The Toronto Trip: Day 2

Today I am covering the second and final day we spent exploring the city of Toronto! Both of the days were very exciting and fun, but the second day of this trip has arguably more beautiful photos. Keep reading this post to see them all!

The Gooderham Building

This is one of the most iconic buildings in Toronto and such a cool architectural structure to see! Honestly, it looks like something that would be in a movie or New York City. It has that Old World charm to it and gives the city a classical touch to an otherwise very modern looking place.

There wasn’t really much to do with the Gooderham building other than walk by it and take photos, but it was still very fun to see!

St. Lawrence Market

Is there anything better than waking up early in the morning to go the market? I don’t think so! Especially the St. Lawrence Market!

This place had all kinds of different meats, fruits, vegetables, and bread! There was even a little stand where you could get desserts like cake, cookies, and macaroons! Seeing all of the fresh food in one location was super cool.

Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada

After a little bit of time wondering around St. Lawrence Market, we then headed off into the direction of Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada! This was a special highlight of the trip because I can’t recall another time in my life that I have ever been to an aquarium.

Seeing the fish up close was really cool! I loved witnessing all of the different types fish that were openly swimming! There were so many cool photos that I got of the different water species that I would never normally have.

So many of the fish I saw in this particular viewing area I remembered from the film Finding Nemo! As we walked through the aquarium, I swear the more I thought of that movie the more I became an excited kid like the ones that were running all around the place beside me.

This is the portion of the aquarium where we began to stand on a moving walkway thing that is similar to what is at some airports. It moved slowing some you could see the fish and sharks swimming all around you. The “tank”, if you want to call it that, then extended above you head and on both sides. Essentially, you were surrounded by the water tank which was equal parts scary (especially since there were multiple sharks) and cool!

After practically being surrounded by the fish and water, it was time to move on to the next area of the aquarium. This time we saw the tiniest, most adorable little Sea Horses! They made my day and I still smile just looking at the photos!

The next section of the aquarium the jelly fish area. This was a really colorful part of the aquarium and some of the photos may be a little dark because everything else was dimly lit too. But I think some of the photos turned out pretty good so I am going to share them here.

It was difficult to get a photo with the jelly fish, but here is my best attempt. They all floated so beautifully in the water and were such stunning colors! I loved that they were almost neon looking! The jelly fish were one of the most peaceful parts of our visit to the aquarium.

Casa Loma

After grabbing a quick lunch, we made our way to a castle called Casa Loma. I never knew there was a single castle on this continent, but it sure was cool to see! It had a certain medieval charm to it, and the people who worked there were super nice!

This was by far one of the prettiest and grandest bathrooms I have ever seen in my life! The marble walls were so stunning and unique! I saw this mirror and just had to get a selfie in the prettiest bathroom in the world!

This was the garden area of Casa Loma, and hands down one of the most peaceful sections of the castle. There was soft music playing in the background as folks investigated the room which made the whole experience more special. Another element of the room that was really something to see was the glass ceiling!

At Casa Loma there was also a cool antique car display! There were old horse stables and even carriages! It was unique to see all of the different types of vehicles that were at Casa Loma, and how

This blue and white themed room was the most beautiful of the whole Casa Loma castle, in my opinion! I thought the furniture was so ornate and beautifully crafted! Also, it reminds me very much of cameo jewelry and the whole Victorian era.

I will leave you with this final photo from Casa Loma because I think it is so beautiful how the sunshine was lightly washing through the window and onto the floor. Visiting Casa Loma was a great experience and I would highly recommend anyone who is planning trip to Toronto to visit this castle. Also, I forgot to mention that there have been a ton of movies filmed in this castle! So, that is another neat element that makes location a must see when visiting Toronto!

The Yorkdale Mall

Later in the evening we all decided to visit the upscale Yorkdale Mall where high fashion stores like Kate Spade are located! There are a number of other high fashion shops there that I couldn’t possibly get a photo with all of them, however, I knew that I had to get a quick photo with the Kate Spade storefront. This is one of my favorite fashion brands so it was a dream come true seeing the shop in person!

The real reason we went to the Yorkdale Mall in the first place was because we wanted to eat at the Cheesecake Factory. Despite cheesecake being my absolute favorite dessert of all-time, this would be my first visit to the restaurant. To say that I was excited would be an understatement.

The dish that I ordered for my actual meal was the cheese flatbread pizza. As you can see above, I already took a square because I was pretty hungry, but I still got a photo of a mostly whole pizza! Anyway, it was really delicious and very filling. However, I still had a little room for a slice of cheesecake…

Let me just say this, the cheesecake at the Cheesecake Factory was unlike anything I had ever tasted before! It was delicious, but on a completely new level! Of course, I went with the classic cheesecake flavor since it was my first time at the ultimate spot for cheesecake, but next time I will have to give something with chocolate a try. Anyway, it was wonderful and 10/10 would recommend!

Young-Dundas Square

Younge-Dundas Square was relatively empty when we were there, but that could have been because of the fact that it was in the low thirties outside temperature wise. Despite the cold, we were thrilled to be there! It was so cool to see the lights and all of the advertisements!

Standing in the square means a lot to me in particular because I am studying advertising as my college degree. Witnessing where all of the hard work ad agencies put into creating campaigns and ads is a lot of fun!

The 3D Toronto Sign

The iconic 3D Toronto sign was our last stop for the entire Toronto visit! There was not better way to view the sign than at night and as our last destination. It was so colorful and constant changed colors, too!

My Dad, brother, and I had to get a quick selfie with the sign before we made our way back to the hotel. It was so much fun to go with them, and they were great at navigating the city! Also, I am looking forward to hopefully many more trips around the world with my brother Jacob. He and I have been travel buddies since the beginning so I am sure you all will see much more of him in the future.

So, there you have it! That was our second and final day in the city of Toronto. The trip was amazing and there were so many cool things that we were able to see. Until the next adventure!

Much Love,

Sarah