Notes
When traveling to another country, please keep in mind that you need to notify your banks that you’re traveling and avoid roaming charges by putting your telephone on airplane mode and only using wifi
Thanks to Starbucks for their free wifi that I used during the trip #notsponsored (but wish it were)
Really great times with Mom in Toronto. I want to return in summer to do all the things I couldn’t do because of winter.
Activities
Buffalo
Sadly, I didn’t do much in Buffalo other than lounge around the hotel because of the bar exam and a snowstorm but still had a good time relaxing.
A walkway that features sculptures and activities for the whole family
Beautiful flowers and activities for the kids. Also, they have yoga and a cafe that serves tea.
Features exotic and extinct wildlife. However, the animals might change because of the seasons.
Toronto, Canada
You can get here by: 1. plane to the Billy Bishop Airport or the Pearson 2. Greyhound or Megabus 3. Amtrak-Via Rial. However, we took the Greyhound from Buffalo to Toronto because the planes took to long and it was quite a comfortable ride. Just go to the bathroom and have a hardy meal beforehand.
For transportation I recommend the public transportation because its the cheapest option or the City Sightseeing Hop on and Hop off Bus
The Bus has a Toronto only stops, Niagara Falls only stops and a combo. For the Niagara Falls and Combo you do have to wake up early because they do pickups in Toronto. Ask before buying the Niagara or Combo Tickets for availability because they only have one bus going there per day.
I recommend to buy the CityPass package to get tickets for the following places
CN Tower: with this ticket, you can go up to the general observatory.
Second observatory, which is higher is an extra $15.
Edge walk, where you are dangling from the edge of the highest point of the tower its $195
360 restaurant it’s $60 for 2 courses and $74 for 3 courses
Casa Loma
Toronto Zoo/ Science Center: the city pass lets you choose one or the other
Ripley’s Aquarium
Royal Ontario Museum
Very similar experience to the Empire State or the One World Trade Center where you hop on a fast elevator to an observation deck with an exhibition. The lower floor has a small part that is a glass floor. You can easily make reservations at the restaurant at the same lobby where you buy tickets.
360 Restaurant
I recommend going to the restaurant because the food and experience is excellent. the restaurant moves slowly in a circle so you can see the whole city. They are super considerate with food allergies with separate kitchens, gluten free starter bread, and modifications to the food in the menu. I tried the elk with sweet potatoes and wine. For appetizer I had a salad.
Located next to the CN tower it holds fish that are local and international. They have ray’s, jellyfish, sharks, crabs, corals, crabs, etc. Its great for kids because it has alot of areas to play, touch fishes, and education. It has a cafe that has sandwiches, soups, and burgers.
They have 4 floors some arranged by country: Canada, America, Africa, Greece, Egypt, etc; and other floors by theme like dinosaurs, minerals and Extinct Animals. Each exhibit is organized by eras.
A mansion built like a castle built by Sir Henry Pellatt who went bankrupt because of building the mansion. Today it’s a museum, escape room, art exhibit, restaurant, and garden. It can also be reserved for special events. A beautiful home with interesting architecture and furniture.
The Zoo is divided by Continents and they have alot of things to see specially during summer. During winter they have the indoor and the Tundra exhibits open.
A center dedicated to make science fun for kids of all ages. Exhibits include space travel, chemistry, biology, physics, climate, mental health and inventions.
Not included in CityPass but still worth seeing
When visiting they had the impressionist and the femme (female power) exhibit. With exhibits changing almost every month they have 5 floors full of art, sculpture and performances.
If you love shoes and the history of them, this is the place to go. From a collection threw the ages, to extravagant, arctic, every type of shoes imaginable.
It’s free to enter and has multiple sculptures, shops, restaurants and cafes. We went to a coffee shop called Balzac Coffee roasters to the best coffee we’ve had in the whole trip
A 200 year old market that houses merchants with fresh produce. They also have cooking classes, tastings, and many other special events.
A great place for a nice walk to see the beautiful flowers and landscape. They have a nice herb garden, courtyard, green roofs, carpet beds and more.
