We spent 3 days in Toronto for Mike’s birthday, Gabe’s 2nd birthday, and Labor Day. We chose Toronto because I’d never been (Mike went when we was young), we love visiting cities, and it wasn’t very far (5.5 hours). I am the worst planner ever, so the comments from this post basically became our itinerary. Having a blog is like having a personal trip planner. Jill could say, “I think you’d love Kensington Market” and she was right. THANK YOU for all the help, you guys!
The highlight of Gabe’s trip was taking a train, a ferry, and a bus. The highlight of mine was pedaling a two-seat quadricycle around the Toronto Islands. It was much more fun than a tandem bike since I didn’t have to just stare at Mike’s back.
The bulk of our time and money is spent in pursuit of delicious food on vacation. Highlights included: a sweet potato muffin, vegetarian wonton soup, poutine (gravy covered fries with cheese curds), an avocado panini, a lime slushy, palak paneer, and Rolo + Canadian maple ice cream.
We walked about 4-6 miles a day. Thank goodness the weather was so nice! Public transit was super easy to figure out, but we are cheap. Plus, you get to see the city when you walk. Here’s what we ended up doing:
Day 1: Niagara Falls. Day 2: Kensington Market (funky, graffiti-filled neighborhood), Riverdale Farm (a working urban farm with a wading pool in the attached park), Necropolis Cemetery (poor Gabe got to visit a cemetery on his second birthday), Cabbagetown (gorgeous neighborhood), Queen’s Park. Day 3: Toronto Island (BEST), Union Station, and Entertainment District. Day 4: Corktown, Distillery District,and Port Credit.
On the way to Toronto, we stopped at Niagara Falls. It is crowded, a bit tacky-tourist, and downright gorgeous. Find more info here.
On the way out of Toronto, we stopped by Port Credit, a sweet little town along the lake. Gabe lost his mind with excitement over all the “boat! boat! boat!”
The Good
Adventure with Mike and Gabe – there is something so special about being in an entirely new place with them. Sure, it can be stressful navigating a new city and planning out our day together, but even then, I just love trips. I wish I could better articulate how it gives me sort of a high, a new perspective, and a new love of those two boys in my life.
Our hotel room was fantastic. It was huge, with a living area, a sleeping area, and a giant space between the two where Gabe slept. There were two flat screen TVs and a dining room table. We got a great deal – it was still more than we usually spend, but having all the space meant Gabe slept well and we could stay up late eating cupcakes, drinking wine, and watching Curb Your Enthusiasm. Worth it. Oh, and they had cupcakes waiting in the room with a note “For the Birthday Boys!” How fantastic is that?
The Bad
Gabe is entirely easy-going and very happy and adaptable when we travel, but even he has his limits. After three days of missed naps or late bedtimes, he was getting restless at an Indian restaurant and we had to get our order to go. I know many toddlers are difficult to take out to a nice restaurant, but we’ve been so spoiled!
The other bad is that we left our tasty Indian leftovers in the hotel fridge. WORST.
The Ugly
I made the fatal error of forgetting all our snacks at home, which mean we I woke up starving and grumpy. There may have been some impatience and snapping and Starbucks breakfast, which I felt guilty about since you can get Starbucks ANYWHERE. But you cannot reason with Hungry Ashley. Our total money spent on eating out is also The Ugly.
All in all, a fantastic trip to end to summer!
*I restrained myself from the use of any ‘eh’s
I’m always amazed at how stress-free you make travelling with a toddler look. I stress for weeks before we take Topher away for the weekend – and even then, we’re usually only driving three hours to visit my sister and her family! The thought of taking an actual vacation with a toddler (which we’re planning next year – either a couple of weeks in Hawaii or a couple of weeks in PEI) gives me stomach pain. I’ve got family near Toronto (my dad was actually born in Port Credit!) but I haven’t been since I was in high school …
Traveling can be stressful especially when food or the lack of it is involved. My boyfriend gets hangry (angry + hungry) when meals are missed so I laughed when I read about your hungry experience because I get it!
Glad you had an wonderful adventure!
ok, my toronto weekend, and your toronto weekend we VERY different. while i’ve been to toronto maybe 20 times in my life due to family trips i’ve never experience the type of trip you just explained…. and now i want to!
I want to go to there.
I love how “hungry Ashley” is difficult to deal with, rather than hungry Gabe. =)
Mmmmm…poutine. We’re close enough to the border to get this in some of our restaurants. And we’re close enough to the border to spend a weekend in Montreal and yet I’ve Still. Never. Been…..lame, eh? Glad you had a good time :)
that looks like such a wonderful trip, love all the places you visited! i defintiely need to add toronto to my “to-visit again” places. also, hungry katelin is a force to be reckoned with as well, it’s just not pretty, so i totally understand you there, ha.
I’ve been wanting to go to Toronto for awhile but it’s like *just* far enough away by car that it’s almost too far and we’d have to fly. Which is expensive. Hopefully we’ll make it there someday! It looks like so much fun!
Lived in Toronto during graduate school, love it. I adore your blog, btw, and I’ve been reading it for over a year. Next time, skip the falls and go to Niagara on the Lake and hike in the Niagara Gorge. I’ve lived in Niagara most of my life, and no one who lives here ever goes to the falls lol.
Glad you liked Toronto! The photo of Gabe shaving is just adorable!
We just took a Toronto vacation too! Our kids are older– ages 6, 8, and 11, and we had a great time. The Toronto Islands were a highlight for us too; bike rides, picnic, and beach. So fun! If you go again in a few years (with older kids), the City Pass was a fantastic deal. The kids LOVED going up in the CN Tower, and the trip out to the Toronto Zoo was well worth it. The Ontario Science Centre was also a blast. Gorgeous pics, and glad you had such a good trip!
I’m so happy that you and the fam had such a great time in Toronto (and Port Credit). And so many photo memories! I see you tried the tofu drumstick – what did you think?
Toronto Island looks beautiful. I finally need to plan a trip down there. I haven’t been since I was probably Gabe’s age.
Reading this post makes me so excited for my next roadtrip with my husband (we’re thinking Ann Arbor). We did Frankenmuth for our 1-year anniversary last month and loved it. Any other areas within 4-6 hours of Toronto you recommend?
It looks like you had such a great trip!