Loved loved loved Toronto….drove up for a one night stay at the Westin Harbor which was in a perfect place downtown for walking. We had a great lunch at the local Amsterdam brewery and then walked to the Distillery District and through Old Town. We loved the diversity of people, languages, cuisine, art and general vibe of the city. Tried to catch a Maple Leafs game but they weren’t in town so we hit up what as supposed to be the best place to watch the game…The Loose Moose…which was just mediocre.
The next day we took a 3.5 hour Secret Food Tour through the St. Lawrence Market (oldest market in Canada and absolutely spectacular!!) and the Distillery District again. There were about 10 of us and our guide Yulie was lovely. Originally from Russia she has been in Toronto for 9 years and is trying to become a citizen. She shared tons of history about the city and its landmarks and had us eating some seriously good Torontonian food. Starting with smoked salmon with maple glaze (salmon candy), Peameal Bacon sandwich ( originally coated with splitpea meal now cornmeal, hence the name) , a Nanaimo bar ( cookie crust, vanilla custard and dark chocolate…from BC originally but adopted by the Torontonians), butter chicken and roti (given the large number of Eastern/SouthEast Indian immigrants) Hawaiian pizza ( originated in Toronto by a Greek pizza maker (pork and pineapple) and butter tarts. It was a fun day, good food, lots of walking and cool stories….
On our way up to Toronto we took a quick side trip through Niagara on the Lake, a small town which was so, so charming. Beautiful homes, vineyards, waterfront parks, classic hotels and bed and breakfasts. Most expensive real estate in Canada according to our Fort Niagara guide, but definitely a place to return to for a few days to walk/bike and enjoy.
At breakfast the next morning, as we were commiserating about missing the Aurora Borealis which had dazzled the skies the night before, the couple next to us shared the photos they had taken the night before just a bit north of Toronto. As we started talking to them we found out they lived in Utah…Salt Lake, Holladay to be exact. Small world. They were darling and were visiting his family for Canadian Thanksgiving. So bummed to have missed the lights, but a great story about serendipity!
