January 2018 - approximately 7am EST
Morning light hasn’t revealed our surroundings
Train ride on the UPX from YYZ to downtown Toronto felt long and confusing
It was pitch black but the clock was in the a.m.
The train moved fast and slow leaving riders confused and sleepy
We walked tireless navigating in an unknown city
It was only my second time leaving the country, granted it was our neighboring country Canada felt different
Toronto - Canada’s version of NYC
We didn’t exactly have a plan for meals
It was a 5 day trip and figured we could get by eating out three meals a day, but we decided to make the journey to the nearest Costco
it was several miles away by subway and walked the rest
We tried our best not to rent a car as we had to pay for a parking space at our AirBnb but $45 for a weekly transport card made the most sense and thankfully it was robust
The only thing we didn’t plan for was the freezing temps and how the rain is really ice hitting your face
Shopping at the local neighborhood grocery store
Got coffee and timbits at the nearest Tim Horton’s to start off our day
The CN Tower
Unfortunately it was closed during the winter when we visited
It’s towering sight definitely was a spectacle looking out from our AirBnB and walking around the area
Sightseeing around downtown Toronto
Living in Orange County, you don’t get to walk around places to look at everything around you especially tall buildings hugging your peripherals
I think after returning from Toronto is what sparked my interest in architectural photography
On our first day exploring the city, we had to fight icy cold winds and hail like rain
We navigated on weak international 4G network while moving from shelter to shelter just to get a break from the freezing air
The view from our balcony at the AirBnB
Black and white photos taken with Kodak Tri-X 400
Developed, scanned, and printed by The Photo Lab in Costa Mesa, California
On the last week of our trip (yeah I only brought so few rolls of film) we rented a car and headed out to Niagara Falls
John’s aunt mentioned we’re lucky to be on the Canadian side as this is the best view compared to Buffalo, New York
Lack of other tourists, the peaceful silence was broken up by the thunderous roar from frozen Niagara
It was about 15 degrees Fahrenheit.
Yes Fahrenheit.
The sun’s out but that didn’t matter, it was a different kind of cold that we thought we’ve acclimated already compared to our first day.
We had 3-5 layers on, hand warmers, foot warmers and still not enough to fight Canadian winter in January.
Still, we enjoyed the beauty Niagara had to offer - no tourists, no traffic
The frozen landscape added so much more
We visited the OAM - Ontario Art Museum - in the middle of downtown
We had about a few hours before they closed to explore the astounding 5-story building - it housed everything from renaissance art to archelogy
We spent our final night at the ice skating rink abundant with locals shaving into the ice
It was cool seeing a Zamboni in action
*Zamboni pic not included
Color photos taken with Kodak Ektar 100
Developed, scanned, and printed by 19 Minute Photo Lab in Artesia, California