Marilyn, Sara and I all went to school together, and after we graduated we scattered to different places for different jobs. Marilyn and I kept meaning to visit Sara in Toronto, but it’s hard to plan a trip when life is busy and you only have a few months in the year when Toronto isn’t freezing!

We finally made it happen last weekend, and Marilyn and I headed off to Toronto… by taking the elevator.

Ok, no, not really. We flew into Toronto’s Billy Bishop Airport, which is one of the coolest airports I’ve been to. It’s located on a small island right outside the city, so upon landing you’re given an amazing first impression of Toronto outside the plane’s windows.

Then you get off the plane, walk through a short tunnel under the water (here’s where the elevators to Toronto came in!) and you emerge right in the heart of the city. It’s so easy!

I think big cities at night are so beautiful, and Toronto is no exception.

The next day, we wandered around the Distillery District, a historic area with unique restaurants and cute cafes.

What did I love most about the Distillery District?

This love lock art installation of course!

This work of art is covered with hundreds of locks decorated by lovers, with the key thrown away to symbolize lasting love. Apparently the Toronto authorities were repeatedly snipping off love locks all over the city (why do you hate love, Toronto?!). Because love will always prevail, this new installation gave lovers a permanent space for the ritual.

It was just missing one thing…

Me!

And Sara and Marilyn too, I suppose…

In fact, hearts are all over the Distillery District. Maybe Toronto doesn’t hate love after all!

Because the weather was awful that weekend, we decided to spend the afternoon indoors… and very, very high up.

We bought our tickets, got in line, hung out with a moose, and headed up to the top of Toronto’s famous CN Tower.

You can’t get better views of the city.

See that island on the left? That’s the airport where we landed!

The CN Tower has an area where you can stand on glass and look down below you. Even though you know it’s safe, it’s still so creepy!

I think sitting on the glass is probably one of the scariest things that I’ve done!

That night, we headed to Nathan Phillips Square to see the Toronto sign.

The square itself is beautiful too. Make sure you go at night, when it’s at its best.

The next day, it was time to travel back to New York City. So we headed back to the island airport and off into the sunset.

Goodbye Toronto!

Stay tuned for my next post on the best places to eat in the city.

Thanks for hosting us Sara!

~A