I hope you found this travel blog helpful! If you ever have any questions, feel free to email me. In the mean time, check out my other travel blogs!
Canada
TORONTO & NIAGARA FALLS
May 5th, 2018 - May 7th, 2018
Why we went.
My husband actually surprised me and planned this trip for our first year anniversary! I had no idea we were even going anywhere until I came home from work and he told me to pack a bag. It was so sweet and such a surprise! So first, thank you! Second, we went because it was always on our bucket list to check out Niagara Falls and to spend some time in Toronto, so he decided it would’ve been the perfect idea for our first year anniversary (which it was)!
ONE OF OUR FIRSTS.
Not only was this trip for our first anniversary, this was also our very first road trip together! It wasn’t that bad of a drive at all — it was about 8 hours from Chicago. We had a ton of fun on the way! We took turns driving, listened to our favorite music, had a ton of snacks, stopped at a diner for breakfast, and got Starbucks about 4 times! We definitely needed the energy since we left around 4 am!
PLACES TO GO.
The main goal was to go to Niagara Falls, but he planned to be there for a few days since we were driving out for 8 hours! We first drove straight to Toronto where we stayed for two nights, then went to Niagara Falls on the drive home for a few hours.
What we did.
We didn’t really have much planned for Toronto, so we kind of just went with an open itinerary and planned as we went! It was very chill and we saw some pretty cool stuff.
Nathan Phillips Square
Of course, we had to go to the beautiful and neon-colored Toronto sign in Nathan Phillips Square! It was a cloudy day and it was early May, so they didn’t have the water filled as they usually do in front of it. But it was still beautiful!
The Toronto Eaton Centre
When we finally arrived at our hotel in Toronto, we decided to check out the mall that was only a few minutes away! We checked out their Pandora, where I bought my Canadian charm for my travel charm bracelet!
Philosopher’s Walk
We decided to look for someplace we can explore and just be with one another. We came across this beautiful pathway called Philosopher’s Walk at the campus of University of Toronto and it was so beautiful! First of all, the university looks like a castle. Second, it was just so quiet and peaceful. There were so many very extraordinary squirrels I’ve never seen before (random)! They were literally black with some dark brown on them. It was so weird! But anyway, we really enjoyed ourselves here for about an hour. It was very inspirational! The Philosopher’s Walk was actually to commemorate the visit of the Duke & Duchess of Cornwall & York!
The Distillery District
This place was one of my favorites. It was this old and rustic looking walk-through plaza with different little shops, boutiques, coffee shops, and art. We really enjoyed walking through here even though it was a rainy day! I would recommend spending an hour or two here while in town.
Danforth Avenue
My husband and I loved this street! It was one of those diverse blocks with different culture and country restaurants, shops, etc. These countries include Greece, Italy, Canada, and the Middle East. There’s probably more that we didn’t spot! I would recommend driving through here and checking it out and grabbing a bite to eat! There’s also a masjid on this street.
TORONTO BLUE JAYS STADIUM.
We took a stroll around the famous Blue Jays stadium!
CN TOWER.
The CN Tower is definitely one of the sights worth seeing! It was extremely tall and beautiful. You could purchase tickets to go to the top to view the city, too!
Niagara Falls
Of course, we had to go to Niagara Falls! We went the day we were actually leaving Canada — on our anniversary. We spent that morning and afternoon there, and went on the boat ride in the middle of the waterfalls! It was absolutely breathtaking. We both never been before, so it was a great experience for us! I would recommend everyone to see it at least once in their lifetime.
PLACES TO EAT.
We ate at a few different places in Toronto and they were overall delicious! Whether it was breakfast, lunch, or dinner, we were never disappointed.
MAPO KOREAN BBQ
This was my first time trying Korean BBQ and it was such a good experience! We both really enjoyed it — it was fun and laid back. And let me tell you... That was the BEST ramen I’ve ever had!
Villa Madina
We had a quick bite to eat at the mall and found this really good middle eastern cuisine! The portion was large and the food was very fresh & filled with tons of flavor! We loved it.
Tim Hortons
So I learned that Tim Hortons is like America’s Starbucks, lol! They’re literally on every block. They have really good coffee & apparently they’re like a Canadian staple, so we had to try!
Old school
This place has such great breakfast! We went spontaneously while walking down a nice road & thought it looked pretty cool from the outside, so we checked it out. It was a really nice place with friendly staff & their blueberry pancakes were insane!!
SUMAC KEBAB KITCHEN
We were in the mood for some middle eastern food and found this quick sit down Irani restaurant called Sumac Kebab Kitchen! It was absolutely delicious! It was my first time trying Irani food!
DUFF’s FAMOUS WINGS
The camera doesn’t give these wings justice. They were amazing!!! We are wing people and trust me when I say that they are pretty damn good! You can also get some poutines here, too!!
WOULD I GO AGAIN?
Toronto was a one-time experience in my opinion, but it was such a great one! We really enjoyed it. I wouldn’t go back there, but I would definitely go back to Canada again one day! I’d like to explore Alberta, Quebec, or British Columbia in the future! But I think it’s definitely worth the trip!