bats

well, that was just about one of the best vacations i've ever had.

toronto is everything everyone tells you... hip, multicultural, fun, vibrant. it's got the vibe of new york city, the lakefront of chicago, and the tolerant people of... well, no american city i can think of.

i arrived wednesday afternoon and was met by my (step-) sister, jane, and her husband, dave. they drove me around the city a bit before we headed to their ultra-cute 3-story semi-detached house in the portugese neighborhood of town (just south of little italy and kensington market, for those who know a thing or two about geography). their house is like many, many others... 17 feet wide, and about 90 feet from front to back. skinny, long, and tall. they have an amazing garden in their tiny back yard, crammed full of every plant that space will allow. they also have a hot tub on the 3rd floor deck, just steps from the little guest suite they put me in. and a bathroom to die for -- they converted the smallest bedroom into a huge bathroom and decorated it so nicely you'd think you were pooping at the ritz.

anyway, wednesday night we drank and ate and laughed and caught up. it was a minor miracle that i didn't wake up with a hangover. jane and dave take mornings slowly, which is really the way i want my vacations to go, so we puttered around until about noon thursday before heading to the neighborhood park (phenomenally amazing, run by area volunteers who create things like adobe huts and pizza ovens), the neighborhood farmers' market, and the nearby mall for frozen yogurt.

that evening we had plans to meet my other (step-) sister, mindy, and her beau, charles (who live 20 minutes across town) for dinner and drinks. though it started to get overcast, we weren't too worried as the restaurant they had selected had covered a outdoor patio where we could still enjoy the lakefront view without getting piddled on. what we didn't count on was how chilly we would be, what with the rain and wind whipping off the water. we bundled up in blankets provided by the bar and foraged on, believing the alcohol would keep us warm.

friday was a huge sight-seeing day, as jane and dave (who, by the way, is still recovering from surgery on his achilles tendon - ow!) led me on a 5 or 6 mile walking tour of the area. we saw the cool bars in little italy that attract the movie stars, visited funky shops in kensington market (where we bought dried strawberries [total yum] from a little street vendor), walked through the university of toronto (where i marvelled over the neo-gothic architecture and held the CN tower in my palm), and stopped for vietnamese pho in chinatown. on the way back we had some cocktails at the dip, located at one of the top five hippest intersections in north america. (or so says some magazine published a few years ago.) when we stood to finish the last mile or so of our walk we all felt beat (we'd been trekking for probably close to 4 or 5 hours) so we hopped a streetcar home.

jane made some amazing food while i was there -- most remarkable was the tomato ginger sauce we had over shrimp and pasta that evening. no less yummy, though, were the "veggie stacks" she prepared our first night. (slices of eggplant, onion, cheese and tomato, all stacked up and baked in the oven for a half-hour or so.)

saturday was spent with mindy and charles, touring their side of town. we went for brunch at the beaches, and afterward did some window-shopping. we saw a store called "ends" (which was sort of like a funky, urban, store-front tj maxx or something) where i bought a pair of size 16 jeans that fit me like a glove. (woo!) we walked along the boardwalk where we spotted some lawn-bowling. we then moved on to the gourmet shops at the st. lawrence market, where i also bought a killer handmade necklace from a beautiful woman whose accent was as gorgeous as she was.

after the market we were off to a newly renovated area of town called "the distillery". it reminded me of brightleaf square in a way, but was far more upscale. we visited an art gallery there which was featuring an exhibition of glass works by the likes of dale chihuly. i was stunned at the fabulousness chihuly's exotic chandeliers. such amazing color and form. one of the many highlights of my trip.

we went back to min and charles' well-appointed house for steak on the grill (and lots of wine-in-tetra-paks), and had such a good time laughing and relaxing with everyone that i got teary thinking that i only had a half-day left with everyone. mindy and i did get blubbery as we left that evening, vowing to get together again soon. as jane and dave drove me back to their side of town i saw a church sign that summed it all up for me.

my step-sisters are one of the many blessings of my life. i feels so fortunate that they welcomed me as a full-fledged sibling from the start, more than 25 years ago. i can't wait to see them all again.

Posted by xta at September 25, 2005 07:29 PM | TrackBack