our hockeymoon was AHHHH-MAZZZING. there are things we never want to forget. things we'd definitely do again. however, there are also things we'd change. and some things we'd never want to relive. so this is my hockeymoon in review, a review of ALL FOUR CITIES. the best of, the worst of, what we'd change and what we'd keep the same. i'll try to keep it short and sweet, but take all that you want from it. you know, for when you are planning your next hockeymoon ;)
the best of...
hotel: we were split. we loved both affinia and aka. affinia had that manhattan feel to it. you walked up and there was that "wow!" factor. plus we got free champagne and wine. the hotel staff was phenomenal. our room was pure luxury. and the hotel restaurant/bar was also amazing. only negative: we had a balcony that we could not access.
aka was also very luxurious. and plus it was bigger. it designed for the business traveler who might stay for weeks at a time. so our room had a full kitchen. plus the wine + cheese + roses gig did earn the hotel a few points ;) only negative: hotel restaurant was very pretentious. definitely not our style.
game: hands down carolina v. montreal. and no, not because it was a 'canes game! this was the most competitive game start to finish. it was a good game to watch, beginning to end.
arena atmosphere: this one would have been difficult to choose if philly fans weren't such assholes. but MSG took the cake. the fans were having a great time, no matter what was happening on the ice. and there was also plenty of on-ice entertainment as well.
subway system: montreal wins because they had a small system that was easy to navigate with no technological assistance. it is a color system, much like boston. however, NYC and PHI both have subway apps for the iPhone, which made getting around both of those cities easy as pie.
friendliness: toronto was by far the friendliest city. toronto is a huge melting pot, so they were accepting of everyone. probably because you really have no idea of who actually lives there. we never once felt like outsiders.
city atmosphere: toronto basically has it all. it's laid back. there is tons to do. it's walkable. it's on the lake. it has an underground walkway system. what more could you ask for?!
arena: i am beginning to sound like a drum here, but toronto had the best arena. it had the "wow!" factor. it was new, fresh, in-your-face, over-the-top, over-stimulating...it was awesome. plus, they served free samples of alcohol, who doesn't like that?
i will give philly an honorable mention here because their arena felt so much like "home" to us. so we really liked it and felt comfortable there. except when we were being cursed at, of course.
snow village: so this is a little bias considering montreal is the only city that had a snow village. but it was so awesome that it is definitely worth giving a "best of" award to. and if you ever go to montreal, in the dead of winter...you must go to the snow village!
food: toronto. and this may be a little bias only because we ate food for 4 days in toronto. so we got to find stuff that we really liked. however, we did notice that most everything we ate in toronto was fresher, less processed food. and we were down with that.
and NYC gets an honorable mention here too. because how can famous NYC pizza not!?
underground walkway: you guessed it...toronto. and no, it wasn't the only city with one. montreal has one and i would be willing to argue that nyc has one. kind of. but again, we utilized toronto's the most. we couldn't figure montreal's and really had no need to explore nyc underground. so, there you have it.
THE BEST CITY... so, after all of those categories, we picked our favorite city. obviously, NYC is already near and dear to my heart. however, there is a new king in town. toronto really stole our hearts on this trip. as i mentioned in my toronto blog, there are many reasons we now love this city. so much, in fact, we tried to book our first anniversary trip there. too bad airplane tickets now cost your inheritance.
worst of....
luckily we don't have too many categories to discuss as being the "worst of"
fans: philadelphia. these fans were the worst. they cried about everything. the score. being "late" to the game. or nothing at all. one flyer's fan passed by a penguin's fan on the concourse and yelled "fuck you asshole" at him. for no reason. what gives philly?
helpfulness: this means there was a lack of helpfulness. in which case that would be montreal. if you don't speak fluent french, in the local dialect, the locals are not interested in talking to you, much less helping you.
which ties into montreal is the worst city to get lost in if you don't speak french.
arena: it was a tough call. but i guess someone has to be the worst, so montreal it's your arena. it's old and out-of-date. but MSG, don't breathe a sigh of relief, you were a very close 2nd.
game: montreal vs. toronto. montreal won 5-0. it was a total ass kicking. it was embarrassing. and not worth the price of admission. ok, that's not true. everything else was amazing. except for the game.
what we'd do differently....
traveling through to 4 new cities across 10 days, you are bound to hit some snags. after this trip, i can say...there isn't too much we'd change. if we were awesome enough to do it all over again.
less bags. we carried TWO 50+lb bags, one backpack, a rolling carry-on, and my purse. it was wayyyy too much shit to keep up with. i would suggest each person gets one rolling bag and one backpack. AT THE VERY MOST.
spend at least 3 days in each city. we spent 4 days in toronto and 2 days everywhere else. well, the other three cities, we basically got one day there, which was the day of the hockey game. so i recommend at least three days. one day for the game and one day for touristy shit and one day for travel.
