A Unicorn in Canada

St. Michael's Anglican Church

If someone told you that unicorns existed you would probably want to see it for yourself… right?  Well, that’s how we felt when we found out that our good friend the eternal bachelor was getting married.  The wedding was going to be in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario so off to Canada we went so we could see it unfold firsthand!

Getting there

The first thing we had to do was figure out exactly where Niagara on the Lake was.  It’s a good thing Walt waited to get married after Al Gore invented the internet because a quick search of Google and Wikipedia showed us that Niagara-on-the-Lake is in Southern Ontario Canada.  It’s located where the Niagara River meets Lake Ontario and is directly across the river from Youngstown, New York. 

Toronto and Buffalo are the two closest major airports and there are pros and cons to both.  With Toronto, it’s easier to find direct flights and you clear customs at the airport but it is more expensive (about $150 more per person for our trip).  Buffalo typically requires a connection and you have to clear customs at the border but it is usually a cheaper option.    

The non-stop flight and the fact that we would not wind up in Buffalo sealed the deal so we got our tickets to Toronto.  (Buffalo friends….I know it is beautiful during the summer….I still love you J!) 

Toronto

Toronto from above

Flying in, Toronto looks a lot like Chicago because it’s a big city on a really big lake.  Going through customs is super easy and the rental car agencies are on-site which is a nice change from the Rental Shuttles we’ve become used to in the States (anyone who has rented a car at Phoenix Sky Harbor knows what I’m talking about…). 

The airport is 20-30 minutes outside of the city and driving there is no different than driving in the States.  We opted to avoid Gardiner Expressway and took Lake Shore Boulevard into the city because it was more scenic (that and I missed the split in the road to stay on the Expressway but it turned out for the best because Gardiner was a parking lot). 

View from Westin Harbour Castle

Because we don’t have any large bodies of water remotely near Dallas, we opted to stay on the lake at the Westin Harbour Castle.  While it is definitely an older hotel (read dated and a little musty in places), it was fine for one night.  We had a corner view junior suite that overlooked the lake and the Toronto Island Airport.  We had a drink at the restaurant/lounge on the 38^th floor that offers panoramic views of the city but I wouldn’t make a special trip here unless you are staying at the Westin. 

Drake One Fifty

Where I would make a special trip is to the restaurant where we had dinner, Drake One Fifty.  Located in the Financial District it was the perfect balance of cool, hip chef oriented cuisine without taking itself too seriously.  When your cocktail menu has creations like Cats Pajamas and Unicorn Dynamite (I’m sensing a theme here!), it has to be good.  They have a large bar area as well as the doors that open to the patio during good weather.  They also have a D.J. that played an amazing variety of music the night we were there.  We had vegetarians and carnivores at our table and everyone said their food was great.  I wish we had something like this in Dallas. 

While the Canadian Dollar is the local currency, cabs and most businesses take U.S. money.  The exchange rate is close to 1:1 with the CAD being slightly lower so they actually like getting U.S. money because they make a few cents on it depending on the daily rate.  Getting a taxi is easy in the main part of downtown and Uber is also in Toronto.  

We wanted to get to Niagara-on-the-Lake by lunchtime so we left the city around 9 a.m. the next day.   Driving in Toronto is pretty easy with two exceptions.  You can’t make a left hand turn before 10 am (which is insanely frustrating) and every major road is under construction.  Despite those challenges, we made it out of the city and were on our way. 

Niagara-on-the-Lake

NOTL Downtown

Traffic on Thursday morning was heavy getting out of Toronto so it took us close to two hours to get there.  The drive was very scenic because the region surrounding Niagara-on-the-Lake (NOTL) is a major agricultural and viticulture region (a.k.a. WINERIES!!!).  There are fresh fruit and vegetable stands lining the highway as you make your way into town and reminded me of summers in N.C. on our way to the beach. 

NOTL has a beautiful main street lined with shops and restaurants.  There is also a main square, which is a beautiful park with several fountains for people to cool off in.  The flowers were in full bloom and the whole town looked like a movie set.  We were there for the peach festival, which was awesome since that is my absolute favorite fruit.  It was like the Bubba Gump of street festivals….peach cobbler, peach tarts, peach smoothies, peach jam, peach on a stick, you get the picture.

