Early Thursday morning Steve and I caught a flight up to Toronto. By mid-morning we were checked into our hotel and ready to hit the streets. Here is the famous "Eaton Centre". Comparing Toronto to NYC, you could say this area is Times Square. There are massive billboards and flashing lights everywhere. This is also the entrace to the biggest mall I've ever seen.
Once we stepped foot inside this mall, we didn't leave for HOURS. What is unique about Toronto is that there is an entire city underground. Instead of walking outside in the cold, you walk through the "PATH". What one finds above ground--shops, restaurants, etc-- is underground in Toronto. I felt like I was walking through one long continuous mall.
We worked our way around City Hall, through the Financial District all the way to Union Station. This is the large transportation hub for the city. Again, comparing Toronto to NYC, this would be Grand Central Station.
From Union Station we walked over to, what used to be known as the "Sky Dome" but is now "Rogers Arena".
It's pretty self-explanatory:
Statues in front of the arena
From there, we walked back to "Eaton Centre" and found a pub to watch the Canadian Men's Hockey Team play their first game in the Olympics. It was a ture experience seeing men cut out of work early to belly up to a bar, drink a pint and watch their team. Also, seeing these manly men humiliate their men's figure skating representative was an experience to remember.After warming up and watching the game, we walked outside in the freezing rain up to the Provincial Parliament Building.
We went inside to see if we could take a tour, but we were too late. What we were able to see, was the foyer, which was full of grandeur and beauty.
To see what we did instead of the tour, click HERE.
The next day, we meandered through the city towards the Royal Ontario Museum
From there, we walked back to the hotel.
I was able to catch a glimpse at the CN Tower from a distance
Farewell Toronto! Hello London!
London, Ontario is about a 2 hour drive southwest of Toronto. As we arrived London, I was given the drive by tour of the city. We headed straight up to the University to see where Steve went to school.
After a tour of campus, we checked into our hotel. Exploring downtown London, I even saw the Thames River.
That night, I met Steve college buddies. It was great to finally put faces with names.
Saturday, was Matt and Janet's wedding. It was held in a beautiful Anglican church in the heart of the city. The bride was gorgeous and both the bride and groom looked happy. Post ceremony was the reception--funny MC, Olympic theme, open bar, great food, even better company, dancing, cake....that about sums up the reception.
Sunday morning we had brunch with the bride, groom, families and friends.
Then, it was a walk down memory lane, or YALE street, for Steve and his old roommate. We went to one of their old houses to see if the place was still standing. The house is still there, but had major renovations. Even though the house wasn't the same as it was 8 years ago, I could picture all the stories and see where all the trouble took place.
Later that night we went to Spaghetti Eddy's...3 words to describe this place--LOTS OF PASTA! From there is was a quick stop off at the Ceeps, one of Steve's favorite college bars, for a drink.
Monday, we headed back up to Toronto and out to the aiport...and it was back to reality!
1 comment:
I love blue Jays, and you two aren't bad either!
L. Rubin, New Haven, CT
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