Be prepared when you arrive at each city. basically, know how to get from point A (where you are) to point B (where you need to be). don't assume it's going to be as easy as it looks OR as easy as it was in a previous city. DO YOUR HOMEWORK. hailing a cab isn't the worst thing in the world either.
Before you go: review and find local neighborhood bars/restaurants. we enjoyed the walkability of the cities we were in. so we definitely should have used that to our advantage a little more and researched what was in the neighborhoods we stayed in. so that we could have enjoyed what the locals enjoy. you silly.
and last but not least...what we would never change...
the way we traveled. we flew to toronto and then traveled by train to all the other cities. and utilized public transit within each city. OHMIGOSH was it stress free. we didn't have to worry about parking. or where to park. or how much it costs to park. or driving. it was awesome.
which leads into...being in a walkable city. we loved being able to just walk out of our hotel rooms and just GO! we could walk to a deli or bar. or head to the subway station to get across town. the world was at our finger tips. in all four cities. it truly was remarkable.
exploring as much as we could. even though we slept in, a lot (hey, it was our honeymoon!)...we tried to see and do as much as time would allow us to. we have no idea when/if we'll ever be able to do something like this again. so we had to soak it all in!
taking too many pictures. even though we can't get them off the camera. we have over 1000 pictures of our trip. and they will be lasting memories of all that we did and saw. and for now, we know they are in a safe place :)
the games. just doing a multi-city road trip in and of itself would be amazing, but hockey is who we are. it's us. so we could never have imagined doing this trip, or another one like it, without the hockey. we loved every minute of going to new arenas and learning new hockey cultures. it was once in a lifetime. and we hope to do it all over again. in 4 new cities. some day soon.
we loved our hockeymoon. we miss it as much as our wedding. it is another storybook of wonderful memories we will cherish for our lifetime.
xoxo,
ks
Showing posts with label toronto. Show all posts
Showing posts with label toronto. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Monday, February 27, 2012
canada, eh?
when planning this hockeymoon i knew that i wanted to go to canada. why? i don't know. just because.
so, first stop: toronto.
we flew out of RDU on thursday night, february 9th. we anticipated that because we were flying internationally, check-in would take longer. well that was not the case. the check-in lady at the airport was very helpful in getting us our tickets and directing us to where to check our bags. the bag-check guy was even nicer. he started talking to us about "why on earth would we want to leave beautiful north carolina for cold toronto?" keith mentioned to him that we were going on our hockeymoon. the bag-check guy was then immediately going to place our bags on the plane for free. he took them both from us, put the airplane destination sticker on it, and was about to send us on our way. i couldn't believe it! then the check-in lady came running over and yelled at the guy "these two still need to pay for their bags!" the bag-check guy rolls his eyes, tells keith some price of the bags, and takes keith's credit card. the bag-check guy fake swiped the card. gave us a confirmation sheet, told us that he'd take care of the bags and to have a great trip. i couldn't believe it! what a great start to our trip. and how sweet of that man. i truly wish i could thank him.
after going through security, we found our gate and then found a bar. i had to do something to calm my man down. see, he doesn't like to fly. nothing a few cocktails can't fix.
and he did great on the plane. plus, it was a quick flight. we were in toronto by 9pm. awesome.
we took the airport shuttle over to the hotel and we were ready to explore the town by 10pm.
we walked about 2 blocks from the hotel, by way of suggestion from the hotel clerk, to find a cute irish pub, called overdraught. we had poutine, wings and a burger. and of course, canadian beers. we were hungry and thirsty after our trip.
the next day, february 10th, we were eager to set out on our new adventures, but not really sure where to start. sooo we crossed the street and had breakfast at tim hortons. it's the canadian starbucks and mcdonald's smushed into one. and much better than both of those places, combined.
