Bucket List Travel: Toronto, Canada

Bucket List Travel Episode

Hi there, I'm Carolyn Ray. I'm the CEO and editor of JourneyWoman, which is a women's solo travel publication, and because I am based in Toronto, I'm going to share with you some tips and advice about my hometown. I'm actually a sixth generation Torontonian, and my daughter is a seventh generation Torontonian.  

So this is my hometown, and I can tell you, if you're looking for an exciting, vibrant city, Toronto is definitely it. We are actually, you might be surprised, the fourth largest city in North America, and very easy to get to from just about anywhere in the world. Toronto is a great getaway for those living in Canada, and also a steal for women who are coming from other countries because of our Canadian dollar. So you'll find a lot of value coming here for your money,

I want to share with you a little bit about how to get to Toronto, which which may surprise you. Of course, you may know about Toronto Pearson Airport, which is our international airport, but we also have a smaller island airport called the Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, which is right downtown. So if you can get a flight into Toronto Island, that's much easier.

But if you are flying into Toronto, Pearson, we have a wonderful train called the UP Express, which will get you downtown in about 25 minutes. If you are arriving at Union Station, you can then get right on our subway system, which is called the TTC, the Toronto Transit Commission. And it's very, very easy to get around on the TTC. It's a U shaped route that goes north, just kind of starts at Union Station and goes up both ways. And then there's an east, west route that goes across the city at Bloor Street, which is B, L, O, O, R, we're building some more subways. You'll notice that when you're in town, and because of that, I just want to speak to a little bit about safety on the subways. Toronto is a very large city, and I just want to encourage you to be very aware. I know everyone thinks Canadians are very nice, but I also just want to remind you to be very self-aware when you're on the subways and on the public transit.

For things to do in Toronto, my number one experience would be to go to Toronto Island, and it's very easy to get over on a ferry, and you can take a ferry over for the day. You can ride a bike, you can enjoy the beaches, or you can even get on a boat.

If you are looking for a place to stay, there are many different kinds of hotels in Toronto, but I will say one of my favorites is the Fairmont Royal York, which is right across from Union Station. But I also like some of our boutique hotels, the Gladstone, the Drake, the Broadview Hotel. These are very lovely, locally owned hotels, creative, artsy, with really great rooftop restaurants and great views.

I'll end with some tips on places to eat that you may not know about. I really love Spanish food, so I wanted to recommend Madrina y tapas and Patria. Patria is on King West, which is a very popular place to go for bars and restaurants. The Distillery District is one of our historic areas in Toronto, it’s a wonderful place to walk around and spend the day. And Madrina y tapas is one of my favorite restaurants there. There's also Yorkville, which is on at Bloor and Yonge Street. Kasa Moto is a Japanese restaurant that I would suggest there. And a secret you may not have heard of, this one is called Scaramouche, and it's a little bit farther north, but you can get wonderful views of the entire city. It's actually in a condominium, and you can see all of Toronto at night. It's lovely. And for those of us who like vegetarian food, it's Planta. There are two Planta locations in Toronto, maybe more now, great vegetarian menu. And of course, I must mention the St Lawrence Market, which has all, you know, all of the fresh food you could ever want. But also in the basement Manotas, which is a Spanish takeaway restaurant, and then also Busters, which is at the back of the St Lawrence Market, where you can get some wonderful seafood.

Whatever you're doing in Toronto, I hope you have a great time. There's so much to do. There's so much to see, and I look forward to seeing you there. And if there's more information need about Toronto, please visit JourneyWoman.com. We've got lots of articles about the city. Thank you!