Folks... you know my "requirements" when it comes to travel.
Usually when visiting Toronto we'd stay with Drunkin' Irish Relatives Kevin and Ann Loughnane.
Kevin and Ann have a large home in Mississauga, Ontario, the half-million-plus population suburb of Toronto. Plenty of room for guests... and best of all... a heated, free-form, in-the-ground pool with deep end and diving board!
Therefore... rather than stay in a hotel, inn, B&B, or lodge we'd stay at at "Chateau Loughnane."
(*WINK*)
This time, however, because of the wedding, staying at "Chateau Loughnane" wasn't an option. Therefore...
Originally I had planned to stay at the Fairmont Royal York right in town, but even though I started looking at rates and availability back in May, the Fairmont didn't have availability for all four nights so they were out... and of the other area hotels which met our requirements, the Westin won out.
Upon arrival, as usual, I was upgraded. The young lady at the front desk was kind enough to give us a 20th floor (right under the penthouse level) corner room with commanding views of other "downtown" Mississauga and the Toronto skyline. We even had a small little faux balcony!
Nice room. Top quality bedding. Double-headed shower. Robes. 42-inch LCD flat screen TV. Fridge.
It was the hotel pool which hooked me, though! Large, in-ground heated pool... quality pool chairs and loungers... beautiful landscaping... well-equipped fitness center... separate jacuzzi and sauna... tennis courts... basketball and shuffleboard... walking trails... and the home of one of Toronto's finest Sunday brunches - which we took advantage of while there!
Two small annoyances: 1) $11 per night for parking; 2) The pool was a bit chilly... 78-degrees... but refreshing. Most adults seemed to share my desire for a warmer setting, but the kids didn't seem to mind and the Canadian guests seemed to view the temp setting as "normal."
As for the location... you couldn't beat it for our itinerary! From our hotel it was a 10-15 minute drive to center city Toronto and also to the church and reception hall. A bit further afield from Ann and Kevin's... maybe 25 minutes... but aside from Thursday's family gathering we had no need to actually go to Ann and Kevin's!
Let's see... highlights of our trip...
OK, when last we chatted (prior to my posting the actual "wedding review") it was last Wednesday - July 4th - and I was off to pick up Drunkin' Irish Relatives Oli & Oli (father and son) who were arriving into EWR.
Well... thanks to the incompetents at United Airlines and at EWR, even though Oli & Oli got in five minutes early (1:45 p.m.) I didn't actually pick them up till after 3:00 p.m. Why? Nope... not customs.
UNITED GAVE THE WRONG DAMN TERMINAL INFO...!!!
Yep. They were supposed to arrive into Terminal C. Not only did the website report this, but I double-checked via phone to United customer service.
Where did they land? Terminal B.
To add to the problem, their phones didn't work here (just as ours didn't work in Canada) and so while at one point they did indeed borrow someone's cell phone to tell me they had cleared customs and were waiting outside for me, in response to my query "are you on the top level, terminal C," they responded, "yes, top level, terminal three..." (Thing is... between accents and cell phone reception... they thought I was saying "three" and I thought they were saying "C." Thing is, they were saying "three" not as in Terminals 1-2-3 = Terminal A-B-C... but instead they were reading the door number they were standing by at level 3 of Terminal B.
Anyway... after this cock-up it was straight to dad's (Mike's - my father-in-law's) in Pearl River for a 4th of July BBQ. (Burgers... dogs... sausage... chicken... BEER...) I had picked up the food earlier and dropped it off and I did the cooking as well. Cathy and Mike dropped by. Eileen & Family were supposed to be there, but they got delayed and with the DIRs jet-lagged and us planning to be on the road the next morning by 5:00 a.m. we ended up heading out before Eileen, Craig, and the kids arrived. (We did however leave them half a watermelon and cherries!)
(*WINK*)
Noreen wasn't feeling well so she didn't make it either. (Oh, well... I tried!)
So... we got home fine... Oli & Oli were in bed by 9:00 p.m. and Mary and I hit the sack soon after.