after we were full of coffee and egg sandwiches, we made our way over to the hockey hall of fame. and on our walk, it started to snow! kind of a big deal to north carolinians who haven't seen snow since last winter.
the hockey hall of fame was pretty amazing. so amazing that we spent hours there. the entire afternoon. and we didn't even do everything. we saw everything, we just didn't play all of the games. which there were a lot of, like taking shots on net or being a goalie. however, we did play a hockey trivia game. in which i beat keith and came in 2nd place overall. i would have won but this guy joined the game last minute and was a ringer. he came in a ruined everyone's fun with his ridiculous amount of hockey knowledge.
but the hhof was a place for hockey fans, old and new, to come learn and explore about the sport that they love. there is so much history to this great sport. that is why we spent ALL DAY there. we looked at the players cases who are in the hall of fame. historical stats. and the timeline of the league. we saw a "fake" locker room. and of course the trophies. which are breathtaking. there are also sections devoted to women's hockey, junior hockey, and world hockey leagues. hockey is kind of a big deal. and this place can really open anyone's eyes to that.
once we were done with our hhof visit, we were hungry. so we went to part of the underground network, PATH. the PATH is an underground walkway that connects the city, buildings, subway stops. and within the walkway are shops and restaurants. it really is like a whole other world. when we were walking on the streets we wondered where everyone was. once we started to utilize the PATH...we realized, everyone is down here! it's warmer and you are out of the elements; and can get to where ever you need to get to in the city. UNDERGROUND. it is the best thing since sliced bread. seriously.
so anyway, like i said, we got lunch at an italian restaurant that is part of the PATH. after we were done eating, we were sitting and relaxing. because i was tired after all that walking around the hhof. and guess who walks into the exact restaurant we are in?! ERIC fucking COLE. this may not seem like a big deal. but this is a big deal to 'canes fans who were sad to see this player leave carolina for montreal in free agency last summer. we happen to leave the restaurant at the same time as cole. keith said to him, "we really miss you in carolina...best of luck to you." cole nodded and said thank you. keith's comments, while very polite, probably caught him off guard...what are carolina fans doing in toronto?! and what was eric cole doing in toronto? well, montreal was playing toronto in the hockey game we attended the following night.
we then walked around downtown toronto. outside. in the snow. yes, we braved the elements. we wanted to see this new and beautiful city we were in. we walked down to the st. lawrence market. it is the market place that is all fresh foods. meats. cheeses. vegetables. spices. maple syrup. clothing. whatever you want. it is a permanent structure, so it's always open. it's amazing. every city should have one.
we went to a local grocery store for some provisions and went to the hotel to rest up before dinner. we decided that we'd have dinner at the hotel restaurant. it was close and convenient, plus we had a 10% off coupon. it seemed like a bar/restaurant that has a local following. the beers on tap were excellent, as was our appetizer. however, our main dishes were ok, at best.
we also had the pleasure of two local torontonians to sit next to us at the bar. one of the guys was drunk when he walked in the bar. as they sat down, the other guy accidentally hit keith and replied "sorry, eh?". what does that even mean?... "sorry, huh?" sorry, right?" "sorry, now get the fuck out of my way?"
the drunk guy repeated said to his friend "i am a good guy...i am a nice guy." it was hard to not hear their conversation because as i am sure you know, drunk people feel the need to speak louder. i am not sure why, but they do.
eventually this guy left. to go tell another table much of the same. "i am a good guy..." we aren't sure where his proclamations were coming from, but he definitely wanted the world to know that he is A GOOD GUY.
so we were left with the "sorry, eh?" guy, who quickly engaged in conversation with us. he was comical, and also drunk. he told us that he makes upwards of $200,000/year and that we were in the worst bar in town. we quickly wondered, why then, was he there? he attempted, repeatedly, to hit on me. in front of keith. keith handled it well. i mean, the guy was wasted. he saw a beautiful girl...what else was he going to do other than say something about it? he told us secrets about toronto and tourist things to do. which was nice. he told us that he's been all over the world and that american's don't travel well. apparently when americans get where ever they are traveling, they want to be pampered. they don't want to immerse in their new culture. but mind you, if this guy really is part of the 1%...wouldn't it be possible that the 1% behave this way? and wouldn't that be a skewed view of an ENTIRE population? just my thought...
