Favourite 2013 travel photos: Pittsburgh PA, USA. February 2013
Cathedral of Learning
Author: Greg
The first rule of wine club
Ok, so it’s not that drastic. I can speak of Wine Club.
No summary of my recent trip to Toronto would be complete without at least a mention of the time I spent with my sister at her wine club and cellar. Shortly after arriving in town on Thursday, we made our way to the club nestled away on a side street in downtown for a light lunch and a beautiful bottle of Ontario red. My sister isn’t a big red drinker, but had stashed a few bottles away for when someone like me comes along with her. The Thirty Bench Cab Sauvignon was lovely – nice cherry and vanilla flavours – it went really well the chorizo and a few other items making up a light lunch:
Ruby Watchco
Trying to pick a restaurant in Toronto for each visit is overwhelming. Which cuisine? What neighbourhood? Something new or something loved from a previous trip? About three weeks before my last visit and I hadn’t picked anything despite reminders from my sister that time was running out to get a reservation for a Saturday night at anywhere popular. A reminder text popped in from her as I was watching “Pitchin’ In” on Food Network and somewhere in the back of my head I remembered Chef Lynn Crawford had a newish place. A quick look online and Ruby Watchco was my choice for this trip.
It was superb. The grapefruit and blood orange tequila cocktail was so good I didn’t get to snap a picture of it. I could have eaten a bucket of the clili roasted eggplant salad . The ribeye melted in my mouth. The sherry vinegar roasted mushrooms (a side with the steak) would make an incredible football day snack (I’m picturing them in a funnel cone with a spear to poke them with, but I digress). The blueberry and lemon curd parfait was the perfect blend of tart and sweet.
Course 1: Chili roasted eggplant salad with honey mustard goat cheese dressing
Course 2: Slow roasted ribeye with onion jam and horseradish cream
Course 3: Artisinal cheese w/ cherries and almonds
Course 4: Maple blueberry parfait with lemon curd
Me with a glass of Chianti
The restaurant itself was beautiful inside. Homey with a modern feel. The staff was super friendly. For an evening, I wished I lived in Riverside so this could be my neighbourhood place. I think the picture of me above speaks for itself in that regard.
Got Drunk, Fell Down (no, not me)
A brief pause from travel writing for kudos to my hometown of Halifax. Two interesting pieces of public art were recently installed on the waterfront, and I’m kind of in love with them. In the foreground below is “Got Drunk, Fell Down” (the lamp that has fallen down and its friend looking down on it with some concern) and in the background is “Fountain” (the lamp post that looks like it is relieving itself into our harbour), both by Chris Hanson and Hendrika Sonnenberg who are former NSCAD students. On a perfectly crisp spring afternoon, people were walking among the lamp posts, taking pictures and enjoying the installation. Here’s hoping there’s more public art coming to our fine town:
Toronto’s Signature Sandwich
I’ve written about delicious sandwiches before (Philadephia’s cheesesteak, the Primanti Bros sandwich from Pittsburgh, the glorious hotdogs in Reykjavik) so I know what I’m talking about when it comes to a meal served on bread. Toronto’s peameal sandwich is right up there with the tastiest sandwiches I’ve tried.
Whenever I’m in Toronto on a Saturday morning, I’m making a beeline to the St. Lawrence Market. Before the main course, there’s plenty of sights and tastes to take in. For the carnivore, there are cases upon cases of cuts of meat like this:
Public art in the Distillery District
On my recent trips, I’ve taken a shine to seeking out public art installations. On a quiet Sunday morning walk with my sister down to the Distillery District in search of an excellent coffee at Balzac’s, we came across a few interesting works.
This one, “Still Dancing” by Dennis Oppenheim, was right outside the coffee shop in the main square of the district and is a pretty clear nod to the brewing/distilling history of this area. This installation is quite large with the top of the copper apparatus reaching almost 40 feet tall.
The Audience
Favourite 2013 travel photos. Toronto, ON. March 2013
Revisiting familiar places
My next two trips are return visits in many ways. Next week I’m heading to Toronto to visit my sister. It’s a place I’ve visited almost an uncountable number of times; a place I’ve lived and worked in. Next month, I’m heading to Quebec City. Although not recently, it’s another place I’ve spent some time in owing to family friends, a relatively manageable 11 hour drive and my earlier-life passion for my beloved, but now extinct, Nordiques.
What to do when heading back to places this familiar? For both it’ll be a mix of revisiting old favourites and finding a couple of new experiences. In Toronto, I’m excited by the new: dinner reservations at Ruby Watchco, in what seems like a city with no end to dining choices. I’ll also be tempted back to some old favourites – peameal sandwiches at the St Lawrence Market, a beer or two at the Rebel House, and perhaps some El Salvadorian food at Tacos El Asador. In Quebec City, wandering around the old town and sitting down to a heart stopping poutine at Chez Ashton will bring back memories from many years ago. For the new? A host of restaurants and bars that my palette didn’t appreciate all those years ago.
My lists are made (but, as always, somewhat fluid) and my walking shoes are ready. Here’s to the familiar and to a taste of the new.
Hockey night in Pittsburgh
I normally try to extend my business trips by a day on one side or the other to do a bit of exploring or to take in a unique event. When the (very delayed) NHL schedule was released, I realized an extra night in Pittsburgh would give me a chance to see a Penguins game. When tickets went on sale, I snagged a customary nosebleed seat for the Penguins – Senators game.
Having perfected the art of “sneaking down” into the good seats, I gave the slip to an usher and made my way down to the lower level to take in some of the warm-up. Here’s my view a few minutes after getting inside the rink:
Sights from wandering in Pittsburgh
Having spent some time in Pittsburgh before, I had already visited a number of the must see tourist sites. That afforded the opportunity on this trip to spend some free time just wandering around. The unseasonably mild weather (reaching 14C on my first day there, who thought traveling from Halifax to Pittsburgh would let me warm up?) made for a couple of great walks.
Here are some of my favourite sights from a stroll along the Monongahela river on my first day in town and an afternoon walk around the Oakland neighbourhood once I had finished the business part of my trip.
Bluenose Traveler 