Oh, Canada.

In search of a white Christmas, Jenny and I ventured north east to Toronto on Christmas day. First off, traveling on Christmas day was a cinch! Coming back in between Christmas and New Years—absolute mayhem!

To our odd disappointment, we arrived in Toronto with not a single snowflake in sight. An Uber driver noted that this was the first Christmas in a few years that it didn’t snow. Could it have been a blessing in disguise? Do we even know what we’re asking for?! Who knows. The cold weather was a fun change of pace for us Californians, getting to wear clothes on top of clothes on top of clothes. I felt like a walking laundromat, but Jenny pulls it off for all pics below.

 
Toronto was a very artistic city in almost all aspects. From graffiti and street art, to theater and ballet (we saw the Nutcracker!), the city had it covered.


 
During the holidays, Toronto hosts a couple of holiday-themed expos. We were lucky to attend “Glow”, a festive indoor display of light sculptures!

 
Don’t let the festivities stop there! Back at the Nathan Phillips Square, triple axel into your ice-skating fantasy or cozy up with some hot cocoa while you watch others laugh, tumble and glide across an ice rink facing the iconic Toronto sign. If you can actually do a triple axel, then, well, you’re a show off.

 
So I’m confused about this one, because I can’t tell if Niagara Falls is (still) one of the seven wonders of the world. Apparently there are several categories—thanks a lot, internet. We arrived at the majestic Niagara falls (Canada side) and you can’t help but to appreciate how massive this thing is! Unfortunately the boat tours were not operating in December, but seeing this natural wonder up close (I mean literally, there was like a 2 foot wall and some dirt between me and death) was AWESOME.
 
Did you know: People used to go over the falls in barrels as a stunt. Many of them died. Guys, it’s not worth the gram.

 
Cue giant flushing sound:


 
Also, they have some unique treats like maple syrup taffy or a freshly made smore from the Hershey’s store!


 
We were lucky to have wine tasting be a part of our tour. As you know, we don’t really drink, but here’s pictoral evidence that we can still party. The wine we sampled was called “Icewine” which is only produced in Niagara and Germany. It’s made from grapes that are harvested at very cold temperatures and is a very sweet dessert wine. I could get down with that! #science

 
Back to civilization, the Distillery District houses a giant Christmas Market during the holidays. Unfortunately, it ends by Christmas Eve, so we missed it! Walking around, you can see remnants of some of the pop-ups, Christmas lights above and Santa’s house now an abandoned apocalyptic shed. It was like Santa came through, pillaged, then left. Luckily, the main shops still operate year round.



 
Of course, no visit to Canada would be complete without something hockey related. The Hockey Hall of Fame resides in the city of Toronto and with tons of memorabilia and history it really feels like a religious museum.



 
See what I mean about the whole religious thing?

 
So much to see and even more to eat! With Toronto having a fantastic (but expensive) metro system and a walkable floor plan, you’re minutes away from great food as well as the area’s Chinatown. Here are some of our finds, both good and bad!
 
Cluck Cluck’s Chicken and Waffles – Eat it
Easy choice! This chicken and waffle joint sported a cajun-seasoned piece of fried chicken atop some crisp waffleness. The kicker was the authentic maple syrup on the side—the real deal!

 
King’s Noodle Restaurant – Beat it
Unless you’re looking for something really basic, King’s Noodle was far from a go-to place for Chinese food. We ordered the roast duck congee and the roast duck noodle soup, both were equally “meh”. We thought the bbq pork cheung fun rice roll would save the day (our favorite dim sum item!) but alas, I wouldn’t recommend this place if you’re looking for some wow.


 
Happy Lamb Hot Pot – Eat it
If you’re a fan of “Little Sheep” here in America, this is the equivalent in Canada. In fact, I think it is the exact same thing just renamed. I’ve only ever had this soup broth as packaged powder boiled in water (if you know, you know). For all I know, the restaurant does the same thing to create their broth, but that’s fine—I’ll pay for the labor. Order the tomato broth for some extra umami to your beef or lamb at this all-you-can-eat spot!

 
GB Hand-pulled Noodles – Eat it
“I don’t like hand-pulled noodles,” said nobody ever. Being able to pick between extra thin to extra wide, dude in the hat will make your noodles to order. Skip the sides and stick with the noods—and check out Jenny pulling some extra wide goodness!


 
Momofuku Noodle Bar – Eat it
David Chang’s restaurant did not disappoint when it came to some serious creativity and asian fusion. Known for his fried chicken and caviar dish which costs up to 900$, Chang put some attainable and delicious items on his Momofuku menu, ramen being one of them. I really enjoyed the pork belly buns!


 
Upstairs is a small Milk Bar pop up shop with some pre-packaged goods including Christina Tosi’s Milk Bar Pie. Momofuku Noodle Bar also hosts two seasonal ice cream flavors. During this time there was a spicy chocolate and a jasmine flavored ice cream. The chocolate flavor was not to my liking, but as mentioned before, the creativity was there and appreciated. Also, 30 degree weather will not stop Jenny from ice cream. Duly noted.

 
Nadege Patisserie – Eat it
We stopped into this small bakery on a corner for a quick burst of sweet. I ordered this thing called “Donut”: looks like a donut, tastes like AMAZING. Forking into this, the outside is a cookie-like shell and the inside is a praline mousse. I can’t remember the last time I was so surprised by a dessert, especially for a person not having a sweet tooth. Paired well with their hot chocolate, which is a dark bitter.

 
Cacao 70 – Beat it
Chocolate is great. Dipping stuff in chocolate, even better! A seemingly high-end chocolatier, however, the chocolate fondue was served a little under room temp and the spread of dippables was nowhere near as impressive as the Melting Pot.

 
Fusaro’s Italian Kitchen – Beat it
Cozy spot similar to what you find walking around Italy: warm light, great conversations going on, ingredients lined up along the wall. The only thing lacking was the food itself. Pasta was over cooked about a minute past al dente and the charcuterie board lacked some serious flavor to their meats. Great place to hang out, but not worth it to the hungry tourist here for a short time.

 
With its clean streets and friendly atmosphere, Toronto seemed like a cleaned up Euro Los Angeles with its signs in both English and French. Canada seems to get a bad reputation from Americans, and probably the banter goes both ways. I can honestly say, Canada, you have my respect. Thanks, Toronto!