Since I suddenly had a free day on Monday, I started thinking maybe it would be fun to book a tour from Toronto to Niagara Falls. That way I wouldn’t have to deal with any of the logistics. Once I started browsing I found a lot of offers, but they were all operated by Grey Line – so I just booked direct. And what I learned was….I should’ve just driven myself.
The tour was too long in all the wrong places (you do not need 45 minutes at the whirlpool – that is a 15 minute photo/bathroom stop), and too short in all the wrong places (30 minutes at the ice wine place? Come on!). It was a lot of hurry up and wait.
The included lunch at the Sheraton was nice for the view (the food was exactly what you’d expect from a hotel buffet lunch).
I opted out of the Hornblower cruise because nothing sounded appealing about being hot, wet, and covered in plastic. The Maid of the Mist used to have exclusive rights to cruising around the falls, but when it went up to bid, the Hornblower won the right to operate from the Canadian side of the falls. Maid of the Mist still operates from the American side. During lunch I watched the boats cruise into the mist pit of Horseshoe Falls and then just stay there for what seemed like forever.
I visited the American side of the falls when I lived in Philly and did not do Maid of the Mist then. I have never regretted it, so the decision to not go on Hornblower seemed the right one.
Most of the others of the tour were saying “once in a lifetime” and “you have to see it at least once”, but I haven’t regretted it for the last 9 years, and I still don’t regret it now. HOT. WET. COVERED IN PLASTIC. NOPE!
“The New York of Canada – and also the Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, and L.A., to judge by the American cities it’s stood in for in the movies, Toronto is power-trip uber center, full of skyscapers, limos, and buzz. Head northwest of the high-end retail district on Yonge and Bloor however, and you find yourself in a different vibe entirely…This is Yorkville, once an independent village…now the gentrified home of all things haute Toronto. …The Toronto-based luxury chain’s flagship hotel and a favorite of visiting celebs – especially during the 10-day Toronto International Film Festival[I didn’t see any despite being there on the last day of the TIFF], one of the film world’s most important. The marble floored lobby and other public areas are designed with a mix of clean modern lines and classic parlor style.”
Both the main restaurant and bar have changed since the publication of The List, but I ate at D|Bar and it was delicious.
“The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) is one of the finest museums in North America, with a collection that encompasses both Canadian and international art. Founded in 1900 by a group of Toronto citizens, it currently holds ore than 36,000 work, dating from the 11th century to the present.”
“To accommodate the additions and bring the museum in to the 21st century, a physical redesign and expansion was led by renowned Toronto native Frank Gehry, the architectural genius behind the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao.”
I had to rejigger the Canadian section of my trip. I had originally planned to drive first to Niagara Falls over the weekend, and visit the Museum on Monday. Surprise! The museum is closed on Mondays (I have no idea why I didn’t check on this first – it’s not exactly unheard of for museums to be closed on Mondays). At the same time, I noticed that my hotel in Niagara had suddenly added parking charges and a resort fee to my stay – so I cancelled that and instead stayed in a Marriott in Guelph, about an hour and a half outside Toronto, on Saturday night.
Sunday was a super rainy day, but I drove into downtown Toronto, found a sweet parking deal ($8 all day) in a covered garage about a block away and since I’d repurchased a ticket, skipped the line to get inside. I found the museum a bit hard to navigate, but ultimately saw everything I wanted. And the staircase…..it’s just phenomenal. I think it looks a little like an ampersand from certain angles. (&)
After wandering the collection for several hours I jumped in an Uber and headed for #189 for a quick lunch.
“The American Club is a classy, top-rank all-around vacation resort … The visionary behind the American Club [was] Herbert Kohler, Jr. (of designer plumbing products fame). In 1981 Kohler was responsible for transforming a redbrick, Tudor-style 1918 rooming house into the American Club’s hub. Built originally for the workers employed at the bathroom fixtures factory across the street, it is now a grand, ivy-covered, manor house of uncommon luxury, with ma-suite bathrooms. (Incidentally, everything around her is named Kohler, as the family has dominated the area since opening its company in 1873.)"
"Head for the hotel’s refined Immigrant Restaurant and Winery, featuring six different ethnic-themed rooms designed to reflect the groups who once lived and worked here. Wisconsin’s heritage of dairy farming and German immigrant cuisine are acknowledged on the menu at the hotel’s publike Horse and Plow, with its signature three-cheese soup and grilled Sheboygan sausage sampler – plus a choice of at least eighty regional bottled beers and twelve Wisconsin beers on tap”
Kohler also is famous for its chocolates, and I cannot overstate how cool these look in person. Seriously go browse their site and then imagine them looking twice as shiny in person.
And as a bonus for any Making a Murderer fans. I was only about 30 minutes away from Manitowoc, and couldn't pass up the opportunity to drive by Avery Auto Salvage. I pulled one semi-decent picture from the dashcam.
“Horse and buggies start arriving before daybreak for the weekly Antique and Miscellaneous Auction in Shipshewana (population 542) in the heart of one of America’s largest Amish and Mennonite communities. The auction and market is as much a draw to view the goods for sale as to enjoy those who come from nearby farms to buy.”
The flea market has "Handmade Trail" scavenger hunt. You check-in at 10 booths featuring hand made items and you get a paintbrush pen. I hate to shop, but an activity to go to specific stores....I'm in. Also, I bought stuff in 2 of them. Sneaky people.
“Amish Acres in Nappanee (south of Shipshewana [and a town that uses each letter in its name exactly twice]) features tours of a restored Amish farm and homestead…The highlight here is the Thresher’s Dinner served family style in the barn…”
It. Is. So. Much. Food. And I would trade it all for another bowl of the sage dressing. It was delicious.
