Toronto in October {Part II}

Let's continue with our Toronto adventures! 

Day 3

After we recovered from the day at Niagara, it was just Amar and I taking on Toronto! There were so many tourist attractions that we can only narrow it down to one. Especially since everything is so far away, it would take a whole day to explore one attraction. We finally decided to check Casa Loma out! 

Casa Loma is Canada's Majestic Castle. The former home of Canadian financier Sir Henry Pellatt, it was like taking a step back in time to a period of European elegance. The castle is complete with decorated suites, secret passages, an 800-foot tunnel, towers, stables, and beautiful 5-acre estate gardens. The castle had five parts to it- the Main Floor, Second Floor, Third Floor, Lower Level, and Grounds. I took well over 500 pictures but I'm just going to show a bit of everything so this post won't be all about Casa Loma.

Well anyways, after familiarizing ourselves with how the subway system works and pinpointing what station we are at/what station we need to get off on we set out on foot! It's interesting to see how other transportation systems work in other countries/cities because it's so different from San Francisco. Toronto's subway station is a lot like Hong Kong's, except instead of the Octopus card, they have the token system. You literally go to a machine, put in CAD$3, and you get this tiny little token.

And to pay for it, you just drop it in a little coin box. Very simple. I think the thing that's not as effective as it should be is that you drop in the little token and you don't get a ticket or anything. Which means once you leave the subway, or say you need to pick up something from one station, you can't get back in to take the subway to your destination. 

We arrived at Dupont station and there were immediately signs on where to exit for Casa Loma. We followed the signs to get to the castle... and then hiked up the Baldwin Steps. And we're here!!

It was so beautiful. The story on Casa Loma can be found on the Casa Loma website here. Once we paid the admission fee to get in, we were led down to the lower level to get our personal listening tour device. Since it was a self-guided tour, we were able to explore the castle at our own pace and avoid the large crowds of people. It was so cool. There were secret tunnels, secret stairwells, and just amazing architecture. People normally spend 2-3 hours here, but Amar and I were there for a good 4 hours. At least we got the most out of our buck! 

^Overlooking Toronto's skyline at the top of Casa Loma^

^Poor Amar barely fit^

^

Like I said.. we spent a little more than four hours at this castle. To the point where by the time we were leaving, the doors and the visitors center was already closed! (Notice there's barely anybody in the background..) And also by this point, we were both exhausted and tired! We retraced our steps and took the subway back to the hotel.

We were able to rest for a good 20-30 minutes before my mom was finished with her business meetings. We then went out again, but this time in search for food! We decided to walk along Toronto's famous Chinatown and pick a restaurant-- which ended up being Taste of China on Spadina. 

We ordered off of their specials (which in the beginning, because we were traveling with Amar, they tried to jip us! They only gave us their regular dinner menu and not the specials. Bahaha.) The specials consisted of picking two from a list of dishes and the choice of a crab or lobster for $40. (Rice not included, that's where they getchu.) But still a steal! It was quite delicious. Not as memorable as Pho Xyclo the other night but still authentic good Chinese food that won't clog your arteries. We walked around some more afterwards and grabbed tapioca to go (of course). It was deeelicious.

Day 4

Like yesterday, we picked a place and just went for it! This time our destination was St. Lawrence's market. It's weird to see places named after my brother.. Lol! By the time Amar and I rolled out of bed, it was close to lunch time and our tummies were growling. 

TGFY, we found Burrito Boyz! It instantaneously became Amar's favorite burrito joint. Not only were their portions HUGE, the ingredients were so fresh, hot, and delicious! 

 ^After he found out there was no Snapple fact inside the cap.^

We got one steak super burrito and one chicken. Both were HUGE. 

Mmmmm. Looking at this picture makes me hungry all over again.

The hotel is the middle between the two places (Burrito Boyz and St. Lawrence's Market) so it was quite a walk. It was definitely worth it though. By the time we made it to St. Lawrence's Market, we were still SO full (and I only ate half of a burrito). The St. Lawrence's Market is much like the Ferry Building with their expensive (but so good) cheeses and organic this and organic that. Apparently it is one of the world's greatest markets. According to the brochure, there are over 120 specialty vendors, known for the freshness of their fruit, veggies, meat, fish, grains, baked goods, and unique non-food items for sale. Pictures below.

^That's where Anthony Bourdain had his peameal bacon sandwich^

These dried veggie chips were so good! They had spring beans, beets, garlic (the best one!), bananas, etc. I bought a pound of the mixed dried veggie chips and my mom ended up eating most of it! 

I believe we returned to the hotel afterwards and met up with my mom. We went to the Eaton Shopping Centre's Urban Eatery food court for dinner! Amar and I shared something little since we were still super full from the burrito. The food court had a variety of different cuisine. 

Amar and I ordered Beef Pad See Ew (Amar's favorite) at Thai Express and it came in such a cute little take out box! It may look small but we barely finished it and we all shared it! 

My mom loves Indian food so of course, her meal of choice was Chicken Tikki Masala with rice and Mango Lassi. Yummm. 

Afterwards, we had to walk off our food and took a walk to the CN tower to conclude our trip. 

To conclude my Toronto adventures, we movin' to Toronto yall! Toronto is very similar to San Francisco but I feel like its a more relaxed environment over there. They are also extremely diverse and everybody we have encountered are all so nice and helpful. Another destination added-- VANCOUVER!

xoxoxo