Monday, September 12, 2005
We have arrived too late to play the bleeding heart show
Wow. Toronto was awesome. So awesome, in fact, that I’ve been back a week and haven’t thought of how to post about it yet. So I’ll address that first, then I’ll get on to other business.
The weather was gorgeous all weekend – sunny but not unbearably hot, so that was a nice break from Dallas weather. We got there and the Canadian International Airshow was going on. We never actually made it to the waterfront to see the full show, but we kept catching glimpses of it all weekend. The Canadian Forces Snowbirds were performing on Saturday, and they were absolutely amazing.
We stayed in the West Queen West section of town, kind of an up-and-coming area full of cafes, art galleries, record stores, and funky boutiques. We were able to walk down to the downtown area, which was a nice mix of old and modern. Predictably, Victor and I spent the weekend shopping and eating. We did a lot of walking, too, when we weren’t riding the streetcars. The walking felt good though, and there were so many things to look at as we walked through town. I could totally picture myself living there.
We stayed at the Gladstone Hotel, which is the oldest continuously operating hotel in Toronto. It is currently being renovated, so we got a good deal on our room. They have fifteen artist designed rooms, which are amazing. Our room was designed by Andrew Harwood and was biker-themed (not in a Harleys and Hogs way… more in an Easy Rider way).
The meals we had there were fantastic. We had a wonderful dinner at Mildred Pierce, which was, of course, named for the fantastic Joan Crawford film. Sunday morning brunch was really yummy at Sugar Café, and we finished up Sunday at the cheerful, friendly Swan Restaurant. We had only one bad experience while we were there (we had to walk out of an Ethopian restaurant after receiving really poor, or even non-existant, service). All of the other people we met were so nice, and everything we ate was terrific.
On Monday, the Labour Day Parade was held on the street where we stayed, so we walked past it into downtown. Unlike the Labor Day parades here in the US, their parade was labor unions marching. Many (most?) of them seemed to be on strike, too. I got some great pictures of the marchers and signs. Victor is very anti-union, so he made some pretty funny comments as we walked past the parade.
We will definitely go back to Toronto again, because we both enjoyed it so much. I’d like to spend some time going to the art galleries there and exploring some of the other areas of town. We didn’t get a chance to go to the Kensington Market, either, and we want to see that as well. So this was kind of a starter trip for us.
Other than being world travelers, we’ve been pretty busy on the wedding front too. About 95% of the English invitations are sent out (we are still waiting to get a couple of addresses). We’re taking care of the Spanish ones this week. Big shout out to Dan for printing the invites for us. That was a huge help! We also got our engagement pictures taken, ordered the bridesmaids dresses – rush delivery! – finally, and found ties for the groomsmen to wear. Things are finally coming together. I’ve been waking up at night in panic attacks… but I’m hoping that stops soon.
Wow. Toronto was awesome. So awesome, in fact, that I’ve been back a week and haven’t thought of how to post about it yet. So I’ll address that first, then I’ll get on to other business.
The weather was gorgeous all weekend – sunny but not unbearably hot, so that was a nice break from Dallas weather. We got there and the Canadian International Airshow was going on. We never actually made it to the waterfront to see the full show, but we kept catching glimpses of it all weekend. The Canadian Forces Snowbirds were performing on Saturday, and they were absolutely amazing.
We stayed in the West Queen West section of town, kind of an up-and-coming area full of cafes, art galleries, record stores, and funky boutiques. We were able to walk down to the downtown area, which was a nice mix of old and modern. Predictably, Victor and I spent the weekend shopping and eating. We did a lot of walking, too, when we weren’t riding the streetcars. The walking felt good though, and there were so many things to look at as we walked through town. I could totally picture myself living there.
We stayed at the Gladstone Hotel, which is the oldest continuously operating hotel in Toronto. It is currently being renovated, so we got a good deal on our room. They have fifteen artist designed rooms, which are amazing. Our room was designed by Andrew Harwood and was biker-themed (not in a Harleys and Hogs way… more in an Easy Rider way).
The meals we had there were fantastic. We had a wonderful dinner at Mildred Pierce, which was, of course, named for the fantastic Joan Crawford film. Sunday morning brunch was really yummy at Sugar Café, and we finished up Sunday at the cheerful, friendly Swan Restaurant. We had only one bad experience while we were there (we had to walk out of an Ethopian restaurant after receiving really poor, or even non-existant, service). All of the other people we met were so nice, and everything we ate was terrific.
On Monday, the Labour Day Parade was held on the street where we stayed, so we walked past it into downtown. Unlike the Labor Day parades here in the US, their parade was labor unions marching. Many (most?) of them seemed to be on strike, too. I got some great pictures of the marchers and signs. Victor is very anti-union, so he made some pretty funny comments as we walked past the parade.
We will definitely go back to Toronto again, because we both enjoyed it so much. I’d like to spend some time going to the art galleries there and exploring some of the other areas of town. We didn’t get a chance to go to the Kensington Market, either, and we want to see that as well. So this was kind of a starter trip for us.
Other than being world travelers, we’ve been pretty busy on the wedding front too. About 95% of the English invitations are sent out (we are still waiting to get a couple of addresses). We’re taking care of the Spanish ones this week. Big shout out to Dan for printing the invites for us. That was a huge help! We also got our engagement pictures taken, ordered the bridesmaids dresses – rush delivery! – finally, and found ties for the groomsmen to wear. Things are finally coming together. I’ve been waking up at night in panic attacks… but I’m hoping that stops soon.
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