Toronoto at night- Credit dalton.com

2 Days is Enough to Absorb a Mild Flavor of the City in Question

While two days is not enough time to write an in-depth essay on Toronto, it will certainly allow for a quick taste-test to see if the city fits your personality and if it may suggest a requirement for additional future exploration.

I drove eight hours straight from Ohio to cross the Canadian border and on into Toronto for the Fan Expo Canada. Having prepared well ahead of time by reviewing tips for communicating with border patrol, which specific documents to bring,( remember that you MUST have a valid passport or a US/Canada border crossing card) and where to review estimated wait times for crossing the border. It is highly recommended all travelers do the same in order to save time and energy, as well as, quite possibly, an entire weekend vacation. Should you have any questions regarding what documents you need, visit www.state.gov.

As a side note, if attending the Fan Expo, purchase tickets well ahead of time, arrive several hours early, choose a hotel near/within walking distance from the Metro Toronto Convention Center and be prepared to spend hours in lines, as well standing and milling about. Definitely prepare yourself for being surrounded by literally thousands of people at all times.

Research, Research, Research – for the Perfect Hotel to Fit Your Vacation Needs

While I was in the city for only 48 hours, the chosen hotel had to have a central downtown location, easy road access for arrival and departure, easy access to dining options, remain within a pre-planned budget, and be within walking distance to the aforementioned Convention Center. Luckily, the Park Hyatt Toronto met all of these needs – and delivered more.

There are reasons the Park Hyatt Toronto has won numerous awards in the last few years, such as:

• Prestigious Four Star Award – 2011 Forbes Travel Guide,
• 30 Top Hotels in Canada – 2010 Condé Nast Traveler’s Reader’s Choice Awards,
• Canada’s Leading Hotel – 2009 World Travel Awards, and
• Four Diamond Award – 2009 AAA/CAA Four Diamond Lodgings Awards,

The fabulous dining in the hotel’s restaurants such as Morton’s, The Steakhouse or Annona would have been sufficient to garner those kinds of ratings but it was the Roof Lounge that sold this reviewer. After having left the ridiculously overcrowded Fan Expo, the Roof Lounge was where most of the remainder of the trip was spent.

One Essential Travel Nugget: An Open Mind Saved the Trip

The most important nugget of truth remains keeping an open mind. The main reason for driving to Toronto was overturned in favor of a more interesting experience and an unexpected reaction to very large, milling crowds. What could have turned into a wasted weekend was instead a valuable lesson for future travel, and an absolutely divine experience in a gorgeous hotel. The trip was too short for all the activities in the area more geared toward my personality, but it is expected that the city and this particular hotel will be on the agenda for another, longer visit, sans the Fan Expo.