This leg so far feels like we’re following the World Cup. We went to Boston, Connecticut, New Jersey and now we’re in Toronto. Three of the four are hosting World Cup matches. We can’t afford to see any of the games in person but the energy around the World Cup that we have felt in each city has been palpable, even for the less avid fan. Some interesting tidbits that have come out of our time around the games are these; Japanese fans have a tradition of cleaning up the stands after their matches. How cool is that?! Scottish fans arranged their own parades while in Boston and drank the over 157 pubs and restaurants (re: Google) out of lager! Another one is this “international soccer fans traveling to the U.S. for the FIFA World Cup, who became so obsessed with ranch dressing, that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) had to issue official warnings reminding them that the sauce counts as a liquid.” You truly can’t make that up! 🤣
It was great to be able to visit some friends that we haven’t seen in a while during our time on the East Coast, and it is nice to be in Toronto now for the next couple weeks. Our air bnb is nice, there is more than one door and it doesn’t stink, but it is a basement apartment and even though they advertised 7ft high ceilings, there isn’t a single room where Dave (at 6’6”) can stand straight up. 🥲 Luckily he has a coworking place he can go to and we’ve spent a lot of time outside of the apartment. We arrived on Friday evening the 26th and had a wonderful time celebrating our 17th wedding anniversary and the 57th anniversary of the observance of Pride Month, on Saturday. The Pride movement as we know it today started on the anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising in New York City, June 28th, 1969. Toronto is alive with football matches, Pride celebrations, and the Blue Jays being in town, oh my!
The weather has been absolutely perfect since we arrived and we have definitely taken advantage of it! On Sunday, we started out at St. Lawrence Market in Old Town which is an over 200 year old historic landmark and is bursting with culinary delights. We had to try the famous “Hogtown” -which Toronto was affectionately dubbed because of its massive pork processing industry- delicacy the peameal bacon sandwich and it did not disappoint. Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture because we consumed it so quickly. After the market we decided to explore the waterfront and take a tour of the harbor on the City Ferry where we learned about Toronto. One of the things we learned is that only tourists pronounce the second “t” when saying Toronto. We also learned that our boat was originally powered by horses, literally. Supposedly there was a treadmill on the upper deck that four horses would walk on to power the generator for the boat. It was very slow going. I can’t imagine bragging to anyone about having a mode of transportation that was four horse power! Finally we learned about Center and Wards Islands, which are just across the harbor from downtown. We hope to go back and visit the islands at some point before we leave to explore their parks and beaches.
As I mentioned, the Blue Jays are in town, so last night Dave and I went to their game VS the New York Mets. I haven’t been to a professional baseball game in a while and I feel like the last few times I’ve seen the Minnesota Twins play it is rarely sold out and fans typically leave before the end of the game. That is not the case in Canada, Toronto at least. The stadium was packed and fans stayed until the very end to celebrate the Blue Jays win! The stadium also has a great view of the CN Tower. I’m so glad we went!
Canada Day is on Wednesday. It “commemorates the July 1, 1867 enactment of the Constitution Act (then called the British North America Act), which united three British colonies into a single, federated country called the Dominion of Canada. It was renamed Canada Day in 1982, the same year the Canadian Constitution was patriated, granting Canada full political independence from the United Kingdom.” It is often considered Canada’s birthday and I’m sure there will be some fun goings on around town to partake in. Our plans for the 4th of July are to go to the Hockey Hall of Fame and then watch Canada play football, not necessarily an “American” way to celebrate the 4th and should still be a good time.
So far, this leg, it has been nice being in a time zone closer to central time and being able to visit friends. It’s been a while and feels good to have a wee bit more of a balance. I’m grateful for the extended time we have in Toronto and am looking forward to exploring more of it. I hope all our Northern Hemisphere friends are enjoying summer so far, I know we are. Sending you love and light wherever you are!
❤️Alison, and Dave!
