The alarm woke me up at 5:20am Friday morning. Ugh! What the hell was I thinking by going to sleep just four hours earlier. I peeled myself out of bed and freshened up before my cab would arrive at 5:45am. The car was outside on time, which is always a good thing. Time to get going from Brooklyn to JFK International Airport…but with first a stop in Rockaway Beach to pick up my brother. Yes the poor guy got to tag along with me to Toronto since the wife was unable to attend this trip.
We arrived at American Airlines Terminal 8 shortly before 6:50am. Perfect timing, since the plane’s check-in was at 7:14am and takeoff was 7:59am (yes pretty odd times). We boarded the tiny American Eagle jet and took off promptly at 8am. The flight was smooth and we landed in Toronto at 9:15am…30 minutes early. Nice!
We hopped aboard the Airport Express bus, which for $60 roundtrip for two people, was better than hailing a taxi that would easily cost us that much going one way. Plus this bus offered comfy seats and free Wi-Fi. The 25 minute ride went by quickly as I was able to use my laptop, check my emails and get some information together before arriving at the Delta Chelsea Inn.
Checking in at 10:30am was nice and gave us ample time to get ourselves together before a long day of walking around Toronto. We did some major walking around this great city. From the bustling streets of China Town to the deserted piers by Queens Quay to the lively strip of restaurants and shops along Queen Street West, my brother and I seriously covered a lot of Toronto in the first four hours of our visit. I have been here before and still found a lot of areas that I had not seen on my last visit.
We hit up India Palace for lunch, Pickle Barrel for dinner and called it a night by midnight. Long day behind us with another busy day Saturday. The city seems a little empty, most likely due to the Easter holiday. Hopefully that doesn’t mean most of the good restaurants and attractions will be shut down. Back later with more from Toronto.
So much for self check-in eliminating airline staff. I think every other kiosk needed someone from American Airlines to assist them with the easy to use computer screen.
American Eagle flight set to go in a few minutes. Pretty tight in this plane. I needed to duck as I walked down the aisle. Very quick and enjoyable flight though. Arrived 30 minutes early!
View from the Delta Chelsea room 1232. Just some lonely woman sitting alone in the cold on a Friday morning.
Getting dizzy looking down from our balcony. Time to check out TO.
CN Tower on a brisk, yet enjoyable, Friday afternoon in Toronto.
Wandering around Queens Quay Terminal. Nice, yet no where to grab a bite to eat at noon on a Friday.
This beautiful structure is Toronto's Old City Hall which was home to its city council from 1899 to 1966.
Along Queen Street West is a very...original store...that seemed to be quite popular with locales. If you are not looking protection, this street is filled with tons of great dining options like Indian, Thai, Korean and Sushi.
This is Toronto's Union Station which connects locals to cities like Montreal, Ottawa and New York.
Night time in Toronto at the popular Eaton Centre. Tons of people just wandering around this glowing and flashing part of the city. People were even flying kites here. Odd.
Mt. Fuji sushi...the smallest sushi joint in Canada. Okay I just made up that fact, but it is pretty damn small inside.
End of day 1. Walked a lot...ate a lot...drank a lot...and need some sleep.
Before you go – TorontoHotels.com has a great selection of hotels in Toronto.
