We woke up that morning to our final full day in Canada and we decided to speedrun as much of Toronto as we could manage. Unfortunately due to constraints of distance and endurance we barely scratched the surface. There will need to be a next time.
So what was the most Canadian way to start the final day? Grab-and-go breakfast at Tim Hortons of course. Actually that was just a coincidence. Downtown business hotels charge grossly inflated rates for breakfast, ours included, and a Tim Hortons beckoned just across the street. It could have been a Dunkin’ or a Starbucks or a whatever; it didn’t really matter. Nonetheless, I relished doing something quintessentially Canadian on the most unabashedly touristy day of our adventure.
Toronto Island Park
Well, except the kids decided they wanted to sleep-in, and that was fine. Their loss, because I was planning to start the day at Toronto Island Park.
That’s a funny name because it’s actually an archipelago of about a dozen islands, but I let it slide. I’ve had my eye on this place for ages because three different ferries run to it: Hanlan’s Point, Centre Island and Ward’s island from west to east. I’m not going to give up an opportunity to add to my ferry list!
Centre Island Ferry
All ferries serving the park depart downtown Toronto from a single spot, the Jack Layton Ferry Terminal, just off of Queens Quay and behind the Westin hotel (map). So we booked a spot on the first crossing of the day for Centre Island and hoofed it down to the dock.
We figured it might be crowded because if was a beautiful Saturday in June, and it was completely packed. I’m glad we got there a little early, although to be fair the ship held enough room for everyone in line, and there were hundreds of us. But our favorable place in line let us grab a bench on the upper deck with an unobstructed view. I created a short video, something I do maybe once a year (and often ferry related) so please give it a watch. The world’s lamest YouTube channel could use some love.
It’s a brief trip, maybe about 15 minutes. However it’s quite rejuvenating as passengers whisk away from the noise and commotion of downtown. There’s something so calm and peaceful about the open water even if it’s shared with hundreds of your newfound friends.
Skyline Views
The islands are within easy sight of the Toronto skyline. In fact, it’s just about the perfect spot to truly appreciate it. I was able to capture some wonderful shots with a telephoto lens, although a phone camera might do a decent job too. There are multiple amazing vistas from the northern edge of the park. We were lucky to be there on a crystal clear day with loads of observation points.
Gibraltar Point Lighthouse
Well, I love ferries but I love lighthouses too. I’ve visited a bunch of them. So it was great to be able to combine both joys within a single trip. The Gibraltar Point Lighthouse dates to 1809, the oldest remaining lighthouse on the Great Lakes (map). It’s no longer an active navigational aid, and it went out of service in the 1950’s. It’s also supposed to be haunted by a murdered lightkeeper, but really, no self-respecting spirit would hang around such a tightly confined space. Unfortunately the door was locked so I couldn’t poke my head inside and check for sure. I tried.
We walked to the lighthouse from the Centre Island ferry terminal, a distance of about 2 kilometres (1.25 miles). It’s certainly a doable stroll over easy terrain. However, anyone replicating it would want to factor in the roundtrip plus any other sites worth seeing. Maybe rent a bicycle instead.
Dragon Boat Festival
We discovered pretty quickly why the early morning ferry drew such a big crowd. Everyone else was heading towards the 37th Annual Toronto International Dragon Boat Festival. There seemed to be hundreds of teams and even more spectators. We watched for awhile and eventually walked back to the ferry dock. I wished we had an opportunity to see more of the park but we had to return and prepare for our afternoon plans.
Little did we know we would get another opportunity. This is called foreshadowing, folks.
Brewery #12: Steam Whistle Brewing
So we got back to the hotel and rousted the kids from bed because it was time they got moving. Then we walked a few blocks to Steam Whistle Brewing for lunch. The brewery seemed to have just one beer though, a pilsner. Well technically they had two on tap that day, their regular offering and an unfiltered version, which I selected. I consumed just that single beer so I continued to align with the standard disclaimer.
The brewery follows an interesting business model by focusing exclusively on the perfection of a single product. Even the large macro-breweries tend to have multiple options, although admittedly with little daylight between them.
The name of the brewery aligns with its location. It occupies part of an old railroad roundhouse and the whistle hearkens back to the days of steam locomotives.
CN Tower
Then we headed across the plaza to the CN Tower, probably the most visible and recognizable landmark in Toronto (map). Per the name, it literally towers over the rest of downtown, reaching 553.3 metres (1,815.3 feet) to the very tip. I know it’s kind of kitschy, but I’ve succumbed to the charms of similar towers in Tokyo and Auckland, and I feel like I’m beholden to them now. So if there’s a big tower in a major city it’s my duty to pay an exorbitant fee and ride to the top now, but only once! I have to draw my line somewhere. We got some spectacular views on this clear day. It enjoyed looking back at the Toronto Islands where we started the day earlier staring at the CN tower across the water, completing the circle.
By the way, CN isn’t some shorthand abbreviation for Canada, it refers specifically to the Canadian National railway company. I’m not sure how a tower relates to railroads which is probably why the company divested itself of it in the 1990’s. Even so, the name remained.
Ripley’s Aquarium
Of course we needed to find a zoo too. I’ll mention yet again that the older kid has undergraduate degrees in zoology and entomology. Zoos are going to happen and we did visit one earlier in the trip. However the Toronto Zoo was pretty far from downtown and not particularly convenient to public transportation. We didn’t have that much time either so we settled for a proxy right at the base of the CN Tower: Ripley’s Aquarium (map). It’s an aquatic zoo, right? That was the logic I used.
It had fish. And crowds.
The Finish Line
We made it nearly the entire trip without physically touching any Canadian currency. However we finally stopped at an ATM for the smallest amount of cash available. We needed to pay a tip at the hotel bell stand where they stored our luggage for the day and then got us into a taxi. I realize Canadian tipping culture is different than U.S. tipping culture, but I would feel weird if I totally stiffed the staff. It was just a few bucks but I needed cash to do that. Beyond that, however, credit cards and Apple Pay covered everything else. Generally Canada was cashless and I loved that about it.
From there, we took our only cab ride of the trip, going from a hotel in downtown Toronto to one out near the airport. I don’t think the ride saved us much time versus the UP Express train, but it did deliver us right to the doorstep so it was convenient after a tiring day.
We could see the airport from our hotel room. The next morning we only had to stroll across the stroad, enter the terminal, and catch our flight.
Easy, right? Little did we know…
Articles in the Ontario Series
- Choices
- Downtime
- Lake and Mountain
- Penetanguishene and Beyond
- Lake and Caves
- Owen Sound
- Toronto Orientation
- Toronto Tourist
- Bonus Days
See Also: The Complete Photo Album on Flickr.
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