THEN this guy gets a brilliant idea to go to another bar.
so, we off we went. we were going to be those american tourists your hear about on the news. “tourists last see at local toronto bar.” luckily that is not how our story ended. we went with mr. drunk to jack-astor's. yes, we do have one of those here in the triangle area. no, it was not at all the same. it was a huge bar. that was playing loud music. it almost felt like a club, minus a dance floor. this torontonian, knew everyone, including the manager of this bar. who conveniently wasn't working that night. but nonetheless, he bought us a round of drinks. and this is where things turned weird. he then approached a stranger. a very well-built gentleman to talk about his watch. obviously this stranger could not follow his dialog nor was he interested in doing so. thus, he quit talking to our drunk friend. this caused our drunk friend to inform us that he could kick that guy's ass. via different forms are martial arts. uhhh, ok. where did this come from? all because he wasn't interested in talking about your watch?? then drunkface continues his paranoia and makes some comments about keith's size and how big his shoulders are. what does that have to do with anything?? we are just trying to hang out, drink some beer and have fun. since this guy was getting all skived out, we downed our beers and got the hell outta there. weird.
as you can imagine, the next day was a little rough after our late night adventure. we were lazy, slept in. didn't DO ANYTHING. what a waste of a day in toronto, eh? by the way, using the word "eh?" is probably our favoritest thing we picked up from canada. it's so versatile to have many meanings. it's awesome.
one thing we did do was eat at this swiss market, marche. you go in and they give you a swipe card. so you go to different stations, order what ever you want: pasta, salad, crepes, stir-fry. at each station they put whatever you have ordered on the swipe card. then you sit down and eat. once you are done, you go check-out, with the swipe card and pay. it's really neat. i know that is a terrible adjective, but it was a neat experience. it's a high class buffet. because there isn't a flat rate, but you can go back for as much as you like.
so, the time finally came, after two days in toronto, it was time. for our first hockey game. montreal v. toronto. we were pumped. but also we didn't know what to expect. most of the arenas we went to were in the city. so they were accessible via the subway stations. this was definitely a new experience for us.
as mentioned, toronto has the underground walkway, the PATH, so we used that to get to the air canada centre (ACC). yes, that is how they spell center. when you enter the ACC through the subway entrances, there is A LOT going. on one side there are basketball games. and on the other there are hockey games. all in which you can participate in. and of course there are people in the middle of the concourse yelling at you trying to sell you stuff. then we went through the ticket entrance. keith and i got out our tickets, emptied our pockets, took off our hats and opened our coats. because this is what we are used to doing at the RBC center. well, they scanned my ticket and i was in the arena. i remember just standing there with my cell phone in my hand, thinking "what now? is there anything else?" they had no metal detectors. they didn't look in your bags or coats or anything. it was weird. once we realized this. we put our things back in our pockets and zipped back up. and there was more sensory overload. the ACC was full of lights and things to see and buy and do and touch. it really was hard to take it all in. i definitely felt like that lost fan that we make fun of at our home games.
this game was also mats sundin banner raising night. basically they were retiring his number. he is kind of a big deal. so as we were walking around, trying to absorb everything we saw, keith noticed there was a maple leafs alumni puck giveway table. you pay $20 dollars to get a mystery puck of a former maple leafs player. well, when in rome...
we thought "what the hell?" it'll be memorabilia. and it would have been really awesome to get mats sundin's puck. so keith paid the $20 and told me to pick a puck. all the pucks were wrapped in tissue paper and sitting on a table. so i reached for one. and i wasn't going to take it, but i ripped the paper, so i kept it. well good thing. because the puck is signed by MATS SUNDIN. now, i know most of you don't give a shit about that. but as i said, he is kind of a big deal in the world of hockey. so it is kind of a big deal that we now have his freakin' signature. bitches.
we still can't believe it.
the puck and the banner ceremony were the best part of the game. along with the crown royal corner. it's like the RBC center's natty greene's pub deck on steroids. it is amazing. and they give out free samples of crown royal drinks. what could be better?!
final score of the game: toronto: 0 montreal 5
here are some pictures from the ceremony and the game.
tuesday was our last day in toronto. we did a lot on this day. we started the day by scaring the shit out of keith. we climbed the CN tower. not only did we go to the observation deck, which is 346m (1136 feet) high, we also went up to the sky pod, which is 447m (1465 feet) high and very tiny. it is definitely not for the faint of heart or claustrophobic. from the sky pod visibility is typically over 100 miles.
