Tourists in Toronto: Casa Loma

The castle-like Hill House was built in 1911–1914 as the private residence of Ontario soldier and electricity mogul Sir Henry Mill Pellatt. With secret cabinets and passages, an 800-foot tunnel leading to stables and a coach house, towers, richly decorated rooms, and even its own pipe organ, Casa Loma is Toronto's own Camelot.




WWI halted the construction of the bowling alleys and Roman bath in the basement, and financial troubles resulted in Sir Henry enjoying his castle for only less than ten years. But the rooms that have been maintained by the Kiwanis Club of Casa Loma since 1937 are a wonder to look at, from the rich furnishings and artwork to the architectural details and amenities that were very modern for the time.




Nature and art lovers will enjoy the estate's five acre gardens. A formal garden with a fountain, gazebo and sundial lies just beyond the castle's terraces.




On one side of the castle is a small, secluded garden with a fascinating Dragon Tree sculpture which comes with its own romantic legend. Elsewhere, paths meander through beautiful old trees, flowering bushes and gentle ponds.




Unfortunately, even the lovingly cared for gardens of Casa Loma have not been spared from graffiti.

Tourists in Toronto: CN Tower

What's a tour of Toronto without a visit to the city's iconic landmark, the CN Tower? At 553 meters (1,815 feet) from the ground to the tip of its spire, the tower dominates the city's skyline and served as our orienting landmark whenever we were on the verge of getting lost. The main observation deck is 346 meters (1,135 feet) high and I'm not ashamed to admit that my stomach gave a lurch when we rode the glass elevator. Seeing the city drop away at 22 kilometers (15 miles) an hour can be unsettling.




The views (through very thick glass windows, of course) were well worth the slightly surprised tummy.





The Look Out level is also great for a bird's eye view of the neighboring Rogers Centre, which almost everyone still calls the SkyDome.




One level down from the Look Out is the Outdoor Observation deck. The views are marred by a protective wire mesh but the wind at 342 meters is quite awesome. On the same level is the CN Tower's pièce de résistance: the Glass Floor. I almost didn't manage it—I couldn't look down and walk at the same time (hubby dear had no problem whatsoever and even tried to pull me until I threatened to make a scene). What I finally did was to stare hard at the thankfully solid wall, walk to the middle of the glass floor, stop, then look down. And here's the proof!

Tourists in Toronto: ROM

After a short lesson from my brother about getting around Toronto on our own and a visit with my husband's cousin who is taking her doctorate in the University of Toronto, we started the serious business of sightseeing. The first place we visited was the Royal Ontario Museum, located at the corner of Queen's Park and Bloor Street West. We approached it from Bloor, where we got a good view of the original 1914 building with the 2007 Michael Lee-Chin Crystal wing.




The Michael Lee-Chin Crystal is named after the Jamaican-Canadian billionaire who donated $30 million for the building, which was designed by American architect Daniel Libeskind. As I was taking photos of this amazing, gravity-defying, crystalline structure, a man who was just about to enter his car came up to me and said, "Isn't that the ugliest building you have ever seen?" Not quite ready to get into a possibly long discussion with a resident, I grinned at him and said, "Let's just say that it's unusual." He laughed, continued getting into his car and drove off.




We spent most of the afternoon in the ROM's World Culture Galleries, but just before the museum closed for the day, I insisted on a short visit to one of the Natural History Galleries. Now I can finally say that I've seen a Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton! Whee!

The little salon that could

Here's another post about something much closer to home. The salon I go to regularly is Marita's Wellness Center and, based on the name, I think you can guess that it's also a spa. It is located in a big house that got converted into a strip mall three blocks away from our house. If you look carefully at the reflections, you can see a tricycle waiting shed at the street corner, a couple of tarpaulin signs bearing the phone numbers of other establishments in the converted house, the restaurant and bar on the upper floor, and some of the spa attendants milling around outside (they were buying snacks from a vendor). It's nothing to look at outside or inside, but Marita's offers many of the services that big salons and spas have, at a fraction of the cost. It also has some services that even the big salon chains don't have, like eyebrow threading. After three weeks of lots of walking, I'm going to spend some quality time at Marita's this weekend. Anybody else care for a foot spa and pedicure for only 300 pesos (less than 7 U.S. dollars)?

See what's reflecting what at James' Weekend Reflections.

