Last week I spent Tuesday through Friday in Toronto, Canada for a work trip. I’m no stranger to the city, in fact I’ve done this trip at least four times. The first time I was there, I toured the city the best way I know how, by running it. This time it was a little too chilly to run the city, but I was able to capture some pretty good photos.

Ok, so more than a few photos from my hotel, but the city is gorgeous, so I couldn’t help myself. Toronto is a beautiful city to walk, and I felt really safe. If you’re looking to stay in the downtown area, I highly recommend the Residence Inn Toronto Downtown. The rooms were large and spacious, and even included a kitchen. You can easily walk to the lake, to the convention center, restaurants, bars and a few of the sports arenas.

As for food, let’s just say that I’ve never had a bad meal in Toronto. We went to a variety of restaurants after the show, and I’m pretty sure if I didn’t walk so much, I would have easily gained 10 pounds.

• Paese Ristorante – Located on King Street, Paese was about a 5 minute walk from the hotel. The restaurant is very chic but also very cozy. I ate an entire Margherita pizza by myself with a glass of Verdicchio ‘Macrina’. Both the pizza and wine were excellent, so you better believe I’m adding that to my HelloVino list!
• Jack Astors Bar & Grille – To me this was similar to BW3’s, but a little bit more upscale. I had the Shrimply Delicious Pasta with a side of poutine. It was the first time I ever tried poutine, and honestly, I really liked it. I may try making it at home sometime.
• e11even – This restaurant was in the heart of the sports district. The atmosphere and design was very sophisticated and the meal was amazing. I had the crab cake, lobster mac n’ cheese, and followed it up with the warmed nut brownie for dessert. The menu is pricy, but it’s definitely worth it.

Have you ever tried poutine? Have you traveled to Toronto?