Out of all the blog posts I write, I most enjoy recounting my travel experiences. If you are a regular reader, however, you know that this category is the most neglected. Because they are the most time consuming, I tend to procrastinate on them, a habit that is becoming worse as the years pass (I still haven’t finished writing about San Francisco, a year and a half later!). I hope to turn the tide with a short series on a week-long trip I took to Toronto in July 2011 to see my sister Amanda. Mack joined me there towards the end of my trip.
This wasn’t my first time to Toronto; I visited a friend for a few days back in 2006. It was a brief stay, but I managed to hit up some of the attractions that I had on my list at that time, including the Bata Shoe Museum and Casa Loma. This time around, although it really didn’t matter where we went, Amanda was game to look at her adopted city from a tourist’s perspective, and I was able to take in quite a bit of what Toronto had to offer.
Watching the Blue Jays
I’m not much of a baseball fan, but I’d never been to a Major League Baseball game before, and tickets were cheap – rail seats at the top level of Rogers Centre were just $10. It was also a beautiful night to be outside, not too muggy, with a breeze to cool things off just right.
Rogers Centre
The view of the CN Tower
All smiles!
The Seattle Mariners were in town, but the real star that night was Roberto Alomar, who watched the game from one of the sky boxes – he was in town to prepare for his entrance into the Hall of Fame at the end of the month.
Roberto Alomar!
I loved the jumbotron, and as a non-fan, being able to keep track of the players and their batting record so far that night – it really made it easier to get into the game. The other noticeable differences between this game and Capitals games I’d been to was the lack of aggressive beer sales in the stands and no “entertainment” between innings – mascot runs or little league pitchers or the like.
Batter up!
That said, I didn’t expect that number of extended innings – after runs in the first and second, it dragged on, scoreless, until the eighth, when tie runs resulted in extra innings. Five additional innings to be exact. Finally, after 14 innings and four and a half hours, Rajai Davis stole two bases and scored the winning run.
Finally
Being Part of a Live Studio Audience
I’m never really home during the day to watch CityLine, but I knew it was a lifestyle program, and that they filmed with a live studio audience. It seemed like it would be a fun way to spend a morning.
Holding room
After a short pep talk in the holding room, the audience (99% women) was herded down into the studio. Host Tracy Moore (a bombshell in real life – it’s hard to believe she had a baby a year prior) was gracious, welcoming everyone and making sure the audience felt comfortable.
With Tracy after the show
The topics explored in that particular episode (which would be aired exactly one week later), weren’t really of interest to either Amanda or myself – children’s activities, resistance training, pet safety issues and random kitchen tips – but it was interesting to see how the production crew had to scramble to arrange the different sets in the tight space.
Filming a segment on de-seeding tomatoes
And really, it was worth our time just for the parting gifts! We each received a $50 PetValu gift certificate and Body Shop package. Thanks, CityLine!
Experiencing the Humidity
Of all the weeks I could have gone, I ended up choosing the heat wave Toronto experienced last summer. Walking out of Amanda’s basement suite on the hottest of those days (in the morning, no less!), my camera lens literally fogged up when I took it out to snap a photo.
Seriously
Given it was +48 degrees with the humidity, people weren’t only joking about being able to fry eggs on the sidewalk – they were literally doing it.
Checking Out the View from the CN Tower
The mothership of tourist attractions in Toronto wasn’t really on my radar those first few days. But after seeing the CN Tower from almost every angle over the course of the week, we decided to just take the plunge…or rather, ascent.
The glass floor
As expected, the views were breathtaking, especially on such a clear day. Given it was the hottest day of the year, the outdoor platform/wind tunnel was also not a bad place to be.
Lake Ontario
Toronto from above
Visiting the St. Lawrence Market
Named by Food and Wine Magazine in 2004 as one of the “World’s 25 Best Markets”, we knew we’d have to check out the St. Lawrence Market on a bustling Saturday morning.
Outdoor arts and crafts vendors
Their produce was a sight for sore eyes – at that time in Edmonton, we didn’t have the same variety in our markets yet.
Ontario peaches (we noticed that there was a real emphasis on “Ontario” vs. “local”)
Multicoloured zucchini
Beans
Garlic scapes
The market was spread over several buildings, and was absolutely massive. The main building featured two levels, packed with permanent vendors that would enable anyone to do all of their grocery shopping in one trip. It reminded us of farmers’ markets in Calgary – imports like cheese and olives were permitted.
Rice vendor
Seafood
Whole pig, anyone?
Peameal bacon was everywhere in Toronto!
Yum…baked goods (yes, we indulged)
Great use of QR codes – links to the vendor’s recipes
Given how the market was such a tourist attraction, it was curious that there was no information table in sight – as a result, we couldn’t locate the one vendor we were looking for: Ewenity, a dairy cooperative which sells sheep’s milk ice cream.
We also ended up stopping into the St. Lawrence Market again on Sunday. The smaller building had been converted into an antiques fair. We didn’t buy anything, but we did did peruse the tables, and came across a Lucky Strike tin!