once we safely returned to the ground, we got some lunch.
some good did come from being up so high. we saw other things we wanted to do that afternoon. like visit the brewery across the street and go outdoor ice skating.
so, after lunch at the CN tower, we walking across the street to steam whistle brewing. it is housed in an old steam engine repair facility. the tour was a lot of fun and the brewery has a lot of unique history.
so after a few beers, we thought outdoor ice skating would be a fine idea. so we headed over to harbourfront centre. i had never really been ice staking outside before. ok, i have done it once. at the stupid rink we have in raleigh. but i hardly call that "real". this was real. hell, it was even snowing and they have a real zamboni for the rink. plus, they played the united stated national anthem. weird, eh?
as it started to get dark, we made our way back toward our hotel for our final dinner in toronto at an italian restaurant. man, was i tired. it sure was nice to get back to the hotel to relax before we had to head on to montreal the next morning....
so, these are the things we LOVED about toronto...
it was a true melting pot. you couldn't tell who was a visitor and who lived there. there were so many cultures, races and languages. it really is the NYC of canada. but smaller.
they are environmentally friendly. every trashcan had a recycling bin. our hotel room even had a recycling bin. and typically there were multiple recycling bins to divide up the recyclables. HOW AWESOME?
the food is fresher. a lot of restaurants and markets advocate local products.
they have bicycle rentals. where you can rent a bike in one place and drop it off somewhere else. it offers another means of transportation without using a car. amazing.
the people are friendly. and helpful. we never felt out of place. even as newbies.
the underground walkway. it created a whole other way of life. it was like two cities in one. there were people, restaurants, shops on the streets. BUT there were also all of those things UNDERGROUND. it was like a secret society. so interesting. but if you don't know your way around, it is also easy to get lost in.
it is walkable. we walked everywhere. HUGE plus.
toronto, we will definitely be back to visit.
xoxo,
k2
so, first stop: toronto.
we flew out of RDU on thursday night, february 9th. we anticipated that because we were flying internationally, check-in would take longer. well that was not the case. the check-in lady at the airport was very helpful in getting us our tickets and directing us to where to check our bags. the bag-check guy was even nicer. he started talking to us about "why on earth would we want to leave beautiful north carolina for cold toronto?" keith mentioned to him that we were going on our hockeymoon. the bag-check guy was then immediately going to place our bags on the plane for free. he took them both from us, put the airplane destination sticker on it, and was about to send us on our way. i couldn't believe it! then the check-in lady came running over and yelled at the guy "these two still need to pay for their bags!" the bag-check guy rolls his eyes, tells keith some price of the bags, and takes keith's credit card. the bag-check guy fake swiped the card. gave us a confirmation sheet, told us that he'd take care of the bags and to have a great trip. i couldn't believe it! what a great start to our trip. and how sweet of that man. i truly wish i could thank him.
after going through security, we found our gate and then found a bar. i had to do something to calm my man down. see, he doesn't like to fly. nothing a few cocktails can't fix.
 |
| exhibit a. |
and he did great on the plane. plus, it was a quick flight. we were in toronto by 9pm. awesome.
we took the airport shuttle over to the hotel and we were ready to explore the town by 10pm.
we walked about 2 blocks from the hotel, by way of suggestion from the hotel clerk, to find a cute irish pub, called overdraught. we had poutine, wings and a burger. and of course, canadian beers. we were hungry and thirsty after our trip.
the next day, february 10th, we were eager to set out on our new adventures, but not really sure where to start. sooo we crossed the street and had breakfast at tim hortons. it's the canadian starbucks and mcdonald's smushed into one. and much better than both of those places, combined.
after we were full of coffee and egg sandwiches, we made our way over to the hockey hall of fame. and on our walk, it started to snow! kind of a big deal to north carolinians who haven't seen snow since last winter.
the hockey hall of fame was pretty amazing. so amazing that we spent hours there. the entire afternoon. and we didn't even do everything. we saw everything, we just didn't play all of the games. which there were a lot of, like taking shots on net or being a goalie. however, we did play a hockey trivia game. in which i beat keith and came in 2nd place overall. i would have won but this guy joined the game last minute and was a ringer. he came in a ruined everyone's fun with his ridiculous amount of hockey knowledge.
