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  • Well hello. So for today's video I am on home turf. I am back in Toronto with Sam. So we're

  • going to be taking you on a little tour of the city. Sam hasn't really spent a lot of

  • time here so we're going to try and make it really touristy but also include some of my

  • favorite spots. So let's go!

  • Toronto is considered Canada’s melting pot. It is said that half of the people living

  • in Toronto were born outside of the country, so that means lots of different languages,

  • sights and flavors, which make the city a really fun place to explore. With only a few

  • days in Toronto, we set out to visit a mix of neighborhoods, top attractions, and of

  • course, we also made time to sample plenty of food. The following travel guide will showcase

  • 25 things to do in Toronto, so if youre planning a trip here or you need some travel

  • inspiration, be sure to stick around as we take you on a city tour.

  • Not many visitors know this about Toronto, but just a short ferry ride from the city

  • you have a chain of islands that offer some of the best views in the whole city. The largest

  • and most visited of them all is Centre Island and it’s a great place to be during the

  • summer months. This was our very first stop on our tour of Toronto.

  • So we are currently in Center Island. We left the city behind and took the ferry over. Which

  • is pretty nice. Yeah, it is my first time here and I have to say it is a real nice quite

  • green escape form the hustle and bustle of the downtown. Yeah, it is super relaxed. We

  • were just watching like little baby ducks and swans. Super cute. And this is where you

  • get the most iconic views of the city. Like those postcard perfect views. Yes. So I've

  • never seen this vantage point before and I'm loving it.

  • So next up we're getting ready to go up the CN Tower and we are showing up like 30 minutes

  • before opening because last time the line was like two hours long and we were not willing

  • to wait. Seriously, guys that was around lunchtime, a two hour waiting time just to go up to the

  • observation deck. So, get here early. That is our number one tip.

  • So we're the first elevator up. My hands are all clammy. That was a little scary but we're

  • here. Urgh. Yeah.

  • The CN Tower was once the world's tallest free-standing structure and the world's tallest

  • tower for more than 3 decades. It can be a bit unnerving if youre not a big fan of

  • heights, especially once you reach the glass floor, but it's one of those iconic attractions

  • that you can't miss. If youre feeling adventurous, you can even do the Edge Walk which takes

  • you on a hands free walk around the roof of the main pod.

  • Ripley’s Aquarium is one of Toronto’s newest attractions and it draws big crowds.

  • The aquarium is home to 450 species, but our favorite part was The Dangerous Lagoon, which

  • is an underwater tunnel where you can see sharks, stingrays and sea turtles swimming

  • above your head. The aquarium is located right next to the CN Tower, so you could easily

  • to both on the same day.

  • If you luck out with a nice day, we’d recommend going for a walk along the Harbourfront. You

  • can often find live music and various events and exhibitions taking place, plus it’s

  • a really nice area to enjoy a stroll.

  • So after all of that sightseeing it was time for a little snack break and we've gone for

  • the BeaverTail. So we needed a little sugar pick me up here. And this is some kind of

  • decadent little snack. Yeah. Take a look at here. We've got like copious amounts of Nutella,

  • basically peanut butter, peanut butter and then Reese's Pieces on top of that.

  • Yeah, so this one is called the Triple Trip. And BeaverTails didn't originate in Toronto

  • but they are from Ontario so you definitely have to try them. From this province. And

  • I've now had them in Ottawa and also Quebec City so this is my third time ever having

  • these. Oh, what a treat. Dig right in.

  • How is that?

  • Mmmmm.

  • That is delicious. So good. Oh. Love Nutella, love Reese's Pieces. Yeah. And this is almost

  • like a bit like a bit, it almost reminds me a little bit of a churros consistency. Yeah.

  • So it is basically fried dough and it is shaped to look like a beaver tail. So no beaver in

  • there, don't worry. No beavers were harmed. Yeah, no beavers were consumer in this. Yeah.

  • Lots of peanut butter though. You can get it with lots of different toppings. So you

  • can get Nutella and banana or icing sugar, cinnamon. Yeah, I think the hardest thing

  • is when you go to order it because there is so much selection. So many options. But I'm

  • always going to go with peanut butter and chocolate so.