Our life for the next five months. An early morning departure on June 14th. After we arrived in Boston we took a walk through Riverway Park. They have several art installations along the “green necklace” and the walking path. This one is titled “Skyline Falling” by Rachel Shatil and is part of the 2026 Studios Without Walls “Urban Symphony exhibition. This is “Symphony On a Half Shell” by Barbara Fletcher.We walked a little bit of the Freedom Trail. We went to Granary Burying Ground and saw where Paul Revere is buried. For those of you who don’t know, “Paul Revere is most famous for his “midnight ride” on April 18, 1775, when he galloped through the night to warn Massachusetts colonists that British troops were marching to Lexington and Concord. This daring alert allowed local minutemen to prepare and officially sparked the American Revolution.”This is the Memorial to Enslaved Persons. It was designed by Afro-Cuban artist Harmonia Rosales. “Unveiled in 2025, it marks the first monument on Boston’s Freedom Trail to recognize the city’s historical connection to slavery.”Faneuil Hall is Boston’s historic marketplace. It was built in 1742. This is a statue of Boston Mayor Kevin White and is located outside of Boston City Hall. I thought the orange traffic cone on its head was something that I have seen before somewhere else we had visited. In my research I found that in fact I had seen something similar before. In Glasgow Scotland there is a statue of the Duke of Wellington that always has an orange traffic cone on its head. Google informed me that Scottish soccer fans, visiting Boston for the World Cup, did this to mimic that tradition! Traveling is AWESOME! I thought this was a fun display at target. On Monday the 15th I made my way to Boston Public Library. Old South Church build in 1873.Exploring downtown Boston on my way to meet Dave for lunch. This is the Emerson Paramount Center located on Washington Street. Then I made my way to Boston Harbor. FIFA pride at the Boston Harbor Hotel at Rowes Wharf. This is the Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum. On the yellow boat in front of the museum you can actually throw boxes of tea into the harbor. Don’t worry there are ropes attached to the boxes so you can enjoy this fun over and over again! 😉 For those of you who don’t know, “The Boston Tea Party (December 16, 1773) was a pivotal catalyst for the American Revolution. The iconic protest was vital because it boldly challenged “taxation without representation,” united the colonies in their defiance of British authority, and provoked Great Britain into enacting the punitive Coercive Acts, which ultimately ignited the Revolutionary War.”This mural is entitled “The Midnight Ride” and is by artist Rixy and is located at Dewey Square. On Tuesday I walked around Jamaica Pond and made my way to the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University. The Smoke Trees were poppin!Then I explored the Roslindale neighborhood of Boston and visited another library there. Between Monday and Tuesday I walked over 20 miles! I was grateful for the nice weather and I was pooped. Wednesday evening, the 17th, after Dave finished work we made our way to Bridgeport, Connecticut to visit our friends who had just moved there from the Bronx. They have a great walk not too far from their apartment around Black Rock Harbor that I enjoyed every morning while we were there. This is Fayerweather Island Light. A fun tasting experience outside a pub in their neighborhood. This is set up in the trunk of a Bentley. I was looking forward to seeing the inside of this adorable library when it was open. “Serenity” created by artist MARKA27.Walking around Black Rock. The pier was looking very patriotic for Juneteenth. So many cute houses in Bridgeport!We celebrated Juneteenth by visiting Captain’s Cove Seaport which was also walkable from our friends apartment. This cute marina has shops, restaurants and live entertainment. Even the bar at Captain’s Cove Seaport is a tug boat. This Queen Anne Victorian house was built in 1893. It was a fun day. This is the ceiling inside the adorable Bridgeport Library. On Saturday of our visit we decided to visit the Seaside Park. This is a statue of P.T. Barnum. I had to look up the significance of the statue and learned, “he was Bridgeport’s most famous 19th-century resident, served as its mayor, and originally donated the land for the park in 1865.”The beach and boardwalk at Seaside Park in Bridgeport. After visiting the park we explored some of downtown Bridgeport. This mural is “Men in Black” by Brad Noble. It is on a building on Broad Street near the library. “Catrina Latina” was commissioned by the Bridgeport Public Art Fund and created by E.S. Barraza. It is featured as part of the “Colorful Bridgeport” initiative. This Arcade Mall had music and a little maker’s market. It was fun to explore Bridgeport and have a sense for the place our friends now call home. These pics are of my final morning walk around Black Rock Harbor. This is a Snowy Egret. The water was incredibly calm this morning. Some stickers I saw along my route. Good reminder.:)And another message that is still very important. The calmness created some incredible reflections. I’m so happy that our friends