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A Day in Toronto with $50 – Weekend Warrior
- By Michael Lakus
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- Read Time: 7 min
The Toronto Categories Game!
July was a month for weekend trips, and Toronto with Dr. Mila is one that stands out. For one of the days in Toronto, I decided to try something new and play a small game in the city. It turned out great! The added friendly competition didn’t hurt either 😊
In a nutshell, the game was as follows: You have 5 hours and $50 USD to get around the city and check off as many categories as possible. The categories were decided before we started and included:
Historical Place
Museum
Cuisine or Popular Dishes
Shopping or Souvenir
Additionally, the $50 had to cover all costs, such as transportation and snacks. I think we were both equally surprised by some of the places we visited, and definitely burned some calories getting around Toronto.
The Breakdown
And the results are in! Here were our total costs, converted from CAD. I must say Dr. Mila finished perfectly with awesome shopping and food purchases, while I was frantically running around.
Mike's Total
$
0
USD
Mila's Total
$
0
USD
Historical Places in Toronto
Mike’s Pick:
I decided on Casa Loma, a Canadian castle a little outside of downtown Toronto. This place does absolute numbers and I underestimated the touristy x-factor. Consequently, I wasn’t able to do the full tour. Nevertheless, the grounds were impressive, and the top towers have a perfect over-watch down upon Toronto.
Mila’s Pick:
I had Casa Loma and Bata Museum on my list naively hoping that Mike’s budget-orientedness wouldn’t let him leave downtown for the castle, and the lack of interest in fashion in general and in shoes in particular wouldn’t bring him to the shoe museum. But he surprised me, and I had to urgently change my plans after seeing his IG story. I rerouted my Uber to the University of Toronto and the Hart House, which was not initiated by Hart as you might think. The building is a student activity center initiated by UoT alumnus and named after his cat. Kidding. After his grandpa. Looks kinda like a castle so I thought it would qualify as a landmark.
Museums
Mike’s Pick:
It’s a good thing I posted that I was going to the Bata Shoe Museum live time since Dr. Mila has the same idea! The museum showcases the history of shoes; ancient times up to the present. Other exhibits showed the ‘gold standard’ and how shoes are made in arctic conditions. The collection was niche, and I now know more about shoes than I ever thought possible. 100% Recommend.
Mila’s Pick:
I played my “Russian” card and went straight to the Hockey Hall of Fame. I saw the Stanley Cup, checked out some Canadian team’s locker room (didn’t smell at all!!) and some interactive games. Also, I got a full-scale personal tour from a cashier after mentioning I was from Russia. The guy was apparently very much into hockey, so he showed me all the awards Russia ever received and told some anecdotes like the one when Russian players tried to smuggle the Canada Cup after they beat Canadians in 1976. Then I asked my guide a legitimate question: “Why the heck did they have to smuggle it if they earned it?” – “Because Canadians were so upset that they didn’t want to give it away…”
Toronto Cuisine
Mike’s Pick:
So I screwed this one up, but recovered nicely. My plan was to go to St. Lawrence Market to get the peameal bacon sandwich. However, the market was closed on Sunday so I had to act fast. My alternative was to look at popular or most ordered dishes in Toronto. After some quick street side research, I ended up at Bahn Mi Boys for the fried chicken bao which was simple and delicious. If you’re hungry from all the shopping in Eaton Center, it’s a much needed pit-stop.
Mila’s Pick:
I went to the Kensington Market, a bohemian district with non-conventional fusion restaurants and hand-made stuff for sale. At end of the day, diversity is Canada’s second name. The place had a ton of niche food options, like Rasta Pasta (Jamaican-Italian fusion), or Hungary Thai (Hungarian-Thai fusion). The former was closed that day, and the latter was too expensive for a tourist on a budget. Yet, I was able to find a cheap and healthy street food option, a grilled lobster tail + calamari for just $15.
Shopping or Souvenir in Toronto
Mike’s Pick:
During the 5 hours, I made a stop at the CN Tower and noticed a water tower nearby with advertising for Steam Whistle pale ale. After looking up the beer, I learned it was locally brewed in Toronto. Perfect, who doesn’t want the gift of beer? The cans have a fresh design, too.
Mila’s Pick:
By going to the Kensington Market, I killed two birds with one stone: I checked off my local cuisine and my shopping categories. To be honest, there is not much ‘Canadian’ theme over there, but I found a real gem among all the cheap Canadian souvenirs ever sold. I purchased an authentic Canadian coast guard’s uniform for only $10 CAD from a vintage military shop. Made in Canada, worn in Canada!
Transportation
In Toronto, sharing is caring. We both took advantage of Uber ride share express (walk a short distance, usually no more than a block) and the city bike share. Ubers were under $7 CAD and bike shares were $3.25 CAD. Getting around was super easy and we had no problems. The bikes were great to avoid city traffic while still getting the ‘walking’ atmosphere of the city.
Outside Toronto
Although this post covers a small aspect of Toronto, we also got out to some other locations that must be shared. Before the incoming pictures, here are some honorable mentions. Shout out to Jasmine for giving me a huge list ahead of time of things to do. You da best!
- St. James Cathedral
- Eaton Shopping Center
- CN Tower
- St. Lawrence Market
- Union Station
Our two other big stops were Toronto Island and Niagara Falls. For Toronto Island, we started at the festival park grounds. The grounds had plenty of rides and all the foods. Dr. Mila could not contain her excitement on getting her first maple beaver tail here. Unfortunately, flooding lead to some of the island being closed, so we could only walk so far. Nevertheless, we checked out the beach area and got great views of the city line. Did you know Babe Ruth hit his first professional home run here, too?
Getting to Toronto Island
Take a “W’otter Boat” out instead of a ferry. Possibly a little bumpy, but much quicker and cheaper.
We also went to Niagara Falls in the evening to catch the views from the Canadian side (I’m told it’s better, and that statement probably holds true). Big time water moving being done here. The power of the falls was impressive and the mist travels quite far from the base. Aside from the falls, I didn’t realize how built up the area is around the attraction. It was almost like a mini-Vegas, complete with casinos, hotels and the like.
Closing Out
So that does it for Toronto (and Niagara). We had a great time over the weekend doing all things Toronto. And seeing how well the game played out, I’m sure it’ll be making a return in a different location. Oh ya, the Mc D nugs in Toronto aren’t too shabby either.
-ML
Recap of Places
- Casa Loma – Canadian Castle
- University of Toronto – Self Explanatory
- Bata Shoe Museum – Everything you want to know about shoes
- Hockey Hall of Fame – All things hockey, cup included
- Kensington Market – The arts and culture market
- Bahn Mi Boys – Fried Chicken Bao!
- St. Lawrence Market – The main produce market
- St. James Cathedral – Historical spot
- Eaton Shopping Center – Where the shopping is done
- CN Tower – Iconic
- Union Station – where we first got pierogies in Toronto
- Toronto Island – An escape from the city, to look back at the city
- Niagara Falls – Can’t not go
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Michael Lakus
IT professional, athlete, musician, ponderer of many things... Born and raised in Florida, I began traveling internationally after college. I created this site primarily to remind myself of where I've been and to share my experiences on traveling with a quirky, stress-free, travel attitude.
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