Rocking in Torockto (Toronto)

Ok, lame post title, but it was awesome.

I don't usually associate the word "awesome" with Toronto. I normally associate the words "Traffic", "Smog", "Noise", and "Crazy Leafs Fans". This time, I experienced none of those things.

I have to remember that I'm normally driving through Toronto and never really have time to experience it. This time we took ViaRail, didn't have to worry about who was going to drive, and let this be a sort of mini-honeymoon.

Friday morning we drove to the Ottawa train station and got in line to get seats on the train. The cheapest seats means more waiting in line, but we got two seats next to each other so I was able to sleep with my head on J's shoulder and not some random stranger. Within 5 hours we were in Toronto....or rather, we were stopped for 15 minutes just outside Union Station in Toronto. Annoying as it was ("Just let me out and I'll WALK into the station!"), it must be pretty busy in there, so we forgive you ViaRail. Everything was so smooth that it makes up for the wait.

We walked across the street to the Fairmont Royal York and checked into our room. Wow. What a hotel! It's right out of the flapper era. There are gorgeous chandeliers inside and the whole building looks like an old chateau. Don't get me wrong. The place wasn't old like falling-apart-old. It was so nice and classy that we felt underdressed! The staff was really friendly (didn't judge us on our rumpled train outfits) and our room was great!

After freshening up into our theatre gear, we were on our way to meet Kelly and some other friends for dinner at Jack Astor's. Compared to the Jack Astor's in Ottawa, this place was boppin'. Luckily, lots of people cleared out because there was a Blue Jays verses Red Sox baseball game. After dinner we went to the Royal Alexandria Theatre and saw Rock of Ages.

One thing I don't like about Ottawa is that we get the short end of the stick when it comes to hit musicals. We'll get maybe one or two per year, but the majority of them just stay in Toronto. Now, Rock of Ages just opened, so I guess it has to gain popularity before they think of touring, but I am predicting that it will get really popular, really fast. Yes, it's a love story like most other musicals, but the original part is that the music is set to rock songs of the 80's. If you are about 28+ years old and you go see this musical, you will know all the songs. However, it is definitely worth seeing even if you are younger!! It was fabulous to be able to sing along to, and the energy on stage was so intense that I have no clue how they do it 8 times a week (until October!). All I can really say is that this was one of my all-time favourite musicals. The music, the cast, the jokes....You have to see it!! Just don't bring your kids...

After a pair of pints at the hotel lounge, we fell asleep in our plush king-size bed. We slept like babies.

Saturday morning we got up and went to the Hockey Hall of Fame (HHOF). My husband, J, is a huge hockey fan. He saw all the games at Scotiabank Place during the 2009 World Junior Championship, and routinely makes me watch a game or two a week during the NHL season. I suggested going to the HHOF when I found out it was just around the corner from the Fairmont. J agreed right away.
We saw lots of hockey memorabilia, and loads of stuff on the Great One, Wayne Gretzky. We got to touch the Stanley Cup (a replica of course) and the lucky loonie that was embedded in the ice during the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics. J was in hockey-heaven and I got mega points for going with him! Sweeeet.

Next up, we made our way across town to Medeival Times. We've gone to the Medeival Times in Kissimmee, Florida, and it was a great time! So naturally, we had to see if it was the same story-line here in Canada. The atmosphere was great, the jousting was exciting, and the meal was tasty.

After the show, J and I said goodbye to Kelly and headed back to our hotel, exhausted. By the way, it takes about an hour to walk from the Fairmont to Medeival Times....and we took some detours so we we got quite a bit of exercise.

The next day, we had a nice breakfast in one of the restaurants under the Fairmont and then packed up our things and headed to the train station. It's amazing how much it looks like Grand Central Station in New York City.

You know, as much as we want to travel to every country in the world, we really need to take the time to see the cities in our own country. I had been to Toronto with my parents when I was younger, but I don't think I realized then how nice it was. This time, we weren't dealing with traffic and noise, we were dealing with the culture. It was only a weekend, but we had a great time. I have a renewed appreciation for the capital of Ontario, and we will definitely be back.