Toronto - The Highs and Lows

Toronto is an incredible, bustling, exciting city with so much to see and do, and so many highs and lows. But not the highs and lows that you may think....

High:

Check this out - the most amazing view of Toronto you'll ever see. My gosh I was so skeptical about going up to the CN Tower. It was going to cost more than $40 each to get up there, and for what? A pretty view of the city? My thinking was, half of the iconic skyline of Toronto was the CN Tower, so looking at the skyline from the CN Tower kind of defeated the purpose, right? That's a lot of money to spend on a higher view of a city. 
The thought crossed our mind to have lunch up there. Above the observation deck was a revolving restaurant that offered a bunch of different meal options, with a minimum spend (at least $55) if you wanted free entry to the observation deck. Weighing up the options, we decided to do that - spending an extra $15 to get a 2 course meal can't be that bad right? 
Oh that was such a good decision! 
We booked it and headed to the foot of the tower, where we found 2 distinct lines - a crazy long one for people buying their tickets and heading up to the observation deck, and a completely empty red carpet directing people to reception for bookings for the restaurant. That was our cue! We followed the red carpet to a desk where a couple of smiling ladies took our coats and directed us towards our very own private elevator. Meeting us there was a lovely guide who ushered us into the elevator and, as we ascended up the tower, pointed to the main attractions through the transparent walls of the shaft. As we got to the top, the doors opened to a group of smiling waiters and a wide open view that was to die for! Our waiter took us to our table and explained that the restaurant was, in fact, moving, and over the course of the next 72 minutes, or view will have revolved around the entirety of the the Toronto area. Gobsmacked, and completely grateful that we had booked for the ONLY clear, blue skied day in Toronto, we sat in awe of the ever-changing view in front of us. 

The menu was huge, and the wine lists were extensive - all beautifully presented in thick wooden folders that made you feel like royalty. They brought out a bread basket and some of the most beautifully prepared meals you'll ever see. Dessert was incredible in itself - I had the lava cake and it was so decadent and rich, and just oh so delicious! There was nothing that was disappointing about this meal. 
Following our meal, and our 72 minute round, we ventured down to the observation deck which, after spending a heap of time up in the clouds in the restaurant, was only almost as beautiful as the view we had earlier. There were no regrets with our decision to go to the restaurant, none at all! Toronto is beautiful from the ground, but infinitely more beautiful from the sky! 

Low:

I'd heard, and read, and listened to people talk about the underground PATH of Toronto. We wanted to find it, but we just... couldn't? We couldn't find it! So while we were wandering aimlessly, we asked someone who knew where they were, and immediately there we like "Right there!" and low and behold, a sign stating 'PATH' was right above a doorway leading below the city. Who knew, right? 
Let me tell you something: It's 30km long and is the world's LARGEST underground retail complex. Ridiculous, right?!
So we ventured down the stairs and were awe-struck with what we found - a huge underpass, with no buses or trams or road crossings or anything! Just people and shops. It was amazing. We quickly started to worry, though, how you'd know where you were going. Being underground throws your sense of direction completely off, because of course your memory relies on landmarks, and underground you can't just take a left here towards the tall rose gold building, or look up into the sky and find the CN Tower and head towards that.

We found a map on a nearby wall, and we astonished with what we found. The map offered an above ground and below ground map, showing where you were in both locations. BUT, it had a compass, with P (red) for south, A (orange) for west, T (blue) for north, H (yellow) for east. These colours and appropriately coloured arrows scattered the pathway, hovering above several of the corridors and junctions so you always knew which direction you were going. It was possibly one of the coolest things we did in Toronto.