Where to go to Toronto for a week
Traveling has always been a part of me. I can't live without it and I do not want to live without it. My husband sees my passion as interesting and supports my wanderlust. He joins me in my crazy adventures which is why I'm absolutely in love with him. It's been a few quiet months, good thing everything piled up perfectly and he was able to visit me in Toronto last March. We've already done a few things in the city so we decided to take it easy this time around, and just focus on doing things together. Here are a few romantic acts my husband did during his visit, alongside a list of things we did in Toronto. Let's go!
Art of Cooking
My husband learned the art of cooking, he's loving his new passion for preparing each meal we have. It's nice to have someone who loves to cook, the feeling of being cared for and loved is unmistakable written all over the plate. He makes sure the plate looks good, something I find unnecessary at home but really cute. He made me my all-time favorite Singapore-Malaysian dish, Hokkien mee, a noodle dish with shrimp base soup sprinkled with slices of meat, seafood, and pork skin crackers.
My husband learned the art of cooking, he's loving his new passion for preparing each meal we have. It's nice to have someone who loves to cook, the feeling of being cared for and loved is unmistakable written all over the plate. He makes sure the plate looks good, something I find unnecessary at home but really cute. He made me my all-time favorite Singapore-Malaysian dish, Hokkien mee, a noodle dish with shrimp base soup sprinkled with slices of meat, seafood, and pork skin crackers.
Toronto has a few selections of supermarkets all over the city: Freshco, No Frills, Food Basics, Metro, Loblaws, and more. Google map which one is nearby your area.
Flower Power
I wake up every day to see my gorgeous dark pink roses hanging out in our kitchen table. The feminine side of me just giggles at the sight of these flowers, something I've gone accustomed to as I've never been a flower kind of person. My partner brought flowers one day when he picked me up from work. Another "pogi points" for my one and only.
Food Trip
We discovered another small Mexican restaurant near Wellesley Station.
Como En Casa
Address: 565 Yonge St, Toronto, ON M4Y 1Z2
And of course, I need to mention once again our favorite Mexican restaurant close to High Park Station. The Enchilada Verde is made from heaven.
Aztec Mexican Cuisine
Address: 1986 Bloor St W, Toronto, ON M6R 2Z3
Distance really makes the heart go fonder. We learned to appreciate the small things in life that most couples ignore. Simple household chores: cooking for each other, preparing meals, doing the laundry, putting on clean sheets, taking turns washing the dishes, and playing songs in the kitchen.
Earth Hour Dinner
My husband is such a resourceful man, he couldn't find a candle for our candlelight dinner so he had a digital candle instead on our dining table. As he plays all my favorite piano pieces like Moon river, La vi en rose, That's Amore, Fleur de Liz and Blue Danube in his accordion, a new-found-love musical instrument he has now. He plays his accordion as we dine in our small house in Toronto. Romantic guy, Indeed.
My husband is such a resourceful man, he couldn't find a candle for our candlelight dinner so he had a digital candle instead on our dining table. As he plays all my favorite piano pieces like Moon river, La vi en rose, That's Amore, Fleur de Liz and Blue Danube in his accordion, a new-found-love musical instrument he has now. He plays his accordion as we dine in our small house in Toronto. Romantic guy, Indeed.
We did a lot of eating so to balance that off he did some core classes and I did my runs at the gym. A couple that exercises together stays healthy together. We ran together in the YMCA, I'm preparing for my first ever half marathon here in Toronto, and I have his support for my run.
Toronto Islands
We were hanging out too much at home so we decided to head out and explore the nearby islands here in the city. Toronto Islands is a popular site for nature lovers. I love the outdoors, most especially with nature so this spot was definitely a must-see here in Toronto. A ferry ride to Ward's Island took less than 10 mins from the pier. It was not crowded as it's still pretty cold to visit the island, it is advisable to be there on summer days. Walking around the island reminds me of being in Asia where it's green, warm and the smell of the ocean is just a few minute's drive away. We visited all the bridges that connect to different islands, like the road to Snake Island, Algonquin Island, and Hanlan's Island.
