Travel Musings — Understated Ideas

Everything I had heard before visiting Toronto this year was something along the lines of "it's a tamer version of NYC." At first glance it does appear like a more boring, less crowded version of its southern counterpart. But once you explore Toronto, you realise that the city stands on its own merits.

Christine and I were in town for 3.5 days so we carefully planned to do and eat as much as we could. It was chillier for May than we both anticipated from weather forecasts, and the clothing we brought was more appropriate for summer. We made do nonetheless.

We landed at YYZ just before 6:00 AM, took the UP Express train into downtown Toronto and stored our luggage in a hotel nearby our AirBnB. Despite a complete lack of sleep on the red-eye flight, we were unable to check into our accommodations till the early afternoon. As it was far too early to visit any tourist attractions, we did what anyone would do- head to a Tim Horton's. Over the next 3 days I had more Tim Horton's than I've had in the past 3 years.

When it was finally 15 minutes before the CN Tower opened, we headed out for a slow walk there. The CN Tower is tall. Very tall. There are a bunch of interesting facts on the interior walls, some models of the tower, and a photo area on the way to the elevator up.

Once you get up to the LookOut level, there's a panoramic floor to ceiling view of downtown. If you squint, there's also a small glimpse of Niagara Falls in the distance, or at least that's what a staff member told us.

The level below had a glass floor section for you to look through to the city beneath your feet. Fair warning- it's not for those scared of heights. I inched my way forward slowly on that section myself. If you walk outside on the terrace, it's tremendously windy.

As we still had some time to kill, we headed for dim sum at Lee Chen Asian Bistro. The food was delicious and their prices accurately reflected their downtown location.

After resting for a while, we headed out to brave the TTC for Mass at St. Michael's Cathedral. This is where using transit got perplexing and exhausting. The signs underground to Union Station were unclear. We got redirected about 3 times by various staff members, past a myriad of active construction sites and pedestrian re-routes. Let's just say we arrived at St. Michael's 30 minutes later than expected.

We had a hankering for Singaporean food and found Soos, a Malaysian restaurant. Same same but different. Their beef rendang was flavourful, fairly authentic, but tough for what beef rendang should be. The spiciness of the char kway teow overwhelmed a significant amount of its other flavours.

Soos is the place you would go to if you wanted Singaporean/Malaysian food and were willing to pay a moderate amount for average quality in a polished setting. Don't go in expecting hawker centre quality food and you'll enjoy the modern take on local delicacies.

Thankfully, the dessert place we wanted to visit was right across the street. The line at Bang Bang Ice Cream was long and it was a cold evening. We waited for about an hour in total to get to the front of the line.

The store itself was tiny.

After what felt like a very long time, we placed our order and waited an additional 20 minutes for them to make our bubble waffle.

Totato and lychee rosewater raspberry ice cream on a bubble waffle

The totaro and lychee rosewater raspberry ice cream were delicious and the bubble waffle perfectly crisp and soft.

Sunday was spent largely on Niagara Falls. We started the day with breakfast at Tim Horton's yet again. By some funny coincidence, there happened to be a 10k race going past the designated meeting point at Dundas Square downtown. There we were munching on our sausage muffin sandwiches and hash browns while watching people run by us determinedly.

The Niagara Falls tour was engaging enough. We stopped by a lavender farm and a winery at Niagara-on-the-Lake before arriving at the famous Falls.

It looked a bit like Vegas when we pulled into the coach drop off area. We had about 4 hours to tour the Falls and surrounding area ourselves before the driver picked us up. We headed to the Hornblower first to check that off the list before doing anything else. Our logic was if we got wet by the mist and spray from the waterfall, we would have a few hours to dry off in the sun.

That said, you will get drenched on the Hornblower boat ride, even with the ponchos they provide. Depending on where you stand on the boat, you might be spared the worst of it. We had quite a bit of fun admiring the natural phenomenon, walking back and forth the sheltered safety of the main deck and a closer, damper look from the railings.

After drying off, we got some food from a stand or two and relaxed with an iced cappuccino at Timmies. There's plenty to see and explore around the Falls, but it is the main attraction. We strolled up and down the length of it a few times before calling it a day.

The next day, we met up with Steph who was a great guide on what to see and do in the city. Our first stop: iHalo Krunch ice cream at its pop up in Lululemon of all places.

iHalo's charcoal and ube swirl, Drake lyrics in the background

Then we trekked to Kensington Market for a late brunch at Pow Wow Cafe. Run by chef Shawn Adler, he wanted to bring an awareness of Indigenous food to the public. Instead of corn or flour tacos, the fillings are stacked on bannock. Expect big portions and delicious flavours.

Jimmy's Coffee was a great cafe to wind down at after walking and talking. It was packed with students with laptops as well as tourists and office workers on a break. Somehow we managed to find a seat while we sipped on our drinks.

We went back to rest for a split second before heading out for dinner at Jacobs & Co. I was impressed by their excellent service and quality of food. We had two kinds of meat- one aged and one regular steak. It was the first time either of us had tried dry aged steak.

