
Although our time in Toronto started with exhilaration at the Taylor Swift Concerts, it was punctuated by a great deal of nothingness. Toronto was supposed to be a chance for us to take a breather from travel and relax, but we spent most of the time sick and staying in bed instead. During the two weeks following the concerts, we only went out once for a tour of the UofT Architectural school and another few times to see the sights, but we spent the rest of our time at home.
Towards the end of our time in Toronto we were able to go out a few times and get a glimpse into the city. There’s a lot of graffiti around Toronto and even a dedicated alley named Graffiti Alley, which (like Seattle’s disgusting bubble gum wall) is a tourist attraction not so much because it’s very fabulous — but because it’s quirky. Graffiti Alley wasn’t full of spectacular art, but it did have lots of vibrant colours that make for interesting photos.

Of course, the Taylor Swift craze continued with more signature photos, this time with Rogers Arena and the CN Tower in the background. It was relatively difficult to get good photos because the CN tower is so tall, so finding the right vantage point was key.


We also went into the Fairmont Hotel to recreate some of the hotel scenes from the Delicate video, but these didn’t turn out very good because of the low light.



We also visited Brookfield Place to see the Allen Lambert Gallery. This atrium, which houses the Hockey Hall of Fame and 11 heritage buildings, was designed by prominent architect Santiago Calatrava in 1987. It was interesting to see the architecture because I remember reading about it as a child.

On another day out, we planned to take the GO train down to Niagara Falls but I mixed up the arrival and departure times so we missed the only train of the day. There’s only one train there and back each day during the summer promotion, so we decided to check out some other points of interest that were recommended to us by friends.
The first was Scarborough Bluffs, located on the east side of the city. It’s possible to get some epic photos on the cliffs but I didn’t do enough research and so we ended up at the bottom, where the park and beach are located.

We took a few photos and then hunger got the better of us, so we went for lunch.
We’re quite impressed by how big Toronto is. Vancouver never really feels like a true city because the downtown is so small and there are so many political bylaws that restrict growth. We were both happy to find that downtown Toronto was truly large and that the city was developing new and used sites. At the same time, we could find similarities to Vancouver everywhere.

The Distillery District is a prime example of how an old industrial site has been converted into a trendy shopping area and reminded us of Yaletown in Vancouver. The District contains cafes, restaurants and shops within more than forty heritage buildings that make up a pleasant walking area interspersed with new condos. Just like Yaletown, there’s a vintage and heritage vibe interspersed with a wealthy-ness that we wouldn’t fit into now… but wish to one day enjoy.
