Toronto, Ontario is one of those cities that I had always wanted to visit. The combination of the kindness of the Canadian people, pictures of the city, and people I know that have visited made me really want to go explore this truly global place. As luck would have it, I had been planning a roadtrip that would encompass visiting around 20 U.S. states, as well a good portion of Lower Canada. Since I was already driving from Detroit to Ottawa, I would be driving right past the city and had at least a few hours to spend exploring.

With my undertaking on this trip being pretty extensive, looking for cheap ways to explore is of the utmost concern. This meant that I researched some areas that looked interesting, and then planned on walking to visit them. I parked in a lot near ________ (only 2 CAD) and decided that I would just walk everywhere from there. This meant that I ended up walking over 10 miles between about 1:45 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.

Though there might have been ways to see more of the city, I do think that the best way to really explore any part of a city is by walking, so I felt pretty good about what I saw for this small sliver of Toronto.

I walked from down by the water, to Queens St and walked all the way into town and up to Market 707 – an outside area with containers converted into food stalls (something overhyped by most of the internet…). From there, I walked the short way to Kensington Market, then followed the street past the University of Toronto and back down towards Queens Street, while making sure to get the most picturesque place to get a good view of the CN Tower.

On the way back, I stopped at Poutini’s House of Poutine – poutine might just be the heaviest food you could possibly find: fries covered with cheese curds and gravy. It was certainly good, but I again was slightly let down because I was expecting something as decadent as this to be out of this world – instead, it was just good.

Since I had such a short time, I only saw a small sliver of the city, but I apparently need a good Torontonian to show me around and win me over because out of the numerous cities I’ve visited, Toronto was nowhere near the top of the list. Bring me back for an actual better amount of time and I would love to have my mind changed about the 6!

Stay tuned, I am aiming to give quick overviews about each major city I visit. Goodbye from Canada!