Mary was up at 4:00 a.m. on Thursday... after that the relatives... after them... moi.
Showered... shaved... dressed... the car packed... on the road just a couple minutes after 5:00 a.m.
Gas in New York by me when we left was hovering around $3.60 gal. Right at around the halfway point (Waterloo, NY) I saw a sign reading "Regular $3.37 gal." and figured this was the place for me! Filled up and gazing down the road saw the Magee Diner packed with cars - executive decision... time for breakfast!
Let me tell you, folks... that Magee Diner... the real deal! If you're ever - and I mean ever - near exit 41 off Rt. 90 (New York State Thruway) stop in here for a bite! Indeed, we liked it so much that we stopped here again for dinner on our way back home on Monday! Two words: Sausage Benedict! Two more: Pot Roast!
Seriously... HUGE portions... sincerely friendly service... great food... and a cute place! (And all at upstate New York prices...!!!)
Anyway... back on the road... stopped at the duty-free where Oli & Oli picked up some beer... over the border with minimal delay (cute Canadian customs chick!)... and we were at Ann and Kevin's sometime around 1:30 p.m.
When we arrived, some of the DIRs were already there but most weren't. The plan was to all meet up back at Casa Loughnane for an evening family party, so after an hour or so of drinks and snacking we dumped a bunch of the DIRs at their hotel and then we were off to find ours, check in, get settled, take a swim, and then head back to Mississauga.
That evening... a loud, boisterous, family free-for-all! Lots of good food, beer, whiskey... (I was drinking Paddy's)... and of course me in the pool with... er... the rest of the kids.
(*WINK*)
Friday? Slept in! Sunned. Swam. Read. Hit the jacuzzi. In other words... relaxed.
Early afternoon - off to Toronto proper in search of food and drink! Found it at the Granite Brewery!
Good food... friendly service... three cask conditioned ales... we were happy campers!
After a good 90 minutes there it was time for our next pub. (As you know, eating and drinking makes me hungry and thirsty!)
(*HUGE FRIGGIN' GRIN*)
Next... Bar Volo.
Folks... this is a serious beer lovers bar. Cask conditioned ales... daily rotating barrels... huge, eclectic selection of bottled and canned beers... and best of all, a friendly and knowledgeable staff willing to steer you to exactly what you're looking for! After starting off with a cask conditioned IPA I was soon exploring their selection of bottled sour beers! What a wonderful, wonderful place... and a great crowd! We met some folks and spent a good hour chatting with 'em! Oh... and btw... we even snagged one of the leather couches so as to have comfortable seating the whole time we were there!
After Bar Volo we decided to go back to the hotel to take a late afternoon/early evening dip in the pool prior to going out for diner.
Friday night's dinner destination... The David Duncan House.
For whatever reason, their own website is not functioning properly and so I've linked to the TripAdvisor page - to which I've submitted a full review.
A Grand Dame independent steakhouse recommended by Ann (who knows my tastes well), Mary and I enjoyed an excellent meal in high baroque style featuring Chateaubriand for two finished table-side. While neither the soup nor salad knocked my socks off, both were "fine," and for $170 Cn. (including tip) we were quite pleased with the dining experience. (Cocktails and dessert were both excellent and frankly underpriced in terms of what I'd assume the traffic would bear.)
Oh... and by the way... Duncan House is literally right "behind" the Westin Prince! We could have walked there! A nice ending to a very pleasant day!
Saturday... we've covered that.
Sunday... slept in till 11:00 a.m.!
Showered... shaved... down the elevator 20 floors to our brunch destination - The Westin Prince's own Season's restaurant.
At $44 per person (plus tax... plus alcoholic beverages...) a bit pricey. For $44 a person you'd expect at least bottomless "champagne" and mimosas... perhaps even ever-flowing bloody mary's (or at least one complementary cocktail per guest)... but then again... there was lobster roll mix stuffed lobster tails (as opposed to actual lobster tails) on the buffet as well as oysters, shrimp, smoked fish, imported cheeses, all the various salads, breads, muffins and such you'd expect... a made-to-order omelet station... carving station... numerous hot and cold breakfast items... a large selection of hot chaffing dishes featuring various meat dishes, fish dishes, veggies, pastas, potatoes, rice... and then of course a simply outstanding dessert selection...
