SATURDAY, JULY 15, 2017
It’s Saturdayyyy! That means that David doesn’t have to work and he gets to play tour guide.
TRINITY COLLEGE
David attended University of Toronto, so naturally it was a large part of his life and we were very lucky to have him share his experience with us. Trinity College is a small academic college within University of Toronto. It’s a quaint arts and sciences school located on the edge of campus.
UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO
University of Toronto is the largest university in Toronto. We walked from one side of campus to other as David showed us some of the buildings he had classes in and pointed out dorm buildings and a library that resembled a turkey on the outside. We walked past the university bookstore. They were having a sale with big discounts and Ariel and I each bought a book for $2. The school isn’t large enough that it requires a shuttle bus around campus, but it does have an excellent view of the CN Tower.
KENSINGTON MARKET
I personally loved Kensington Market. It’s the colors. This neighborhood is so colorful, that you can’t help but feel your day brighten when you walk through. Kensington Market is super hipster with a huge selection of good food.
- Seven Lives Tacos – These tacos were amazing!! Seating is limited, but the food was really good. Ariel wanted to go back a second time. They sell baja-style tacos at a reasonable price. Hot sauce is self served, so you as much or as little as you want. Besides the tacos, the place also has really good drinks. I got a strawberry lemonade that was perfect! It was refreshing and the taste was a good combination of sweet and sour.
- The Dirty Bird Chicken + Waffles – We then went next door and shared a chicken and waffle. If you’d never tried chicken and waffles before, you should try it. I was skeptical of the combo at first, but ever since I tried one in Boston, I try to order it wherever it’s available.
- Moonbean Coffee – Need a drink? Go to moonbean coffee for tea or coffee. Ariel and David grabbed some drinks as we waited for Ken to meet up with us.
- Artic Bites – Technically this place is in Baldwin Village, a short walk from Kensington. Ken is an amazing friend and I’m so lucky to have met him in Taiwan. He treats us to Thai-inspired ice cream rolls at Artic Bites. Guys, seriously. It was so hard choosing a flavor. They all sounded and looked so good. I ended up getting the taro ice cream. Thank you Ken!
NATHAN PHILLIPS SQUARE
Needless to say, our stomaches were full, but oh so happy. Toronto has some seriously good food. What I loved about the city was that you could get any type of food you wanted. Ever try Ethiopian food? Well, they have it! If we had time, I would have loved to try Nazareth, but I’ll pass the recommendation onto you guys. If you go, let me know how it is! We walked to Nathan Phillips Square where there was an arts fest going on. The square was filled with stands selling artwork with a few stands selling jewelry. We got free sunglasses after each answering a question about Canada at a radio station booth. The event was also handing out free mini cans of coco cola.
CN TOWER
We decided to walk to the waterfront. On the way, we passed by the CN Tower. I know it’s a big tourist attraction in Toronto, but I didn’t feel the need to go up there. I feel like the tallest buildings or towers are always better being IN the picture rather than taking a picture FROM the tower. Every major city has one. There’s the Sydney Tower in Sydney, Australia, Taipei 101 in Taiwan, One World Tower in New York, and so on. Yes, you can get a panaoramic view of the city for a hefty price in my opinion. But more often than not, these views are blocked by dirty or tinted windows or the view is covered in fog or smog. So, we didn’t go up there, but the plaza in front of the tower was very nice.
Toronto is filled with skyscrapers and I noticed that a lot of the buildings were largely made of glass. I liked the glass and how it made the buildings look. David explained that Toronto gets really cold in the winter and the glass is suppose to help let in more sunlight into the buildings.
ROUNDHOUSE PARK
A short walk from the CN Tower is the Roundhouse Park. The Roundhouse Park is a preserved locomotive roundhouse, home to the Toronto Railway Museum. If you have little boys at home, they will truly enjoy this place. While the families played with the children in the park, we went inside the Steam Whistle Brewing Co. for some beers.
HARBOURFRONT
When we got to the harbourfront, it was too late to go into the contemporary art museum, but we did sit by the harbour and then grab drinks at a bar nearby. When I was doing my research for Toronto, I originally wanted to go to the Toronto Islands, but the ferries weren’t running to the Islands. They might have been closed at the time? There seems to be quite a lot to do there. Children were playing by the park, people sat and just stared at the sea, others went sailing, while children behind us were in small swan boats circling a very small pond.
BOXCAR SOCIAL
Right across from the contemporary art museum and a stone’s throw away from the harbourfront, Boxcar Social has a wide variety of beer, cider, and whiskey. I don’t remember them having a big selection of food, but go for the drinks.
SMOKE’S POUTINERIE
When in Canada, you gotta have poutine, right? What’s better than gravy, cheese, and french fries? I love french fries so I thought the poutine was pretty good. It was a super heavy meal and after a few bites, you kind of get tired of the taste, but it was still good. We went to the location on Dundas Street East and there’s no seating there, so we walked to Dundas Square, where we sat and finished our fries. At this point, it’s 9pm and we’re all tired. So, we head back to our homes to rest up for the next day.
