Tag: summer trips

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Travel

Montreal in a Day

Hello everyone!

Happy Wednesday! We are in the middle of the first full week of August. At the moment, I’m on vacation with my family, it’s a well-deserved break for all of us and we are making some quality memories together. I’ll be sharing more of my trip in the coming weeks, but until then, I have another travel post to tide you over. One that I couldn’t wait to share with you all! 

Several weeks ago, my boyfriend and I took another one of our crazy day trips. My boyfriend is a great trip planner, especially ones that are affordable and unique too. We also like to do our trips in a day, even if it means being up for more than 24 hours. 

Last summer, we did NYC in 13 hours, you can read about it here. We also did Toronto in a day, which you can read about here. 

This summer, we did Montreal in a day! It was one of our furthest destinations, but we packed a lot in, and I fell in love with the city and the culture. 

Here’s a recap of our trip.

We left in the evening and drove to Burlington, Canada where we caught a train into Toronto. The car ride was about 2.5 hours and then the train was about an hour. After making our way to Toronto, we hopped on an overnight bus into Montreal.

Arriving at the border
Arriving in the bus station the next day

We arrived bright and early before 6:00 in the downtown area, since most of the city was still asleep, we freshened up and dropped off our bags. My boyfriend discovered a gym that you can store your bags for the day, this was a huge help to us. We could still pack what we needed for our travels without having to worry about carrying them during the day.

After getting ready, we started exploring the downtown, metropolitan area and then ventured into the Old Port and historic Montreal.

This was one of my favorite parts of the day. The sun was rising, the city was quiet, and we could just take in the city.

We got breakfast at a little bakery and ate in the town square.

Between the French signs, old architecture and French being the most common language spoken there, I truly felt like I was in a different world, and I loved it.

We walked down by the pier and then made our way back to the old part of the town to tour the Notre Dame Basilica.

More views from our walk

It was a gorgeous church filled with vibrant colors and details. We went when they first opened so there were no lines. 

After our tour, we made our way towards the downtown area where we climbed up Mount Royal.

A look at what we had to climb

We walked everywhere through the day, so we definitely got our steps in. The hill was daunting and climbing up flights of steps was challenging at points, but the view was worth it.

The view from the top

We could see the entire city from the top. It was breathtaking, especially in the sunshine. 

After enjoying the view, we made our way to a park in Mount Royal where we rented a rowboat and enjoyed some time on the water. It was picturesque and VERY dreamy. I felt like I had my own “Notebook” worthy moment.

Such a beautiful park!

We spent some more time in the park and then made our way down the steps and hill, the walk down was much easier.

The homes were gorgeous!

We stopped for lunch at a little shop and enjoyed our food in a nearby park.

Lunch in a park

 We walked back down to the water and enjoyed some more time in the city.

A look at the city from the water.

We also popped into a few shops, bought some souvenirs, and enjoyed some music in a town square too.

All the shops were so cute and quaint!

 We grabbed our bags and then made our way back to the bus station where we began our journey home.

Back at the station

Here’s a look at our final stats of the day when it comes to the mileage. 

There were some delays for the return trip, but that was all a part of the adventure. We got back very early in the morning and took the day to catch up on sleep and get our lives back in order. 

Although there was a lot of travel involved and many different modes of transportation, it was so worth it. My boyfriend and I love exploring new places and traveling, especially on a budget. He does an incredible job at planning and truly thinks of everything. I’m not sure where our next adventure will be, but I’m sure it will be a whirlwind. 

Until next time, Montreal!

Tell me: where are some of your favorite places to travel to? Bonus points if they can be done in a day! Although, I will be still away, I will have  a Friday Favorites post for you! I hope you are having a great week! See you back here on Friday! Happy August!

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Travel

Canada Day Trip

Hello hello!

Happy Wednesday! I hope you had a great week so far! We are halfway to the weekend and I couldn’t be more ready for it.

I love to travel and visit new places, whether they are cities, state parks or the suburbs! This summer I have done a lot more traveling than in year’s past, mostly due to Covid. It’s been fun to return to old places or go someplace new. My boyfriend and I love taking day trips together, since our work schedules don’t line up whenever we take a day off for one another we try to really capitalize on it. So far this summer we have gone to Columbus, New York City and Toronto and the Canadian Falls to name a few spots. 