but the hhof was a place for hockey fans, old and new, to come learn and explore about the sport that they love. there is so much history to this great sport. that is why we spent ALL DAY there. we looked at the players cases who are in the hall of fame. historical stats. and the timeline of the league. we saw a "fake" locker room. and of course the trophies. which are breathtaking. there are also sections devoted to women's hockey, junior hockey, and world hockey leagues. hockey is kind of a big deal. and this place can really open anyone's eyes to that.
once we were done with our hhof visit, we were hungry. so we went to part of the underground network, PATH. the PATH is an underground walkway that connects the city, buildings, subway stops. and within the walkway are shops and restaurants. it really is like a whole other world. when we were walking on the streets we wondered where everyone was. once we started to utilize the PATH...we realized, everyone is down here! it's warmer and you are out of the elements; and can get to where ever you need to get to in the city. UNDERGROUND. it is the best thing since sliced bread. seriously.
so anyway, like i said, we got lunch at an italian restaurant that is part of the PATH. after we were done eating, we were sitting and relaxing. because i was tired after all that walking around the hhof. and guess who walks into the exact restaurant we are in?! ERIC fucking COLE. this may not seem like a big deal. but this is a big deal to 'canes fans who were sad to see this player leave carolina for montreal in free agency last summer. we happen to leave the restaurant at the same time as cole. keith said to him, "we really miss you in carolina...best of luck to you." cole nodded and said thank you. keith's comments, while very polite, probably caught him off guard...what are carolina fans doing in toronto?! and what was eric cole doing in toronto? well, montreal was playing toronto in the hockey game we attended the following night.
we then walked around downtown toronto. outside. in the snow. yes, we braved the elements. we wanted to see this new and beautiful city we were in. we walked down to the st. lawrence market. it is the market place that is all fresh foods. meats. cheeses. vegetables. spices. maple syrup. clothing. whatever you want. it is a permanent structure, so it's always open. it's amazing. every city should have one.
we went to a local grocery store for some provisions and went to the hotel to rest up before dinner. we decided that we'd have dinner at the hotel restaurant. it was close and convenient, plus we had a 10% off coupon. it seemed like a bar/restaurant that has a local following. the beers on tap were excellent, as was our appetizer. however, our main dishes were ok, at best.
we also had the pleasure of two local torontonians to sit next to us at the bar. one of the guys was drunk when he walked in the bar. as they sat down, the other guy accidentally hit keith and replied "sorry, eh?". what does that even mean?... "sorry, huh?" sorry, right?" "sorry, now get the fuck out of my way?"
the drunk guy repeated said to his friend "i am a good guy...i am a nice guy." it was hard to not hear their conversation because as i am sure you know, drunk people feel the need to speak louder. i am not sure why, but they do.
eventually this guy left. to go tell another table much of the same. "i am a good guy..." we aren't sure where his proclamations were coming from, but he definitely wanted the world to know that he is A GOOD GUY.
so we were left with the "sorry, eh?" guy, who quickly engaged in conversation with us. he was comical, and also drunk. he told us that he makes upwards of $200,000/year and that we were in the worst bar in town. we quickly wondered, why then, was he there? he attempted, repeatedly, to hit on me. in front of keith. keith handled it well. i mean, the guy was wasted. he saw a beautiful girl...what else was he going to do other than say something about it? he told us secrets about toronto and tourist things to do. which was nice. he told us that he's been all over the world and that american's don't travel well. apparently when americans get where ever they are traveling, they want to be pampered. they don't want to immerse in their new culture. but mind you, if this guy really is part of the 1%...wouldn't it be possible that the 1% behave this way? and wouldn't that be a skewed view of an ENTIRE population? just my thought...
THEN this guy gets a brilliant idea to go to another bar.
so, we off we went. we were going to be those american tourists your hear about on the news. “tourists last see at local toronto bar.” luckily that is not how our story ended. we went with mr. drunk to jack-astor's. yes, we do have one of those here in the triangle area. no, it was not at all the same. it was a huge bar. that was playing loud music. it almost felt like a club, minus a dance floor. this torontonian, knew everyone, including the manager of this bar. who conveniently wasn't working that night. but nonetheless, he bought us a round of drinks. and this is where things turned weird. he then approached a stranger. a very well-built gentleman to talk about his watch. obviously this stranger could not follow his dialog nor was he interested in doing so. thus, he quit talking to our drunk friend. this caused our drunk friend to inform us that he could kick that guy's ass. via different forms are martial arts. uhhh, ok. where did this come from? all because he wasn't interested in talking about your watch?? then drunkface continues his paranoia and makes some comments about keith's size and how big his shoulders are. what does that have to do with anything?? we are just trying to hang out, drink some beer and have fun. since this guy was getting all skived out, we downed our beers and got the hell outta there. weird.