OK. Pricey... but not a rip-off. My suggestion? Either lower the price to $35 per person or else make it a champagne brunch with at least one free "adult beverage" thrown in.
(The convenience factor... priceless!)
After brunch... back into bathing suits... first a bit of reading in the shade sitting in one of "my" beloved Adirondack chairs set on a little hill overlooking the tennis courts and pool... then down to the pool area proper for a dip, more reading, another dip, a jacuzzi... and a shower before heading back up to the room.
Where to eat... where to eat. By 7:00 p.m. I was getting a bit hungry once more. We asked the hotel concierge for some recommendations and were advised to check out the neighboring (just a few miles away) Don Mills Centre where shopping and dining meet!
Since the concierge had given us a few recommendations there, we decided to stroll around and check out menus and ambiance. After a bit of strolling around we ended up making our first stop at... where else... Bier Markt.
EXCELLENT!
Hey... what can I tell ya... pretty, friendly hostess and waitress and something like 100 beers in bottle and 24 tap beers! (Oh... and outdoor patio perfect for people watching!)
After a few drinks there we were both starving and it was time to decide to whether to eat there at Bier Markt or branch out to one of the recommended restaurants. We compromised! We decided we'd eat at one of the other restaurant but return to the Bier Markt after dinner!
So... for dinner... Glow.
Check out their website! Cool place! And again... we were able to secure outdoor patio seating which offered us great "people watching." (Oh... and keeping with the morning's "lobster" theme - as an appetizer I had Glow's lobster mac & cheese! Outstanding!)
Mary had one of the specials - goulash - and I had a "wagyu" burger with blue cheese. (Gotta admit... regardless of the "stretch" involved in advertising Canadian beef - even if private farm raised - as "wagyu" - my burger was indeed delicious!) Again... a "hit." A fine meal - a cheerful setting!
After dinner... back to Bier Markt for "dessert" - a nice Swedish cider for me... decaf coffee for Mary.
Back to the hotel... a little TV... last night on the 20th floor with the curtains open and the lights of the city all around us...
(*SIGH*)
Next morning up... down to the jacuzzi... an apple for breakfast... pack up... out of the room by noon and on the road after checking on which border crossing is least crowded...
We ended up taking the "outer" crossing - the "Rainbow Bridge" (Erie) crossing rather than the more congested "Peace Bridge" - but this meant stopping for $17.85 of very expensive ($1.24 liter) gas just to get us across safely with no worries. (It turned out that I probably could have been safe had I only thrown in five bucks, but had there been some sort of border crossing delay...)
(*SHRUG*)
Prior to crossing the border we hit the duty-free.
Bill shoots! Bill scores! Picked up Carl's 50th birthday gift - I'm guessing it would have cost me near double in the States! Picked up Rob's 49th birthday gift; also got a good deal on that! Picked up a couple bottles for me and a bottle of wine for Mary and a bottle of wine for our friend Colleen who insists upon buying souvenirs for us when she travels...
(*LOPSIDED GRIN*)
Oh...! Before I forget! As we were heading down Rt. 90 - right before exit 49 - we saw one of those highway signs indicating what's off the exit, and low and behold... the sign indicated that if we got off at Exit 49 we'd be able to visit Kutter's Cheese Factory store... the retail outlet of the folks who make Yancy's Fancy Cheeses!
As you can imagine... we exited the highway!
As you can imagine... we bought cheese!
On the way home we stopped again at Megee's... as previously mentioned. We took our cheese inside with us to keep it cool. (Indeed, I even shared a few buffalo hot cheese curds with our waitress and a fellow customer!)
After a fine meal and a final fill-up at the low-priced Exxon station at Exit 41 we drove straight home without making another stop.
Arrived home... 10:10 p.m.
All in all, another great trip!
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