  • Formerly known as the SkyDome, this stadium is home to the Toronto Blue Jays. Baseball

  • fans can take tours or catch a game during the season.

  • So it appears the hat collector has a new one. Yes, the ever growing collection. The

  • ever growing collection is getting a little higher with this latest Toronto Blue Jays

  • hat. And the Toronto Blue Jays are Canada's only team in Major League Baseball and they're

  • a pretty awesome team. They've won two world series both in the 90's. They have a really

  • strong team right now. So if you're thinking of watching a baseball game definitely go

  • check out the Blue Jays here in Toronto. Woo hoo! Go Blue Jays.

  • Graffiti Alley is located right between Queen Street West and Richmond Street West, just

  • west of Spadina Avenue. The area is covered in murals and cool graffiti, and it was full

  • of photographers and Instagrammers looking for the perfect shot when we visited.

  • The Distillery District is one of the most distinct neighbourhoods in Toronto. It is

  • home to over forty heritage buildings which were once at the heart of the whisky export.

  • The area has been revitalized and youll find lots of cafes, restaurants, galleries,

  • and coffeehouses. This is also the setting for the Toronto Christmas Market in December.

  • We are in Chinatown. Yes. And compared to the day before when we were out hanging around

  • in Toronto today is much warmer. So we're ducking into this restaurant to cool off a

  • bit and we're getting dim sum. So the cool thing about Toronto is that you can get just

  • about any International cuisine you want. And we had a craving for di sum and we were

  • wandering around in Chinatown, so we're like, let's order some of our favorites.

  • Mmmmm.

  • That is really good. Super aromatic and flavorful. Really nice.

  • Like many cities around the world, Toronto has a thriving Chinatown. This can be a really

  • fun neighborhood to explore with lots of shops, eateries, and outdoor markets offering a good

  • bargain. The main intersections for Chinatown are Spadina Avenue and Dundas Street West,

  • and you can then explore the side streets from there.

  • Okay so now that we are well fed we're now going to check out Kensington Market. This

  • is a really artsy area with lots of graffiti, markets and shops so it'll be fun. Let's go

  • have a look.

  • From Chinatown it’s just a short walk over to Kensington Market, where youll definitely

  • want to wander with a camera in hand. Kensington Market offers an eclectic mix of hippie markets,

  • vintage boutiques, record stores, hole in the wall bars, little bakeries, and so much

  • more.

  • Next up, we have the Royal Ontario Museum and it’s striking exterior known as the

  • Crystal. It is the largest museum in Canada and covers everything from dinosaurs to Ancient

  • Egypt.

  • So we're here at the Steam Whistle Brewery, which is right across from Ripley's Aquarium.

  • That aquarium was awesome but it kind of tired me out. I haven't seen that many people for

  • a long time in one place. So coming over here and just having a pint. And the other cool

  • thing that you can do here is you can take a tour of the brewery itself. But we're starving

  • so we're just going to drink beer and eat some food. Sounds good.

  • How is it? It is really good. Man, it is hot outside so cold beer really tastes good on

  • a hot summer day in Canada.

  • Steamwhistle Brewing produces a premium Pilsner lager and it has been voted one of the best

  • microbreweries in Toronto.

  • Just outside Steam Whistle Brewing youll find the Toronto Railway Museum. They have

  • a display of trains on site, which is quite popular with families and kids.

  • Another area worth checking out is Queen Street West. This used to be a popular spot with

  • university students thanks to its cheap vintage markets, tiny bars, and indie cafes, however

  • in recent years it has become more gentrified. You can still find traces of Queen Street’s

  • artsy side, but in smaller doses.

  • Another thing youll want to experience while in Toronto is riding the streetcar.

  • The city is slowly rolling out new streetcars, but if you get lucky you might be able to

  • ride on the classic vintage ones.

  • Okay Sam, so do you want to tell us where we are right now? Yes, so we're outside of

  • the Hockey Hall of Fame and even if you're not a hockey fan this is an absolute must

  • visit thing in Toronto because hockey is practically a religion in Canada and this is the Hall

  • of Fame. This is basically where you get to learn about all of the great players of the

  • present, the past and just to learn more about the game. And you can also see the most iconic

  • trophy in all of North American sports - the Stanley Cup. Oh wow. So you've gotta come

  • here.

  • Pssh.

