Spectacular Views in Toronto

Beer is really why I went to Toronto, Canada. See our night in Niagara Falls for more on that.

But had I known that I would love the skyline of Toronto, the sights might have been part of my motivation as well. Here’s a few of the highlights of our adventure.

Breakfast & Ward’s Island

For breakfast we went to the St. Lawrence Market. You have to start the day out with a full stomach. We got peameal bacon sandwiches at the Carousel Bakery. They were salty, filling, and traditional to Toronto. There are tons of other options in the market too.

Toronto sits on the banks of Lake Ontario, and there are a collection of islands just off shore. It’s a 15 minute walk from the market to the ferry terminal where 3 different routes leaving from. We took the ferry for Ward’s Island.

As you ride the ferry, the city shrinks away and creates a perfect opportunity to photograph the skyline.

Once you land you’re in an entirely different environment. No cars are allowed here, and life seemed to move much slower. Walking the paths of the island was beautiful and relaxing. I was surprised at how few people were wandering around. The other side of the island has a quiet beach that’s perfect for a picnic. There’s a small cafe near where the ferry lands, but not much else as far as food or businesses go.

The juxtaposition of the city skyline peaking over the calm beach was seriously the coolest. If we go back to Toronto I want to stay on the island, or at least planning a picnic on the beach. I would love to spend time looking out over the city with a beverage, watching the boats go by. Oh and see the skyline from this angle at night.

CN Tower

The views from CN Tower were pretty awesome, but they were difficult to photograph as there was glass or wire between you and the scenery at all times. I didn’t realize how massive Toronto’s sprawl was until we couldn’t see the end of it, even though we were up so high. It was pretty neat to see an aerial view of the islands we had just been on too. The views from the tower gave us a better perspective of the city, but it was not cheap. If you’re short on time or money, just stick with the islands.

Food & Beer

We ate at The One-Eighty one evening for dinner because it’s a restaurant on an upper floor of a shopping center. It wasn’t as high as the CN Tower, but the open air balcony was more conducive to taking pictures. Unfortunately we couldn’t see anything through the fog and didn’t even take pictures. If have have better luck, please share your shots! The food was good, and they do take reservations.

At WVRST the food was fantastic and the beer selection was even better! Mr. PC got a kangaroo sausage and I got rabbit. Umm awesome. We split duck fat fries and tucked into a few beers among the communal seating. This unique spot has a variety of sausages and a large beer selection. Good beer and good food? Totally worth it after a day of walking 30,000 steps!

We took our remaining Canadian dollars to The Beer Store at the end of our trip and blew it all on beer to bring home. I did say beer was really why I wanted to visit Canada remember! We wound our way through the aisles picking up two of anything that sounded interesting. Lagers and pilsners seemed to be the most popular styles. The cans were 16 oz, instead of the standard 12 in the States. We drank to Canada long after our trip was over. A perfect way to reminisce about those skyline views after a long day of work!

Do you have a favorite spot in Toronto?