Crossing the Canadian border – Road trip to Toronto
Having been based in Ohio for a while, I've often wondered what it would be like to travel from the US to Canada. An afternoon spent on the banks of a frozen Lake Erie had me thinking about making that journey across the border. Instead of catching a plane like that weekend in Chicago, I opted for the scenic, albeit longer and less expensive route and chose to go via coach. The following extracts from my travel journal reflect my short stay in Toronto, Ontario.
Day 1: Friday 20 March 2015
Before leaving...
I’m so excited! We’re heading to Toronto via Greyhound bus. I keep double-checking if I’ve packed my passport because forgetting that would be a disaster. I’ve always wanted to visit Canada. We’re going to Toronto for the weekend so we’ve only got backpacks with us, which is a relief because I can’t stand lugging suitcases around. I can’t get over how much cheaper the bus trip is compared to flying. It only cost $US74 to travel to another country! We’ll be heading through Pennsylvania and New York.
En route to Toronto, Canada…
2pm – Just left Downtown Cleveland. On the bus. Trying to keep my handwriting neat but I can’t because it’s a bumpy ride. So much for the scenic route – the bus windows are so grubby I can hardly get a decent photo!
3.19pm – So far we’ve made a stop in Pennsylvania. Lake Erie is still frozen! There’s a Canadian cargo ship frozen into the harbour. What a beautiful sight. We got out to stretch our legs for a bit in Erie.
4.48pm – Made it to New York State, Buffalo bound. All I’ve seen for kilometres is swathes of vacant land, dead trees and stumps from forestry, snow mounds, scattered weatherboard homes and farmhouses in the middle of nowhere. (If this view had a backing track it would be the opening song to the TV series True Detective, “Far from Any Road” by The Handsome Family )
6.51pm – Crossed the border into Canada. Went through customs. I LOVE having my passport stamped! Saw a beautiful sunset.
9.30pm – Arrived at the Bay Street bus terminal in Downtown Toronto.
9.45pm – Checked into a Downtown hotel, showered and went back out in search of a place to eat. Found a cute little French bistro nearby, Le Papillon. It was a wonderfully ambient place. I instantly recognised Yann Tiersen’s "Amèlie" soundtrack playing in the background, which made me smile. Stopped at the Consort Bar for a nightcap. Chatted with a Canadian woman who gave us some pointers on local stuff we should see.
Day 2: Saturday 21 March 2015
Taking in Toronto…
10am – Woke up late. Took a look at last night’s scribbled list of recommendations and decided to check out St. Lawrence Market, which happens to be just around the corner. Walking around, I discovered another Flatiron building on Front Street (which closely resembles the one I saw in New York City). St. Lawrence Market was nice. It reminded me of Cleveland’s West Side Market. We sampled some cured meats and cheeses at Sheffler’s Deli and did some wine tasting at Country Merchants while listening to a Peruvian flute ensemble. Headed to the lower level and bought postcards and maple syrup (got that out of the way nice and early). Stopped into Balzac’s coffee roasters across the road before checking out Jarvis and Church streets.
1pm – Devoured a delicious brunch at Origin on King Street. Was impressed with the precision and attention to detail displayed by the chefs who prepared our devilled eggs and salmon arugula bruschetta in front of us.
2-6pm – Walked around the city for HOURS. At the end of it, our feet were killing us but we covered a lot of ground.
We saw the famous CN Tower (Meet George Jetson!) which actually happens to be one of the seven Wonders of the Modern World.
Took a stroll through Queen Street and observed cool bars (Warehouse), European bakeries (Meli and Bakeryhaus), tea houses and clothing stores.
Walked from Downtown through Chinatown all the way up Spadina Avenue. I hadn't realised just how diverse Toronto is! The city's food scene reflects this multicultural reality. (Just looking at a map, I could see: Little Italy, Koreatown, Little Portugal, Roncesvalles is predominately Polish, there's Indian and Latin American districts, among many others).
Reached Casa Loma, Toronto’s gothic castle. I learnt that during the 1920s Prohibition era, Casa Loma was a popular nightspot for wealthy Americans. Under the guise of construction, the Gothic Revival castle was used as an under-cover research facility during WWII.