found such a peaceful place to live after 15 years in New York City!After four incredible days in Bridgeport, Dave went to West New York, New Jersey so that he could work in his New York office for the week and I took the train to Stamford, Connecticut to visit an old coworker/friend that moved there about a year ago. This is Sherwood Island State Park. On a clear day you can see Manhattan from this park. They have a memorial here for 9/11 with the names of Connecticut family members lost in that tragedy. It was pretty rainy the two days that I spent visiting my friend so I didn’t take many non-selfie pictures. We had a great time reading at the library, playing cribbage and exploring the cute town of Stamford. I’m glad a had a chance to visit her as well. On Wednesday the 24th I took the train from Stamford to Grand Central Station in New York City. Then another train to the Port Authority Bus Terminal. And finally a bus to our Air BnB in West New York, New Jersey. Why New Jersey you may ask, when Dave’s office is in New York? Well the long and short of it is that it was cheaper. It was a long travel day but only a block from our place we were graced with this incredible view of the Manhattan skyline! After a short rest I decided to explore along the Hudson River Waterfront Walkway. I feel like the skyline has changed since the last time I saw it from Hoboken. Which makes sense as that was several years ago.On Thursday I took a walk through our neighborhood to James J. Braddock Park. There were tons of adorable turtles in the pond. These cuties seemed to be practicing turtle yoga. “Look Ma, no feet!” It was a beautiful place to spend the afternoon. After the park I went back down by the water to explore a different part of the Hudson River Waterfront Walkway.I am not sure if this view would ever get old and I was grateful for the nice weather to enjoy it. Then I climbed the self titled Montmartre of Jersey to go to the North Bergen neighborhood to meet Dave for a post work beer. I understand how North Bergen got its name because it is very hilly. At the top of one of the peaks I got a peek at the “Dream Wheel” which is in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The beer was well earned and delicious after my 20,000 step day!That night we got to enjoy the Manhattan skyline in lights!It was a great finale to our East Coast tour!We arrived in Toronto on the 26th. We wanted to get to Toronto on Friday, instead of our typical transition day which is Saturday, because we didn’t want to spend our anniversary in the airport like I had to my birthday. 😉 Our Air BnB is in the vibrant neighborhood of Little Italy. There are tons of libraries, shops, bars and restaurants to explore not too far from our front door. This is “Alter Mural” by Toronto-based street artist Al Runt. The beautiful weather got us out exploring the city. This is Toronto City Hall located on Nathan Phillips Square. The Old City Hall is also on the square. There also was an amazing drag show taking place on the square in honor of Pride.We continued our exploration of downtown by seeing the outside of The Cathedral Church of St. James. “It is the location of the oldest congregation in the city, with the parish being established in 1797.”We also got to see the outside of St. Lawrence Market on our way to the Distillery District because it was already closed for the day. A cool mural outside the market. It was the perfect day to celebrate our anniversary and Pride! The Distillery District has some cool sculptures! This is “IT” by Michael Christian.On Sunday we started our day with the St. Lawrence Market and it was bustling. So many delicacies to choose from. After our delicious peameal bacon sandwich we decided to enjoy a beer at C’est What? Brewery. “This is Bobr, a sculpture representing the Czech Republic, (Which I don’t think it is called that anymore, Google should’ve said Czechia) featured in The Great Beaver Quest scavenger hunt in Old Town Toronto. After St. Lawrence Market we made our way to the Harbor Front Center so that we could enjoy the festivities happening around the waterfront. This incredible sculpture is called “Eagle v. 1” and is by artist Dean Drever. It is located at 1 The Esplanade. The Harbor Front Center had great views of the CN Tower. We didn’t go up because we did that back in 2018 and it is still fun to see. The ferry tour definitely provided the best views of the Toronto skyline that we’ve seen yet! I am so glad we took that tour. I have my friend to thank for the recommendation. 😉Last night’s fun at the Rogers Centre. We got general admissions seats because they were the cheapest and had a great view!We walked around the concourse toward the end of the game and were just blown away by the view of the CN Tower during blue hour. Wow!The Blue Jays are celebrating their 50th year of Major League Baseball!Such a fun time and you can see that the seats are still packed in the 9th inning!It was fun to see the city lit up on our walk home after the game. This is City Place with its distinctive high bridge connecting the two towers. This is in the Bloor/Gladstone Branch of the Toronto Public Library system. One of the three libraries I worked on this post in. They are everywhere which makes me happy. 😃
