Hundts in TORONTO

We have grandiose plans to be a family who travels.

Toronto is one of our very favorite cities.  In fact, and this may be shocking to some of you, we'd MUCH rather go there than Chicago... like hands down.  Did you know it's a bit less than five hours away?  With less horrible traffic?  We didn't either- you're welcome.

We absolutely love the walkability of the city- particularly the PATH, which is an underground walkway so that even in bad weather, you can still walk the city.  The people are kind, friendly, polite, and helpful (as Canadians are stereotypically), it is calm and doesn't feel too fast-paced, there is plenty to do and see, the traffic is manageable, the food is sensational, and it has a very European feel.  There is also access to Lake Ontario, a flatiron, a Little Italy (which is essential for this gal when in big cities) Dundas Square (which is like Time's Square), and a beautiful mix of old and new.

Toronto's Little Italy

Josh and I have been lucky enough to visit Toronto four other times, but have never ventured there with kids or taken our kids to any big city yet.

When a new favorite band of ours, Tall Heights, put out their fall tour and Toronto was a stop, we (well most Josh) thought let's do it!

So on a Thursday afternoon, all the Hundts squeezed into our Traverse with as little of stuff as possible (which was still way too much), talked Grammy into coming with us (she is an angel on Earth), and drove the five hours to Toronto.

It seems like every time we travel as a family, I always have this HUGE remorseful moment, I'll call it "Traveler's Remorse" where I think the vacation we are about to embark on was the absolute worst idea in the world.  Arriving to a new place is often stressful- people are tired and cranky, there is a WHOLE LOT OF STUFF packed, and it's always tricky to get your bearings.  Josh needed to go up to our Airbnb to get the parking pass, it was late, there was a Phil Collins concert starting at ScotiaBank center which was right by where we were staying so there were people and cars everywhere, and I was reminding myself of the fact that we'd be parked way underground somewhere and have to shlep four kids and all of our stuff up to the 31st floor of this building.

I wanted to turn around and go home.  I was convinced that we should never travel again.  And Josh and I were fighting about where to go and how carry everything. Fortunately, I always do this.  It is to be expected so it's not surprising.  Unfortunately, it's a horrible way to start.

Thankfully, the rest of the vacation went uphill from there!! Here are some highlights-

1.) Our boys were SOOOO excited to go.  We had been giving them little hints throughout the week and once they finally knew it was Toronto, they went running, dancing, and screaming around the house excited.  That is worth a million dollars and worth powering through my stupid "Traveler's Remorse." Nolan, especially, has been wanting to visit Toronto for a while now and is obsessed with the CN Tower.

Nolan + CN Tower = Love ;)

2.) Each day we'd take at least one walk around together, all seven of us.  We were staying right by the CN Tower so that was one of our first adventures.  We also went to a outdoor train museum, playgrounds, and walked along Lake Ontario.

Outdoor Train Museum 

3.) There was a pool in this apartment complex- it was warm and they kept the heat on in the room too.  It provided a wonderful break in the afternoon and we got great use out of it.

Preston's first swim- he LOVED it

4.) Nolan and Judah, especially, were freaking traveling rockstars.  They were game to walk anywhere and see anything.  Usually when Preston was napping, we would do some things in smaller groups.  My mom might stay back with Preston and Carter while Nolan, Judah, Josh and I walked around for example.  Nolan and Judah got to walk all around the city and see things like Dundas Square, the Poutine Eating Championship, the Eaton Center Mall, Toronto City Hall, and Union Station.  They LOVED every second of it.

At Dundas Square

5.) We went to Ripley's Believe it or Not Aquarium, which was absolutely awesome!

Aquarium 

6.) The food we ate was amazing- there was a grocery store right downstairs that had fresh sushi, soup, salads, sandwiches, pizzas, etc which made it very convenient to pick some things up.   I had a roasted red pepper and gouda cheese soup that was out of this world.  Our food in Little Italy was top notch, Josh had two incredible burgers (seriously- Canadians know how to make burgers), and the restaurant my mom and I went to was absolutely delicious!

7.) Josh and I were able to go on a date to a fantastic dinner in Little Italy and went to the Tall Heights concert after, which was wonderful.  We got to drive around a lot of the city too, which was great since we didn't nearly see enough during our time there.

8.) Art was everywhere around the city.  Nolan and Judah especially noticed things and loved the talk about the sculptures, light constellations, and statues they were seeing around the city.

Nolan and Judah went on a long walk with me and were super into taking pictures with art 

9.) My mom and I got to also have a date while we were there- I was thankful for time with just her and me and to be able to walk around on a beautiful night.  She was so kind to join our circus; I'm not sure we ever want to travel without her.

10.) The view from our Airbnb was awesome!  The boys loved seeing the sunrise, Lake Ontario, and the buildings all lit up at night right from their window.

Big City, Small Baby

I am so grateful for the opportunity to show my boys the world!  For us, experiences like these are better than any toy, any new gadget.  I am hopeful we will continue to be brave to explore new places together as a family and also find ways to serve our world as well.  We love Canada, we love Canadians, and we LOVE Toronto!