TORONTO, Ontario -- Wearing a jacket and pedaling along Lake Ontario’s waterfront, Toronto’s downtown skyline shrank in the distance until we were a few miles away.
On the third day of our trip, there was a break in the fog that had cloaked the city, and we could see the buildings rising above the lake, the 1,815-foot-high CN Tower rising above the rest.
For years, this city, Canada’s largest, has been on my travel bucket-list, and I finally got to visit in early October.
The city always felt like a relatively easy jaunt from Northeast Ohio with just a five-hour drive to get there. But I always put it off.
Really, I think I was saving it for the right time. In the past few years, I’ve planned more ambitious trips with longer drives or flights, keeping a “future Toronto week” in my back pocket. I reserved the city road trip for a time where it might be too difficult to take on another vacation.
Then the coronavirus pandemic happened. What could be more difficult than that?
For a year and a half, I didn’t travel much, limiting myself to camping trips and short visits to Chicago, Detroit and Columbus. I was itching to get out of Cleveland this autumn, but didn’t want to get too far away from home in these uncertain times.
I set my sights on Toronto, and when I noticed that the border opened to vaccinated U.S. citizens on Aug. 9, I soon messaged a few friends to see if they’d want to take a road trip to Canada, with stops in Buffalo and Niagara Falls -- two other locations I wanted to check out. We all coordinated a six-day trip in early October.
The four of us (myself, two college friends and a hometown pal) didn’t make very many plans for our road trip, instead centering on two foods we had to try: buffalo wings in Buffalo, and poutine in Toronto. We aimed to keep things pretty cheap, reserving affordable Airbnbs for one night in Niagara Falls, N.Y., and four nights near the waterfront in Toronto.
Beyond that, most of our plans revolved around border requirements. All four of us were required to get a COVID-19 PCR test within 72 hours of arrival and provide proof of a COVID-19 vaccination. We also had to submit our information through the ArriveCAN app.
The PCR tests and their timing were a bit of a headache for us, since molecular COVID-19 tests take longer to get results back when compared to rapid tests. When we went to get our PCR tests, CVS gave us an estimate of two to four days (48 to 96 hours) for results, which could have fallen out of the 72-hour window Canada gave us. Luckily, we got our results back within two days.
Then, at the Rainbow Bridge border in Niagara Falls, we were hit with a double-whammy, randomly selected to (once again) take another PCR test on-arrival in Canada, with results arriving a few days into our trip. Those came back negative, too.
All of that, and we were good to go.
For the vacation part -- the part we didn’t plan all that much -- we ended up with plenty to do in Toronto and en route to Toronto, and we did it on a budget. Here are a few highlights:
Horseshoe Falls, as seen from Canada. (Photo by Anne Nickoloff, cleveland.com)
Niagara Falls
I wanted to see both sides of Niagara Falls, to see for myself which one offers the better view of the landmark. Though we didn’t get to spend as much time on the falls as I would have liked thanks to some autumn rain, we did get to see both vantage points of the cascades.
Before the trip, I’d read that the Canadian side of Niagara Falls is better -- and, sure, nothing can beat the staggering, head-on view of Horseshoe Falls. If you’re looking for a good place to view the waterfalls and snap a photo, the Canadian side wins out.
But if I were to return, I’d give some more time to the U.S. side, if only to explore the park’s extensive trails that show off the falls and the rushing Niagara River.
(Also, I’d bring a better poncho.)
Niagara Falls is free to visit, and parking ran us about $10 on the U.S. side and $12 on the Canadian side. Not bad.
(Photo by Anne Nickoloff, cleveland.com)
Waterfront biking
When we were in Toronto, it wasn’t too chilly to get outside, if we wore jackets. My favorite part of the trip was renting a few bikes through Toronto Bike Share, a city-run program, and riding about 10 miles on the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail.
A day pass for bikes cost $7, and as long as you checked in at bike stations within a 30-minute span, you could use them as much as you wanted for the entire day. Luckily for us, the Waterfront Trail had plenty of bike stations along it, making it an easy -- and extremely affordable -- route.
Without too many hills, the Waterfront Trail was an easygoing ride, with plenty of beautiful views on the way. Dozens of bikers, runners and pedestrians were out enjoying the trail, which followed Lake Ontario and showed off a few well-kept beaches. At Humber Bay Park, we parked our bicycles, walked onto a small rocky beach and enjoyed a great view of the city skyline and the water.
(Photo by Anne Nickoloff, cleveland.com)
Art Gallery of Ontario
The Art Gallery of Ontario was on our list of places we wanted to visit, but with pricey tickets (more than $20 per person) we weren’t sure that it made sense to go. Luckily, a waiter at a restaurant told us about a freebie deal on Wednesday nights, and that timing fit into our travel plans perfectly.
We showed up on Wednesday at 7 p.m., and got in with our online reservation, free of charge. The art museum had a great selection of works on view, including extensive exhibitions showcasing Indigenous artwork. The building itself, with massive windows, spiral staircases and swooping beams, was also a joy to explore after the sun had set.
