We were lucky enough to spend this past week at the home of our dear friends in downtown Toronto. I'd been to this lovely city once before, whirlwind-weekend style, so it was nice to have a whole week and two insider guides to really get to see all this truly international city has to offer.
We ate our way through some amazing restaurants, but of course, I didn't take any photos. However, we did spend time shopping at the St. Lawrence Market, downtown's premier food source.
We took a stroll through The Distillery Historic District, where old-world cobblestones house up-and-coming artisans, furniture designers and fashion houses.
We got to watch a no-holds-barred roller derby match at Toronto Roller Derby, the largest flat-track league in Canada. It was fun to cheer for all the jams, checks and blocks, and made me realize that while I'll likely never be tough enough to compete, I can have a great time coming up with roller derby names for hours.
No matter where you are downtown, the CN tower is never too far away. It was fun to try to capture the iconic structure from unexpected vantage points.
And with that, I'd like to announce a short break for Well-Designed Travel. It's been great sharing our journeys with you all, and hearing your feedback and advice. While we're not halting our life of full-time travel, we're putting on the brakes for a few months. We plan to spend some time back in Chicago, concentrating on our careers and catching up with old friends. We plan to hit the road again this winter, so hopefully you'll join us again as we continue this great adventure.
(Images: Smith Schwartz)
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it's neat to see how an "outsider" views the city.
My husband and I visited Toronto a couple years ago for 4 days. We did the big touristy things and we also just walked down town. It was lovely, I recommend using public transport to get around as parking can be expensive. After four straight days of walking all day I was so sore!
There are better areas to visit in Toronto (which you may not have had the chance to experience): The harbourfront is lovely; the island which is a very short ferry ride away; the Annex and Bloor West Village for low key, lovely neighbourhoods with great restaurants, and High Park for any visitors with dogs or children that would like to spend a few hours outdoors.
@Jasmineisdomestic- agreed with all of those! I might also add.. Chinatown is awesome, Kensington Market area is phenom, Queen St is great for shopping... a wonderful city. :D So glad I live near enough to visit frequently.
There is a lot more to Toronto than the CN tower. I am sorry to see that it is yet again represented by St. Lawrence Market (since there was a full post with pics on it a week ago).
Oh man... next time you're in Toronto, let me take you out! Toronto has so much more to offer!
Heh... I've heard Toronto called a lot of things, but never "lovely". I've had a great time here so far, but of all the big cities I've lived in (London, Chicago, Istanbul, Vancouver) it's the one I've been least excited about wandering around in.
Toronto, is a beautiful city. I love to spend evening with friends in Toronto. When I went there last time, I visited Princess Of Wales Theatre, Auberge Du Pommier, and Carlton Toronto Townhouse. We also, went for Toronto Bike Tour. It was great fun.
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I just love Toronto and NYC like same. I have many friends staying there, The city is glamorous and beautiful. The street food, eves, and weekend are memorable by me.