Ontario!

Time is passing by so quickly. Two weeks ago I was in Ontario on a 5 day vacation, and now I'm back in Banff and only 2 1/2 months away from leaving from good. It's a mixture of excitement and sadness building up inside of me. I thought I would be one of those seasonal people and never expected to build a life here, but I have. I'm excited to see what will be beyond the bubble, but scared to leave everything I have.

But anyways, back to my trip. Thanks to my main job I was able to get 5/4 star hotel rooms in Ontario for the price of a hostel. In 5 days I managed to fit in Toronto. Ottawa, and Niagara Falls. 

Here are some of the highlights. 

Toronto

After living in Chicago I found Toronto to be average. It wasn't my favorite. I've been there, and I'm in no rush to go back. Here were a few highlights though: 

Steam Whistle Brewery

For $15 you get a 6 pack, free samples of freshly brewed beer, and a brewery tour. The tour was pretty interesting. Steam Whistle was created by three friends who were fired from a brewery together. Initially they were going to name their beer Three Fired Guys and if you look at the bottle you'll see "3FG" imprinted on the bottom. They also have a green initiative and recycle their bottles and get more uses out them than the average beer. 

Steam Whistle Brewery 

Ripley's Aquarium of Canada

I went to the aquarium on Halloween night. It was pretty amazing I have to admit. If I lived in Toronto I would buy a season pass. The moving walkway through the underwater tunnel was my favorite, as it allowed for sharks and other sea creatures to swim around and above you. 

Jelly fish at the aquarium 

Ottawa 

My only regret was that I spent more time in Toronto than Ottawa. Ottawa is a place I would definitely go back to. From Toronto I took ViaRail which was a bit over 3 hours. The station was conveniently next to my hotel in Toronto and was comfortable and faster than traveling by car. 

Canadian Tire Centre 

Down the street from my hotel in Ottawa was a bus that went directly to the Canadian Tire Centre from downtown Ottawa. The seating was decent throughout the whole stadium, even the nosebleed section looked comfortable. Also the game I went to, Ottawa Senators vs. Chicago Blackhawks was awesome. Go Hawks! 

Byward Market

I went to Byward Market after the game for 24 hour milkshakes and the next morning for some breakfast and early morning photos before I left. It was a really cute area with restaurants and bars, and also proper delis and bakeries which I love. 

"Obama Cookies"

Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls a lot of touristy aspects to it, and a lot of money spending, but the Falls are pretty amazing. 

Embassy Suites Fallsview 

This was one of the largest hotels I've ever been to and after working in hospitality for the past year I do have to admit I found the service a bit average. The booking I had made was lost by reservations, and then they ended up charging me the entire deposit after I had long left Ontario and claimed they hadn't put it through and then upon calling back they admitted they accidentally charged my card. They also say they are giving you a falls view room when you book and then when you get there, they say you have a partial view but you can upgrade to a full view for an additional $40. 

But! since they lost my reservations I was complimentary upgraded to a Junior Suite with a full falls view and ta-da! I have to admit the view was pretty spectacular. 

Morning view from the room

Hornblower Niagara Falls Boat Tour

I initially thought the boat through the falls would be a little bit cheesy, but it was so worth it. I got horribly wet and so did my camera and coat despite the poncho, but being right up in the falls was spectacular. 

So that was it! In my last day I went on a boat, taxi, train, and plane and made it back to Alberta in one piece.