Peach Festival!

Niagara-on-the-LakeGolf Club is the oldest golf course in North America.  It’s located on the point so you get great views on each of the nine holes.  There is also a restaurant at the clubhouse with a patio that looks out over the river to Youngstown, NY.  It’s a great spot for lunch even if you don’t give a flip about golf. 

We stayed at Prince of Wales Hotel in the center of town.  It is very old and quaint but the rooms are very nice.  The bathrooms are updated and the rooms were spacious.  There is a great bar and they serve afternoon tea.  If you stay and are lucky enough to get a room with a tall four poster bed, they have a cute little step stool that is placed at the foot of the bed.  

NOTL Golf Club Patio

Yes, all of the flowers look like this!

That is it's cute until your husband  slams his toe into it on day three of our trip claiming he had never seen it (even though it hadn't moved the entire time until he threw it across the room).  There really aren't words to describe the feeling you have when your husband breaks his toe five hours before a wedding in which he is a groomsman.  At this point it becomes a covert mission to get it iced and elevated and your husband medicated so that he can just get down the aisle and back before the bride knows anything is wrong!   

In all seriousness, we would definitely stay at Prince of Wales again but there are other great lodging alternatives.  Several people stayed at the Queens Landing hotel, which overlooks the marina.  There is a great patio area for lunch or cocktails.  There are also lots of very cute Bed & Breakfasts within walking distance of everything. 

Queen's Landing Patio

In the downtown area itself, there are not that many restaurants but there are a lot more within a quick five-minute drive.  Most of our meals were in conjunction with the wedding but we did go to dinner one night at Ristorante Giardino at the Gate House Hotel.  There is large patio, which was very crowded but because of the size of our party and the last minute reservation we were seated inside.  The service was not great and the food was okay.  My guess is that this is a better place to enjoy a leisurely afternoon lunch or to go to with a smaller party. 

Even the squirrels are pretty!

If shopping and looking at beautiful old homes aren't your thing there are also jet boat trips that leave from NOTL that several people in our group raved about.  You apparently go very fast and get very wet which was popular with the kids (both young and old). 

The town sometimes gets pegged with the nickname “Viagra-on-the-Lake” because of its sleepy nature and older resident population.  Things do shut down fairly early but sometimes that’s not a bad thing. 

  

Wineries

Winner:  Best use
of old wine barrel

Ravine Vineyards

Most of the wineries are located very close to one another which makes it easy to visit several in one day and is therefore very efficient!  They are known for their ice wines in this region but also have other varietals such as Chardonnay, Cabernet and Pinot Noir.  According to the locals, this area does not get the lake effect winters that their neighbors in Buffalo get which makes it more conducive for grape growing. 

The first winery we visited was Ravine Vineyards for lunch.  It’s about ten minutes out of Niagara-on-the-Lake and has a great authentic farmhouse feel to it.  They have a big outdoor lawn with ping pong tables and outdoor dining.  The place was packed when we were there so I’d recommend calling ahead.  

Baby Doll Sheep at Southbrook

Southbrook Vineyards was our next stop and it is one of the overall coolest wineries I’ve ever been too.  They create artisanal organic wines and the winery is LEED certified.  Their Poetica Cabernet Merlot was my favorite.  Their wines are very reasonable and are in the $20 - $50 range and you can do a tasting of four wines for $10.  They take this environmental stuff so seriously that they have Baby Doll Sheep that help to keep the fields cut.  The people who work there are great.  Ask for Graham if you go. 

Stratus Vineyards was our next stop and it is clearly the best funded.  The winery is very modern and stark with its black, white and gray décor.  There is a great sitting area outside that overlooks the vines.  They also have some great food and culinary items in their gift shop.  My favorite was the Malbec and the prices here are higher than other places starting around $25 and going way up from there.  They also offer a tasting of four wines for $10. 

Stratus Vineyards

Both of the previous vineyards allowed you to purchase a glass of wine to enjoy if you did not want to partake in a full tasting.  Lailey Vineyards apparently does not have the proper licensing for this which meant that the people who didn’t want to do a tasting had to just watch the rest of us.  They also charge differently for their tastings in that it is either $1 or $2 per taste.  The wines were not as strong as Southbrook or Stratus and their tasting room is also just a small shed. 

