24 hours in Toronto

On Monday (October 28th), Jeff and I flew to Toronto, Canada for a quick 24-hours. No...it was not a vacation (although we always try to make the best of the time we're in an area); we flew there so that Jeff could look at a piece of equipment he is considering investing in for the business. We landed at 4:30 p.m. on Monday and flew out at 4:50 p.m. the next day. It was a quick trip...and I think we saw enough of Toronto to know we don't need to come back. I had done a little research prior to the trip (like always) to pick out a few things to see or do while we're there. I knew we would be staying outside of the city (closer to the location of the crane we were going to see), but we still decided to drive into the city to see a few quirky things and grab dinner. That was a mistake! Driving anywhere in the city is a nightmare! Yes...it was fun to see the smallest little house in the city and the half-house, but wandering around Kensington Market (which is a neighborhood rather than a market) to find a place to have dinner was pretty sketchy. I couldn't believe this was on several "must-do" lists that I had researched. We did find a decent burger place and the neighborhood had a quirky charm to it, but I left that area with a less than favorable opinion of Toronto. The next morning (Tuesday, October 29th), Jeff went to see the crane and weigh the pros and cons of the purchase while I slept in a little then we headed back to Toronto. We parked the car and went walking. It was pretty rainy all day and we got pretty wet, but it was better than trying to maneuver the streets in a car. The old town/downtown area had a much cleaner vibe. It honestly redeemed the city a little for me. I loved seeing the historic architecture being preserved amongst the new modern sky rises. We walked by the Gooderdam building (an old flat iron building), wandered through Dundas Square (a mini Times Square), and enjoyed a yummy meal at St. Lawrence Market (an actual market). We were going to go up to the observation deck in the CN tower (which used to be the highest freestanding building in the world in the 1970s), but the fog was too heavy and we knew we wouldn't see much. I can't say that I ever need to go back to Toronto, but spending time with Jeff on another adventure is always a memory worth treasuring.