Toronto

(late August 2024)

Checking in to the King Edward Omni Hotel in Downtown Toronto, this is one of the nicest and finest hotels we’ve ever stopped in. Marie got us a reasonable deal on a room. Absolute luxury, and quite a lot bigger than the much more expensive Kimpton Hotel we had stayed in in London in the Spring.

We walked a lot, and had a good half day ahead with the intention of kipping down early tonight (we’d gotten up at 6am and a drive to La Guardia). In the down-to-earth St. Lawrence Market – slightly resembling the market in Leeds UK in parts, but bigger – we enjoyed mooching and then munching, on British sausage rolls! They had been hot earlier in the day, but we were happy to eat them cold. The chap serving said, “do you want them cold?”. I replied, “well, warmed if you can” to which he responded, “we only have them cold now!”.

photos by Adam Hardy

a plethora of pies at St Lawrence Market

There is a big Ukrainian bakery in the market close by where we were sitting. We bought a custard tart, a butter tart and a coconut rum ball. All very delicious! We loved everything we had from there. The rum ball was a snack at our hotel room the next day (Marie – “oh my God, this is amazing”). Canada is home to a large Ukrainian population.

Toronto is very cosmopolitan in general, half of the city having migrated there.

More strolling around. In St. James Park next we fed beautiful, clean and smart black squirrels!

Then on a tram – or “street cars” as they’re known here – to tonight’s meal venue. The French Bistro, Le Select, was all old wood and really gorgeous. It was to be our most fine-dining meal of the trip. Staff were friendly. They were subtly trying to push the special, scallops with duck-fat fried potatoes but we had other ideas. Marie had the croque madam sandwich (“ham, gruyère, bechamell, sunny side egg, with salade verte”) and I steak frites. Amazing and addictive char to the steak crust! For drinks Marie a mocktail and I a Canadian ale.

We took a “mousey” photo, as possibly invented by the comedian Joe Wilkinson! You place your smart phone on the ground at a desired angle, or another low vantage point. The results are unexpected and sometimes wonderful.

Another long walk next, past interesting eats and shops, and to a destination Marie had secretly planned: the tourist Toronto Sign where we took lots of photos and rested our feet by the fountain and square.

A lovely first day, we were back at the hotel by before 10pm I think.

Day 2 –

We made for St. Lawrence Market again, with the intention of getting a recommended market favourite, a bacon roll. It was much like an English bacon sandwich but with slightly hammier Canadian bacon. Really good and hearty! We followed that with a slice of coffee walnut cake from the excellent Ukrainian Bakery (called ‘Future’, by the way). On the way there we had walked past a “Robocafe”, a big automated fresh coffee making machine in which you can peer through some transparent plastic to watch the robot preparing your brew! Marie exclaimed, “oh my God, I’ve got to try this soon!”.

I had made a suggested plan for today, and Marie would be calling the tune tomorrow on her birthday.

Next up, a streetcar to Graffiti Alley, running alongside Queen Street West. We loved it, taking a lot of photographs. The artists had to fight for approval, but it’s now a kind of tourist attraction and covered on guided walks.

Then another tram, this time to an unusual museum – the Bata Shoe Museum. It’s near to the university, in a wide, relaxed avenue.

As we started on the ground floor there are some eccentric shoes you can try on. No one around, we did and it was worth the price of admission alone!

As you can imagine, it starts with several thousand year-old exhibits of ancient footwear right up to the 1980s and beyond, but it’s not at all overwhelming. Rather it’s just right. Fascinating too at times, with some very unexpected footwear like two foot long pointed suit-of-armour boots to the tiniest Asian shoes you could imagine, as in ancient times feet were bound to extremes of ridiculousness. I’d read that there are boots on display that were worn by John Lennon and Elton John too, but we found out at the end that they were only on rotating display and were kept back at the moment.

We particularly enjoyed the 1980s display, from Jelly shoes to winklepickers to punk footwear etc.

Definitely worth around $15 each for the 45 minutes or so we looked around!

