Toronto isn’t my city. My city is Boston and when I talk about “the city” I mean NYC. On the other hand, Toronto is the city I grew up with. It was the place we drove a little over an hour to visit family and friends for special occasions or planned a trip to for a day at the museum. I have a special spot for Toronto in my heart, but I’m learning that it’s not because I grew up outside of Toronto. It is because Toronto is a fabulous city to visit.
You can take a quick “feel like a VIP” flight with Porter Air from Logan airport to Toronto’s city airport. You feel like a VIP because its a little nicer than the typical airline with a business class style lounge that is open to all passengers with snacks, full size Apple computers and newspapers for all. Upon arrival at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, I highly recommend taking the ferry. The ferry has a great view of the city but don’t blink because the trip is a total of 90 seconds so have your Instagram or Boomerang app ready.
For my two most recent trips to Toronto I stayed at the Hôtel Le Germain Maple Leaf Square. I love the vibe of the boutique hotel as well as its location. The Hôtel Le Germain Maple Leaf Square was the perfect hotel for when I was traveling to a conference and staying with a friend and equally amenable when we came as a family of four.
Toronto is both a great walking city but also a sprawling city. For a first, visit staying in Maple Leaf Square is idea. It is a short walk to the CN Tower. It is a short walk to take the ferry to the Toronto islands and a slightly longer walk away are other great outings.
For sports fans, you are a stone’s throw from the Air Canada Center and a 10 minute walk from the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Feeding a family when you travel is not always easy and can get expensive. The Hôtel Le Germain Maple Leaf Square has a hearty breakfast with something for everyone. If you have a tired travelling toddler, you can just pop downstairs below the hotel where there is a full grocery store with wine and cheese for the parents and whatever prepared foods or snack bars the little tykes need to take them from hangry to happy.
As for the hotel itself. It is unique and has beautiful photos of active athletes that are pretty easy on the eyes in each room. The room has locally made sculptural pillows on each bed as well as regular pillows and should you need them, ear plugs, for a sound night’s sleep.
The hotel will set up your room with everything you could possibly need for the family from a potty for anyone in training, tyke size robes, monitors and a crib. They even had Angry Bird pillows for the older children.
Other places that are not too far of a walk away are:
The Distillery History District; a fun spot for dinner or to stroll around and enjoy some chocolate or ice cream.
The St. Lawrence Market; stop at the year-round market to pick up some fresh local food, plan to go early for breakfast and enjoy a classic Canadian peameal (Canadian) baco sandwich with or without an egg.
Brookfield Place; get some shopping done and pick up your Roots Canada gear at this nearby shopping center and try one of the Jelly Modern Donuts while you’re there.
(The first picture isn’t Toronto, but it’s one of the cities I will be talking about soon. It appears one more time in the video. Do you know which city it is?)
Leah's Life: Pearls and Oysters 