Our trip to Canada was our most recent trip at the beginning of August. We had such a good time and packed a lot in. Here’s what we did and how we did Canada in a day!

We left around 4:30 and made our way up north. We drove to Burlington, Canada and from there took a train into the city of Toronto.

Making our way across the border

We arrived around 8:30 to Union Station with all the commuters for the day.

Union Station

 Our first stop was Tim Hortons for some fuel, even through we have them at home, we knew we had to take advantage of the Canadian staple. 

Fuel for the day!
The city in the morning!

We walked around downtown for a bit and checked out some of the tourist spots, like the CN Tower and the big Toronto sign and then City Hall. We also saw the Rogers Arena where the Maple Leafs play! 

The CN Tower
The iconic Toronto sign
City Hall behind the sign
Home of the Maple Leafs

After taking in the downtown we took a ferry to Centre Island which was so fun! From the boat, you got a whole new perspective of the city and it was beautiful to be out on the water.

The city from the ferry
On the ferry!

On the island, there are trails to walk and bike, a beach, lots of food stands, a little amusement park and lots of green space along with boating clubs.

There were so many green spaces
A look at the amusement park

We walked around by the piers and rented bikes as we took in the island, we could have stayed there all day!

It was beautiful on the island

In the future we want to go back with picnic and spend more time there. It was beautiful! 

The ferry coming back to the island (my boyfriend snapped this photo)

We took the ferry back and then made our way to St. Lawrence Market for lunch.

A look inside St. Lawrence’s Market

There were dozens of different vendors , from fresh produce, to breads, meats, fish, vegetables, bakery items, and speciality goods. We both settled on sandwiches for lunch.

Lunch time!

After our meals, we decided to take the train back to our car in Burlington and then head to Niagara Falls. We have both been to the American falls, but this was our first time heading to the Canadian falls together. 

The falls!

If you have never been before, the Canadian falls is very touristy, lots of gift shops, fast food places, amusement park rides and very Americanized. We found it to be a little overwhelming, so we quickly made our way past the chaos and just enjoyed the falls.

America or Canada? It was hard to tell with all the American chains.

We decided not to purchase tickets to any boats or activities since we arrived late in the day and just decided to take in the falls. 

Up close of the rushing waters
The falls-both of them!

It was beautiful to see both the American and Canadian falls next to each other. After seeing them from many different spots and taking lots of photos, we decided to call it a day and make our way back home.

A rainbow to end the day!

It was a packed full day and we were tired. 

We had such a great time that we have already begun to talk about what we want to do the next time we go. 

Goodbye falls!

Tell me, have you enjoyed any trips this summer and have you been to Toronto or Canada, if so, what are your must do’s? 

Let me know in the comments below!

See you back here on Friday for another edition of Friday Favorites!

Categories
Travel

New York City in 13.5 Hours

Hello everyone! Happy July! 

I hope you had a Fourth of July yesterday. Although, I was working, I still enjoyed time with family and some good grilling and fireworks too! It was a great way to round off America’s birthday!

These past few weeks have been so busy with trips, time with family and work, so I’m a little behind with sharing about some recent trips, so today I’m catching you all up about them. 

My boyfriend surprised me with a day trip to New York City for my birthday, but there was a slight catch. We did NYC in 13.5 hours and were up for about 24 hours to make it happen. If you are planning to do the Big Apple in a day, it is possible and affordable and here’s how we did it. 

Central Park in the morning

We both have been to New York City before (I’ve only been in the city in the winter at Christmastime so this was my first time in the in the summer), so we have seen the big sights, but we wanted still to hit all the big stops together. 

We left at 1:30 in the morning to drive to a bus station about four hours away, from there we took a bus into the city (where we caught a few hours of sleep) where they dropped us off in Midtown at 9:30 and then we hit the ground running (literally).

All I had with me was my Lululemon Cross body which was a huge lifesaver and truly all I needed. I packed a lot in there, from glasses, chargers, sanitizer, chapstick, a little body spray and then cash and credit card and I used it all through the day.

