This trip was a long time coming. And by that, I mean, we couldn't wait to go to Toronto, but we wanted to wait until the Brewers had a series there against the Blue Jays. And being the Brewers are in the National League and the Blue Jays are in the American League, that proved hard because the 2 teams only visit each other once every 4 years, alternating parks when they play. BUT, this year the MLB realigned their schedules to where each team plays all other 29 teams each season, alternating parks every year. Which meant we would only have to wait a maximum of 2 seasons to go to Toronto. And when the schedule came out last November, we were very happy to see the Brewers were to visit the Blue Jays this year! We've had this trip earmarked for a long time! It was an easy decision to bring our friend Erin, too. She's been with us as we crossed off a handful of stadiums, and she's never been to Toronto either. And when we found out she had never been to Niagara Falls either, we knew we had to spend some time there, too. Not only were we doing Niagara and Toronto, but Erin was also spending the weekend after Toronto with us because the Brewers came right to Cincinnati after Toronto, and we went to games here, too! So for her, it was a multi-city trip, and we were going to have fun! Let's get going, shall we?!
The Toronto series was in the middle of the week, so of course we had to visit Niagara Falls en route to Toronto. Robbie and I left Saturday morning and drove straight through that day. Usually we do an overnight in Cleveland to break up the trip, but we had all day to drive, and it's really not that far, only about 7.5 hours. We stopped just east of Cleveland for lunch and gas, and didn't stop again until we saw the mist! We were staying in Niagara for 2 nights, both on the Canada side, so we actually crossed the Peace Bridge into Canada from Buffalo. This way, when we got to Niagara, we would already be on the Canada side!
The drive from the Peace Bridge to Niagara was beautiful because we took the scenic route, right along the Niagara River. We had water on one side and beautiful homes on the other! The drive only took 20 minutes, but we soaked in all the sights!
We did end up stopping right before the Falls, at the power plant, which controls the rate at which water is allowed down the Falls. We had only seen it from afar, but it was cool to see up close! The power plant is about a quarter mile upstream from the Falls.
It was just a drive up the road to our hotel, the Embassy Suites, and not long after, we were settled in! The first night in Niagara, it was only Robbie and I, and we used that night to celebrate our anniversary, so we splurged on the Presidential Suite, and it didn't disappoint! We had stayed in the same suite on our last trip, so we knew what to expect! My first stop was the massage chair! Then, I started reading a very appropriate book for our trip called Over The Falls!
We made dinner reservations at The Keg, inside the Embassy Suites. We had been there before and it offered breathtaking views of the Falls, so we were hungry and ready to go! When I made the reservation, I put a note in that we were celebrating our anniversary, so I was hoping we would get placed at a really good table. When we got there, the hostess didn't even seem to care about why we were there, and it was even more obvious by where she seated us. She sat us at a table directly behind a pillar, in the dark, almost at the very back of the restaurant. The whole reason we made the reservation was because of the views, and we were staring at a wall essentially! We decided to leave the restaurant after that, and we ate at TGI-Fridays, which was also in our hotel. It was kind of a let-down because we had been looking forward to The Keg and those views for a long time! Oh well. Next time we will have a better game plan!
After dinner, we went back up to our room and watched the Falls go from day to night, and then watch the nightly fireworks show! Neither one ever gets old!
The next day, Sunday, was going to be a big one! This was the day Erin was coming, and we also had Maid of the Mist and Cave of the Winds on our docket! Before we left, we had breakfast at the hotel, which was in The Keg, so we finally got a good view of the Falls while we started our day!
Erin flew into the Buffalo Airport from Minneapolis on Sunday morning. Robbie went to pick her up from the airport while I got in line to get tickets for the 2 activities. We knew from our past failed experience that we had to get Cave of the Winds tickets early in the day, for a specific time later that day. So on his way to the airport, Robbie dropped me off at Cave of the Winds. I got tickets for 4pm later that day! Then I walked over to Maid of the Mist and got tickets there. After those were secured, Robbie and Erin arrived shortly after; it was almost perfect timing!
