It sounds a little un-American, doesn't it? Going to another country during the celebration of the independence of my country?
Well, we did it to see the great all American past time.....a baseball game! The New York Mets vs. The Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre in downtown Toronto.
But first.....
We spent the night before and the day on the 3rd sightseeing around the city. We took the City Sightseeing Hop On Hop Off bus so that we could check out different areas of the city. A boat tour on the lake was included so we did that also.
It was a hot and humid day without a cloud in the sky so we got crispy fried being on the water and the bus but the sights were worth it.
On the boat we had a clear view of the famous CN Tower....
To the left of us was a small airport where planes were taking off and landing while we were on the water. This next set of pictures will give you an idea of how close we were to it as a plane descended to land.
And yes, it was loud!
We had lunch at a waterfront restaurant. Mine was a 12 vegetable salad with tofu....yum!
The other boat tour option was an old Pirate looking ship. We will have to try that one next time.
When we got to the stadium the roof was closed and it was pleasant inside. We soon learned that they were opening the roof for the game. It ended up being the perfect evening for a baseball game. This was the view from our seats, across from home plate.
There were actually people up there on the CN Tower, on the round part in orange jump suits with tethers, walking around it!
The Mets lost after being ahead up till the 6th inning :-( It is a fun atmosphere though, being in a professional ball park. We didn't indulge in the food too much after our big lunch, but that is usually part of the fun!
We left Toronto on the 4th to drive to Brockville for a concert, The McCartney Years, a tribute to Paul McCartney and Wings.
On the way we stopped in Port Hope, a very sweet Victorian town with lots of restaurants and shops. Just outside of Port Hope was the most amazing store called Primitive Designs.
It was chock full of rusty, chippy garden stuff, garden pots, funky clothing, jewelry, antiques, wood carvings, furniture and household treasures, and the most amazing hand made robots.
Somebody actually made these all by hand out of metal parts. There was an overwhelming amount of stuff to look at.
I bought these three wood mushrooms for the wild part of my garden.
The concert was at the The Brockville Arts Centre, that features a lot of tribute type concerts and movies. My husband wants to go back to see Daydream Believers, a tribute concert to The Monkees.
We were thrilled when we realized that the bridge to the USA was only a half hour from Brockville and more importantly, that Clayton, New York was another 10-15 minutes away! As a kid I went to the 1,000 Islands every summer to stay at my grandfathers' 10 Acres in Clayton. It is a row of cottages of relatives and friends of my grandparents, right on the St. Lawrence River.
We had to stop and walk the town which is right on the St. Lawrence. Wow, has it changed a lot in 50 years!! The town was cute with lots of shops but I only wanted to hang out by the river.
My husband is on the computer as I type this looking for a cottage to rent for later this Summer in Clayton. Happy Dance!!
If you go to Toronto:
I highly recommend the sightseeing bus tour to hop on and off 14 different areas of the city. The harbor area is nice with vendors and restaurants. We did not get to stop at the Distillery part of the city but heard it is a nice place to visit.
If you go to Canada:
You need a Passcard which allows you to drive over the border of Canada, Mexico, Bermuda or the Caribbean by land or sea. Not by air.
Exchange your money to Canadian at the border and then back to American on the way home. The exchange rate was 25% while we were there but we paid 13% tax on everything we bought. Hmmmm, is that a tax just for foreigners to make up for the exchange rate?! I will have to look into that one.
AnnMarie xoxo
I am linking up with these fun blog parties:
Dishing It & Digging It
Over The Moon Linky Party
Share Your Cup
Thoughtful Thursday Link Party
Anything Goes Pink Saturday
Well, we did it to see the great all American past time.....a baseball game! The New York Mets vs. The Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre in downtown Toronto.
But first.....
We spent the night before and the day on the 3rd sightseeing around the city. We took the City Sightseeing Hop On Hop Off bus so that we could check out different areas of the city. A boat tour on the lake was included so we did that also.
It was a hot and humid day without a cloud in the sky so we got crispy fried being on the water and the bus but the sights were worth it.
On the boat we had a clear view of the famous CN Tower....
To the left of us was a small airport where planes were taking off and landing while we were on the water. This next set of pictures will give you an idea of how close we were to it as a plane descended to land.
And yes, it was loud!
We had lunch at a waterfront restaurant. Mine was a 12 vegetable salad with tofu....yum!
The other boat tour option was an old Pirate looking ship. We will have to try that one next time.
When we got to the stadium the roof was closed and it was pleasant inside. We soon learned that they were opening the roof for the game. It ended up being the perfect evening for a baseball game. This was the view from our seats, across from home plate.
There were actually people up there on the CN Tower, on the round part in orange jump suits with tethers, walking around it!
The Mets lost after being ahead up till the 6th inning :-( It is a fun atmosphere though, being in a professional ball park. We didn't indulge in the food too much after our big lunch, but that is usually part of the fun!
We left Toronto on the 4th to drive to Brockville for a concert, The McCartney Years, a tribute to Paul McCartney and Wings.
On the way we stopped in Port Hope, a very sweet Victorian town with lots of restaurants and shops. Just outside of Port Hope was the most amazing store called Primitive Designs.
It was chock full of rusty, chippy garden stuff, garden pots, funky clothing, jewelry, antiques, wood carvings, furniture and household treasures, and the most amazing hand made robots.
Somebody actually made these all by hand out of metal parts. There was an overwhelming amount of stuff to look at.
I bought these three wood mushrooms for the wild part of my garden.
The concert was at the The Brockville Arts Centre, that features a lot of tribute type concerts and movies. My husband wants to go back to see Daydream Believers, a tribute concert to The Monkees.
