Some Treasures in Toronto

After that amazing trip to Boston, Toronto had a lot to live up to.

I was pretty excited already for it because it was the setting of one of my favourite films/comic series, Scott Pilgrim Vs The World. I had found a pretty sweet website detailing a lot of the filming/drawing locations and I was very keen to pay a bit of a pilgrimage of sorts when I arrived there to Bryan Lee O'Malley's geeky cult creation. Yep, I was so excited that I even watched the film on the bus there to get me prepped.

I started off my stay in style with a dinner at the top of Toronto's most iconic building: the CN tower. I will give it to them, it does make for a very memorable addition to the skyline. It stands 553 metres high and was the world's tallest tower at the time of construction in 1976 (it's now the fifth tallest tower in the world). The food was amazing at the 360 restaurant, and gave a great view of every angle of the city! I have definitely found that an observation tower is a good way to start your stay in a city - it allows you to get your bearings and identify the main attractions that you might be interested in seeing in your stay.

Me and the view from the 360 restaurant

The CN Tower from below

Then the next day it was on to the pilgrimage! I started off with a stop to Scott and Wallace's apartment in the movie (the same as drawn in the comics). It very much blended into its surroundings and was dressed up a bit for the movie with snow and a door, but is actually someone's garage! I also paid a visit to Bryan Lee O'Malley's old house on the same street.

Scott and Wallace's apartment

After this I headed to Casa Loma, an extravagant old mansion once belonging to businessman Sir Henry Pellatt in the early 20th century and the filming location of a number of movies such as Chicago, X-Men, and you guessed it, Scott Pilgrim!

The majestic Casa Loma

It was a very strange place, quite eerie and almost Gatsby-esque in its extravagance. As Pellatt became broke quite quickly after its construction, Casa Loma was abandoned for many years and had no use at all until it was transformed into a museum and tourist attraction. The museum was alright, but quite expensive and I was just there for the architecture if anything.

I had had many recommendations from friends to go over to the Toronto islands by ferry and explore, and I was almost considering not going because I was running out of daylight in the afternoon. But I made the 3:30pm ferry and it ended up being a great decision - the islands were absolutely stunning and gave an incredible view of the skyline! It was so lovely to see the "beach" looking out to Lake Ontario (which is HUGE!), and just walk the boardwalk in the evening. In summer I imagine that the islands would be even more enjoyable.

The Beach

It ended up being actually quite a good time of day to go, as the sun was just starting to set as I left, which meant that I got to watch the skyline light up before my eyes on the ferry ride back.

Sunset on the skyline

That night I went to see James Vincent McMorrow live in the Opera House - it was a great venue and he absolutely blew me away! He mostly played songs from his new album, Post Tropical, set to be released in January, and from the moment he started singing I knew it was going to be an incredible gig. What. A. Voice. You can check out his new single Cavalier from the new album here:

It was great to get a vibe for Toronto through seeing a gig, and I went to get a drink with an English farmer I met at the concert at a cute little organic beer place afterwards.

Another highlight of my stay was seeing The Second City, a famous comedy club in Chicago and Toronto that does sketch revues and improvisation. I was in stitches and even managed to get some of the Canada jokes (there were a lot about Rob Ford...). Another great recommendation from my Toronto buddy!

Outside The Second City

I also managed to catch the annual Santa Claus Parade in the middle of the city and paid a quick visit to the ROM (Royal Ontario Museum) on Sunday, which was very pleasant! I was so impressed by the sheer amount of people who turned up to see the man himself, and in mid-November no less!

On Monday, I went to the newly opened Ripley's aquarium, which I would highly recommend to adults and kids alike! It was an incredibly interactive place, with lots of colours, a magic carpet leading visitors through the shark tunnel and even a petting area where you could touch crabs and stingrays. I could tell that the kids were absolutely loving it too as I heard shouts of "This...place...is...AWESOME!" around every corner! I personally loved the jellyfish room - it was so peaceful to watch them floating with the lights and colours, and the music that they had in the aquarium went very well.

Just floatin' around

Finally, I grabbed some lunch at a very trendy Japanese restaurant near the bus terminal which I would highly recommend called Don Don Izakaya. Such great decor, food and the staff were very friendly! I was thanked by every staff member in the store as I left.

Don Don Izakaya

You know, it's interesting...although every city that I have visited on exchange has had similar attractions (eg. museums, art galleries, iconic buildings on the skyline), every place has had its own flavour and unique personality. Toronto for me was an exciting and vibrant city with a lot to do, and much more fast paced than Montreal. I was shocked by the prevalence of French even in Ontario, a reminder that Canada really is a bilingual country, even though the number of English speakers dominates.

Going to Toronto also made me feel less embarrassed by the misunderstandings I've had in French in Montreal as I realised that there is even variation in the English spoken in Canada! One such experience I had was on the way to the James Vincent McMorrow concert. I was about to take a streetcar when I realised that I didn't have any change, so I went to the nearest Macca's to ask for some change for a fiver.

The guy on the cash register said: "Ah alright...we've only got loonies, is that ok?"
"You've only got what?" I said.
"Loonies!" he said. "Sorry about that."

I was thinking...crazy people? What on earth is he on about?? I asked if it was a Canadian thing and he laughed out loud, explaining that loonies are one dollar coins and toonies are two dollar coins. Well there you go! I couldn't believe I hadn't come across that variation yet, but I guess in Montreal they still have the word "sou" for cents in French.

Well those were my main impressions of Toronto - I have fallen behind with my blog a bit so will try to catch it up in the next couple of days! My next post will be about my amazing winter weekend in Saguenay!

Erin x