We were hanging out too much at home so we decided to head out and explore the nearby islands here in the city. Toronto Islands is a popular site for nature lovers. I love the outdoors, most especially with nature so this spot was definitely a must-see here in Toronto. A ferry ride to Ward's Island took less than 10 mins from the pier. It was not crowded as it's still pretty cold to visit the island, it is advisable to be there on summer days. Walking around the island reminds me of being in Asia where it's green, warm and the smell of the ocean is just a few minute's drive away. We visited all the bridges that connect to different islands, like the road to Snake Island, Algonquin Island, and Hanlan's Island.
We found this beautiful spot that goes straight to the lake. I love how the trees are lined up to create a path going to the water, as the branches touch each other leaving shades of light piercing through the leaves. The cover photo or the top most picture of this blog post shows that gorgeous path.
How to get there:
Jack Layton Ferry Terminal
Address: between Bay Street and Yonge Street on Queens Quay.
By train: Alight at Spadina Station, take streetcar 510 to Queens Quay Ferry Docks Terminal
Jack Layton Ferry Terminal
Address: between Bay Street and Yonge Street on Queens Quay.
By train: Alight at Spadina Station, take streetcar 510 to Queens Quay Ferry Docks Terminal
Ferry ticket (roundtrip): $7.71 for adults, $5.05 for students and seniors, $3.72 under 14, free under 2.
Brewery Tour
My partner signed us up for a $5 brewery tour with Henderson. A Toronto beer company that believes in good quality and customer satisfaction. This our second beer tour, the first time was in Niagara on the Lake. I love learning new things and most especially about beers. I just find it interesting, as it's one of the greatest inventions in the history of humankind. Listening to our beer guide gave me a profound lesson about success. They believe providing great quality tasting beer is more important over quantity, like going for global consumerism. I respect his opinion and seriously they have great tasting beers.
My partner signed us up for a $5 brewery tour with Henderson. A Toronto beer company that believes in good quality and customer satisfaction. This our second beer tour, the first time was in Niagara on the Lake. I love learning new things and most especially about beers. I just find it interesting, as it's one of the greatest inventions in the history of humankind. Listening to our beer guide gave me a profound lesson about success. They believe providing great quality tasting beer is more important over quantity, like going for global consumerism. I respect his opinion and seriously they have great tasting beers.
How to get there:
Henderson Brewing Co.
Address: 128 Sterling Rd, Toronto, ON M6R 2B7
Henderson Brewing Co.
Address: 128 Sterling Rd, Toronto, ON M6R 2B7
Alight at Dundas West station, more than 10 minutes walk to the brewery.
Beer tour: $5 (plus tax)
Hockey Game
Canadians love hockey. We were curious and decided to watch a hockey game in Toronto. It was a game between Toronto Marlies and Laval Rocket.
Canadians love hockey. We were curious and decided to watch a hockey game in Toronto. It was a game between Toronto Marlies and Laval Rocket.
The hockey game was full of action, they have a lot of activities in between breaks, and everyone in the audience was waving and laughing. The camera would move from one side of the stadium, and from bored-looking fans instantly transforms into dancing superstars. They don't score that much often compared to basketball, so you have to keep your eyes on the game as not miss the winning shot. I got distracted for a second when I looked up everyone was cheering and my husband would be like "Did you see that?!", and I'm like staring blankly at him. It happened more than once so when I've finally caught one goal I was ecstatic. It's not easy to get a shot through, people hold on to their seats every time one misses the net or blocked by the opponent. It was a nice game experience, now I know why Canadians love hockey that much.
How to get there:
Alight at Union Station, take 509 streetcar to Exhibition Place.
Game tickets: 10 cad each
Graffiti Alley
Our next destination was to walk around Queen Street West. I like looking at small businesses especially cafes. Small cafes have the heart and patience of the owners plastered on its walls. They serve good stuff and meets customer satisfaction, which simply reminds me of our brewery tour. Afterward, I went to the graffiti alley and had a blast with the burst of colours from all corners.
