To Toronto and Back in 36 Hours

Hey Readers!

For those that haven’t read my bio, I have lived in Canada’s capital for quite a few years. Even though I have been here for a long time, I always say that Toronto is my home. Up until I was nineteen, it was my center of, well, everything. Since moving away, I don’t get to visit home that often, and it is a treat whenever I go back. The blogisphere gave me a rare opportunity to make a quick stop in my hometown this summer. By quick, I mean 36 hours. It was supposed to be only 24 hours, but I’ll explain more about that further on down in the post. It was action-packed, and a lot of fun!

Here is my entourage for this visit:

As you have probably noticed, the VP of Cuteness is not present for this adventure. She stayed behind with my other half and had a Dadu-Daughter Day filled with shopping, movies and relaxing.

Besides being excited about my “mission,” I was over the moon about this trip being the VP of Cuddles’ first trip to Toronto. We ventured to and from Toronto via train, my little guy’s new favourite method of travel, and he could not sit still in his seat. The Senior VP of the family was excited as well, but you would never guess it by the look on her face in this pic! I also love traveling by train. I love being able to use the train’s wifi to work or relax.

Since we took an earlier train form Ottawa to Toronto, the kids passed out in their seats about half way through our trip. I then took a break from what I was doing and took some pics of the scenery from my window seat. At this point in the trip, we were pretty close to the Lake Ontario shoreline. Despite the speed we were traveling at the time, some of my pics turned out alright.

After a few delays, we hit the Toronto city limits! Out of the three of us, I was the most excited. It was amazing to watch my son see my hometown for the first time. He loved seeing all of the cars, buses, and trains, as well as all of the buildings parks and green spaces (yes, there were a few) on our way to the station.

Once at Union Station, my big sis, Mandi, and my nephew, J, were on hand so my daughter could hang out with them while my little guy and I went to complete our “mission.” We had to cab through noon traffic (yes, that is a thing in downtown T.O.) to and from our destination. It was so good to see the sights and be a part of the energy that is Toronto once again.

Once back at Union Station, my little guy and I waited for remainder of my entourage at the “big clock”. This was to be a familiar sight on this visit home as we kept landing here throughout this visit.

After a LONG day, this girl needed to relax. We headed for the closest Second Cup for my favourite warm beverage: A Vanilla Bean Hot Chocolate! Oh, whipped cream was a must to mellow me out.

I booked an early train for my return back to Ottawa the next morning, so we made a mad dash back to Union Station. This race against the clock was made more challenging as the first five subway stations were closed for the weekend due to maintenance. We had to take shuttle buses to the next open subway station along with several thousand other people. Needless to say, we missed our train. After re-booking ourselves on a later train that afternoon, we decided to become tourists in our hometown! We revisited the same Second Cup at the corner of University and Front Streets to figure out what we were going to do for the next few hours. It was good to be able to take a moment to breath and let the stress of the morning go.

After our break, we decided to venture close to Union Station by strolling over to one of my favourite areas of Toronto: The St. Lawrence Market Neighbourhood. We stayed along Front Street, and it was so full of life! My little guy decided to take this time to patrol the streets while protecting his aunt from danger. We also took in Berczy Park for a bit of a rest, and then some of the many hot spots along the way. It was so good to be back in this part of town. I really didn’t want to leave.

Since time waits for no one, our time in Toronto had come to a close. We were all sad to say our goodbyes and go on the train, but we knew we would be together with our family soon. I’m not sure who enjoyed this trip the most as we watched the Toronto skyline fade away into the distance. Now that my son has had a taste of Toronto, he cannot wait to go back, and my daughter is already suggesting for us to return soon. As for me, I am always up for a trip back home! I can’t wait to visit my hometown again.