My Toronto Staycation!

I really wanted to go on vacation this year. Like really, really wanted to go. Earlier this year I had my sights set on trying delicacies in Europe, touring ancient architecture in India, or having a breathtaking stay in Nepal. But, alas, as summer rolled around, I knew it wouldn't be possible this year, because of the summer grind. Vacations are hard enough to plan without jobs, school, student budgetary restraints (that's a nice way of saying I'm a broke college student) and other summer commitments getting in the way. I've accepted that my cool vacation in a country I've never been to still awaits me (in the near future hopefully), but I didn't want to spend my summer without ANY vacation time at all. To solve my vacation blues, I decided to go on some mini-adventures to fulfill my vacation needs right here in the city- a staycation! Things Api would like during a staycation:

• Somewhere to relax!
• Exotic food I've never tried before
• Pretty, historical architecture
• Nice Views

My first stop of the week was to relax out at the Waterfront. It's a quick subway ride to union station and a short walk to the ferries and the boardwalk. I decided to bring a book and have a seat at one of the benches, and it was probably the most relaxed I've been in a while. I returned to reality feeling a little better about my upcoming finals.

Vacation spot number two was yummier than I expected. Toronto has endless possibilities when it comes to food from other cultures, but I wanted to try something something I've never had before. I ended up trying Kimchi fries for the first time and it was SO good! Kimchi fries are hand-cut fries with pulled pork, Kimchi (pickled cabbages), fresh leeks and a little bit of mayonnaise:

As U of T students, it's fairly common to encounter pretty architecture, but I felt compelled to add it to my vacation list just because I need to see what else is out there (It's not you Knox College, its me.) Therefore, spot number three was the Distillery District! This was probably the furthest spot from U of T, but its not so far out of the downtown core that it's a difficult to get to. Truth be told, I've been to the Distillery before, but I just can't get enough of it. I will use any excuse to take selfies with the twinkling lights at night time.

My final vacation spot was...*Drumroll please*... The CN Tower! For one awesome view of Toronto, the ticket is totally worth it. If you look really closely you might be able to point out places on campus like UC, Convocation Hall and Varsity Stadium!

Overall, my week has been awesome. It was nice to take a break from the regularly scheduled school programming. As the summer goes on, I plan to keep up my mini-staycations and visit somewhere different each week. So check out my shenanigans on Twitter @Api_UofT!

Until next time, U of T!