Planning for Toronto!

We recently decided on the location for our next holiday. Drum roll... we're off to Toronto!

We've both had a week booked off in March for months but couldn't decide on where to go... we're both a bit indecisive when it comes to booking holidays which aren't Disney related. After a lot of research and number crunching, we decided to go to Toronto as it's somewhere Neil has wanted to go for years and a few of our friends have been in recent years and really loved it. We've heard that it's a friendlier version of New York which sounds pretty perfect to me.

We're jetting off  in just under two weeks so we're busy booking attractions and planning ahead. I'm also obsessing over the advanced weather forecast... one of my rather annoying customs every time we leave the house for longer than a day.

I've even started a Pinterest board which is clearly where every holiday planning strategy should start.

Find this image on Pinterest here. 

So, after our initial research, here are the top ten things we want to visit in Toronto:


1.Niagara Falls
This is an obvious one and I'm ridiculously excited about seeing this amazing spectacle! I'm fully expecting my camera battery to give up the ghost on this day trip.

2. CN Tower
I love beautiful views so I'm really looking forward to our visit to this iconic landmark. We've also booked a meal in the revolving restaurant at the top of the tower which promises to be an amazing experience.

3. Casa Loma 
This place looks beautifully elegant and stately. I'm particularly excited about seeing it as the Canadian section in Walt Disney World's Epcot is modelled on it. I feel as if I'm fairly well acquainted with it already!

4. Union Station
I love a good bustling train station. Union Station is Toronto's main railway station as well as one of the city's premier architectural landmarks. If it's anything like New York's Grand Central Station, I'm guaranteed to be impressed.

5. Toronto Island Park
I'm not sure if we'll get the chance to visit this area as it'll most likely need an entire day. However, I'm really hoping we can fit it in as it boasts a spectacular view of the Toronto skyline as well as being a tranquil escape from the city.

6. St. Lawrence Market
What better place to find local delicacies? Let's face it, it wouldn't be a proper holiday for me and Neil if we didn't seek out the best local food and drink.

7. Royal Ontario Museum
I love visiting museums at our various holiday locations as they give you such a sense of culture and history, and I'm sure this one won't disappoint.

8. Toronto Zoo
Again, we might not have time to visit this one as it's quite a way out from the centre of Toronto, but it's definitely a solid 'maybe'.

9. Distillery Historic District
This one has made the list as it's apparently the best place to go for quality ice cream... never mind the beer! And yes, I fully intend to eat ice cream in freezing temperatures.

10. ALL THE FOOD PLACES
Enough said.


Have we missed anything off our list? Let me know if you've been to Toronto and think we need to add something else to our itinerary.

12 days to go!

New York #3: American Museum of Natural History

I've never been much of a museum fanatic, but the American Museum of Natural History blew me away. The museum is located across the street from Central Park on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, and it's massive. We were extra excited about visiting it as we love watching Night at the Museum, but the film doesn't give you any idea about the sheer size of the building. We spent three or four hours in there and probably only saw about half of it in great detail. I loved the animal and fossil sections, as well as the meteorite section (even though I don't know anything about meteorites).

The walk to the museum from Midtown Manhattan was beautiful and very picturesque due to its Central Park location. It's hard to believe that there's such a massive park in the middle of such a big city!

Here are some of my favourite photos from the museum:

I don't think any other museum will ever live up to this one!