as you can imagine, the next day was a little rough after our late night adventure. we were lazy, slept in. didn't DO ANYTHING. what a waste of a day in toronto, eh? by the way, using the word "eh?" is probably our favoritest thing we picked up from canada. it's so versatile to have many meanings. it's awesome.
one thing we did do was eat at this swiss market, marche. you go in and they give you a swipe card. so you go to different stations, order what ever you want: pasta, salad, crepes, stir-fry. at each station they put whatever you have ordered on the swipe card. then you sit down and eat. once you are done, you go check-out, with the swipe card and pay. it's really neat. i know that is a terrible adjective, but it was a neat experience. it's a high class buffet. because there isn't a flat rate, but you can go back for as much as you like.
so, the time finally came, after two days in toronto, it was time. for our first hockey game. montreal v. toronto. we were pumped. but also we didn't know what to expect. most of the arenas we went to were in the city. so they were accessible via the subway stations. this was definitely a new experience for us.
as mentioned, toronto has the underground walkway, the PATH, so we used that to get to the air canada centre (ACC). yes, that is how they spell center. when you enter the ACC through the subway entrances, there is A LOT going. on one side there are basketball games. and on the other there are hockey games. all in which you can participate in. and of course there are people in the middle of the concourse yelling at you trying to sell you stuff. then we went through the ticket entrance. keith and i got out our tickets, emptied our pockets, took off our hats and opened our coats. because this is what we are used to doing at the RBC center. well, they scanned my ticket and i was in the arena. i remember just standing there with my cell phone in my hand, thinking "what now? is there anything else?" they had no metal detectors. they didn't look in your bags or coats or anything. it was weird. once we realized this. we put our things back in our pockets and zipped back up. and there was more sensory overload. the ACC was full of lights and things to see and buy and do and touch. it really was hard to take it all in. i definitely felt like that lost fan that we make fun of at our home games.
 |
| game #1: montreal vs. toronto @ ACC |
this game was also mats sundin banner raising night. basically they were retiring his number. he is kind of a big deal. so as we were walking around, trying to absorb everything we saw, keith noticed there was a maple leafs alumni puck giveway table. you pay $20 dollars to get a mystery puck of a former maple leafs player. well, when in rome...
we thought "what the hell?" it'll be memorabilia. and it would have been really awesome to get mats sundin's puck. so keith paid the $20 and told me to pick a puck. all the pucks were wrapped in tissue paper and sitting on a table. so i reached for one. and i wasn't going to take it, but i ripped the paper, so i kept it. well good thing. because the puck is signed by MATS SUNDIN. now, i know most of you don't give a shit about that. but as i said, he is kind of a big deal in the world of hockey. so it is kind of a big deal that we now have his freakin' signature. bitches.
we still can't believe it.
the puck and the banner ceremony were the best part of the game. along with the crown royal corner. it's like the RBC center's natty greene's pub deck on steroids. it is amazing. and they give out free samples of crown royal drinks. what could be better?!
final score of the game: toronto: 0 montreal 5
here are some pictures from the ceremony and the game.
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Mats Sundin and family. |
 |
| Sundin's banner. |
 |
| #13 flag that was passed over the fans. it looked really awesome. |
 |
| game time. whoo! |
 |
 |
| final score. what a beating. |
tuesday was our last day in toronto. we did a lot on this day. we started the day by scaring the shit out of keith. we climbed the CN tower. not only did we go to the observation deck, which is 346m (1136 feet) high, we also went up to the sky pod, which is 447m (1465 feet) high and very tiny. it is definitely not for the faint of heart or claustrophobic. from the sky pod visibility is typically over 100 miles.
once we safely returned to the ground, we got some lunch.
some good did come from being up so high. we saw other things we wanted to do that afternoon. like visit the brewery across the street and go outdoor ice skating.
so, after lunch at the CN tower, we walking across the street to steam whistle brewing. it is housed in an old steam engine repair facility. the tour was a lot of fun and the brewery has a lot of unique history.
