Chris Trost's Travel Blog: Canada (Toronto)

May 16 - 19, 2025

Toronto - Ontario Canada

Table of Contents

Post-Trip Summary

Day 1 - Friday, May 16, 2025 - Fly to Toronto, Canada

Day 2 - Saturday, May 17, 2025 - Day Trip to Niagara Falls

Day 3 - Sunday, May 18, 2025 - Sightsee Toronto

Day 4 - Monday, May 19, 2025 - Return Home

Post-Trip Summary

I decided to get away to someplace close to Milwaukee for the weekend. Toronto had been on the bucket list for a long time. I traveled there in the late 1990s for business but didn't really get to see a lot. I made up for it this time.

I stayed at the outstanding and centrally-located Marriott Courtyard Downtown. It was close to public transportation and major sites.

My Hotel - Marriott Courtyard Toronto Downtown

The cost of this stay over the 4 days was a modest $1,200, or about $300 per day.

Overall, I had a wonderful time in Toronto and Niagara Falls. There was so much to see and do that I barely had time to catch my breath. Following is a day-by-day account of my trip. You can just read on from here or go back up to the Table of Contents and jump to a specific day or topic of interest.

Enjoy!

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Day 1 - Friday, May 16, 2025 - Fly to Toronto, Canada

About Toronto from Lonely Planet

Daily Journal

Weather: 80F and sunny

Hotel: Marriott Courtyard Downtown

Summary: Today I traveled from Milwaukee to Toronto via Detroit, checked into my centrally-located hotel.

The flight did not start out well. After boarding, the captain announced that there was a tire problem and they needed to change it. So we all had to get off the plane. Eventually, we were two hours late out of MKE, which was almost exactly our layover in Detroit. Had our next gate not been close to our arrival gate, we would have missed our connection. The flight they rebooked us on just in case we missed our connection was ultimately cancelled, which would have screwed up the entire weekend. At fate would have it, luck was on our side.

Today's Travel Map

Waiting for the Flight in Milwaukee

Delay in Milwaukee to Change a Tire - Delta!

We arrived in Toronto as originally planned, cleared customs in just seconds thanks to using the Canadian pre-arrival app on my phone to upload travel documents and other info before landing.

First Glimpse of Toronto - Really Spread Out

Friends of mine arrived at the same time but in a different terminal and airline. They ran off to get the rental car and we met them there and drove into the city together. It was apparently the big Queen Victoria Day holiday weekend and traffic moved at a crawl all the way from the airport to our hotel. What would have been 20 minutes by express train, turn out to be a 1-1/2 hour drive to our hotel. Live and learn (we took the express train to the airport on the way home).

Making our Way to Hotel from Airport - HEAVY TRAFFIC

Church St Toronto

After checking into the hotel, we walked over to a burger restaurant for dinner before heading out to a number of bars nearby for cocktails and people watching.

Getting a Bite to Eat at Yonge/University

Barhopping

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Day 2 - Saturday, May 17, 2025 - Day Trip to Niagara Falls

About Niagara Falls from Lonely Planet

Daily Journal

Weather: 70F and overcast

Hotel: Marriott Courtyard Downtown

Summary: We took a day trip to Niagara Falls, Canada and enjoyed a boat ride to the falls and a leisurely stroll through town. It was a great day.

Today's Travel Map - Toronto to Niagara Falls

We left the hotel after breakfast around 10:30 am for the 1-1/2 hour drive to Niagara Falls. We had a 1:00 pm boar reservation for the journey to the falls. However, the holiday traffic was hideous and we arrived in Niagara Falls with virtually no time to spare. We hustled and managed to check in, get our disposable rain coats, and board the boat on time.

Niagara Falls, Canada

Queen Victoria Park

Skylon Tower - First Came Here in 1971

The wind was fierce and it whipped up quite a mist from both the American and Horseshoe Falls. The falls were wonderful but at a certain point, we were soaked to the skin and left wondering when we would turn away from the driving mist of the Horseshoe Falls and head back downwind to the starting point.

Niagara City Cruises Trip to the Falls by Boat

American Falls (US Side)

Happy Faces Before Getting Soaked

American Falls (US Side) & Horseshoe Falls (Canada) in Back

American Falls (US Side)

Very Windy Day

Approaching Horseshoe Falls (Canadian Side)

Approaching Horseshoe Falls (Canadian Side) - The Roar!

Approaching Horseshoe Falls (Canadian Side) - Getting Soaked

On the Way Back to the Start

After the tour, the group shopped for souvenirs at the tour boat gift shop. Then we walked up the hill to the tourist area, which is a menagerie of bars, restaurants, shops and things for the kids to do. Quite a tourist trap. We walked through the Skylon Tower, a fond memory of mine from the first two times I was here, then stopped for lunch.

Downtown Niagara Falls, Canada

After lunch, some of the group went back to the car and the rest of us headed down to the river to stand at the point where the Horseshoe Falls cascade over the cliffs. Quite a sight to see.

Horseshoe Falls (Canadian Side)

We then met the rest of the group and headed back to Toronto. It was again slow going with the holiday traffic. After returning to Toronto, we headed out for happy hour, dinner, and a night on the town. Every place was busy and there were 1-1/2 to 2-hour lines outside every bar. If you left a place, your chances of getting into another were bleak.