YYZ.

There are a lot of things I like about Toronto. I think the street cars are the cutest, and I'm happy to be here again to hear their bells dinging as they crawl up and down the streets.

And speaking of crawling, Dexter is in LOVE with the hotel bed. I'm not sure what makes this one so superior to the beds at home. Maybe because it's very high off the ground? He spent a good forty minutes crawling around on it and throwing himself into the pillows.





The weather here is fantastic. Dexter prefers not to wear clothes.





We did get him decent, however, for some strolling and shopping on Queen W.

We're here because Don is attending the FCM conference. It's super super cute to see people from all over the country here. Upon exiting the hotel Dexter and I were engulfed in a sea of khaki shorts, white running shoes, visors, and cameras/cell phones attached to belts. I suppose we're tourists here too, but I like to think we blend in a little more.

However, Toronto is a big city in the sense that anything goes!

We saw the Amsterdam's twin sister!





Stumbled across a neat dress store. It didn't take me long to make a purchase.





Love crinoline. But the dress I got is sans crinoline.





Beautiful people out and about.





Riding in sandals.





The Subway!





Speedy and convenient.





And surprisingly clean too.





Geoff takes us to Korean BBQ.





Once there we met with Andrea too. We both wore black and white.





So delicious. Don and I are trying to stay away from eating western food while in Toronto. This is THE city for authentic ethnic foods. It's too good an opportunity to pass up on.





Yum Yum.





And we decided to walk back to the hotel via little Italy and made a gelato stop too.





I was saying to Geoff and Andrea that last night I saw more people out walking in the streets on the way home than I have seen in Edmonton in the last 5 years combined. It helped that the weather was fab, so it was the first ideal weekend to be out strolling, but it was just great to see. I know every city has its pros and cons, but since I'm here for vacation I'm going to stick to the positive things.

I love the ethnic diversity here. I love the endless number of eateries that are tasty and convenient to get to on foot or by transit. I love how many cyclists I see out here. In Edmonton it's pretty convenient for me to ride because I live in a central location. I'm sure it's no surprised that back home, bike commuting is a hard sell at times. Here it's not even about looking chic or being environmentally friendly or wanting to make a statement. It just makes sense. It's way faster than cars, without the waiting of transit. Just grab your bike and put your stuff on it and GO.

The only thing that seems scary are all the street car tracks. I hear bike tires have the nasty habit of getting stuck in those. Egads.

The parade of visiting with the most excellent old friends has begun. Can't wait for more!