One each

I was very happy to find out that Café 1771 has the Chateau Group's famous Coffee Pie. It is the only pastry that my husband and I do not share—we have to get one slice each. Any description I come up with will never be able to do it justice, but think creamy butter mixed with mocha ice cream, and you have an approximation of its melt-in-your-mouth texture and taste. Topped with caramel and more cream, on a chocolate and nut crust. Sinfully delicious.




And the reason for the treat: we're arriving home this afternoon! Whee! I'm sure we had a grand time in Toronto (this is still a scheduled post so I can only guess), but the saying is very true: there's no place like home. I will be glad to sleep in our lumpy ol' bed again.

Dignified

The second dining room of Café 1771 is called "The Lounge" and it's easy to see why. This long table was the one set up for our group, friends from college. The books on the shelves are real; old, used ones but bound like new in hardcover. In fact, the first book I pulled out to check whether they were real happened to come from the library of the university where we studied, which gave us all a good laugh.




My friends and I agree that the earth tones and subdued lighting of The Lounge provide a more relaxing atmosphere than the bright colors and fluorescent lights of yesterday's Whimsy, which is through the doorway where the waiter is standing. We also noticed that the ones who chose Whimsy were in their twenties, while those in The Lounge were all at least in their forties.




Replace the painting on the wall with a wide video screen and The Lounge can very well be in someone's lovely home. A movie would be perfect with the popcorn served as an appetizer.

Whimsical

Café 1771 has two distinct dining rooms. This light-hearted, colorful room is called "Whimsy."

Welcome mat

This unique tile mosaic mat greets diners who enter Café 1771 in El Pueblo Real de Manila in Ortigas Center. The smaller text at the bottom of the illustration says "l'esprit du chateau" and it accurately describes the restaurant's new interiors, which I will show you in the next two days.

Urban legend

The first Manila International Film Festival was scheduled in January of 1982. Because the Philippines did not have an official national film archive, then-First Lady Imelda Marcos—the dictator's wife with the gazillion shoe collection—spearheaded the construction of a film center which would serve as the main theater of the festival aside from becoming the central repository of the country's creative film output. That was in January of 1981, and because of the tight schedule, thousands of construction workers were hired to work round the clock in three shifts. Then, in November, a great tragedy occurred. A section of the scaffolding collapsed, and about 170 workers fell and were buried in the quick-drying cement. The Marcos administration immediately imposed an information blackout on the event, and rescue workers and medics weren't allowed on the scene until after nine hours. Eventually though, the Manila Film Center was finished on time and the festival pushed through. Because of the accident, however, the center was always thought to be haunted. It is said that because of the nine hours that passed before rescuers were permitted to do their job, some of the construction workers were entombed alive and their bodies were left in the hardened concrete slabs of the building.

Heavenly sky-watching

The corridor in front of the Ateneo Church of the Gesù is also roofed with glass, like its cupola and much of its pyramidal roof.

Westward Ho!

The Sky Garden of SM City North EDSA has a covered walkway which links all of the mall's buildings. I've never seen one, but it reminds me of historical American West covered wagons.

Fashionable

While walking the streets of Binondo, I came across this sweet little Chihuahua in his (her?) denim jeans and sneakers, and "Lacoste" shirt. I didn't get his name, but isn't he just the cutest thing?

Jam-packed

The district of Binondo is Manila's Chinatown. It is a densely populated area, with more than twelve thousand people crammed into its .66 square kilometer (.26 square mile) land, according to the 2007 Philippine population census. Despite its narrow, crowded and oft-dirty streets, Binondo has one of the highest land values in the metro. No houses here, just cheek by jowl office and apartment buildings which are all at least three stories high. No matter what the building is, the street level spaces are all eateries, retail stores and commercial enterprises.




About the only thing that distinguishes an office building from an apartment building in Binondo is the laundry drying in the balconies of the latter.

Angelic bovine

If I didn't see yesterday's sticker in the taxi, this is what I would have used for the June CDP theme day. I was reluctant to use it though, for fear of offending dear ol' Louis la Vache. With his Holy Cow Coffee Company, these cows are probably close kin of his, even if they live halfway around the world. Poor Louis might still get hurt, but at least it isn't on a theme day.




The Chophouse is a restaurant in TriNoma mall that specializes in charcoal grilled steaks. Aside from the smiling cow with a halo in its logo, it also has a winged cow standing guard beside its front doors.




My husband and I have never eaten at The Chophouse, and I doubt if we ever will. We find the name quite unappetizing and besides, what hard-hearted person would be willing to eat such sweet, angelic cows?