Antique fair
We had no idea Lucky Strike was a real company (we really miss Mad Men)
Taking in a Show
Toronto stages attract some big names, actors I wouldn’t have the opportunity to see in Edmonton. One example of this was Carrie Fisher, whose show, Wishful Drinking, was playing at the Royal Alexandra Theatre that week. Based on her memoirs of the same name, Fisher discusses her family, personal life, career and mental health issues.
Wishful Drinking set
Mack and I are both fans of Star Wars, and though that part of her film career was referenced quite heavily in the play (i.e. the “social contract” she signed when agreeing to put on that metal bikini being that she would remain that shape for the rest of her life), we learned a lot more about her. She had many funny witticisms and wry observations (the most entertaining portion was “Hollywood 101”), and involved the audience at times as well. Fisher had a casual way about her, and it was clear that she was very comfortable with herself, her past and her ghosts. I’m glad we were able to go!
Dining with a Celebrity Chef
Or at least, dining in the restaurant of a celebrity chef. One of the only restaurants I had bookmarked prior to the trip was Lee Lounge. In March, I was fortunate enough to be invited to an Element of Taste with Chef Lee at NAIT, during his Chef in Residence tenure. He was humble, and from all reports, was a respectable teacher in the kitchen – I wanted to see if his restaurant lived up to the hype.
We arrived a half our before our reservation (the skies opened up just as we arrived), but were seated right away – later diners wouldn’t be so lucky, as the place was packed by the time we left. The interior was very dim (apologies in advance for the poor photos), but was tastefully decorated, with red accents and a wall-sized family photo at the entrance. And yes, Chef Lee was in the house! We saw him a few times checking in on things in the dining room.
The only blemish to our visit was the waitress – she pushed certain dishes (such as the Singaporean style slaw) much too hard, to the point where we felt guilty when we didn’t order it. All it did was communicate to us that it must have been his most profitable item.
But other than that, it was a note-perfect experience. The spicy crisp tofu was our favourite – well crusted on the outside, and silky smooth on the inside. The sauce also played between sweet and savoury flavours quite well.
Spicy crisp tofu
Mack in particular was looking forward to the cheeseburger spring roll (a single one for $7). It should have been pre-cut, but was flavoured with great spices, and really, we loved the idea of simulating a cheeseburger in another form. It begged the question – what other spring roll possibilities are out there?
Cheeseburger spring roll
The asparagus and green bean salad was wonderfully balanced – the vinaigrette first presented itself as tangy, but smoothed itself out. We also liked the braised beef ravioli, with thin skins that didn’t overwhelm the beef, and a slightly sweet finish.
Asparagus and green bean salad
Braised beef ravioli
We finished our meal with a banana cake, served warm, melding the fruit and chocolate in smooth and creamy bites.
Banana cake
We would recommend Lee Lounge – there is no doubt the care that goes into the food. That said, it wasn’t my favourite meal that I had in Toronto – I’ll be writing about that in another post!
Sharon…I totally hear you about procrastinating. I’ll readily admit that I’m not the best when it comes to updating posts in general (unless it’s pressing…). Writing about travelling typically takes ALOT longer but it’s worth it. I really enjoyed your T.O post. I ‘ve never been there before and I’ve been wanting to for quite some time. It’s on my travel list!
I’ve never been to the St. Lawrence Market, but from what you described, this is what I would envision Edmonton’s Downtown market to be like- a permanent indoor building to be used all year round, with a street available for vendors during the non-winter months.
Thanks for writing a great post! I lived in TO for a few years and it’s always interesting to hear other experiences. I definitely have the “itch” to return soon! It’s a nice place to visit, especially when you are a sister living there.
FoodieMcPoon – thanks for commiserating – nice to know I’m not alone :). When you go to Toronto, make sure to avoid the heat wave!
Buddha Pest – I agree with you – the combination of indoor-permanent and outdoor spaces was great. I forgot to mention the fact that the St. Lawrence also features quite a number of concessions (we didn’t take many pictures of them though, for whatever reason). I think this is one of the reasons why City Hall isn’t the best venue for the year-long City Market, unless they are able to incorporate some sort of food stand/cafe indoors. The kind of atmosphere it generates, with the smells and people lingering (which, of course, encourages others to linger), is so important. I know they’ve opened Kids in the Hall, but because it is separate, it’s not quite the same as having a concession in the same space.
Jade – you’re welcome – thanks for reading. From living there, I’m sure you have your own neighbourhood favourites and haunts to share – let me know what they are. I’ll be sure to pass them on to Amanda :).
My family and I were in Toronto this summer and we made sure to stop by one of Mr.Lee’s restaurants. I wish you had tried the slaw. It really is delicious. I still find myself craving it.
Thanks for the great post ! Toronto is one of my favourite cities and it IS the place to eat !!
Hope you have had a chance to visit the great ‘eating streets’ of TO- Danforth/Greektown, Spadina/Chinatown and Kensington Market.
Dana – we may yet try the slaw in the future. For us, the server’s desperate attempts to try to get us to order it was a turnoff.
Subhadeep – we did make it out to the Kensington and Chinatown areas, but I have to say, didn’t eat much in those areas – maybe we just didn’t know where to go?