I have been looking to do an international trip of some kind this year. I wanted to start somewhere close to get my feet wet and aim to expand the following year. Canada has been on my radar for quite some time and I knew I wanted to get back to Ontario after my last trip in 2008. I was only there for a day to check out Niagara Falls. Definitely wanted to check out Toronto and do some cityscape photography there.
With this being my first international trip, I fully expected and embraced the challenges that were going to ensue from this experience. The first order of business on this trip was going straight to the Toronto Islands to get the skyline shot. I chose to do the first for two reasons. First is because I wanted the red lighting on the CN Tower to be in the shot and the color changes every night. Arriving on Ward’s Island, I underestimated how long it was going to take to walk to Centre Island. Expect a 30 - 45 minute walk at least. Once I got to Centre Island, it was worth it getting to see the skyline lit up.
I spent the next couple of nights doing the touristy items attending both Toronto Raptors and Toronto Maple Leafs games. The Maple Leafs game was the more competitive one out of the two. Definitely got a first hand experience of how much Canada loves their hockey. Also helps that the visiting team was the Chicago Blackhawks who have their own devote following.
I made a return trip to Ward’s Islands on the only clear day that I had this trip do so the time-lapse of the Toronto skyline. Spent 4 - 5 hours there just admiring the scenery. I was still in disbelief that I was actually in Canada. It was one of those times where you just take a step back and take some gratitude in being able to have the opportunity to do this.
The CN Tower was definitely great to visit as a first time visit. I covered both day and night because I loved seeing the city from above. I somehow found a way to do aerial photography in Toronto despite my options being limited for flights. Didn’t do a helicopter this time and went for an airplane instead.
To cap off the trip, I did get to see TesseracT live at the Danforth Music Hall.
Definitely an action packed trip. Canada was once again awesome! I would definitely come back to Toronto, but I would want to come back in the summer if I had to pick a time of the year.