 |
| It's hard to see, but it's snowing! i took this picture on our way to the ice rink! |
so after a few beers, we thought outdoor ice skating would be a fine idea. so we headed over to harbourfront centre. i had never really been ice staking outside before. ok, i have done it once. at the stupid rink we have in raleigh. but i hardly call that "real". this was real. hell, it was even snowing and they have a real zamboni for the rink. plus, they played the united stated national anthem. weird, eh?
as it started to get dark, we made our way back toward our hotel for our final dinner in toronto at an italian restaurant. man, was i tired. it sure was nice to get back to the hotel to relax before we had to head on to montreal the next morning....
so, these are the things we LOVED about toronto...
it was a true melting pot. you couldn't tell who was a visitor and who lived there. there were so many cultures, races and languages. it really is the NYC of canada. but smaller.
they are environmentally friendly. every trashcan had a recycling bin. our hotel room even had a recycling bin. and typically there were multiple recycling bins to divide up the recyclables. HOW AWESOME?
the food is fresher. a lot of restaurants and markets advocate local products.
they have bicycle rentals. where you can rent a bike in one place and drop it off somewhere else. it offers another means of transportation without using a car. amazing.
the people are friendly. and helpful. we never felt out of place. even as newbies.
the underground walkway. it created a whole other way of life. it was like two cities in one. there were people, restaurants, shops on the streets. BUT there were also all of those things UNDERGROUND. it was like a secret society. so interesting. but if you don't know your way around, it is also easy to get lost in.
it is walkable. we walked everywhere. HUGE plus.
toronto, we will definitely be back to visit.
xoxo,
k2
hockeymoon
10 days. 8 teams. 4 cities. LOTS of hockey.
keith and i just returned from the most insane honeymoon there ever was. instead of relaxing in a hidden paradise for a week, we decided it would be better to run around in four strange cities for 10 days. all in the name of hockey. and of course, love.
we only had a few hiccups. and we most definitely would do it all over again :)
in order to share our amazing hockeymoon with you i am going to break it up into several blogs. this way you don't have to read through one tremendously longgggg blog. instead you can read many kind-of long blogs. because we all know that i am slightly long-winded about things that make my heart pound.
unfortunately, the blog is going to post everything in reverse cronological order. if i can figure out a way to fix this, i will. so, don't cheat. READ THEM IN ORDER. so fight the temptation to read the end first. SCROLL DOWN. and just in case you don't remember this was the order of our trip:
toronto
montreal
new york
philadelphia
also, in other bad news, the cord that connects the camera to the computer...well, apparently we have the wrong one. so, whereas i do have some pictures to share, most of them are from hockey games. or are are mediocre pictures taken on an iphone. once we figure out the cord situation on the good camera, i will most definitely share more pictures!
lastly, i will include a blog (or two) about our favorite things and our least favorite things. and if we did this all over again, things we'd change and things we do just the same.
i hope you enjoy reading about our journey as much as i enjoy reliving it and sharing it with you! ♥ :)
xoxo,
ks
keith and i just returned from the most insane honeymoon there ever was. instead of relaxing in a hidden paradise for a week, we decided it would be better to run around in four strange cities for 10 days. all in the name of hockey. and of course, love.
we only had a few hiccups. and we most definitely would do it all over again :)
in order to share our amazing hockeymoon with you i am going to break it up into several blogs. this way you don't have to read through one tremendously longgggg blog. instead you can read many kind-of long blogs. because we all know that i am slightly long-winded about things that make my heart pound.
unfortunately, the blog is going to post everything in reverse cronological order. if i can figure out a way to fix this, i will. so, don't cheat. READ THEM IN ORDER. so fight the temptation to read the end first. SCROLL DOWN. and just in case you don't remember this was the order of our trip:
toronto
montreal
new york
philadelphia
also, in other bad news, the cord that connects the camera to the computer...well, apparently we have the wrong one. so, whereas i do have some pictures to share, most of them are from hockey games. or are are mediocre pictures taken on an iphone. once we figure out the cord situation on the good camera, i will most definitely share more pictures!
lastly, i will include a blog (or two) about our favorite things and our least favorite things. and if we did this all over again, things we'd change and things we do just the same.
i hope you enjoy reading about our journey as much as i enjoy reliving it and sharing it with you! ♥ :)
xoxo,
ks
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)