Niagara Falls, Canada
When going to Canada keep in mind that the activities available will vary during winter and summer
Niagara Falls walkway is free except the Rainbow bridge which is $1 but I really to recommend that you cross the bridge because it’s cool to take pictures at the line between US and Canada. Also, you’ll need your passport for immigration.
The Niagara Falls attractions are runned by the Niagara Parks and they sell a package that includes:
Behind the falls
Wego bus acces
Butterfly conservatory
Whirlpool aero car (summer)
White water walk (summer)
Heritage sites (summer)
Floral showhouse
Discounts to attractions nearby like the famous SkyWheel and Skylon tower
Wine Tours:
Keep in mind that many of the wine tours are only available during summer and the few that are available in winter sell fast so buy them ahead of time
Many pickup in the Niagara Falls Hotels but there are some that do pickups in the Toronto Hotels so ask before you buy
You have to try the ice wines
Drinking age in Canada is 18-19 years old (no wonder no one asked for my ID and I didnt know and freaked out b/c it made me feel old)
The tour I bought was Niagara Airbus Tour, the Niagara Wine Country Tour because it’s the most affordable and usually the easiest one to buy during winter. Depending on the amount of people going they will increase the size of the car from normal suv to a Coach that can fit 23 people. This particular tour includes 4 wine tastings and a walk through niagara on the lake. The driver was super nice and excellent. The wineries are the following:
Established in 1867 this family winery started out planting cherries, pears, peaches, grapes, plums and vegetables for a small restaurant and their famous jams and jellies. Then they expanded to wine featuring the Sand and Gravel and the RavineVineyard. I recommend the small batch riesling.
The multi award winning winery established in 1948, famous for its merlot ice wine. It’s also a family business and features regular wines both white, red. I recommend the small personal size bottles that come in a pack of 4 bottles or buying the Vidal. The red ice wine sells for $70.
Also a multi award winning family winery established 35 years ago features Cabernets and Merlots and Ice wine. They are famous for inventing the ice wine glass that helps enhance the tasting experiences and flavors of the ice wine. I recommend the small personal size bottles that come in a pack of 4 bottles. They have a picnic area outside to eat food with the wine purchased.
Established in 1977 by a german family and famous for their Riesling wine. They also have icewine and regular wines. They have 3 different tours: blind, with food and wine only.
Restaurants
Making modifications and serving gluten free- lactose free food is super easy in Canada. It’s the norm rather than the exception that the restaurants have gluten free stuff readily available and have separate kitchens.
A restaurant where the experience is in a completely dark room and the servers are blind. They are considerate to food allergies, just tell them upon arriving. You will need a reservation because the place is small and only serves a select number of people. If you are afraid of the dark or claustrophobic this is not the place for you.
Serving classic canadian meals and international dishes. I tried the veggie burger and the steak. My mom tried the pasta of the day. This place is super delicious and the waiter was excellent. They are also very good with brunch.
The owner is also the chef and waiter of this superb restaurant. He really catered to my allergies by serving gluten free pasta and bread. They also have gluten free pizza available. The tiramisu is out of this world. Smith and this restaurant are located right next to each other.
They serve burgers, sandwiches, soups and salads. It’s a nice lunch stop at Niagara on the Lake. We tried the burgers and they were delicious and well seasoned.
A mediterranean restaurant that serves delicious flatbread. They do have gluten free flatbread and pizza. We tried the Moroccan Lamb with some wine and it was excellent.
An italian restaurant that is very similar to Macaroni Grill or Olive Garden with its menu. They do have gluten free pasta and they can change some sauces to make them lactose free.
This place has multiple offerings for everyone at anytime. Fresh juices, soups, pizza, burgers, steaks, ribs, desserts, wide variety of vegetarian and vegan dishes.
Museums/ Attractions
Many of the museums sell food in their cafeteria and they are pretty much the same: hot dogs, pizza, burgers, salad and fries. One of the most notable ones was the 360 restaurant I mentioned above, the Cafe at AGO and the ROM. These Cafe’s offer a Quinoa Tofu Salad and Vegetable Curry, respectively that are delicious.