We did Maid of the Mist first, being we could not reserve a specific time for that, and because Maid of the Mist is the best! I did all the legwork by standing in line, but there was still a line after getting tickets to get down to the boats. But eventually we were on! We got a spot on the side of the boat, and soon after, we were off! Being this was my 3rd time on Maid of the Mist, I just wanted to fully experience it, so I didn't take any pictures! It was fun to get the whole experience from start to finish! Erin had never been to Niagara before, so she had a blast on the boat too!
We planned our day out so that after Maid of the Mist, we would have time to eat before Cave of the Winds. Niagara State Park was really crowded being it was Memorial Day weekend (I swore I was never going to go to Niagara Falls on another holiday weekend after last years visit over the 4th of July, but here we were), so we actually drove out of the tourist area and went to a Diary Queen to rest and replenish.
When we drove back, we got lucky enough to get a parking spot right near Cave of the Winds. For those that don't know, Cave of the Winds allows you to go right up to the American Falls, as there are walking paths and decks that take you there. We were really excited about the Hurricane Deck, which takes you even further up to behind the Falls. We did Cave of the Winds as part of a tour group the first time we visited, but it was too early in the year and Hurricane Deck wasn't open yet! So this was highly anticipated by all of us!
When our 4pm reservation was called, our group was directed to a small movie theater that gave us a small history on the Falls. Then it was straight to the Hurricane Deck! PSYCHE! After the mini-movie, we were then directed to yet another line that didn't look like it was moving at all. After not moving for 15 minutes is when Robbie decided to go inquire at the ticket office. Apparently the lady was really rude, saying that he should've known it was going to busy because it was a holiday weekend, and that everyone knew there was going to be a 2 hour wait. So, Robbie starts asking people around him if this was true, and no one knew about the additional line! I surely wasn't told about that when I got the tickets earlier that morning. In fact, the lady would barely let me ask questions before calling the next guest in line! Anyway, after contemplating what to do, we ultimately decided to forego the Cave of the Winds. We all felt totally deceived. Why even have reservations if we still had to wait in line? Or, at least tell us up front about the additional lines! We planned our whole day around this, and came up extremely disappointed. My guess is that if they did tell people the truth about the additional lines, they wouldn't sell tickets. What a let-down.
After that complete fail, we headed back across the bridge into Canada and got settled into our room for the night! We didn't have the Presidential Suite on Sunday night, but we still had a room with a view of both Falls, and THIS did not disappoint!
Erin and I quickly ventured out to get closer to the Falls! There was an inclinator right outside our hotel that took us almost directly to the Falls instead of having to walk far out of the way! Very convenient!
This time around was even more breathtaking than the last because our whole time down by the Falls, we were treated to a full rainbow across the Falls! We couldn't stop staring in awe! Just incredible!
Erin and I had dinner, then hung out at the window until the fireworks! On our way back up to the room, there was a window by the elevator that looked north, and in the sunset, we could see the Toronto skyline from Niagara! It was like a little foreshadowing of what's to come!
Even though we didn't do everything we wanted, our visit to Niagara was still so much fun, and most importantly, Erin had a great time! On Monday morning, we drove our way to Toronto, which was only an hour and 20 minutes away! It was my first time driving internationally, and the roads and scenery weren't that different from driving in the US! On our way, we saw a lot of wineries, and even a sign for a nudist resort! Haha!
We wanted to stay downtown close to the ballpark but hotel prices were sky high, so we ended up staying at the Embassy Suites by the Toronto Airport. A cool thing about staying there was that the hotel had a shuttle to the airport, and the airport had a train which stopped right at the ballparks back door. And, we reserved a runway view room!
Monday was a non-baseball day, so we ended up driving into Toronto to go up the CN Tower and take a harbor cruise! We were excited!
We went right to the CN Tower and getting up there did not take long at all! The views were awesome from way up there! One of the coolest things was that the ballpark is situated literally right underneath the CN Tower!
Another surprising thing about Toronto was all the condos! If it wasn't for the CN Tower, I wouldn't know I was in Toronto! And the condos keep coming! We ran into someone who said Toronto is the most expensive city in Canada, and that did not surprise me!
After the CN Tower, we went back down to the base, and then did some shopping in the Blue Jays team store! Pro tip: if you're going to a city for a ballgame and you're there the day before the game, shop then to avoid the crowds!