Back out on the street, nearby we found a modern but charming Italian coffee place with a sun filled room and great views on the street, also a Fiat inside! Cappuccino for Marie, London Fog (Earl Grey tea foamy latte) for me.

Then to Kensington Market next. The talkative and friendly young manager at the French bistro last night gave us a couple of comments and tips. We weren’t to get around to an amazing-sounding champagne speakeasy he told us about, but he liked our idea of going to Kensington Market which he said is “like that rustic, laid-back L.A of the 1970s”.

Marie had earmarked an empanada place to eat. The whole two blocks were likeably scruffy on leafy streets with as much exotic food as you’d need to shake a stick at. The ‘Jumbo Empanada’ cafe was terrific, and very home-made. And friendly.

We were still peckish and fitted in a Korean corn dog on a corner.

Walking down the residential street leading away afterwards, I said to Marie “let’s take a mousey (photo)”. Marie suggested she feign to swing a fist at me as if in slow motion. We placed Marie’s smart phone on the pavement at the bottom of a fence looking up at us. Marie noted gleefully that it was “the best photograph of us we’ve ever taken!”.

A re-group at the hotel next, then back out in the evening. I suggested the Distillery District. I didn’t quite understand what it consisted of – neither did Marie until we got there. Surprisingly it’s a large area of (probably) old warehouses and streets that made up the original distilleries (the main one burned down over a hundred years ago) and today has been transformed into a Disney-esque, very tourist spot featuring large restaurants, shops etc. We’d already decided to dine at the El Cantril Mexican restaurant which was huge. Everywhere was pretty packed with tourists. The food was good though, and we enjoyed ourselves.

Good to try the “Distillery” District once at least. Oh, we also paid a small amount to add our names to a padlock before we left, and attach it to the fence of love. You’ll have seen that on bridges all around the world. You get to keep the key and return to see it in the future if you wish.

After dark but very safe, we took a long walk back to our hotel through the city and to cap a very enjoyable day off we sat at our hotel bar, Marie with a mocktail and me with an old-fashioned cocktail. Most guests in the bar had English accents, the girls at the end sounded very Northern Manchester or Leeds perhaps.

Reflections and comments on Toronto so far: The city is very, very clean! No bags of rubbish on corners like NYC, no worrying looking puddles or sticky footpaths but super clean.

In the day It’s bustling with people, at night some streets and avenues fairly quiet even on weekend nights whereas in Manhattan most everywhere is busy.

Like most big cities it has delights and not-so delights…tranquil wide streets, picturesque parks, amazing bars, breweries and coffee shops, some homeless in tents in parks (though no one emerges from them – maybe they just have squirrels in them?), the occasional rambling and cursing crazy person, great museums and cool rustic neighbourhoods.

There’s no old town really! Old historic buildings of course, and spaces but most of the city is modern. There are Victorian streets etc, and fine old architecture, and famous buildings – Toronto’s Flat Iron is ten years older than New York’s. Famous popular culture people from Toronto are Neil Young originally (he was born there, and lived there three times with the last being up to 1969), the band Rush and Keanu Reeves to name a few.

Day 3 –

We had breakfast at a light and airy little cafe that is attached to our hotel, facing the sunny street. The cappuccino was great, as was the almond croissant.

More strolling around, and we had lunch reserved at a British pub, The Queen & Beaver. Beautiful pub. Some English customers and the woman serving us was Irish. Marie chose the full-English and I the Sunday roast. There was nowhere near enough beef (the steak cut turned out to be half fat) but what there was was very good and the Yorkshire pudding and roast tatties were outstanding. Marie’s English breakfast was very good too. I ordered a London Pride.

We then headed down towards the Harbour for the first time, and had a very pleasurable couple of hours or so. The harbour park is small but very nice, and they have those cooling water mists you can walk through.

