November is such a beautiful time to explore Toronto. The autumn colours are vibrantly exploding around the city and the weather is still comfortable enough to leave your jacket at home. Having the opportunity to travel to Toronto for a concert was pretty sweet, but, being able to wander around downtown and explore new sights was the icing on the cake.
After making our way through the airport, my friend and I hopped on the UP Express train. It brought us to the Union Station, located in the downtown area, and the train ride was relatively quick (only 25 minutes!). From the station, we made our way to the hostel where we would be staying for the first night.
Toronto Travellers Home, like most hostels, is very affordable with plenty of beds to rest your head. It was the perfect location for us because the concert venue was only a short walk from the hostel. After a quick shower and changing into fresh outfits, we left the hostel and made our way towards the venue.
Gah! Watching DIIV perform at The Velvet Underground was fantastic. They have such a upbeat-dreamy-rock vibe that just makes you want to close your eyes and get absorbed into the music. The pink and purple lights enhanced the chill atmosphere as well. The venue wasn’t too crowded during the opening acts, but more and more people joined the fun once DIIV took the stage.
Once the concert was nearly over, my friend and I decided to bail and find something to eat. We wandered the streets until our eyes spotted the word “soup”. We were standing outside of a Vietnamese restaurant called Pho Pasteur Restaurant, which is open 24hrs and, to our delight, served soup!
We woke up the next morning to a beautiful sunshine beaming into the window. It was going to be a good day for exploring! Since my friend and I are both lovers of old cemeteries, local bookstores, and tasty foods, we made plans to wander the downtown area in search of these delights.
But, first, a damn fine cuppa coffee.
Our first stop of the day was to Aroma Espresso Bar. The breads and pastries are freshly baked in-store throughout the day, and the coffee tastes pretty damn good. So, we each enjoyed a cuppa coffee and a delicious breakfast sandwich. It was very tasty! The sandwich was soooo fresh. I would definitely recommend this place.
Walking along Yonge Street was so stimulating with all of the shops and people. We visited BMV Books and purchased “The Little Prince” and “The Picture of Dorian Gray”. Then we had a look into “Eliot’s Bookshop” and fell in love with the upstairs area (it was very aesthetically pleasing with a big window and literature everywhere). We even checked out a few costume shops along the way.
Then it was time to find a cemetery! We made our way over to Winchester Street to visit the Toronto Necropolis, which is a Gothic-style cemetery from the 1800s. The autumn colours of the leaves and trees made this graveyard come to life. It was so lovely walking through it and finding a quiet place to sit and relax.
We found a little bench against a tree and spent some time sitting there and talking. The trees provided enough shade from the sun to keep us cool, and the wind rustling the leaves on the ground created a soothing background noise. Who knew that a cemetery could be so damn relaxing and comfortable?!
After snapping some more photos, we left the Necropolis and headed towards the next hotel. For the second night, we chose to stay at the Colour Cube Guest House, located in the downtown east area. Each room is designed with bright colours and interesting textures and decor. Reception was a little slow, but it was cheap, unique, and super clean. I would definitely consider staying there again sometime in the future.
The next day, my friend and I went for another walk around the downtown area before heading to the airport. We found the coolest bookstore! It’s called Monkey’s Paw and it’s located along Bloor Street West. The store is full of rare, 20th-century literature, as well as the best vending machine EVER – The Biblio-Mat Machine. This is seriously the most unique thing I’ve ever seen in a bookstore. You simply insert a $2 coin into the machine and funky music begins to play as a rare and unusual book is dispensed. You have zero idea of what literature you’ll get, and I think it’s fantastic.
As we made our way along the busy streets, hunger began to take over. So, for lunch, we decided to try Ali Baba’s Middle Eastern Cuisine. I’m a huge fan of curries and seasonings, so I knew I was going to enjoy every single bite. I also tried Guava juice for the first time! It was sweet and refreshing, just like the entire trip to Toronto.
We arrived at the Union Station in the afternoon and hopped on the UP Express train back to the airport. There are way more shops and sights I’d like to see in Toronto, but I’m thankful that I had a little taste of what the city had to offer. I’ll be visiting again sometime in the future for sure. Until then…
Whoa Dana 