How to get there:
A lot of option as long you're in downtown (Bathurst Station /Oosgode Station/Union Station.
A lot of option as long you're in downtown (Bathurst Station /Oosgode Station/Union Station.
Alight at Oosgode station, from the station walk to Queen St West at Simcoe St West and take 501 streetcar to Queen St West at Augusta Ave, and walk two minutes to Graffiti Alley.
Trinity Bellwoods Park
A short walk in the park at Trinity Bellwoods. It was just a short visit as it got really cold in the afternoon. A great place for a picnic, for pets, and getting some sunshine goodness.
How to get there:
From Oosgode Station (or on that day from Graffiti Alley), take 501 streetcar to Queen St West at Shaw St, walk 2 minutes to the park.
From Oosgode Station (or on that day from Graffiti Alley), take 501 streetcar to Queen St West at Shaw St, walk 2 minutes to the park.
Chinatown
The only place to go when you're souvenir shopping in Chinatown. I love this place. Food is everywhere. Cheap deals are all over the place too. We passed by an area before heading to Chinatown and found this word painted on the meter box. It's a word I call my husband sometimes, more like the Bisaya word "Adik." It's like a tease when he's too cheesy sometimes ahahaa. Dba Adik?!
The only place to go when you're souvenir shopping in Chinatown. I love this place. Food is everywhere. Cheap deals are all over the place too. We passed by an area before heading to Chinatown and found this word painted on the meter box. It's a word I call my husband sometimes, more like the Bisaya word "Adik." It's like a tease when he's too cheesy sometimes ahahaa. Dba Adik?!
How to get there (a lot of options, we were near Spadina station):
Get off at Spadina TTC Station. Don't exit the subway, find the escalator down, take the 510 streetcar. Alight at Spadina avenue at Sullivan street north side.
Get off at Spadina TTC Station. Don't exit the subway, find the escalator down, take the 510 streetcar. Alight at Spadina avenue at Sullivan street north side.
Lastly, we wanted to end the trip with a relaxing massage. We purchased a GROUPON couples massage voucher with Spa Talia. Save on activities, spas, restaurants, and events near you at Groupon
A perfect way to end our Toronto Adventure!
A perfect way to end our Toronto Adventure!
I found a ladybug in our place which simply reminds me of a scene in my favorite movie.
"When I was a little girl, I used to run around in the fields all day, trying unsuccessfully to catch ladybugs. Finally, I would get tired and lay down for a nap. When I awoke, I’d find ladybugs walking all over me.” - From the movie Under the Tuscan Sun
Have fun and be safe ^__^
Itinerary Reminders:
Do you want more adventure? If you still have one more day to spare why not go on a Food trip tour in Toronto.
Itinerary Reminders:
1. Flight Details
Make sure to write down your booking reference number, be at the airport two hours before your flight, and allocate time for your travel to the airport.
2. Accommodation Details
Write down your hotel/motel/resort/BnB booking number. Contact your place to inform them around when you'll be arriving — it really does help. Also, ask if your accommodation has any discounted activities. You'd be surprised!
3a. Transportation
List possible times your bus/train/boat arrives and leaves so you don't miss an activity. Always give yourself an extra 30-45 minutes in case you get lost, get stuck in traffic, or are looking for parking. Better early than late. Of utmost importance: check for the last trip and fares! So you still have time and money to get back.
3b. Car Rentals
Take note of your pick-up address and time allotted. Our last car rental told us to bring the car back by a certain time with a certain amount of gas. Allot money for fuel and parking.
4. Budgeting
Set aside a minimum and maximum spending amount for meals, transportation, entrance fees, activities, souvenirs, and emergencies. 3 meals a day + snacks add up quickly, so keep track! As well as tips for restaurants and activities.
5. Activities
Call to confirm your booking(s) a day or so beforehand. Set alarms and/or calendar reminders for things you plan to do (i.e- bungee-jumping, river-rafting, or even city/food tours).
Where am I going next?
My next adventure is to Los Angeles, California and I have here a survival guide on how to go around the city.
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