Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada

During our trip to Toronto in July 2018 we slipped in a trip to Niagara Falls, visiting both the US and Canadian sides. The rain from the first day of our visit had moved on and we had big blue skies, white puffy clouds, and comfortably warm temperatures. This was our second visit to the falls, but they never cease to amaze. Niagara Falls is actually a collection of three waterfalls that straddle the Canadian province of Ontario and New York State. Horseshoe Falls lies on the border, while the American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls are both entirely on the United States side. Located on the Niagara River, which drains Lake Erie into Lake Ontario, the combined falls form the highest flow rate of any waterfall in North America. During peak daytime tourist hours, more than six million cubic feet of water goes over the crest of the falls every minute. At night there is a dramatic colorful light show on the falls, and during the winter the falls sometimes freeze, creating an incredible wintry scene. This very popular tourist spot attracts over 28 million visitors a year, from all over the world. It is definitely worth seeing!

Rogers Centre (Toronto, Ontario, Canada)

On July 22, 2018, during our whirlwind trip to Toronto (Ontario, Canada), we visited our 28^th Major League Baseball stadium to catch a game at Rogers Centre. If you are a local, or least in the know, you will likely refer to this home stadium of the Toronto Blue Jays by its former name, SkyDome. The stadium was renamed Rogers Centre following the purchase of the stadium by Rogers Communications, which also owned the Toronto Blue Jays, in 2005. The venue was noted for being the first stadium to have a fully retractable motorized roof, as well as for the 348-room hotel attached to it with 70 rooms overlooking the field.

Founded in 1977, the Jays have been around for 42 years. They played their first game on April 1977 against the Chicago White Sox before a crowd of 44,649 fans, and won that game 9-5, even though there was a bit of a snowstorm right before the game started. In both 1992 and 1993 they were World Series champions, but then went 21 consecutive seasons without even qualifying for the playoffs, which happened next in 2015.

The day we were there it was the Blue Jays versus the Baltimore Orioles, and the Jays won, 5-4. It’s always nice when the home team wins when we are otherwise not rooting for either side. Attending this game was a fun way to wrap up our visit to Toronto, especially since we don’t know if or when we’ll be back here.

We are now down to our last two Major League stadiums – Citi Field in Queens, New York and Marlins Park in Miami, Florida. We caught the Mets game in New York in September 2018 and we will see the Marlins play this spring in Miami. It’s hard to believe we are within just a few weeks of wrapping up our grand Major League Baseball Stadium tour!  

Toronto (Ontario, Canada)

While we were staying in Lockport, New York, we left our 5th wheel in the RV Park and drove into Toronto for a two day stay. Specifically we wanted to visit Toronto to catch a Blue Jays baseball game at Rogers Centre, or as the locals refer to it, SkyDome. But, we also wanted to allow ourselves a little time for touring, so the first day we were there we signed up for a guided walking tour of this world class city. Toronto draws over 40 million visitors annually from all over the world, and over 180 languages and dialects are spoken in the city. Little Italy, Little Portugal and Chinatown have dual-language street signs written in both English and a language other than French

Spanning 243 square miles, and with a population of close to 3 million people, there was only so much we could hope to accomplish in one afternoon, on foot. But our guide was very knowledgeable, having been born and raised in Toronto, and somewhat of an expert on local lore, city architecture, restaurants, sports venues, entertainment (there are over 8,100 restaurants and bars in the city), and how to go underground to stay out of the rain. This last item was especially useful, as it was definitely raining the day of our tour. She guided us through the most notable sights of downtown Toronto while providing us with an ongoing narrative, including some of the lesser known stories and controversies embedded in the city’s history. Both Dan and I enjoyed seeing the impressive architecture, learning a little about the Toronto, and getting a chance to walk many of the streets of this beautiful city.