Girl, That's So... Toronto, Canada!
Crossing the U.S/Canada border had to be done, making a weekend of it I took off to Toronto! I was still a thousand or something miles away from home, so I adored certain similarities during my trip. I was ready to experience a new country, a country that still has my Queen on their money! From the top of the CN Tower to the mighty Niagara Falls, I totally loved it! I was bad!
Airport life had me exhausted, I thought it would be wise to book a 06:00 A.M flight from Newark to Toronto during one weekend in October 2012! Delusion and panic hit me when I overslept my alarm, I scrambled into a Lincoln Taxi with haste, I needed to pull some strings and turn on that airport patter! Flying with Porter Airlines, we checked in our flights next to them during our EWR shifts with Virgin Atlantic, I called in a favour! I ran to the check-in desk flustered and frightened, with a deal made my change fee was waived and I found myself sipping on a can of something alcohol flying north towards Canada! My first trip to Canada was turning out fine, it would be fine the end but another pile of mess was about to greet me. Landing into Toronto's Billy Bishop Island Airport, a warm Canadian welcome greeted with the only pleasant immigration officer for miles! My Niagara trip had been ruined, I booked another coach for the following day and dealt with the punches. I got to see Union Station, though! Never again, CAN!
Toronto had picked me the best place to stay and when I return, I'll go back to that Gay Village facing part of town. My hotel boasted a prime location next to Church Wellesley Village, something told me that walking distance to certain bars would be the thing I needed to forget my airport work! After having the best shower in my life, I was able to connect with Alexandra, realising that her house share was around the corner from my hotel. Oh, I had worked with Alexandra during my Walt Disney World internship during the summer of 2011. Reconnecting with her was amazing, she was always a happy addition to my Disney working days, it was amazing to her in her home country, finally! Hungry, we headed out back to Yonge & Dundas. Jack Astor's was our dining choice and might I add it was lovely, the Canadian hospitality was real and not manufactured like in the USA. I was beyond excited to find a can of Strongbow Cider on the menu, I had never found such a sight in the United States of America!
With our stomachs satisfied, I was introduced to the LCBO! That wondrous off-license looking place was where alcohol was exclusively sold in that Canadian province. I felt like a child in a sweet shop, even though I was sill 21 years old, the drinking age in Canada mirrored the United Kingdom. We went back to Alex's we got our drink on and showed Toronto's Gay Village what we were made of! Hitting the cold dark night allowed things to turn up a few notches. I remember going to several bars but we ended up at Fly for the rest of the night, I had an absolutely amazing night and whatever happened I know that it got down right scandalous for all the right reasons! I was popular and the rest was history, I loved Toronto and that Ontario city loved me right back! The way the night ended felt correct because the day had been a mess, things had worked themselves out. Moral of the story, don't book stupidly early flights when sleep is already at a premium! Toronto had no shame and I loved that for her! Oh, my hangover!
Toronto seriously kept me on my toes during my weekend away from the USA! After my monumental mishaps from the previous day, I had experienced another set of surprises. I had originally planned to land in Toronto and then go straight to see the Niagara Falls but fate led me along a different path! Booking another coach online for the next day, I managed to miss that one too, but thankfully enough the representatives from Coach Canada were excellent and helped me get on the next departing coach to Niagara! I had finally had enough of the crazy and quite frankly, I just wanted to see the epic Niagara Falls! Pulling into the coach-stand close to the Niagara Falls I found out I had to get a bus from there to the central area by the falls, was Toronto trying to trick me or was I still too messed up from the night before? I soon after met with the mighty cascading falls! Kindness in Canada was unreal, I felt that people wanted to help, Newark and NYC had hardened me! I couldn't say anything bad about Coach Canada! OK!
Watching the 'Maiden of the Mist' sail close to the falls made the power of the water look like nothing like I had ever seen before! The area near to the falls looked like Blackpool's Pleasure Beach with the many fast-food restaurants, casinos and entertainment arcades. I chose not to indulge in that area because it wasn't what I set out to visit. I did have to take a few moments whilst I was taking the photos of the falls because it was a once in a lifetime moment. Was the impression visiting the falls almost like going to Disney World for the first time? Maybe. This trip was turning into a complete whirlwind, from that moment when I thought I wasn't even going to make my flight and the rest of the mayhem! Visiting the falls was definitely worth it, as I mentioned before I didn't pay much attention to the brash entertainment complex that sat next to the Niagara Falls. What was I to do next? After catching a glimpse of the American side of the Falls it was time to get the coach back to Toronto for tea, I needed to take it easy. I needed sleep!
The second night in Toronto was sedate, I merely ate and slept after I had reached the city. My day at the falls was brief, everything had been in the correct proportion. I wanted to do something before returning to the airport. As I walked towards my final part of my Toronto weekend, I couldn't help but drag my feet around Yonge & Dundas Square because it had showed me a lot of love during the first day, I was in denial about airport life recommencing. I vowed that a return to Toronto would be on the cards but with my time running out stateside, I knew that the future needed to take care of my Canadian return. Concluding my epic weekend in Toronto after checking-out of my hotel, I stopped by the Historic Distillery District to see what remained of that former brewing site. A lively network of shops, restaurants and cultural venues fronted me as I walked through that district that dated back to 1832. I enjoyed the distillery district but knew that the views over the frozen harbour will stay with me for along time. Bye, T!
Making my way closer to the airport for my flight back to Newark, NJ, I had a nice walk close to Lake Ontario that finished my manic Ontario weekend perfectly. I knew I saw the lake before checking into my flight at Billy Bishop Airport, I didn't have time to trek all the way to Toronto's Pearson International Airport! As a precautionary measure, I checked into my Porter Airlines flight early to avoid any of the mistakes that I made before. The dedicated terminal and departures lounge was really slick with personal power outlets in all directions, I enjoyed complimentary snacks and soft drinks whilst I waited for my flight to be called. Nightmare weather plagued the skies down to New Jersey, the delay was warranted because safety first. The flight back into Newark Liberty International Airport was with a great thud and that wasn't reality alone, the weather was awful with that smaller jet bouncing all over the place! Toronto had been a moment, it had been chaotic from the very first moment but I was fine with it all, T!
Oh, Canada!
Desperately Seeking Adventure
