Toronto Day 1: Arrival, Jollibee, Kim’s Convenience, and CN Tower

Please read until the end, as I will summarize all the tips I have for you if you plan to travel to Toronto for the first time!

We arrived in Toronto at midnight, and it was freezing even though it wasn’t winter yet. We flew with United Airlines, and the flight was good. I was surprised that the airport was more relaxed at that hour. I expected shops to be open and people coming and going, but it had some downtime. Because of the time of year, it was less busy than other airports I’ve been to in the past couple of years.

If you’re a first-time visitor to Toronto, choose a hotel downtown like we did. Similar to most big cities, everything is accessible via public transport. I also recommend buying a Presto card. You can reload it and use it on all TTC/Go Bus services around Toronto, and it’s easy to top up.

Our Vrbo, located on Front Street East, was in the heart of downtown Toronto. I recommend this condo if it’s your first time visiting. It was accessible and clean, and the hosts were very organized from check-in to check-out.

Immediately after we arrived, we went to sleep. I guess we are getting older and are not used to long flights and staying up late anymore lol. The next morning, first on the agenda is… Jollibee! It had been a while since I tasted my favorite Filipino fast food. And guess what? I ordered it almost daily and tried nearly every item on the menu!

Here is the itinerary that I drafted a few weeks before we went to Toronto. Nowadays it’s easy to make one whenever you go. All you have to do is ask ChatGPT, and ask to include details on how to commute and group them according to proximity! An viola~ served to you on a silver platter. In my case, although we did not strictly follow the itinerary, it is a good guide on when and where we should aim to go for our vacation.

Before heading off to the first item on our itinerary, we decided to walk to Kim’s Convenience Store, the filming location of the Canadian Netflix series of the same name. Although I hadn’t watched it before, I was intrigued, so I just had to take a photo of it! We thought they sold Presto cards there, but they did not. It’s a good thing Shoppers Drug Mart was nearby. FYI, they do sell and top-up Presto cards!

One app that helped us navigate throughout this trip was Moovit. It is accurate, especially with streetcar and bus schedules. May God bless whoever thought and created this app! I recommend downloading it as it is not exclusively for Toronto but for most big cities worldwide!

Although CN Tower is only a 15-minute walk from our Vrbo, we took the streetcar by King Street because it was freezing outside! We no longer need to purchase the tickets onsite since we have the CityPass. CityPass is a prepaid admission to top tourist sites in different cities in North America. They had already done the research, so all you have to do is add these unique attractions to your schedule and show up.

We stayed at CN Tower from daylight to sunset to night to see all the different views of the city. It was majestic! The observation deck has restaurants and shops, so it was a pleasant experience to chill there.

Ripley’s Aquarium is just across from the tower, but we decided not to go there anymore. Although it was a short itinerary for today, it was indeed eventful.

Now as promised, here are my tips if you are travelling in Toronto!

Apps to download (at all costs! Thank me later.)

1. Moovit – The most accurate and user-friendly app to navigate around the city.
2. CityPass – You will save at least 44% on admission tickets instead of purchasing individually. It is less time-consuming, too, as you will no longer need to line up for the tickets.
3. Uber Eats – In case you get hungry in the middle of the night! They also deliver groceries.
4. Lyft – Same as Uber but way cheaper and way more drivers
5. Google Maps – Use as your general map when walking (or driving)

Items to buy (for your convenience)

1. Presto Card – this is your all in one ticket for all public transportation in Toronto

Websites to check (for best deals!)

1. Google Flights – To check available flights according to your price range, and then book directly to the airline’s website.
2. Vrbo – For accomodations that are not listed in Expedia or Airbnb.
3. Eventbrite – To check any events happening around the area.

More share on my next post! 😉