Both had spectacular bursts of umami. The 30 day dry aged sirloin introduced a scrumptious depth of flavour from the very first bite. The fresh filet mignon was mouthwatering and tender.

The meal was a great way to top off our experience of Toronto gastronomy. A rare treat for our anniversary, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. I particularly appreciated how their top notch service and recognition of the special occasion extended to all the staff that tended to us that evening. No detail was overlooked.

There were nice touches ranging from the complimentary champagne to coffee cakes and chocolates after our meal.

Stuffed from dinner, we strolled down Graffiti Alley where Rick Mercer conducted his famous TV rants.

We briefly checked out the 3D Toronto sign at Nathan Phillips Square before calling it a night.

The variety of culturally diverse food and things to do was impressive. It was an adventure to explore Toronto both as someone new to the city and through the eyes of a guide who grew up there. Till next time Toronto, you've been swell.

Yes. Chicago is very windy.

Yes. The wind makes the temperature feel that much colder.

Yes. Your hair will get messed up and make you look like a dishevelled mop.

Now we've got that out of the way, let's talk about how much Chicago has to offer outside of its windiness.

I had the opportunity to admire some gorgeous architecture while in town for a work conference. The Rookery Building, completed in 1888, was an absolute delight to have explored. The building is considered to be the oldest attempt at constructing a skyscraper still standing in the city today. If you have a keen interest in architecture, the Frank Lloyd Wright Trust organizes and conducts guided tours which take a little under an hour.

The start of the tour involved walking across the road that snowy day to discuss the building's exteriors. It was fascinating to learn the design techniques used by architects Burnham and Root in the construction of the building on Chicago's swampy soil. Their innovative effort to build the central light well and include vault lights set into the floor of the mezzanine level increased the amount of natural light in the building. We also explored in detail the renovations Wright undertook in the light court compared to Burnham and Root's original design. The highlight however was the ornate oriel staircase designed by Root.

Another magnificent building I popped by was the Chicago Cultural Center. The Center is home to the largest Tiffany dome in the world. It measures 38 feet in diameter and is fashioned out of 30,000 pieces of glass. It was incredibly beautiful.

Preston Bradley Hall, which houses the Tiffany dome was ornate to the extent of toeing the line between splendour and lavishness.

It also happened to be my lucky day as I chanced upon a free Keith Haring: Chicago Mural exhibit in the building. The mural was painted by Haring and 500 children from 63 Chicago public schools. They were decorated with a range of supportive and personal messages and graphics by the students in addition to Haring's signature black outlines. The exhibit provided a thought provoking documentation of Haring's work and life amidst the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s.

While in the city, I had the chance to try some recommended eateries. J.P. Graziano is an old school Italian deli located in the former meatpacking district in Chicago. Despite the area's transformation into a hip restaurant neighbourhood, the deli remains. I ordered the Italian sub, and when the man behind the counter asked if I wanted peppers, replied with a grin, "of course, always!" The sub hit the spot. It wasn't overly dressed with sauces that masked the flavour of the ingredients. The peppers added the perfect amount of spice, the cheese, salami, hot capicola, and red wine vinegar combined together made for a satisfying sandwich. It was simple, uncomplicated, and it worked.

Next up, Lou Malnati's Pizzeria. They are a popular local chain of Chicago style deep dish pizza. I was pleasantly surprised that they offered single serving deep dish pies. I picked "The Lou" which contained spinach, mushrooms, a mix of cheeses, and tomatoes baked into their Buttercrust pie.

If you haven't tried fresh out-the-oven deep dish pizza, a word of warning. Make sure you cut a slice and blow on it extensively before putting that delicious smelling piece into your mouth. Otherwise, you'll end up like me and burn the roof of your mouth badly.

Lou Malnati's makes a great pizza. The pie was scrumptious and moreish. I appreciated how the Buttercrust was cooked through, crisp and dense, and without a soggy base. The filling had the right consistency and flavour, perfectly creamy with a generous amount of cheese.

If my stomach and schedule had permitted, I would have loved to try more local food joints. The final place I was able to squeeze in time for was a cafe called Sawada Coffee. A collaboration between restaurateur Brendan Sodikoff and renown champion barista Hiroshi Sawada, the cafe combines its gritty warehouse interior decor with a food and drink menu that pays sharp attention to detail. If I hadn't known the cafe was hidden behind a graffiti covered door, I would have missed it in the street lined with restaurants. The staff were friendly and make a mean cuppa. The brownie was bittersweet decadence. I was stuffed after! I also managed to drop by Sawada on my last day in the city to try their military latte. It packed a punch. I was buzzing from the drink the rest of the day.

I didn't realise Garrett's Popcorn was from Chicago until I googled "gifts to buy Chicago" in my hotel room after a long day at the conference. Chalk it down to not thinking of popcorn as a food a city could be well known for. I will say however that their cheese popcorn is delicious, and best devoured when freshly made. They even give you samples in a tiny paper bag if you ask when you're ordering!

From its vibrant personality, historic architecture, and amazing food and drink, Chicago is a place that should be known for much more than its weather. The Chicagoans I met were friendly, warm, and helpful. My parting impression of the city is that Chicago has the trappings of a big city, without the coldness often associated with them.