti paintings. So for my models at heart and avid posters this is the place to get a unique back drop from the heart of an artist. And while you’re memorized by the art on your walk you’ll run into some local boutiques and food places to shop local. From my research the local favorite dish is Potin, similar to a chili cheese style fry in the US but instead of chili it’s a gravy topping. The local drink is a Cesar which is similar to a US Bloody Mary in the sense that it’s a tomato juice based beverage. So be sure to eat and drink local, other wise why are you there. From the touristy standpoint you want to visit the CN Tower and take the elevator to the top. You’ll learn the history about it being the tallest free standing structure at one point and you get a great view of the city of course. Also, my friend Pamela and I drove from Philadelphia so we went through New York which gave us the opportunity to see Niagara Falls from the US and on the way back from the Canada side. Niagara Falls is about an hour and a half away by car from Toronto and if you do not have a car there are other modes of transportation that can get you there. It’s worth the trip. These are a few things that caused me to be infatuated with Toronto and ready to plan another trip when the opportunity arises.. I wasn’t able to make it to all the places so that just means I need to go back!
Apartment 200 is a high key low key bar to chill in that may not pop up on your radar, but is known to have celebrities come through for a good time when they’re in the city. In the area of Dundor & West there are quite a few food spots to choose from.
For more information and suggestions or planning for your trip be sure to contact World Citizens.