Skyscrapers and Soybeans Fieldtrip: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

This weekend, I was lucky enough to travel to Toronto to visit one of my best friends, Lindsay, and her mom Marg. In the past few years, I have been to the Toronto area several times and have experienced many of the interesting sights the city has to offer. In my opinion, Toronto has a similar feel to Chicago...it's on a lake (Ontario for those wondering), it's of a similar size and population, and it's a very international city with many diverse neighborhoods. I think that Toronto would make a great weekend getaway for anyone in the Midwest. It's approximately a seven hour drive from the Chicagoland area (my time may be off...I am comparing this to my dear husband, driving like a bat out of hell, from the South burbs of Chicago - our current record it 6h30m) or a 1 hour flight. If you make an extended long weekend of your Toronto adventure, you can even head to Niagara Falls, which is only 1.5 hours from the city.

Listed below are some of my favorite things I have done in Toronto:



- Visit the CN Tower - Yes, it's touristy. But guess what? You are a tourist! So get up there and enjoy the sprawling views of Toronto and it's suburbs!

- Visit the Hockey Hall of Fame - I will come right out and say that I am not a die-hard hockey fan, which is just short of blaspheming in this Chicago Blackhawks crazed environment I am living in right now. However, the museum is interesting and fun for all people. There are many interesting pieces of hockey history, including the original Stanley Cup. You can also get up close and personal with the real Stanley Cup, which is pretty darn cool, even to a non-hockey follower such as myself. SIDE NOTE: I have never experienced a crazier fan than a Canadian hockey fan. It's a religion up there.

- Stroll down Yonge Street. It's the Michigan Avenue of Toronto and there is lots of shopping to be had. The big mall in town is the Eaton Center and it's located right on the main drag. Also, there is a store unique to Canada called Roots. For some reason, I am like a moth to a flame with their clothing. Upon further research you can apparently get Roots products here in the states. I will continue to pretend that you cannot and that it's a rare gem from the Great White North.

- Don Cherry's (see above side note about Canadians and hockey) - If you like wings, you will like Don Cherry's. I had no idea who this mythical figure was until my first trip to T.O. back in 2004. He's a bit of a character in the Canadian hockey scene, and happens to have some of the best wings I've ever had. He also dresses like a pimp. In my book, that makes his wings even more awesome.

- Tim Horton's - This marks another institution that the Canucks are crazy about. I'm not a doughnut gal, so I can't really comment on that, but they do have some of the best hot chocolate I've ever experienced. You know it's good when you're still ordering the hot chocolate in the dead of July.

- Poutine - Once upon a time, I was wandering my way through the International Foods Weight Watchers point guide. Surprisingly, there was a Canadian foods section. Even more surprisingly, there was a food product worth a whopping 26 points for one half cup serving. Holy Crap. What in the hell is this stuff? So like any dedicated researcher, I had to have it and see what could possibly make this stuff so bad for you. Well my friends, I am shocked that poutine hasn't made its way to every college campus in the USA. It's fries and cheese curds, covered with brown gravy to make it all melty. It's basically a heart attack in a bowl and an be found all over the fine country of Canada. I am convinced that it might be the best drunk food ever invented.

- Steamwhistle Brewery - We visited this brewery a few years ago and thoroughly enjoyed our experience there. It's an old train station and depot that has been converted to a brewery. It's conveniently located down by the Rogers Center. If you are into brewery tours, I highly recommend this experience.

These are just a few of my favorite activities and experiences I have had on my journeys to Canada.

Facts about Toronto:
- 1/4 of the Canadian population lives in 160km of Toronto
- Yonge Street is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest street in the world, stretching 1,896 km from the lakeshore in Toronto, north to Rainy River, Ontario, near the Minnesota border.
-Toronto is home to the world's tallest free-standing structure, the CN Tower standing 1,815 feet tall.
- About 25% of films produced in Hollywood are actually filmed in Toronto, making it North America's 3rd largest TV and movie production venue
- Toronto is North America's 5th-largest city after Mexico City, New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago.
- Toronto residents hold more university educations than another other area of the world, based on population percentage.