Foggy days in Toronto. (Photo by Anne Nickoloff, cleveland.com)
City sights
From our Airbnb in the waterfront Bathurst Quay neighborhood, Toronto’s streetcar system was affordable and easy to navigate. We spent most of our days walking around town and taking public transportation back to our lodging.
While we were exploring the city, we decided to skip one of its biggest tourist destinations -- the CN Tower. Tickets ran a whopping $40 to get to the top observation deck of the building, and it was foggy and cloudy during our four days there. Why go to Toronto’s highest vantage point to not *really* see anything? No, thank you.
Pippin, one of two shop cats at Acadia Art & Rare Books. (Photo by Anne Nickoloff, cleveland.com)
Instead, we explored other destinations. We visited Graffiti Alley for a few photos and, while one member of our group went to the Hockey Hall of Fame, two of us went to St. Lawrence Market, which was reminiscent of Cleveland’s own West Side Market. While in the area, we stopped by Kim’s Convenience (the namesake and inspiration for the hit Netflix show) and stumbled into the lovely Acadia Art & Rare Books and met the store’s two adorable shop cats, Pippin and Frodo.
Poutine from a food truck in Toronto. (Photo by Anne Nickoloff, cleveland.com)
Food
Unlike Ohio restaurants, we had to wear face masks at almost every indoor restaurant in Canada (except while eating), show our vaccine cards, matched to our U.S. passports, before being seated, and fill out online forms for contact tracing purposes.
Those precautions, along with the barely-warm-enough patio days of fall, made us feel a little more at ease during our trip. It wasn’t too chilly to sit outside, and many of Toronto’s restaurants offered patio seating, even if it was just a picnic table out front.
Some of our favorite spots included the Japanese restaurant Ramen Isshin, a vegan eatery named Fresh, Collective Arts Brewing and Caribbean soul-fusion restaurant Patois. We splurged on a couple of restaurants and bars -- Grey Gardens, a wine bar and restaurant; and BarChef, a swanky cocktail bar with eclectic, high-end drinks. We also ate at plenty of affordable diners, ordering pints of Steam Whistle or Molson beer to enjoy with our meals, and picked up snacks (including Canada’s infamous ketchup-flavored potato chips) from the grocery store.
The real showstopper? Poutine, of course.
The Quebec dish -- fries topped with brown gravy and cheese curds -- is popular throughout Canada, and certainly in Toronto.
First, we ordered from a McDonald’s, which was fine, but nothing to write home about (just imagine slightly soggy fries with gravy and cheese curds on top). Then we ordered poutine again from Banknote Bar near our Airbnb -- slightly fresher, and better quality cheese curds. But the best poutine I tried was from an unnamed food truck on the waterfront. (I wish I had asked for their information!)
CN Tower in downtown Toronto. (Photo by Anne Nickoloff, cleveland.com)
Takeaways
I’m not the best planner when it comes to travel -- and that worked well in Toronto. The city was easy to explore and nearly every person we met was welcoming and friendly, and more than willing to give advice or recommendations to us.
The pandemic certainly made the trip a bit challenging, when it came to lining up our PCR tests, remembering a face mask to wear when indoors, and filling out contact tracing forms. Plus, the pandemic prevented us from doing some of the things we wanted to do, like going to a concert, comedy show or play (most venues were temporarily closed the week we were there due to capacity limits).
Also, we simply ran out of time to do some of the things we had planned. For instance, I had hoped to visit Scarborough Bluffs for a day hike, but we never got around to it. (Next time.)
Despite that, it was a great week away from home, and it didn’t break the bank. By splitting gas, Airbnb and grocery costs between four people, the journey only ran each of us a few hundred dollars each, and it could have been cheaper if we had cut out some of the fancier meals or cooked at the Airbnb. All that being said, it was definitely worth it.
(Photo by Anne Nickoloff, cleveland.com)
Road trip playlist
What would a road trip be without a road trip playlist? The night we were in Niagara Falls, we hastily put together a playlist featuring some of our favorite Canadian musicians and bands, and it ended up at around 70 songs long. (Unfortunately, we didn’t have the time to focus on artists specifically from Toronto, and instead included the entire country.)
Here are a few highlights:
-Alanis Morissette: “You Oughta Know”
-Alvvays: “Dreams Tonite”
-Arcade Fire: “The Suburbs”
-Avril Lavigne: “Sk8er Boi”
-Born Ruffians: “Badonkadonkey”
-Carly Rae Jepsen: “Julien”
-Feist: “1234″
-Joni Mitchell: “Big Yellow Taxi”
-Kaytranada: “10%”
-Neko Case: “Star Witness”
-Nelly Furtado: “I’m Like A Bird”
-Rush: “Tom Sawyer”
-Shania Twain: “That Don’t Impress Me Much”
-Simple Plan: “I’m Just A Kid”
-Steppenwolf: “Magic Carpet Ride”
-The Weeknd: “Save Your Tears”
-Wolf Parade: “Fine Young Cannibals”
Toronto on a budget: Biking, poutine and PCR tests, plus a stop in Niagara Falls - cleveland.com
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