McG went on vacation...

Took the family for a trip around Lake Ontario this past weekend. Had a lovely time.

Started out heading to Niagara Falls for an overnight visit to the lovely American side of the falls. It's interesting to see how the ice builds up at the base of the falls. Like a wall that wraps around the base so the falls appear to be going into a funnel. Naturally, the Canadian side looks more appealing. All full of neon and such. The Seneca Indians have built a new Casino on the American side right in the heart of the city. It towers over the surrounding area and provided a new and unusual sky line of rainbow lights. We ate dinner at the Hard Rock and took full advantage of our All Access pass that we invested in awhile ago. We were able to bypass the line and got right in. I forgot how expensive the Hard Rock Cafe is...

The bed at the Comfort Inn the Pointe were less then comfortable. Slightly softer then the floor would have been, but clean and location was excellent.

Got up early and went over to look at the Canadian side of the falls. Parking was outrageously priced for just wanting to take a quick look, so we parked at the tour bus area and the family went and looked while I waited in case the mounties tried to harass us. We weren't the only ones doing this and no one bothered us. Driving through downtown Niagara Falls on the Canadian side with children in the car is a bad idea. It's like Willy Wonka came through there with the lights and things to see. There was much whining as I kept driving towards Toronto.

I must say that Canadian drivers are more respectful on the highway then Americans. Generally staying in the right lane except when passing slower traffic and the roads are in good shape.

We arrived in Toronto early, so we took a cruise up Yonge street. I love Yonge Street. Such a fun place. My children started tallying the number of Starbuck's, Tim Horton's and Second Cups as we progressed. It's amazing how much coffee is consumed in Toronto.

We stayed at the Cambridge Suites, on the corner of Yonge and Alexander St. Nice place, great location, ok bed. Not as soft as home, but quite a step up from the previous night. We walked through the Bay, Eaton Centre and down town for awhile. Then complaints of being cold and feet hurting and hunger started. We ate at the Eaton Centre food court. I had poutine, there was a mixture of McDonalds and Quizno's mixed in. My son discovered that you can put vinegar on french fries. He loved it. Canadians... what will they come up with next.

Walked around some more and decided to look for some place to eat dinner. My wife looked through the advertising and we decided on the Purple Pig. Naturally it was closed, as that is our luck. So, we headed east looking for food. It was dark out and the homeless were huddled on their vents. I kept telling them that there really wasn't anything to be worried about, but my family doesn't have much big city experience.

We ended up at Dunn's Deli somewhere down by the CN tower. I ha dthe "Famous smoked meat sandwich" which was really just a Reuben, but the meat was about 6 inches thick... tasty though. We also had bbq ribs and chicken, a BLT and an open Roast beef which had peas and gravy on it. Not the best meal ever.

Went back to the room and watched TV. Next morning, checked out and headed for the Toronto Zoo. Turns out the Presidents Day in Canada is "Family Day". Both good and bad for us as it was a nice day, but everyone, it seems, in Toronto decided to also go to the zoo. Good that tickets were half price though. Walked around the African area, then the Canada domain which is down a steep hill that you have to walk back up. More complaints... I had a great time though as I like zoos. I treid to tell them if they had fun, they wouldn't mind the cold and the walking. Didn't work so we skipped the American and European and Australian circles. I was disappointed.

After the Zoo, programmed the GPS for home and headed west around the lake. Stopped at the duty free and picked up a case of Alexander Keith's India Pale Ale and the rest of the trip was uneventful.

So thanks Canada for a nice weekend!