We were thrilled when we realized that the bridge to the USA was only a half hour from Brockville and more importantly, that Clayton, New York was another 10-15 minutes away! As a kid I went to the 1,000 Islands every summer to stay at my grandfathers' 10 Acres in Clayton. It is a row of cottages of relatives and friends of my grandparents, right on the St. Lawrence River.
We had to stop and walk the town which is right on the St. Lawrence. Wow, has it changed a lot in 50 years!! The town was cute with lots of shops but I only wanted to hang out by the river.
My husband is on the computer as I type this looking for a cottage to rent for later this Summer in Clayton. Happy Dance!!
If you go to Toronto:
I highly recommend the sightseeing bus tour to hop on and off 14 different areas of the city. The harbor area is nice with vendors and restaurants. We did not get to stop at the Distillery part of the city but heard it is a nice place to visit.
If you go to Canada:
You need a Passcard which allows you to drive over the border of Canada, Mexico, Bermuda or the Caribbean by land or sea. Not by air.
Exchange your money to Canadian at the border and then back to American on the way home. The exchange rate was 25% while we were there but we paid 13% tax on everything we bought. Hmmmm, is that a tax just for foreigners to make up for the exchange rate?! I will have to look into that one.
AnnMarie xoxo
I am linking up with these fun blog parties:
Dishing It & Digging It
Over The Moon Linky Party
Share Your Cup
Thoughtful Thursday Link Party
Anything Goes Pink Saturday
This seems like such a fun trip! I had to show my youngest stepson the photo of the Transformer. He was pretty impressed by it :) Oh my gosh, those three mushrooms are adorable and look perfect in your garden!
ReplyDeleteYour trip to Canada looks fabulous AnnMarie! What an amazing shop you discovered. Those mushrooms will be perfect for your garden. Is that all you took home with you....really?? =) Those transformers are terrific, too. How exciting to be renting a house at Clayton later on in the Summer. It looks the perfect place to while away hot summer days.
ReplyDeleteGreat post!
ReplyDeleteYou certainly had a wonderful time in such a short time and that view from your seats at the game, WOW!
That primitive shop sounds delightful and those robots are amazing.
I have a dear friend who lives in Port Hope, we were neighbors years ago when we lived in South Hampton on lake Huron.
Bless you~
Now, that's my idea of a glorious time! And perfect weather too. I'm especially glad you could visit your childhood town and maybe make plans to return for a holiday.
ReplyDeleteI adore Canada. I think I'd move there if I could. Like you, we're a border town. I'm lucky with the money exchange -- Before I come, I tell my Canadian friend how much American I'd like to change and then give her a cash or check -- it saves the fees! So if you have a friend you can do that with, give it a try.
Your pictures are wonderful and this looks like so much fun! I would love to go shop with you!! The robots are hilarious and I'm sure they catch the attention of those who are passing by.
ReplyDeleteWOW! I would say you indeed had a wonderful time Ann Marie. I love all the pictures and you made me feel like I was sorta tagging along with you. So glad you had so much fun. Hugs and blessings, Cindy
ReplyDeleteWhoa so many great places and things you did!! I had to laugh at the plane . . . that's what we (SADLY) experience every single day. We are in the flight path for O'Hare in Chicago and it's insane. There are all kinds of groups lobbying to try to give us some peace but I don't have high hopes . . . My kids got me noise cancelling headphones so I could sit out in my gazebo and enjoy being outside. I can watch a movie or listen to music now lol. Sadly, I miss out on the nature sounds (although with the jets you can't hear them anyway!!).
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your tour of Toronto, AnnMarie. I've never been and have always wanted to go. Someday, I'll get there! That plane - omg! It had to be a little bit scary. The view from your seats at the stadium was amazing. I can't get over those robots - wow! How nice that you got to go back to Clayton. It sounds like you have wonderful memories from your summers there. Enjoy your mushrooms!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun trip! I can see why you want to go back for an extended stay!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun trip! You must have a ton of fun living so close to the border. The closest I have ever come is Niagara. The stadium view was amazing, that must have been fun, although I have to admit to being most partial to the picture of that gnome. Oh my goodness he's cute!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun and sunny trip! Good for you for getting out there. Love the gnome.
ReplyDeleteHow fun! I have been to Toronto a few times and really like it--never heard of the metal robot sculptures, though. That's amazing!
ReplyDelete#shareyourcup
AnnMarie: What a great place to spend the 4th of July. Canada is such a beautiful place any time of the year. We have been there a few times and did take the bus tour one time..Happy Weekend..xxoJudy
ReplyDeleteWhy have I never gone up to Canada? that looks like a nice trip especially to the baseball game
ReplyDeleteI love vacation stories and yours is one of my features on next weeks OVER THE MOON LINK PARTY which goes live on Sunday evening at 5pm central. Please stop by to see your feature and be sure to link up again! And I definitely NEED to go to that Primitive Designs store!
ReplyDelete:) gwingal
So fun Ann Marie! We've been to Canada couple times, but never to Toronto. Hubs and I would love a baseball game. Oh my, did that shop have a ton of great stuff? I bought a very similar metal arbor in New Mexico on our way to Texas back in May. Those robots are pretty amazing! Love your mushrooms. I would have bought them too. :) Thanks for sharing with SYC.
ReplyDeletehugs,
Jann
Looks like you had a great trip AnnMarie! Your view in the stadium was amazing. It's been awhile since we've been to the city for a ball game, but this post makes me want to go. Wish the Jays were having a better season though. My brother used to live in Brockville so I've been there a few times, but again it's been awhile. That store looks like a great place to wander for hours. Those robots are really something else. I can answer that question for you. The 13% tax is not just for visitors, here in Ontario we pay it every day on practically everything. Ouch!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun trip! That store looks like my kind of shopping ;)
ReplyDelete