Observed beautiful “townhomes” with provincial architecture and attics as we walked through affluent suburban neighbourhoods on the way back.
Stumbled onto Bloor Street which features high-end retailers including: Tiffany, Hermes and Cartier.
Like Melbourne, Toronto's street names reflect the city's colonial English roots (Gloucester, Queen, King, Victoria). Toronto monuments honour “sons of England" who died in the Great War.
Took a walk through Yonge Street (pronounced YOUNG, we had been walking around saying YonGE – like SPONGE) and stopped into Toronto Eaton Centre for a drink – at this point we could hardly walk another step!
Had dinner at Beer Bistro. Chatted with a lovely waiter who gave us some hints on what to do on our final day in Toronto. With only two full days here we opted for a few activities in detail rather than quick tours. (Read my travel tips for short trips here.)
Day 3: Sunday 22 March 2015
Making the most of our final day...
10am – Woke up to find a note slipped under the hotel room door. It was a letter from the staff apologising for the disruption caused by the party people across from us (they were pretty rowdy) with free breakfast vouchers attached. I wrote some postcards to my family while eating a pancake breakfast doused in maple syrup. Yum! On our way back to the room I noticed the door to our neighbour’s room was ajar – the place was trashed.
12pm – On the advice of a waiter we’d met last night, we went to Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada at the base of the CN Tower. It was absolutely packed! Luckily we booked our tickets online beforehand. The queue was enormous. I’m always a little apprehensive about visiting nature exhibits. I feel torn because the idea of animals on display upsets me but I do see the value in educating the public on matters of environmental protection and conservation. The aquarium was remarkable. We saw some amazing creatures, from sharks and stingrays to piranhas and jellyfish. It took us a few hours to cover everything and it was definitely worthwhile! (If ever you find yourself in Toronto, I highly recommend it.)
3pm – Walked by the Hockey Hall of Fame (Canadians LOVE their hockey) and through Oldtown in search of a spot recommended to us by a local. There was nothing for blocks and blocks and just as we were about to give up we turned a corner and there it was, Toronto's Distillery District. It’s a historic precinct filled with cobblestone, alleyways, red bricks and green doors. It was a little out of the way from the Yonge-Dundas Square but I was so happy we found this quaint little cultural hub. There were gorgeous galleries, artisan boutiques selling goods actually made in Canada. I loved the quirky antique stores, hip bars and coffee shops in buildings reflecting Victorian industrial design. It wasn’t snowing outside but it was freezing! I took some photos until I couldn’t feel my fingers and then ducked into the nice and cosy Mill St. Brew Pub for a hearty meal of fish and chips. After that, I bought a sweet snack from Soma – a chocolate laboratory – for the long bus ride home.
Splinters in the ice – Erie, Pennsylvania
Farmhouses and open spaces in New York State
Arrived in Downtown Toronto and had a late dinner at a quaint little French bistro, Le Papillon
St. Lawrence Market, Oldtown Toronto
People walk around sampling cured meats, assorted cheese and wine at St.Lawrence Market
Heart warming beverages at the Canadian coffee house, Balzac's
Yonge-Dundas Square, Toronto
Streets of Toronto (Below: A view of Toronto's CN Tower from a distance)
Watched some adorable squirrels playing in a park. So cute!
Toronto's Flatiron – The Gooderham Building
An excellent brunch at Origin: Blood orange juice, devilled eggs and salmon aragula bruschetta
Toronto monument honouring British subjects who gave their lives in the Great War
Toronto's Gothic castle, Casa Loma
Pancakes for breakfast with maple syrup from Quebec
The venomous Lionfish
Predators of the sea
Sea nettle – The jellyfish exhibit at Ripley's Aquarium of Canada is utterly enthralling
These seemingly placid piranhas are incredibly vicious with an insatiable appetite for meat
At 553.3m high, the CN Tower was the tallest building in the world until it was dwarfed by a Dubai skyscraper in 2007
Below: Toronto's historic Distillery District
For travel tips or more on my adventures in North America check out these posts on New York City, Cleveland or Chicago.