Wine tasting is exhausting!

Dessert tasting at Inniskillin

Inniskillin was the last stop on our tasting tour.  They are clearly the most commercial winery in the area as it was similar to going to Beringer or Kendall Jackson in California.  They are known for their ice wines.  I generally find ice wines to be too sweet but they had a sparkling ice wine that I liked.  Of course, it was $120 a bottle and I’m not going to spend that on anything but a good Cabernet! 

The rehearsal dinner was held at Trius Vineyards.  They are located on the road leading into Niagara-on-the-Lake so it’s very easy to find.  We had a great room that looked out over the vineyards.  There is also a lot of outdoor seating for the restaurant.  The food was very good.  In fact there was a unicorn roast (ok, it was just the groomsman roasting the groom but I had to keep with the theme!)  

Niagara Falls

Panoramic view of the Falls

I’m not usually a big fan of large crowds in touristy places but how can you be this close and not go to Niagara Falls?  Unfortunately, we waited until Sunday to visit so it was very crowded.  You can visit from either the U.S. or Canadian side but we chose the Canadian side (since we already in Canada…duh). 

Howdy Folks!

It’s easy to find.  All you have to do is look for the huge hotels and casino signs rising about the trees and you will know you are close.  Visiting the falls is not for the lazy as parking is a 10 minute walk from the falls and another 15 minute walk to the boats that will take you right up to the falls (Hornblower is the Canadian boat). 

Hornblower Cruise (yes, that
really is a boat)

There is a tourist center at the end of the parking lot where you can sign up for tours, watch a movie and take an elevator behind the falls.   Tickets for the Hornblower boat ride have to be purchased at the dock.  Before you stand in line for 20 minutes to purchase boat tickets, check to see what departure time they are selling.  Even though we were there before 12pm, they were already selling the 2pm time slot.  Because we were flying out that night we did not get to go on the boat. 

Since the boat ride was out, we did the next best thing.  We had lunch at the outdoor patio restaurant overlooking the falls.  Food in places like this usually consists of cardboard pizza and gelatinous nachos but we were pleasantly surprised. 

Restaurant at Niagara Falls

After lunch, it was time to head back to Toronto to catch our flight.  Luckily, the airport is between NOTL and the city so it only took us about an hour and a half to get back. 

Traveling Home

Important note, if you rent a car in Toronto make sure you know what terminal you are departing from BEFORE you get to the airport.  There are two separate rental car locations, one at each terminal.  If you do happen to wind up at the wrong one, they very nicely let you back out of the parking lot and direct you to the right location. 

Every airline and airport advises travelers to be at the airport at least two hours prior to international departures.  In Canada this is really important because U.S. Citizens pre-clear customs in Canada and it takes time.  I watched them turn back a guy who was at customs under an hour prior to his departure because they said he didn’t have time. 

Once you check in with your airline, you will be directed to U.S. Customs.  They have automated kiosks now so you don’t need a customs form if you have a U.S. Passport.  The bubble gum chewing guy monitoring the entrance apparently couldn’t be bothered to tell us that so it took a large group of us a few minutes to figure this out.   The machines are super easy to use.  All you do is insert your passport, answer a few questions and have your picture taken at the kiosk.   A paper ticket will be printed out and you take that and your passport and continue through immigration.

(Note:  this is different from the Global Entry Program.  There are different lines and machines for people enrolled in that program.  I would let you know how works but my appointment to finalize my GOES application was not until the day AFTER I got back from Canada.  Typical.)

Summary

Overall, this trip was amazing.  The bride and groom got married, we ate lunch outside in August (this is a very big deal if you live in Texas) and we shared some good food, good wine and great fun with friends old and new. 

Baltimore - A Lot More Than I Thought

When I was young, we traveled to Baltimore during the summer months for my mother’s work.  I remember going to the Inner Harbor, eating in Little Italy and being hot.  It was fun but was not exactly my ideal vacation as a teenager. 

