Our road trip was filled with views of open land, which one should expect when 3/4 of the trip is driving through New York. After being told to stop in Buffalo to find out where chicken wings originated from, we stopped at Elmo's, a quaint restaurant whose online reviews raved and pretty much said, "Screw all other places, go here." Elmo's wasn't all that we thought it would be. Besides the glow from the television, there was no light, and most importantly, no customers. The only people there were two women at the bar, who barely acknowledged the fact that we were there. I never thought something like that would give me uncomfortable chills, but it did. So, lunch consisted of some really original, unique Buffalo-esque food: Subway.
The perspective of the trip shifted from bad-luck to beautiful sights as we arrived at Niagara Falls. Living in New Jersey has always given me normalized images of dark, polluted waters so I wasn't expecting the inviting aqua blue of Niagara. The area consisted of a beautiful open park, endless bridges, a melting pot of tourists, and a breathtaking view of the city on the horizon. I wish I could have spent more time here, but who says I can't go back? 
As much as I loved Niagara Falls, I'm glad we left when we did. Our expected time of arrival in Toronto was later than expected, and definitely delayed by a winding line of cars on the bridge waiting to cross the border. Eventually we were interrogated by a stern, Canadian woman who asked all of the "W" questions, and then moved on.
Driving into Toronto at night was mesmerizing. Lights reflected off of dark glass skyscrapers, revealing the saturated lights of the city. The CN Tower stuck out against deep purple, bluish hues by displaying a vibrant orange which calmed the anxiousness of not really knowing which road I was supposed to be driving on.
Having arrived in Toronto, the first thing we wanted was food. We went to a small place nearby to our hotel to eat what was called "beef schwarma", which I thought would resemble a Berlin style kebab, but oh god, was I wrong. It was over-packed with spices that didn't blend well with the dry meat, and overflowed with an overabundance of mushy, sweet vegetables. Alas, my Sprite was still good!
Exploring the city was something that instantly made me forget about the bad meal. We walked through the Toronto version of Times Square, and realized that the city mainly consists of work buildings, and restaurants. Since my heels were digging into the skin on my feet, we decided to stop off at a bar and get ourselves a beer: one Moosehead for me, and one Canadian for the German. It went down smooth, but showed how exhausted we were as we exchanged yawns.
The next morning we woke up and ate a breakfast not too far from an American one. Our plates were filled with sausage, eggs, and hash-browns, closely accompanied by commercialized cereal. The rest of the day consisted of more exploring and traveling to the top of the CN Tower where one could have a gorgeous view of the city, and a nice strip on Lake Ontario where planes kept landing and taking off over the course of a couple minutes.
Hunger started to creep in again, and we tried our luck again by getting a hot-dog, and a sausage sandwich. It was ok, but again, I've had better city food in other places. It just couldn't compare to something I could get in NYC, Philly, or Berlin, but it filled my stomach so I couldn't complain. Our trip to Toronto ended with sitting in the beautiful Queens Park, and then was followed by a longgggggg drive home.
I can't wait to see more of Canada again. Next time, hopefully I'll be on the British Columbia side!
I can't wait to see more of Canada again. Next time, hopefully I'll be on the British Columbia side!