Then it was time to head for the harbor for our cruise! We were excited to relax and hear about the history of Toronto! It was a beautiful day for a cruise!
After the cruise, we headed out of the city and back to our hotel. We were driving in rush hour traffic, but we kept flowing at a pretty good pace! One cool thing we noticed on our drive in and out of the city is that some of their advertisements are grown from the ground! Super eco-friendly!
When we got back, we ordered pizza and watched the Celtics lose Game 7 in the Eastern Conference Finals! That made us all happy!
Tuesday was going to be a big day for us! Robbie worked from the hotel both Tuesday and Wednesday, so Erin and I ventured out on our own those 2 days! We started out Tuesday by taking the train into Union Station, then walking a half hour to the Distillery District for lunch. The Distillery District is several city blocks of breweries and bars, and it had such a cool vibe! We found a spot for lunch and we're seated outdoors. I had a great sangria-style beer and it was perfect and refreshing! I also had a great brisket taco, and Erin and I shared an appetizer of Poutine, a Canada classic. Unpopular opinion: it was just OK. After lunch, I had a wonderful Gelato cone, 1 scoop of dulce de Leche, and 1 scoop of caramelized honey! The caramelized honey was to die for! A delicious lunch!
Then we headed back towards the city center and found the Hockey Hall of Fame. I had no idea it was in Toronto, so of course we had to go! Erin is really into hockey, and I wasn't going to make her go alone. Plus, this created a new challenge for me to make it to all 4 major sports Hall of Fames. 2 down (football and hockey), 2 to go (baseball and basketball)! The Hockey Hall of Fame turned out to be pretty cool, and I learned a lot about the history of the sport. The biggest fact being that jerseys are sometimes called sweaters because the first jerseys were actually sweaters! Mind blown! I also made it a game to try and guess each team name based on the designs/mascots on their jerseys, and I actually did pretty well! Not bad for a hockey-watching novice!
We had enough time after the Hockey Hall of Fame to head to the harbor and relax for about a half hour! We found a bench, rested our feet, and watched life happen around us!
Robbie texted me when he was on his way downtown, and we knew we had about an hour until he got to the ballpark, so we timed it perfectly to meet him there! We were all excited to get into the Roger's Centre! I've seen pictures of it, and it looked very enticing!
The Blue Jays just renovated many areas in the Roger's Centre during the off-season, and they did a great job! The concourse and lower bowl looked brand new and modern, and they added 2 outfield social areas which add a personal touch!
One thing I was super excited for was the view of the CN Tower from the stadium! Robbie got tickets in left field, which would've allowed for the views, but there was an overhang in front of us, so we actually saw very little, which was a bummer. But, we made it to a game, and could officially cross it off our list! We only have 7 more stadiums to go!
One of the many cool aspects about this stadium is that there is a Marriott hotel attached to it in the outfield. Those with field view rooms are able to just watch games from the comfort of their rooms! We looked in to staying at this hotel, but there is a 3 night minimum stay, and the cost per night was about $900. Maybe one day...
The Brewers got off to a hot start, scoring twice in the 1st inning on a 2 run homer by William Contreras! That was short-lived because in the bottom of that sane inning, the Blue Jays scored 4, then added on 2 in the 2nd, and 1 in the 3rd. The Brewers couldn't muster up anymore runs and they ultimately lost by a score of 7-2. It was still a really fun game because we got to see the Blue Jays explode on offense. Usually I wouldn't be happy about that, but all 3 of us came to the consenses that the Blue Jays might be our favorite AL team. They are young, play well, and have a lot of energy. What's not to love?!
My favorite line of the night came from a female Blue Jays fan sitting next to Robbie. The Brewers had just tagged a runner who was caught in a pickle trying to steal. After he was called out, she says, so matter-of-factly, "Pay attention, dick!"
After the game, we left the stadium to a beautiful sight of the CN Tower lit up! It was just a short walk to Union Station to head back to the airport! On the train ride back we met a father/son duo who made the trip from Montreal for the fathers 70th birthday! They also told us more about Canadian culture, specifically in Quebec. Quebec literally has the language police. How crazy is that?! It's a law in that province that all immigrants have no choice but to be taught the French-Canadian language in order to go to a public school. The reason being is to prolong the French-Canadian culture. For example, when we were in Montreal, the menus, ads, and most people were bilingual, and all that is government mandated.