As an adult, the Baltimore I’ve read about is one where Cal Ripken’s mother gets kidnapped and people get murdered in record high numbers.  Needless to say, I was less than thrilled when I saw that this year’s American Association of Justice conference was going to be in Baltimore.

Well, it just goes to show that when you have very low expectations you can sometimes be pleasantly surprised. 

Baltimore was a lot cleaner than most large cities and who doesn’t love being near the water.  That being said, you really need to do your research in advance to know which neighborhoods and streets to stay on and more importantly, which ones to avoid. 

Where We Stayed

Camden Yards from Hilton

Since we were in town for a convention, we stayed at the Hilton Baltimore.   As far as these types of places go, it wasn’t too bad.  It’s across the street from Camden Yards so you can get some pretty cool views of the game when the Orioles are in town if you have a room on that side.  If not, see if you can get access to the Concierge level on the 18^th floor as it looks directly out over the ballpark.

Like any other big city, parking is expense at the Hilton so if you rent a car or drive be prepared to shell out big bucks each night (about $40 per night).  Uber has a large presence in Baltimore and we never had to wait more than five minutes for a car so I would recommend that route (especially so you can enjoy some cocktails in this fine city!). 

The Hilton is a ten-minute walk to the Inner Harbor down Pratt Street and fairly safe since it is a tourist attraction.  Across the street are several sports bars/pubs geared towards the Orioles and the convention center adjoins the hotel via covered walkways.  Because it is a convention hotel, it’s probably a good idea to check the event calendar and see what conventions are in town (like whether you want to be part of the Bronycon 2014 crowd for example….Google it.)

Where We Ate

We were there for six nights and I was very surprised at the quality and variety of restaurants in this city. 

Woodberry Kitchen – One of the coolest restaurants I’ve ever been to.  It’s located about 10-15 minutes away from downtown in an old steel mill and is definitely worth the trip.  It has a great outdoor fire pit and dining area as well as a very fun bar and indoors dining room.  Everything is farm to table but they take it more seriously than most because if it doesn’t grow within the region they typically don’t serve it.  I wish I would have realized that included lemons and limes BEFORE I ordered my vodka soda…. oh well.  I managed to drink it anyway!  The crab cakes were the best I’ve ever had.  I still can’t figure out what held the crabmeat together because there literally was no breading or stuffing. 

Phillip’s Seafood – Thankfully, this is the only restaurant I ate at in the Inner Harbor.  They have a large outdoor area called the Crab Deck, which is a great place to sit if the weather is nice.  The only downside is that the awning is red so by the end of your lunch you are only seeing things in hues of red.  It’s a typical seafood restaurant but better than most of what I call the “tourist trap” ones. 

Miss Shirley’s - I never go to the same restaurant twice in the same city during the same trip.  Never.  Ever.  Until I ate at Miss Shirley’s.  This place was off the hook good.  The menu had so many creative combinations of local and southern delicacies that it was hard to decide. 

Spicy Shirley

On my first trip I had the Southern Slammer Sandwich, which is two pieces of sourdough bread filled with fried green tomatoes, bacon, avocado, cheese and a fried egg.  On the side?  Stone ground grits with diced bacon.  Now, to make sure I was being somewhat health conscious I also ordered the Spicy Shirley which was garnished with green tomato, okra, peppers, olives, lemons and limes (maybe they use them all and that’s why Woodberry Kitchen doesn’t have any???).   The second trip was Chesapeake Po’ Boy which was crab cake, Tabasco Bacon Onion Jam, lettuce and tomato.  OMG….I might have to go back to Baltimore just to go eat at Miss Shirley’s!

One the weekends, the wait to get in can be long.  They have a very strict seating policy and won’t seat you unless your entire party is there.  This includes having five out of the six of you present while the other is visible running down the street towards you.  They have a sign (a.k.a. “the fine print”) posted on the check in podium that advises of this.  No matter how much one of your party (not my husband) yells at the hostess, tells them that nobody looks at signs and says it the stupidest thing they have ever heard, they do not bend.   Ironically, the humor of this situation was lost on the group of lawyers I was with.   Oh well, even if they spit in our food it was still tasty!