The Amish community that lives in this area is so much friendlier than what I experienced in Pennsylvania. They were just there, going about their business, but never shy to smile or say hi, or treat you like a neighbor.
The Airbnb I stayed at was right in the middle of the community. Her house sits on a long country road (it led directly into downtown Middlebury), and all of her neighbors (except one) are Amish. There are buggies everywhere, almost as common as cars. One thing I was amazed by were that there were so many Amish of all ages.
In PA it seemed like there weren't any kids or teenagers, but this part of Indiana - I saw babies, kids, teens, young adults, everyone up to and including old folks. My Airbnb host was actually raised Amish, married in the Amish church, and raised her kids Amish. Until they reached the 8th grade. That is when she and her husband made the decision that their kids should continue in school, and they left the church. She has 18 brothers and sister who are all still Amish, and contrary to what pop culture would have us believe, their families were pretty hesitant to engage (what if they are bad influences in the community, what if they convince our kids to leave the church, what if they don't respect our standards in their home) for about a year. But after that, things went back to normal. Her whole family still gets together at Christmas.
I also learned that these Amish communities are progressing slowly, but surely into modern times. The still don't have traditional electricity, but many homes use solar panels to power their homes/farms. The don't have traditional land lines, but most have cell phones. While many are still farmers, some work outside the home. Buggies are still the norm, but they are beginning to outfit them with turn signals, brake lights, and flashers for after dark. I also saw many wearing reflective safety vests while biking around.
There is so much to see and do in and around Shipshewana. I didn’t realize how much there was until I got there. And then I lost a week sick with bronchitis, where I crossed the basics off the list, but didn’t venture beyond that. The second week, I tried to cram as much in as possible, but I really wish I’d taken an extra day off to go explore and maybe see a couple of plays.
“There are other hotels on this small time-locked island (whose name is pronounced Mack-in-awe), but Grand Hotel … sets the tone. The immense white Greek Revival palace lives resolutely and proudly in the past. It was built in 1887 during the post-Civil War Gilded Age, when rates were $3 a night. [Now they’re between $615 - $985 for single occupancy per night.] It’s stately, 600-foot-long, pillared veranda surely one of the world’s largest porches, is perfect for watching magic sunsets play on the Mediterranean-blue waters of the lakes. In a state where the auto industry rules, cars are banned here, and travel is by bicycle or horse carriage only.”
This hotel reminds me a lot of the Greenbrier – old timey, sort of lurid, gaudy décor, and better in idea than in reality. Possibly coloring my opinion is the fact that everything about this Place was a hassle, and while some of that hassle was due to the Labor Day crowds, some of it is just built in.
Getting there is a hassle. I came from the UP, but left for the island from Mackinaw City – so there was a toll bridge, parking, a tram, and long line, then a ferry. The taxi service on the island is horse drawn carriages, and again, it was a hassle.
You can’t “hail” a cab, you have to call and request one. Again, I’m not sure if this was a product of the holiday weekend, or if it is generally the situations, but it took forever for a cab to show up. Basically, anyone that knows me knows that I hate it when everything is just a hassle. Was I also very tired? Yes? Possibly a contributing factor.
Once at the Grand Hotel, I decided to eat at the Grand Lunch Buffet, for a buffet is was not bad for a buffet, but kind of weirdly set up. I (luckily?) had a table on the outside, but it seemed like everything was jammed together so nobody had enough room to move around. My chair was jostled repeatedly, the buffet line was just one long line with no clear beginning/end and the room between the buffet tables and the dining tables was barely wide enough for 2 people to walk. I heard this exchange from a “Me Big/You Tiny” (thanks TWoP Amazing Race recaps) couple:
Tiny: weaving through tablesBig: please don’t go anywhere I can’t follow?!Tiny: okay (veers to go a different direction)
Going through town, though, I did wonder what it would be like to live there full time. It looks like 500-600 people are full time residents of the island, but what stays open after the tourist season is over? And do you get snowed it? What is you just work on the island? Is there a season ferry pass? Priority parking? It’s something I wonder about a lot of places I visit – who are these people, what do they do for a living, for fun, for shopping.
“Misnamed by French missionaries who thought these islands numbered twelve instead of 22, the heavily forested Apostles begin just a mile off the Lake Superior coastline and spreadh out for 600 square miles, the outermost lying some 20 miles offshore.”
Madeline Island is the only residential island and the only one located outside the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. During the summer a ferry operates between the mainland and Madeline, but during the winter, once the lake freezes, residents and visitors drive an “ice road” – terrifying.
The day I visited the Apostles, rain was in the forecast. I’d scheduled a “sunset” cruise, and for the first half it was overcast, but nice. Just over 3/4ths of the way through it started raining. And not a nice summer shower, but a squall that reduced our captain to saying things like, “you’ll just have to trust that there is a gray building over there,” and “normally from here you can see three states (WI, MI, and MN)”, and “seriously, the water is so clear you can see clear to the bottom….not today, but you know, a lot of the time.” Also, our boat was named "Archipelago" which is my favorite word in the English language.
The area around Bayfield, WI has a lot of orchards and berry farms colloquially known as the “Fruit Loop”. I read that and just knew that I had to visit. Most of these places are “pick your own” berries/apples, and I was there in between seasons – berries are almost done, and apples aren’t ready for another few weeks, but I did see some berry pickers out and about. I also (obviously) had to buy some cider and other treats.
Bayfield itself is a super cute, quaint little town with no chain restaurants, and this patch of America is extraordinarily beautiful part of the world.
