After two days in the Detroit area and the stress of being there, I was really looking forward to going to Toronto. Not far from Detroit, you cross over into Canada via the Ambassador Bridge. This was the part of the trip that was the most involved during preparations as we all had to now have a passport to be able to cross the border. That in itself was a big hassle. We kind of waited around to the last minute about a month ago to try to get our passports but they finally arrived two days before we left home last Monday. But we had the necessary documentation so crossing into Canada was a breeze thankfully.
It was neat for the boys to be able to say they have been in another country and I have to say, after being in Detroit, going to Ontario, Canada was truly a breath of fresh air. I have grown to really like Canada. Canada is a really NICE place. The people are very friendly and polite. They go to great lengths to emphasize cleanliness and recycling and preserving natural resources. It is a very progressive minded nation at least in my opinion. Sure you have to get used to everything being printed in two languages (English and French) and the whole metric system thing which makes it kind of confusing when you are dealing with kilometers and litres instead of miles and gallons. The speed limit on the highways was 100 km/h. But I couldn't help but notice the irony as we crossed over the Ambassador Bridge from a very run down, dilapidated, dirty Detroit into Windsor, Ontario how different things were. It was like going to a whole different world. As we proceeded onto the QEW (Queen Elizabeth Way), we were traveling through lush, green farmlands. It was as if there were no people for miles which I knew was not true but I think the Canadian government, or maybe it is the Province of Ontario, have gone to great lengths not to "clutter up" their exits. You don't see the fast food restaurants, hotels, shopping centers, and gas stations like you see at every exit in the US. Everything is much more aesthetically pleasing in Canada. It was that way for three hours as we approached the city of Toronto when things started to get a little more urbanized. It was also on that stretch of road where I got my first taste of Poutine at a restaurant when we stopped for lunch. Yes, you read that right, Poutine, which is pronounced like routine, is a very popular Canadian dish and it is nothing more than French fries smothered in brown gravy and cheese curds. Delicious!
Toronto is located right on Lake Ontario. It is an old looking city with tall buildings covered in glass and there is the famous CN Tower which stands out above the skyline. You can go up in the 1800 foot tower for a hefty price which a few Canucks said really wasn't worth what they charged. We found our hotel which was only two blocks from the Rogers Centre, home of the Toronto Blue Jays, and we checked in. After a quick rest, we made our way to the game. Again as we walked, I couldn't help but notice how clean the city was and how nice all the people were. When we got inside, there was an air of excitement as most of the people there were very excited about their team and then I realized, Toronto is the only MLB team in Canada so the Blue Jays truly are a National Team.
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| Our first stadium with a retractable roof. A beautiful ballpark. |
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| Blue Jay right fielder and former Hickory Crawdad, Jose Bautista on first base. |
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| Trey and Tate from our seats in the first row of the upper deck. Tate is tired of posing. |
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| Our view of the field. |
The game featured the Blue Jays hosting the Boston Red Sox. This was a special treat for my youngest son, Tate, as he is kind of a big Red Sox fan.The game got out of hand very quickly as the Red Sox scored 7 runs before ever recording an out in the 1st inning, a deficit which the Blue Jays never recovered from although they did score 4 in the second. Tate got to see his favorite player, David Ortiz hit a home run so he was excited. The Red Sox won easily and as Tate pointed out was a little payback since we saw Toronto blow out Boston in Fenway last year (I had forgotten that). But all in all we enjoyed the game. Trey really liked the Rogers Centre and has put it in his top 5 list. So after the game, we had back to the hotel for late night swim at the indoor pool and turn in. Stadium number 9 is in the books. The next day we would head for Niagara Falls.