Little Italy – Little Italy is a neighborhood near the Inner Harbor lined with row homes and some amazing Italian food.  We love Italian food so it’s no surprise that we ate in Little Italy three times while in Baltimore.  While they were all good, I would rank them as follows:

• La Scala -  one of the best Italian restaurants I’ve ever been too.  It’s in a row house and has several floors as well as an outside balcony.  The ambiance makes you feel like you are at an Osteria in Italy.  The Caesar Salad is great (but not the thing to order for anyone interested in kissing their date at the end of the night….lots of garlic!).  The Fettuccine Verdi alla Bolognese isn’t the noodles with meat sauce you are used to.  The spinach pasta is fresh made and the sauce had a tomato cream that made it creamy but not too rich.  The menu has a wide range of non-pasta options as well. 
•  Amicci’s – this is a great casual place for Italian.  The food was better than most lower end

  

  Little Italy

  places, they had a full bar with specialty cocktails and the most expensive wine was $35.  You can wear shorts, jeans, etc.  They also have a few tables for al fresco dining.
•  Sabatinos – I’m not sure this place will ever be the same after our party of 15 stormed in there after spending several hours at the open bar (I mean, AAJ opening cocktail party).   There were several other tables in the room when we arrived but for some reason they all finished up about ten minutes after our arrival.  Go figure!  Anyway, the food was good and the staff was very patient as we carried on with our shenanigans, including a game where we all had to come up with an Italian name and if we didn’t refer to someone by their Italian name then they had to drink.   In short, if you have a loud group of drunken knuckleheads who are craving Italian then this is the place to go.  

Fleet Street Kitchen – this cute restaurant focusing on locally sourced cuisine is located near Harbor East so it was great to get away from the tourists of the Inner Harbor.  We had a large group so we sat in the Tavern room.  The menu has some pretty creative takes on ordinary items.  I had steak but would order a seafood dish next time.   

13th Floor Restaurant – We had a private event at this restaurant, which is at the top of the Belvedere Hotel.  The views across the city are pretty cool especially at sunset.  The food was not great but I realize it’s hard to do great food for 50 plus people at the same time.  However, I’d definitely go for a cocktail at sunset. 

Owl Bar

Owl Bar – Ok, so we only had drinks here after eating at the 13^th Floor Restaurant but it was very cool.  It’s located on the ground floor of the Hotel Belvedere and is beautiful inside. 

Pratt Street Ale House – located across from the Convention Center this place gets quite a bit of foot traffic but the food is surprisingly good for this type of place.  They also have a wide-ranging cocktail menu and a ton of outdoor seating, which is great for people who have been stuck in meetings all day. 

Frank and Nic’s West End Grille – we went for lunch one day and the food was fine but probably would have been much better after nine innings of beer at an Oriole’s game. 

Things to Do

Orioles!

Camden Yards - Even if you don’t make it to an Oriole’s game, this is a fun stadium to see.  Eutaw Street becomes a pedestrian walkway at the stadium and you can walk through and looks at statues, shop, etc. when there isn’t a game.  

Inner Harbor – there are several boats/ships located here as well as the Aquarium.  If you like chain restaurants then this is also the place for you because they are all here….Kona Grill, Cheesecake Factory, PF Changs, Five Guys and the list goes on. 

Annapolis

Fells Point – located on the other side of the Inner Harbor and Little Italy, this is a fun area full of restaurants and bars.  Ladies, the streets are cobblestone so leave the stilettos at home unless they help balance you out after several drinks!

Annapolis – Just a short 40-minute drive from Baltimore, Annapolis is definitely worth checking out.  It’s the state capital of Maryland so there is a lot of history but it’s right on the water too so there are tons of beautiful boats and waterfront dining options.  Also check out the Naval Academy.  They have a Visitor’s Center and museum as well as a beautiful campus right on the water.  Make sure you bring your ID though because since it’s a US Naval Base you need it to get on campus.  However, if you forget yours there are some nice benches outside.  Our friend can tell you all about them as she spent some quality time there waiting for us. 

Overall, Baltimore had a lot more going for it than I thought.  I’m not going to schedule another vacation there any time soon but if another conference takes me there, I won’t complain!