All I had for a day in the city!

I also can’t recommend enough wearing comfortable shoes and clothes as we walked a lot (I’ll show you my final stats at the end of the post). 

The weather was perfect for our day in the city with temperatures in the 70’s and partly cloudy, not too sunny or hot, we truly couldn’t have asked for a better day. 

First sights of the city.

We made a list of all the top things we wanted to see and added to it throughout the day. 

Here’s a look at our completed list.

We started the day with a walk-through Central Park, we took our first subway of the day to get there and then grabbed a classic New York Style bagel as we made our way to 30 Rock and NBC News.

Bagels for breakfast!
So many cream cheese options!
30 Rock!
Hello NBC!

Then we headed to St. Patrick’s Cathedral and Time Square. 

St. Patrick’s showing off!
The inside.
Times Square!

After taking in the sights, we hit the New York Public Library (where I had to reminisce about Carrie and Big from Sex and the City).

Then it was off to the iconic Macy’s where we checked out every floor (but didn’t buy anything). 

Macy’s!

We made a stop to Penn Station and Madison Square Garden.

Penn Station
Madison Square Garden!

By this point we were hungry, so we got some classic New York Style pizza and ate in Herald Square and people watched for a piece.

Classic pizza for lunch!

I had my Serena Van Der Woods moment in Grand Central Station and then we decided to take a subway to catch the Staten Island Ferry.

I was having a moment in my Gossip Girl era.
Another view from inside!

This was one of our favorite parts of the day since we both have never done it before and you got to see the city from a different perspective and spend some time on the water. We passed the Statue of Liberty on our way back. 

Another view of the city
Statue of Liberty

After we were back in the city, we stopped by Battery Park and saw the 9/11 Memorial.

As we made our wayback to Midtown we walked along the Hudson River which was a scenic way to make our way back to the city.

A late afternoon stroll.

We also stopped by the Highline, which is a park above the city which offered the most beautiful views, we popped into Chelsea Market to see all the vendors, shops and restaurants.

The highline
Chelsea Market

One of my favorite things about walking through the city is seeing all the different restaurants and stores and shops and how unique they all are tucked throughout the city. There were so many cute neighborhood spots I would have loved to check our if time permitted.

So many cute spots.

 By this time it was around 5:00 and we knew our time in the city was coming to a close so we grabbed ice cream and plotted the next few hours which included stops to both Chinatown and Little Italy (which we took the subway to get there too).

Afternoon pick me up!
Chinatown
Little Italy

We then took a subway to get back to Midtown, however, we ended up in Brooklyn, so after a little bit of a longer subway ride (which felt great to sit after lots of walking), we caught the sunset as we made our way back to the city for dinner at a 24 hour diner.

Sunset back in the city
Our dinner spot.
And dinner!

After dinner, which was breakfast for dinner, we made a final stop in Times Square to see it in its glory at night, before it was back to the bus station to catch our bus back home.

Times Square at night

Our bus was delayed which made it not so fun after being up for hours with dying phones. Thankfully, it arrived, and we made it on and caught some sleep as we bussed back. 

Here’s a look at my final stats according to my Apple Watch…over 18 miles and close to 50,000 steps. My legs definitely were tired by the end of the day.

Final stats of the day!

This was such a packed full day, but the absolute best gift and surprise from my boyfriend! Truly one of the best gifts he has ever given me. We have been doing more experiences rather than gifts for holidays and birthdays which we both enjoy.

So many outdoor dining spots.

The biggest things we learned from this trip is that you CAN do NYC in a day and hit all the top spots, almost everything we did was free! The only things we paid for were food, a few subway rides and then our bus and a few souvenirs (those were for me). Make sure you wear comfortable clothes and shoes especially if you plan on doing lots of walking which we did.

The City bustling.

I loved our time in the city from sunup to sundown. If you are on the fence about doing a day trip to a city, I highly recommend it. Just make sure you have a plan in place, you know your city (my boyfriend knows the city very well) and be open to going with the flow.

The streets in the evening.

I’m already counting down to the next time I am in the city!

Tell me: what questions do you have about my trip? Let me know in the comments below! See you back here on Friday for a new edition of Friday Favorites!