What I Did in Toronto: May 2014

Hi there! So like I told you guys a few weeks ago, I headed to Toronto a few weeks ago for a little family overnight trip for the long weekend. We didn't stay very long, but we did get to go to some pretty cool places. I took a bunch of photos, so after sifting through them all, I have a good few to show you guys with little stories attached to most (that aren't just pictures of fish), so let's get into it!

The first place we went to was the Ripley's Aquarium which is basically full of really weird and interesting and rare sea creatures.

This photo and the photo after this are probably my absolute favourites from the bunch. They just make everything look magical. And I like magical.

After we finished up at the aquarium, we went back to the hotel (we stayed at the Eaton Chelsea which is basically a quick walk to the biggest mall in Toronto) and then walked to the whole shopping area. It was pretty huge and we got lost and it was rather unproductive, but it was still pretty great because I got to go to Topshop. 

On the way back, I spotted this Nyan Cat car and like freaked out. I was never on the whole Nyan Cat bandwagon, but seeing something like that on the streets was cool enough to make me squeal. My brother then noticed and then soon enough, everyone in our basic vicinity stopped to snap some photos. I felt pretty cool knowing that I kind of (ish) started that, aha.

The next day after I went out and got breakfast for the whole family which was an ordeal in itself because my sense of direction is seriously messed up and Google Maps didn't help at all, we just went for a little stroll around the neighbourhood our hotel was in and I spotted some pretty cute restaurants that I just had to take photos of. I wish that in my area of town, there were shops like this.

Afterwards, we headed to the CN Tower which I finally got to go on. While Toronto isn't far from where I live and I've been living in Canada for most of my life, I'm a bit ashamed to say that it was only until now that I went up the CN Tower. In my defense, shopping, waterparks, and food always sounded a bit more appealing. 

The ride up to the top was pretty cool, but it made my ears pop. It was also a bit entertaining to be in the elevator with my brother because he's pretty scared of heights and we were going up one of the tallest buildings in the world.

After all, it was definitely worth it because the view was absolutely breathtaking and I just went around the observatory taking pictures and making my dad take pictures of me and the lovely backdrop.

The only big downside to our visit to the CN Tower was that we didn't know the perks of getting a reservation at the 360 restaurant (which is basically a restaurant that rotates) and we didn't end up going, which sucks because it seemed really cool. Sigh, maybe next time.

There was something called the glass floor which was basically just a floor made of glass where you could see the city underneath your feet. And looky there, that's the aquarium.

Okay, I'm convinced my parents have some odd obsession with this restaurant because the three meals that we had in Toronto were all at this little Vietnamese place. It's small, but the food's pretty good and they're open until 6 am, which I think it just crazy.

The first night we were there, we were sat at Table #13 which made me very happy. And the next day, we actually got the same table again. 

If you're ever in Toronto and in the Chinatown area where this place is, you should definitely go check it out if you're into Asian food. But if you're not and you're craving a different kind of smoothie than what you're usually used to, go try their avocado smoothie - it's actually the best.

My family and I make it pretty often at home, but avocados are considerably more expensive where I live because we aren't close to a port like Toronto is, but those of you who live in a similar situation like mine can probably relate to the outrageous prices of avocados. 

Rant about avocados aside, we sometimes feel like it's a bit of a waste to smash it all up and drink it when it's already so pricey, so imagine my surprise (and delight!) when this bad boy came out to only $3.50. That much for a smoothie period is cheap where I am. If I were to buy this back home, I wouldn't be surprised if it'd cost me seven bucks.

Anyway, I had an absolutely lovely time in Toronto and while I only got to go for two days, it was a pretty awesome (a bit under) 48 hours and I'm hoping to do it again sometime.

Have you ever been to Toronto? Or visited any places in Canada? Have you gone anywhere lately or have any plans? Leave your comments and share your stories below!

Thank you so much for reading!

- J

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