A snap decision and request for my presence landed me in Toronto for a fun-filled week of shenanigans. They say Toronto is the mini New York of Canada. I could see why one might think this. After all, Yonge-Dundas Square is much like our Union Square. A smaller version of course.
Gazing out the window of The Hard Rock Cafe while sipping strawberry mojitos with my homie lover friend as passersby carried on is how we kicked off the afternoon. We had a late start to the day after an enchanted evening. Since I was having a literal cheat day, I splurged and had some sky-high nachos to add to the destruction. I’d work off those calories.
thoughts on toronto
Cool thriving city and the people are friendly.
Much nicer than on the East Coast where everyone who’s wearing panties has them in a bunch. I enjoyed the tax-free perks and cheaper prices on merchandise that would easily go for double in New York. I came across some very sexy sandals by Sergio Rossi that were just short of $3,000. No matter what the voices in my head said, I couldn’t justify spending that much on sandals in the dead of winter (my obsession led me to purchase them the following month).
meal tips while traveling in canada
It’s a quirky town. Starting with the Canadians adding bacon to Caesar salads. Who knew? Apparently not me. Imagine my surprise as a vegetarian (and certified non-pork eater of ALL things) when my lovely salad arrived covered in little piggy bits. I sent it back. The waiter had an attitude with me. He told me I should have informed him beforehand when really he should have informed me. In an airport hotel where you’re serving traveler’s from around the world, mentioning the salad came with bacon should have been on the menu!
about those free nights in toronto
I can’t tell you how important it is to get in a rewards program and stay in it! I’m in the Starwood program and try to stay at hotels in this club to rack up points that will eventually turn into free nights when I travel. I stayed at the comfy Four Points near the airport for the week for less than 7,000 points. That’s a steal! Did you catch that? There’s nothing like cashing in points. I found the hotel with the cheapest amount of points needed for my stay and booked. I barely put a dent in my rewards balance too. Here’s to more free nights…
my flight was free too
Hold up. Free might not be the best word because I worked for those miles. Just like with hotels, you can join airline reward programs to gain miles which can later be redeemed for free travel. Or, you can use reward credit cards to achieve the same result. So, I’d accumulated enough miles from past trips to easily fly me round-trip from New York to Toronto, first class, using 15,000 SkyMiles. It really gets no better than cost-effective travel.
eats
The crusted red snapper and charity bread at Scaddabush (an Italian Kitchen & Bar) had my heart. Do not leave Toronto without dining here. The food and customer service is great.
shops
Head downtown and check out the mall at Yonge-Dundas Square. There’s something for everyone and the price is usually right. I’d never heard of Hudson Bay and highly suggest you check them out while in the mall. All of the usual suspects designers are here too.
Hi there. As a Canadian who is a mere 1 hour drive [south] of Toronto, I’d like to say welcome, and thank you for the wonderful review! Yes, in Canada we are known for our bacon! Remember the movie with John Candy, “Canadian Bacon”? As for the restaurant and the waiter, it was probably listed in the menu under the description of the Ceaser Salad. At least, any restaurant I’ve been to does. They list ALL ingredients for cases such as yours, but also b/c of allergies, and ppl w/ strict diets such as those w/ diabetes.
***I did some searching, and came across a couple sites about the food industry in Canada. This is the 1st one: http://www.inspection.gc.ca/food/labelling/food-labelling-for-industry/nutrition-labelling/additional-information/restaurants-and-food-service-establishments/eng/1409850385603/1409850437890
QUOTE: Voluntary Provision of Nutrition Information
Although there are no requirements to provide a NFT for most restaurant and food service foods, many establishments wish to provide this information on a voluntary basis. When companies show the nutrition information for these foods, companies are strongly encouraged to show the same information that is provided in the NFT, which includes: energy value in Calories, along with fat, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrate, sugar, fibre, protein, vitamins A and C, calcium and iron. The format requirements for prepackaged foods do not apply to restaurant foods, so an alternate way of presenting the information is acceptable, such as the use of a table or chart, tray liners, menu boards, posters, leaflets or brochures available to consumers. The “Nutrition Facts” heading is an acceptable title for showing this information.
This one is about Allergies. Even for the yourself (author), you don’t eat pork, whether you’re a vegetarian, or it’s a religious diet (can’t think of another word to describe it), this will help for that as well. And I would say this is a MUST READ for anyone that does have a food allergy, and will be travelling to Canada. This way they will know our laws/regulations, and what their Rights are:
http://foodallergycanada.ca/allergy-safety/dining-out/
This next piece of advice is for anyone who is considering visiting Southern Ontario, and may not have the funds to even stay (accommodations) in Toronto, let alone eat there for their entire stay. Now I don’t dine much in Toronto, first b/c it’s far from me, second, believe it or not, it’s ULTRA expensive! Niagara Falls has GREAT places to eat (and it’s Niagara Falls), so does nearby cities to Toronto, such as Burlington and even Hamilton, that probably would be 3/4 to 2/3 the cost for an equivalent meal. But it’s like NY. You go to NYC, you know you’re going to pay more. Rather, someone could stay in these other cities, and still enjoy all the sites Toronto has to offer.
I’m in the Niagara Region, which is another big tourist area. Wine country. If you ever make it back here, and are a wine drinker, or anyone reading this, I would highly recommend Wine Tours. My one favourite local wine is made by Vineland Estates Winery. Here is a link to their “Tour” page:
http://www.vineland.com/tour/
Another one of favourites, and where my sister was married, is Hernder Estate Winery:
http://www.hernder.com/
I’m a Riesling girl. I unfortunately can’t drink red wine as I suffer from migraines from it. So these 2 places both have a great semi-dry, and dry Riesling. And from what I have heard, their reds are just as good.
I hope this information can help.