I went to Chicago and Toronto for an extended weekend (Friday-Tuesday). I was in dire need of an escape. Between work, boredom, and sheer uninterested to do shit after 8 pm I figured it was time to recharge my spirit with an adventure. Copped a last-minute greyhound bus for Saint Louis to Chicago for $30 roundtrip. Left at 5pm and got into downtown Chicago around 10. Me and the friend accompanying me on this trip basically just bummed around the city finding spots to drink, eat, and talk. Interestingly enough we had a really thoughtful conversation about our lives at 1 am in front of a hotel we weren’t even staying at. I thought we could kick it for almost most of the night before escaping to the airport to sleep for free considering that our flight left at nine and we weren’t able to get a cheap a room. Yet running the streets only lasted til bout 2am.
Going from the downtown to the airport via the blue line was nothing special. Just a whole bunch of drunk tired folks, working tired folks, and me headphones blazing and nowhere near tired. Deciding to go to the airport and just crashed turned out to be a good decision. For the fact that I saved money not trying to mindlessly entertain myself for 6 hours.
I ended up buying a roundtrip ticket from United Airlines weekly web fare sale. The ticket was only $238; cant beat that price to get outside of your own country.
I slept the whole ride there. Going through Customs was a breeze. The airport is outside the city so we ended up taking a 20 minute bus ride to the subway. The lady at the airport was very helping making sure we knew where we were going before we got on the bus. Our hostel ” Kaiser’s Guest House off the Bathurst Line and walking distance from Little Italy, Chinatown, and this Hippie market on Kessington Rd was a perfect location for a random pick based on the reviews at hostelworld.com. The place was worth the $37 a night I paid for my room. Not the kind of hostel where you meet a lot of people but decent nonetheless. Ownership was really nice, bed and room was clean, shower warm and clean and rooms had a tv. Was able to watch the Olympics at like 3am.
The city of Toronto has the same kind of feel that Chicago has, for those who are familiar. Nice sized, bigger than what you expect metropolis by lake Ontario. People always moving in a relaxed rate, with an easy going look on their faces. Music in the street, artistic graffiti on the walls, and always an aroma. Mostly food (fruits and cooked meats), the occasional smell of weed, or Chinatown. Markets everywhere in the world have that smell that most Americans aren’t used to because we shop at supermarkets. But China town had that smell.
Did a lot of eating: lamb ramen, pizza, hot dogs, swordfish with roasted vegetables, and various snacks. Took a lot of pictures of street art. Saw a lot of attractive people. And spent less than $500 total on everything.
I know i went before the week of Caribana (in order to save money) and missed out on Toronto’s biggest festival. But I did so still knowing I was still going to have fun in Toronto. Its a perfect city for the wandering traveler. You constantly get rewarded for walking. Streets are decorated with so much art and culture that it is humbling. Toronto is just a city that everyone will love; Especially if you go during the right seasons. Do anything from catch a Blue Jays game, to tour CN Tower, dance in the middle of the street to good music with a random stranger, or just eat at fancy restaurants.
If that doesn’t convince you to go. You know Toronto is cool because they have free wifi at the airport.
P.S. I even saw an acquaintance from my journeys in Peru on my way back. That was so random but pleasant.
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