YYZ (aka Toronto)

John and I like to travel.  We've been to several other countries...except the one just to the north of us.  I can't believe we've never been.  I mean, it's right there!

Well, I was back on the road this past week and headed to Toronto.  In preparation for the trip, I found out how much I really don't know about Canada.

First, I called the credit card company to tell them I'd be out of the country and to please approve all charges.  "What province will you be in?" asked the electronic operator.  Huh?  Province?  No, I"ll be in Toronto.  So that's what I said, very slowly so that the electronic operator could understand.  "To-Ron-To".  I'm sorry, she replied in a chipper voice.  I didn't understand your answer.  What province will you be in?  "Customer Service!" I yelled into the phone.

I found out that Canada has provinces like we have states.  Apparently, Toronto is in the province of Ontario.  Who knew?

It was a 2 1/2 hour flight, which wasn't bad.  I got off the plane and was herded with the rest of the cattle to immigration.  In the US, all the citizens go one way and the non-citizens go the other.  In Toronto, everyone goes in the same line.  It was a little confusing.  The lady said, "If you didn't use the machine, get in this line."  Machine?  What machine?  Try to ask and you get the snake eye from the people behind you in line.  Best to keep moving.

As it turns out, it was an easy process.  I just went to the kiosk, answered the same questions on the little form they gave you on the plane (why give me the form when you know I'm going to fill that thing out on line?), and then off to meet the immigration officer.  I asked if he was going to stamp my passport and the officer actually rolled his eyes as he ushered me out the door.  What's the point of going to another country if you can't get a stamp in your passport??  Even Mexico stamps your passport for Pete's sake!

The client office is in downtown Toronto so that's where we were staying.  I took a cab into town and checked into the hotel.  I stayed at the Sheraton which was in a fantastic location.  It was right across from City Hall.  I had an amazing view from my window.

So, I found out that everything was very expensive there.  I went to the bar to get a glass of wine and I was checking out the list.  Woodbridge was $15 CAD a glass.  Woodbridge!  I pay $5 a bottle for that at Tom Thumb!  Well, I was not paying $15 CAD for a glass of Woodbridge so I got some other brand that wasn't bad.  It was $15 as well but for all I knew it was very expensive.  At least it tasted good.  (Who am I kidding?  It was wine.  Of course it tasted good.)  Just the same, I decided to find the liquor store and drink more cheaply in my room.

The next day I spent at the client office in meetings.  They had the expected accent (aboot vs. about, etc.)  I was waiting for someone to say "eh?" but that didn't happen until the last day and the lady who said it was very embarrassed.

The client office is attached to a huge mall (they manage retail properties) so I went to the food court for lunch.  I didn't realize that the subway station was down there and there were also several office buildings around.  The food court was packed!  I finally found the equivalent of a Chipotle and got a burrito bowl...for $17!  I almost fell over.

After work that night, I walked around town.  It's a great city.  It reminds me of New York but cleaner.  They have all these underground tunnels that connect all the buildings.  I didn't find that out until later and didn't have a chance to go down there but I imagine that those tunnels come in handy when it's a million degrees below zero in the winter.

This little strip mall looks kinda seedy but it housed a lovely little Vietnamese place.

I got a bowl of noodles for $10 and it was delicious.  I never did find the liquor store that night.  I wanted to stop by the bar and take a glass of wine to my room.  No ma'am.  You can't take alcohol out of the bar.  Stupid Canadians!  So I had to order a glass from room service.  My $15 glass became $20 by the time they added all the extras on.

The next day, I refused to go to the food court for lunch.  In my wanderings the night before, I noticed they had food trucks outside city hall.  I found a lady that had grilled Hot Italian sausage so that's what I got.  $4!  That was the cheapest, best meal I'd had in Toronto.  In fact it was so good, I went back for lunch on my last day too.

There were all kinds of cool buildings around.  I wish I'd been a little more prepared but, to be honest, I wasn't sure what to expect.

 

They had this cool little park that was a block over from my hotel.  The building behind me is called "Osgoode Hall", named after the first chief justice.  It was built back in the early 1800's and housed judicial offices.

This is St. George the Martyr Church.  Just the tower, actually.  The church burned back in the '50's.

This cool looking building is not a church, though it looks like it could be.  It's actually the old City Hall.  The tower reminds me a bit of Big Ben in London (Little Ben?).  It's a beautiful building and right in the heart of downtown Toronto.  If you're facing the building, to the right is a huge...mall!

 

The new city hall is a much more modern building and it sits right next to old city hall.  This cool sign lights up at night.  Lots of "tourists" were sitting in the first "O" of Toronto and having their photos taken.  If I go back with someone else, I'm doing that!  This is where all the food trucks park and where I found my beloved $4 Italian sausage.  In the winter, this becomes an ice skating rink, though I'm not sure how.  The water you see is part of a fountain and there's not enough room to skate there.

One cool thing was that you actually go through US customs in Toronto when you return home.  Talk about a time saver.  I think it's because all the flights out of that particular terminal go to some US city.  It really is a pretty cool.

Toronto is a beautiful city and I hope the client engages us so that I can go back, eh?