Toronto has many small islands around, and we paid for tickets for one of the cruises on a small boat to the islands. The young female guide gave an excellent and entertaining commentary and there were lots of great photos to be had of the CN Tower and cityscape, as well as birds and kayakers. A fifty minute ride in total and well worth it. We also passed a small bridge that was donated by Amsterdam in 1976, the guide telling us that Amsterdam is twinned with Toronto. Hence there’s also a big brewery called…the Amsterdam Brewery.

After we disembarked we tried unusual ice creams, very delicious and somewhat a cross between ice cream and sorbets with quality crisp waffle cones. They somehow were very heavy to pick up. One of the best ice creams I’ve ever had, we each had a coconut-charcoal, ube and strawberry nut combo.

Afterwards a walk in the cool mist spray and drinks at the bar of the Amsterdam Brewery.

Then a street car back, we looked for squirrels to feed in St. James Park (we made sure to have nuts in our bag this time). We wondered if the black squirrels here might be spoiled because at first one squirrel discarded the peanut we threw, and most squirrels seemed to have walnuts or hazelnuts but they soon started to devour ours too.

Marie had the coffee from the Robo machine nearby, and it was great.

We got back to the hotel at 7.24pm, then went back out. We walked to The Works for “craft” burgers (a small chain). Marie had a ‘SK8R Boy’ – she chose a traditional beef patty, and it comes with pepperjack cheese, bacon and…….lashings of peanut butter!! She loved it. I chose a ‘Born to Brie Good Charity Burger’, with brie, mushrooms and bacon and that was very good too. Marie would now put peanut butter on hamburgers at home!

This branch hadn’t yet got its liquor-licence but Marie noticed a self acclaimed “New style British pub” in the base of the Flatiron across the street very close by. Blimey, it was only a freakin’ Firkin pub!! Firkins were a big chain of pubs in the UK up until 2001 (I had to look up when they folded in the UK, as I couldn’t remember). They were good for a while with a spit-and-sawdust style but tapered off in quality and I suppose with revenue. By the end of the 90s we didn’t bother with them anymore, though we had enjoyed Firkin pubs for a while. I hadn’t been in one for 25 years ish, but they’re still everywhere in Canada.

We had to go in. Although the pub was ordinary, we had a wonderful hour in there and it was very friendly. We might have been the only ones in there on this quiet Sunday night, had there not been a fairly large works convention party of young, happy people. Marie had a zero alcohol Heineken and I a 20oz Guinness and a double Jack Daniels.

Last half day

There’s not so much to say about our last, half a day. We would be leaving in a taxi for the airport at about 1.30pm so we thought we might as well check out of the hotel early and leave the bags with them.

One aim was to go one more time to the St. Lawrence Market to buy goodies from the Ukrainian Bakery to take home, but we were told that the market closes on Mondays.

One thing we hadn’t really done at all on the trip was look around shops. I’d read that Toronto has some great rustic, quirky shopping but we hadn’t found many so those shops must be in areas we hadn’t stumbled upon.

After top coffees and morning pastries at classy Dineen we walked to the big shopping plaza, Eaton. It was cooling and relaxing but none of the many shops in the huge plaza were anything different. We did browse around the department store Hudson Yards but though some very nice men’s shirts, even with their sales they were way too expensive.

Back to the hotel, we sat down in the giant comfy chairs in the lobby and awaited our taxi. The very nice hotel manager came and sat with us and asked us, “so what didn’t you do on your visit?”. He visits Manhattan quite a bit, and recommended a tavern in NYC that now has a renowned Canadian chef. We told him we hadn’t seen anything of the North of Toronto but he shook his head just insinuating it was nothing special. We hadn’t seen High Park at all, to the West of the city, which he said is really beautiful and Toronto’s own Central Park. He is dismayed sometimes when anything historic is replaced with new in the city, saying “our city is far too young to be losing any of our physical history”.

It’s a great city though, with definitely a lot to do and we had a fine three days based from a really lovely grand hotel. We’d loved it and we were sorry that the mini-break was coming to an end.

We would like to see Quebec next. For some reason you pay a hefty amount of wonga for a flight from NY to Quebec, so getting a flight to Montreal then a train from there to Quebec would probably be cheaper and a real adventure!