  • Uh-uh.

  • So of course Sam has dragged me to yet another sporting center. Yeah, and this is the Air

  • Canada Centre where the Toronto Maple Leafs play in the National Hockey League. And I

  • have to say this, they are my least favorite team in the NHL, so do come to a hockey game

  • but cheer for the opposite team.

  • Wait, wait, wait.

  • Why don't you like the Toronto Maple Leafs? Well, they're just a perpetually bad team

  • and they get way too much media coverage in Canada. And I'm a Blackhawks fan so that is

  • why I don't like them.

  • Aside from hockey, the ACC is also home to the Toronto Raptors of the NBA.

  • Best place for Korean food!

  • So we've just arrived in Koreatown with the intention of exploring but we are starving

  • so our first stop is a restaurant. So look at what we've got here.

  • So we found a place that specializes in stone pot rice but first up we're going to be eating

  • our banchan which are the side dishes. And look at this. We've got some kimchi, spicy

  • fermented cabbage. Man, that looks good. Look at that.

  • Love the kimchi.

  • Mmmmm.

  • Oh yeah. Nice and sour. That is good.

  • So we have a very happy boy today. My favorite Korean dish has arrived. Dolsot Bibimbap.

  • And it is a stone pot Korean rice with assorted vegetables, a little bit of meat and my personal

  • favorite ingredient - the red pepper paste called gochujang. Which I'm now going to add.

  • And we just let that cook in there in that hot stone bowl. And then you mix it all together.

  • Oh yeah.

  • Oh listen to that sizzle. Ho ho.

  • That looks amazing.

  • Dig right in.

  • Uh, it is all stirred. And you know what, they've brought some extra gochujang sauce.

  • They realized that I appeared to be really enjoying the mixing of it. And the spice.

  • So let's try this now.

  • That is like being right back in Seoul. That is a good thing. That is very authentic. Oh

  • yeah. Lovin' it. My tongue is on fire.

  • And this is what I'm having. This is a spicy kimchi stew or like a soup with lots of tofu.

  • Let's try that sundubu kimchi jiggae. Oh yeah.

  • So I've already been drinking this for a while. And my nose is running from the spice. Like

  • it is intense. But it is so good. Like even though it is burning you can't stop eating

  • it. You just want more. So yeah, I love this stuff.

  • Mmmmm.

  • So good. So good.

  • Thumbs up.

  • Aside from delicious food, you can also find bubble tea shops, stationary stores, and noraebang

  • if you want to sing karaoke into the night.

  • From there we continued to Casa Loma. It may look like a castle, but this place was built

  • as a home complete with secret passageways, stately towers, and a whopping 98 rooms. It’s

  • an unusual spot in Toronto and well worth the visit.

  • Across from Casa Loma, youll find Spadina House. Setting foot in the house is like travelling

  • back in time as it is decorated in the style of the 1920’s and 30s.

  • Another thing you can do in the city is enjoy a campus walk through the University of Toronto.

  • The campus has beautiful ivy-covered buildings and lots of green spaces to lounge around.

  • For all you foodies out there, Toronto also boasts the St. Lawrence Market. Here youll

  • find food stalls and restaurants, as well as stands selling classic Canadian souvenirs

  • such as bottles of Maple syrup.

  • If you happen to visit Toronto during the summer months, another thing to consider doing

  • is renting a bike. Bike Share Toronto offers day passes which are great for visitors looking

  • to explore the city on wheels.

  • The Art Gallery of Ontario is home to the largest collection of Canadian art. It has

  • pieces by the famed Group of Seven, and the building itself also has a rather unique design.

  • Last but not least, head up to Yonge-Dundas Square. This is a lively intersection where

  • youll also find the Eaton Centre, which is a massive shopping complex. Make sure you

  • don’t miss the glass gallery with the giant Canadian geese.

  • And that’s a wrap for TO! We hope you enjoyed this city guide and that it gave you some

  • ideas of what to see and where to go on your trip. As always if you have any suggestions

  • of things to do in Toronto that we may not have mentioned, feel free to share those with

  • fellow travelers in the comments below. For more travel videos from around the world,

  • be sure to hit subscribe!

Well hello. So for today's video I am on home turf. I am back in Toronto with Sam. So we're

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