It was finally time to relax after a long day when we got back to our hotel. Before I went to sleep, I logged my steps at 20k+! That's the most I've had in a really long time!
Wednesday was another day Erin and I had to ourselves, but we were definitely going to lower our exertion on this day! We didn't start out until noon when we went across the street from our hotel for lunch. Then we ventured to Union Station where we carried on to a local subway to just north of the city to Casa Loma, a mansion built between 1911 and 1914 for a Toronto financier, Sir Henry Pellatt and his wife. At the time, it was the largest private residence in Canada, with 98 rooms!
The mansion was beautiful with a total of 7 floors, and it was very advanced for its time with full plumbing, central air and heating, a pool, and an elevator. They had full time, live-in servants who got a whole floor to themselves to live. Apparently it was a sought-after role because of the state-of-the -art amenities!
Another cool and somewhat over the top addition to this castle was an underground tunnel that went across the street to a garage, carriage room, and a stable with horses. The tunnel was built because a lot of the streets would be shut down in the winter months due to the snow, so it was built for his convenience!
The top floor housed the towers, which offered sweeping views of the Toronto skyline!
Casa Loma was a really cool experience and it was the perfect balance of walk/rest ratio!
We then made our way back to Union Station and headed to ballgame #2. We were not expecting the scene when we walked up to the stadium. The whole outdoor concourse was packed with people already, at 4pm. They were all there to get their hands on the giveaway, which happened to be a Bo Bichette jersey and headband. Now, I've been to games that offer really good giveaways, but I've never seen crowds like this! We soon decided to cut our losses on the giveaway and instead wait until the gates open and the line dwindled, and then we would go in. We instead used that time to walk around the exterior of the stadium to see different vantage points. When we were half way around, we saw this huge gap in the line near a street vendor, so we just slipped into that gap like we belonged! We now had a real good shot at getting that jersey! As the gates opened and we got up to the ticket scanner, this lady in front of us was full on panicking to get her hands on one of those jerseys like they were going to run out right before she got through! People go crazy for free stuff! We actually ended up getting the jersey, and they are actually pretty nice! Giveaways in the States usually have brands on them for advertising purposes, but this one was brand-free! I think I might be able to find a use for it someday!
Erin and I ended up going to this game ourselves as Robbie wasn't feeling well. We got tickets behind home plate in the 500 level, where we had a spectacular view of the field and the CN Tower! We got lucky too that the roof was open both nights! I could not stop taking pictures!
The Brewers once again got off to a 2-0 lead in the 2nd off a homerun by the rookie Abraham Toro! Robbie and I nicknamed him "Father Abraham" during Spring Training because he was hitting so many homeruns and scoring so much. So we changed the song to "Father Abraham, had many runs, and many runs had Father Abraham!" So I was happy to see him 1) having been called up, and 2) producing at the plate! Most of the MLB teams have a homerun celebration they do after they cross home plate, and the Brewers bring out a cheesehead and place it on the head of the homerun hitter, so I'm glad we got to see a homerun just so I could see the celebration, too!
The Brewers tacked on 2 more runs off red-hot Owen Miller (a native of Wisconsin), who hit a 2-run double! The Brewers hung on to win, with a final score of 4-2! I'm so glad we got to see a win in Toronto, and see some offense after their flat performance the night before!
After the game, we took off towards Union Station, but so did the rest of the sold out crowd. The station was jam packed, but we were able to get seats on the train.
On our way back, we were next to a a father/daughter duo who had Brewers stuff on, and they were from Saskatchewan! The father said he became a Brewers fan because County Stadium (the Brewers first home) was the closest outdoor stadium to them. So he would make the trek to Milwaukee growing up, and his fanhood stuck! We also found out from his daughter that the school year runs from September until the end of June! Crazy! That was actually one thing we were wondering about. She had a jealous look on her face when I told her that when I was a kid, our school year would end mid-May! Granted we started mid-August, but still!
