48 hours in the 6ix

       This past weekend, The Paradox Platform took a mini trip to Toronto. With neither of us having a vacation in the books for this summer, we figured we'd take our long weekend out of the office to the streets of Toronto. We literally booked a day before we left and took a 6 hour bus ride to "The Six". Despite being only a province and a few hours away, Toronto felt like a different world. This could have been all the English speaking and signage or it could have been the immensely tall buildings, which our own Montreal lacks due to height restrictions. We both agreed that despite this disconnect, the city did retain a familiar feeling for us and we immediately felt right at home. For one, it was the first time either of us had the chance to explore Toronto's "urban lifestyle" as adults, but we managed to seamlessly make our way through the city like true Torontonians. Saturday was our first and only full day in the city so we dragged ourselves out of bed for a lengthy day of exploring. By far, our favourite spot was Kensington Market; an artist's oasis in this corporate city. The market is home to a plethora of vintage/thrift/consignment shops as well as independent coffee shops and all day breakfast! We spent a good chunk of our day squeezing into every shop that we could. If you find yourself in Kensington Market, check out Bungalow for your thrifting needs, Our Spot for your breakfast desires and top it all off with a delicious coffee or juice at Casa Coffee! From the Market, we ventured over to Queen St. West, through Chinatown, where we found a myriad of street vendors selling jewelry (Mel and her sister bought out quite a few pieces!). We had to make the obligatory stop at the CN tower, which can be seen from almost anywhere in Toronto and our hotel roof was no exception. The 51st floor had a panorama of Toronto's beautiful skyline as well as a pool that overlooked the cityscape. The next morning was our last before we hopped back on the bus home, so we woke early to grab breakfast and see the pop-up Andy Warhol: Revisited show (for a mere $5). We both left feeling a little bit un-finished by the time we stepped onto the bus platform, but we intend to be back there very soon! Cheers!

- Mel and Hayley-Quinn