Views From The Six: My Trip To Toronto
Traveling has always been a thing for me since I was a little girl. Vacations with my family were always a blast, whether it was a trip to Columbus or Disney World in Orlando. I loved learning about different places and cultures in school, hoping one day I would go to those places. Seeing things like the Eiffel Tower, Sydney Opera House, and the Tower of Pisa were on my bucket list!
But as I got older, I procrastinated with getting my passport and pushed it to the side because of finances. I had always believed that traveling (internationally) was expensive, until I started traveling with other groups of women who showed me that traveling can be fun and affordable. I would hear about their plans of going to Thailand or Dubai, and think to myself “Okay, if these ladies can do it, I can too!” But when it came time to get that passport, I would get scared again. I REALLY wanted to see the world, but I was so worried about bills, that I pushed that dream to the side again.
It really wasn’t until October of last year, when I returned from a trip to New York, that I decided that I was going to finally get myself together and get my passport. I had some time to heal and reflect after the end of a relationship, took a trip with one of my good friends to scope out her new home, and realized that I should go after my dreams. If you want it bad enough, you’ll go for it, right?
I excitedly filled out my passport application and requested time off from work for my first international trip. I made sure I was well rested for my appointment to take my passport photos. I wanted everything to be perfect leading up to my first adventure. When I held my passport in my hand, I cried. This was a childhood dream come true and the start of my journey to travel the world.
My (new) boyfriend and I planned our trip to Toronto, setting a date for this month. We picked Toronto because it seemed like a great first step and it wouldn’t have been much of a culture shock. I thought it was a great choice because it reminded me of my frequent trips to Chicago or New York. I didn’t have to worry about rushing to learn a new language, or having to translate street signs. Toronto was PERFECT. I had a list of stores, restaurants, and bars picked out from endlessly searching on the web and social media. Since this was our first trip together and somewhere we both haven’t been, I felt it was only right to find some new and cool places to try!
When we arrived, I was so excited. Driving in, we saw buildings decorated with beautiful art. We even saw the famous CN Tower, aka the Space Needle, on our way to our AirBnb! The condo we stayed in had a modern, contemporary feel to it, with floor-to-ceiling windows, chic furniture, and a cozy bed. It also had a great view of the city, and it was close to everything. Once we settled in, we set out to our first stop which was a local diner called “Chew Chew”. There, we had a simple breakfast to get ourselves energized.
We took our first day fairly easy, since we had a long drive. After breakfast, we stopped by some stores to grab some necessities and cash to use while we were there. I’m not going to lie, I was excited to use a different kind of currency other than the US Dollar. As a kid, I would randomly find Canadian coins, but never had the chance to use them because I was in the US. Once we were finished running our errands, we went back to our airbnb to relax.
The next day, we went to brunch before exploring the city. We went to Smith, which was a restaurant I found on Instagram while planning for our trip. They had a cute atmosphere with beautiful décor and a good crowd that consisted of mostly young professionals, like us. I had pancakes, topped with a berry medley and mascarpone cream, and my boyfriend had eggs benedict with ham (pictured below). The food we had was great, and so were the cocktails! We left the place full and satisfied!
We later went to St. Lawrence Market, which was another popular place in Toronto. It reminded me of Findlay Market, here in Cincinnati, and other farmers' markets I had been to. The market has a main hall with two floors, with everything from from butchers shops to antique stores on each floor. Whatever it is you need, you are bound to find it in there!
After some time spent exploring the market, we found a seafood restaurant called Buster’s Sea Cove. There, I had a lobster roll for the first time. I hadn’t heard of Lobster rolls, until recently. I learned that they were first created in Maine and they are pretty popular. I love seafood, so I wasn’t hesitant to try it at all! It was absolutely DELICIOUS! The filling was made fresh, and the roll was buttery and toasted to perfection!
Another thing I tried at Buster’s was their grilled octopus. Like the lobster roll, this was my first time trying the octopus. It came with a side of fries, but you can also get a salad if you’re in a healthy mood. I ended up liking the octopus a lot! The flavor was great, and the texture reminded me of calamari, which was something I expected. After leaving Buster’s, my boyfriend and I decided to explore more of the market, and have crepes for dessert.
We finished out our day by visiting the Distillery District, which was not too far from St. Lawrence Market. The Distillery District also has various shops and restaurants for visitors to choose from. We first found the Love Locks sculpture, which is a “must see” for anyone visiting Toronto. The concept resembles that of the Lock Bridge in Paris, where people place a lock on the gates of the bridge (or sculpture in this case) to symbolize their love. The Love Locks sculpture contains a heart with the word, LOVE, spelled out across the wall. Both the heart and the word LOVE had spaces where you can put your lock. My boyfriend and I wrote our initials on a lock we brought with us and put it on one of the letters. It was so cute and romantic!
After seeing Love Locks, we explored more of the Distillery District and stopped by a store called Deciem, which is a beauty company that offers natural skincare products, such as The Ordinary. I’ve heard great things about this brand, so I was excited to try it! I also loved the layout of the store and how affordable the products were. Getting a serum with pure ingredients for $8 is a blessing, okay? I love getting a good deal on products! I ended up buying foundation, hyaluronic acid serum, rosehip seed oil, and a caffeine-infused eye serum. I was extremely excited to try everything once we got back to our airbnb! (Update: I ended up loving the products, except the foundation. It was too light in coverage, and it didn’t really last throughout the day.)
For the final day of our getaway, we went to a few more places and restaurants that were on my Toronto To-Do list. We didn’t get to see every place on the list, but that just gave us an excuse to go back. Our last stop of the night was The Lockhart, a local bar that’s well known for its Harry Potter themed decor and drinks. I’ve been a Harry Potter fan for as long as I can remember, and being here really warmed my heart! All around the bar, there were quotes from the Harry Potter films and books, including the last line of the series, “All was well”. We had a couple of cocktails, including the boozy Butterbeer, which were absolutely delicious! The drinks were super creative and well-crafted, just like a potion. The overall vibe of The Lockhart was very chill and relaxing, which was something we needed to end our weekend getaway. (Update: The Lockhart was closed permanently in 2021.)
My trip to Toronto was amazing! There were a lot of exciting moments and a lot of firsts, which I loved. The most exciting part of my trip was the peace I felt the entire time. As my boyfriend described it, I had let my hair down. I felt at home, which was a great feeling in my book. I’ve only felt that way in two other places, Atlanta and Chicago. Whenever I felt at home, or at peace somewhere, I tend to enjoy my trip more. It’s safe to say that this trip made me want to travel even more! This was the start to a long-awaited adventure, and I’m excited to see other parts of the world. My confidence increased and I’ve been making bolder choices lately, including going back to school. For a while, I forgot what it felt like to turn your dreams into reality, and I never want to let go of that feeling. I will always remember my trip to Toronto because of these things.
- Anyssa xoxo