The Roger's Centre was a really cool stadium, and I'd rank it in my Top 10 so far! After being at Toronto's stadium, we have only 7 to go in our chase for 30! The ones we have left are: Oakland, Texas, Kansas City, St. Louis, Philly, Baltimore, and the NY Mets. It will be most difficult to get to Oakland, but they have plans to relocate to Vegas, and we've decided to wait until they move to cross that one off the list. We don't want to go all the way back to CA just to go to Oakland!
We originally planned to go to Thursday's Blue Jays/Brewers day game, but decided to head home early instead, and I'm glad we did because the Brewers were flat again, losing that game 3-1.
We left Toronto around 9am and drove straight home, crossing the border into Detroit via the Ambassador Bridge. All things considered, crossing didn't take too long! As we were waiting on the bridge, we blared "Coming to America" by Neil Diamond, and when we were back on US soil, we played God Bless The USA! Although it's fun and pretty easy to get to Canada, I just love America too much to even consider living anywhere else! My patriotism runs deep!
Even though we drove home on Thursday, our vacation wasn't over because, lucky for us (and most importantly for Erin), the Brewers' next series was Cincinnati! So Erin rode back with us and stayed at our house until Sunday! We arrived home around 5:30 Thursday evening, and we went straight to the pool to relax! It was an early night for us as we were all exhausted from driving, plus Robbie still had to work the following morning! He was a trooper this trip, and we appreciated his sacrifice to work while Erin and I played!
Erin and I were planning on going to the Brewers/Reds game on Friday night, but tickets were uncharacteristically expensive. Standing Room Only tickets were starting at $60! The high price of the tickets were due to the fact that there was a post-game concert, it was Lou Gherig Day around the league, and the Reds have been playing pretty decent baseball as of late. Both Erin and I hate crowds, so we decided to forego this game and watch it on TV instead. The Brewers won that game in a thrilling 5-4 fashion in 11 innings! It was a fun game to watch! But it was probably less fun for people who were there for the concert because they had to wait. I have a friend who works for the Reds, and she said that she didn't get home until 1am, because on top of the post-game concert, there were fireworks as well! I did not envy her!
Saturday morning was much of the same here at home, relaxing in the pool and playing games before we left for the ballgame. Saturdays game started at 410pm, and we got tickets for the All-You-Can-Eat seats. We've gotten those tickets before and it's totally worth the value! The food here is of higher caliber than the vendor food on the concourses, and it's unlimited! Plus, the seats are shaded and offers a great view along the first base line!
The Brewers came out swinging in this game, scoring 10 runs by the 4th inning! We were well in our way to a breezy win, but something in me was still nervous. And I guess Woman's Intuition is always right because the Reds came soaring back to score 8 runs! The bases were loaded in the bottom of the 9th but the Brewers were able to put the game away thanks to our amazing closer, Devin Williams. I'm sure our manager was hoping to not use him, but thanks to one of our bullpen pitchers Megill giving up 3 runs without recording an out, he had to come in. And luckily he shut the door! We barely eeked that win out! Whew!
Sunday was Erin's last day here, so we didn't go to the game, but instead watched it on TV again. Normally we would be blacked out of the local Reds games, but our MLBTV app thought we were in the Pittsburgh area for some reason, so the Reds games were available to watch! The Brewers got out to another quick 3-0 lead, and we cruised to a 5-1 win! Erin and I swam and played games until I had to take her to the airport later that evening!
On this trip I was proud of 2 things:
1) I was able to navigate Erin and I through a large international city on foot and via metro transit. Usually I rely on Robbie for all the navigation and directions, but I had no choice this time. Here's a little secret: *it's not that hard*
2) I was able to drive in a different country, and in downtown Toronto. I've heard horror stories of how bad the traffic is in the city, but I was able to navigate it with ease. Some of the signage was a little different, but for the most part was simple. I did all the driving from start to finish on this trip because Robbie was sacrificing most of this trip for work. I feel like I can conquer the rest of the world now! Except India!
We packed a LOT into this trip but we wouldn't have had it any other way! At the end of our vacation we couldn't believe we started our trip in Niagara; it had felt like such a long time ago that we were there! And, it's always good to see Erin and do together what we love the most! Sports are, in fact, what brought us together 3 decades ago!
"It is wonderful to feel the grandness of Canada in the raw." -Emily Carr
