toronto by night

it's canada recap time! 

because we had originally planned this trip with the 

purpose of visiting niagara falls, we first flew into

 toronto so we could visit some other canadian cities 

as part of this trip. i knew we wanted to see niagara, 

but i always have to pack in any other fun, new 

nearby places on trips :) in this case, that meant 

seeing toronto, going to niagara, back to toronto, 

then using the rest of the weekend to go deeper into 

french canada to see montreal & quebec city...luckily

chase is used to me doing this and puts up with it!

for now, let's talk about toronto and our first night there.

we landed in toronto after flying east all day, so

our introduction to this city was at night. i already

knew i liked toronto even before seeing it in the 

daylight. the energy and different feel woke me

right up after the long flight from coast to coast,

and we were ready to go explore this place! i was

surprised at how much i instantly liked the vibe

of toronto...it's somewhere i would even live!

it's hard to explain the feel of toronto.

it's a big city, but really clean. it has a little bit

of french flair because it's part of french canada,

but there's so much more to it than that. parts of it

feel modern, and other parts historic. the asian

influence came through to me, but every turn feels a 

bit different-- it's a unique place. i guess i'd say it 

almost feels like a mix between NYC, europe, and asia.

basically, a melting pot with it's own take on things!

all that is to say that it is a great city with so many

different sides to it. since we knew we were heading

much deeper into french canada later in the trip, we

embraced the asian culture in toronto by staying

at the shangri-la and eating at luckee -- the best 

chinese food i've ever had in my life -- hands 

down. but more on that below in this post :) 

when we travel, we like to stay at places that fit the city. 

sometimes this means renting a local apartment, 

sometimes it means hostels, but in toronto it meant

a high-rise right downtown in the center of it all:

the shangri-la is the perfect place to stay in this city.

it is so central, it's gorgeous, has lots of good 

restaurants and shopping around it, and it is a 

treat to stay here. the views of the high rise buildings 

out of the big windows show off toronto and make 

you know that you're staying in the right place. 

^^ it has a great upscale feel with iPads for ordering 

room service or getting more info, and of course

i was a sucker for these welcome macarons. favorite!

^^ i fell in love with these pretty chandeliers & you can

see them through the big glass windows from the street 

^^ i don't think chase was too mad about

having a TV in the bathroom mirrors! it

makes getting ready a lot more fun :)

the shangri-la hotel line is famous for top-of-the-line

accommodations and service, and it was fun to experience

such a great one in toronto. it made us love this city

and enjoy it from the get-go after that long flight!

••

after checking in, we were off to dinner. i had

heard rave reviews about luckee, the new

restaurant by susur lee. it is incredible chinese

food with a definite flair...just like toronto has a

unique twist on something familiar, this restaurant

did the same. i promise we both said it was the

best chinese food we'd ever had. you may know 

the chef from top chef master on the food network.

he is described as a "culinary genius," and i'd

have to agree. he has perfected a nouvelle-chinoise 

modern fusion that is unlike anything i've ever had.

he's also a judge on chopped if anyone watches that!

i loved the vibe inside this restaurant. you step into what

feels like a completely different world! killer ambience.

the food is beautiful and fresh and so incredibly delicious.

i can't even begin to tackle the amazing menu, but a few MUST-orders include:

the chicken cheung fun -- the best and most unique appetizer that is the star

dish here. we could instantly see why! i am still dreaming of this creation.

it's a flavorful rice roll with a different texture and taste than we'd ever had.

we also loved the fresh soba noodle salad, and about died over the 

general tao crispy sesame beef. definitely chase's favorite. i loved the

wok seared chicken & shrimp, mostly because i wanted to drink the soy

glaze by itself. everything is just incredible and satisfying and unique.

do yourself (and your tastebuds) a favor and EAT HERE in toronto!

after ALL that food we went on a little walk 

around the city before heading back to the hotel.

^^ we walked by wayne gretzky's restaurant and realized 

how much canada REALLY does love their hockey! 

^^ we also walked through the theatre district and i found

a sign with dunn (my maiden name) so we had to document!

{dunn ended up being EVERYWHERE in canada, on street

signs, restaurants, etc. i don't know what the deal is!}

^^ after relaxing back at the shangri-la with these views,

we were exhausted with an early wake-up call to head

to niagara...so we ordered room service breakfast on

the ipad provided in the room -- talk about luxury!

and then in the morning...although it was tough to wake

up at 7 AM {4 AM our west coast time} this perfect

breakfast delivery made it much better.

the shangri-la just does everything right! 

it is a treat to stay at one sometime in your life.

and then it was off to the coach station to niagara falls

which you can see here. more of canada to come!

i loved this view as we walked to the coach station -- 

it represents the old-meets-new feel of toronto.

thanks toronto for a great welcome!

xo