Where: Toronto, Canada
When: January/February 2016
With: Jad and Dave
Upon moving to Michigan, we became a stone's throw away from Canada. With a short 25 minute drive, we are over the border and into Ontario. And one of the largest cities in Canada, Toronto, is only a short 4-hour train ride from there. As I'd never been, I was excited for the opportunity to visit.
Well, I did not get just one opportunity to visit, but two. And all within a month and a half!
My first opportunity came when my friend Jad was over from England to visit his brother in Toronto, so I went to meet up with him and explore the city. The second opportunity came when Dave got tickets to the NBA All-Star game a month later, also in Toronto. So I definitely was going to get my Toronto experience, albeit a freezing one in the dead of winter!
Thankfully, the main thing to do in Toronto (according to the Book) is visit the city's art museums, and they are indoors, which is very helpful when the highs are in the 20s.
When I was with Jad, I pretty much had to drag him to the Art Gallery of Ontario, even though it was free on Wednesday nights. He was so cold and angry, but I convinced him we'd only stay for an hour and maybe there'd be nude sculptures he could gawk at while he was in there.
When: January/February 2016
With: Jad and Dave
Upon moving to Michigan, we became a stone's throw away from Canada. With a short 25 minute drive, we are over the border and into Ontario. And one of the largest cities in Canada, Toronto, is only a short 4-hour train ride from there. As I'd never been, I was excited for the opportunity to visit.
Well, I did not get just one opportunity to visit, but two. And all within a month and a half!
My first opportunity came when my friend Jad was over from England to visit his brother in Toronto, so I went to meet up with him and explore the city. The second opportunity came when Dave got tickets to the NBA All-Star game a month later, also in Toronto. So I definitely was going to get my Toronto experience, albeit a freezing one in the dead of winter!
When I was with Jad, I pretty much had to drag him to the Art Gallery of Ontario, even though it was free on Wednesday nights. He was so cold and angry, but I convinced him we'd only stay for an hour and maybe there'd be nude sculptures he could gawk at while he was in there.
The AGO is one of the largest collections of art in North America, and has art spanning from the 1st century until today. It has recently undergone a few expansions and renovations, making the display space a sight in and of itself.
I loved the architecture of this hallway.
I really enjoyed the Inuit art area. It looked like scenes from Where the Wild Things Are.
But the art really did span multiple genres. Jad was still being a good sport with me at this point.
But now he's ready to go.
Dave, as expected, was a much more willing and enthusiastic participant. We went to visit the Royal Ontario Museum, which focuses on housing artifacts and natural history (i.e. dinosaurs, we've got dinosaurs).
The exterior of the building was so odd. It looked like an old brick building that suddenly grew a sharp and pointy horn out of it. This was a recent renovation to spruce things up a bit. Odd way to do it though.
From another angle.
We took our time, wandering the various exhibits. There was live music playing in various corridors, which made the experience lovely, even on a crowded Saturday. This museum is the largest in Canada, so there was no way we could get through it all. But we enjoyed attempting to stroll through the different areas.
This was a beautiful mosaic on the ceiling of the building.
While not one of the two main museums, the attraction I could get both these men happily on board with visiting was the CN Tower. Dominating the Toronto skyline, this freestanding tower is the tallest of its kind in the Western Hemisphere and third tallest tower in the world.
My competing photos with the CN Tower.
After taking the elevator to the top, the tower provides gorgeous views of the city and Lake Erie. While both days were sunny, the day with Dave was windy, as evidenced by the foam blowing on the lake.
The view back on the city.
The view through the windows.
The long way down.
These super eery glass panels in the floor let visitors stand on them and look straight to the bottom. Yikes. Vertigo, anyone?
Toronto was a great city, although I look forward to visiting in warmer conditions so I can enjoy some outdoor sites. Only four hours away, though? Easy to revisit!
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