Road Trip Day 10
There is a little of a learning curve when traveling with a baby. A curve that Eliot and I were not quite aware of, particularly for a big city like Toronto. We have both traveled a lot and typically we want to hit all the major sites plus a few minor ones early in the morning on the first day we arrive to a new place. You may imagine that that quest is rather difficult normally then add baby. After careful consideration we opted not to take the stroller instead we used the Sherpani carrier we picked up at a second hand store on the way up through Georgia. An additional backpack with supplies finished off our preparations and we were off, by noon. The late departure into the adventure had us flustered so we chose to take a bus tour located 3 blocks from our hotel in Downtown Yonge that is the easiest way to see the highlights and use the mode of transport to get on and off as needed. We diligently altered our plan and decided that we would get off in just a few stops to see the Castle. Got Lydia out of the backpack and securely on my lap on the top floor of the bus, then realized the sun was out and powerful, so we suncreened, then she was fussy so we gave her some milk, then she took a nap. By this point, we had missed our first stop, decided to pass our next choice and created a small tent out of Eliot’s shirt to protect her from the rays a bit more. The bus stopped for a ten minute lag which gave a chance to grab a Starbucks treat and Lydia to sleep on the seat giving my arms a needed rest. She woke up right before the waterfront stop which we took advantage of to catch our ferry ride. First we had to change a diaper and use the washrooms ourselves…sigh. It was in this process that we simply had to regroup mentally. Take a deep breath and realize that we may not get everywhere. We may not check everything off the list and it was okay. It was more fun to just enjoy the moment. So we did. From that moment on, we let go of all expectations and had a terrific day.
We rode on the ferry on Lake Ontario, walked to the CN tower while lunching and finished the full bus tour. While we were on line for CN tickets a generous lady came up and gave us a free ticket, as a result the next day we paid it forward by giving our bus tickets that were good for 7 days to another couple. Seven hours of touring, Lydia fell asleep in the pack and we headed to the hotel for showers. We were renewed, grabbed our stroller and found a great strip of places for dinner. Adega, on Elm, was tasty but not child friendly. They didn’t have high chairs. The waiter kept bumping into our stroller and forgetting we had our baby with us. There certainly were not any kid meals, but we enjoyed a decadent meal ourselves and ignore the pompous attitude of the server. We gave Lydia bits of our dinners which ended up to be fine and walked leisurely around the city after 10 as she slept in the stroller comfortably.
There is a little of a learning curve when traveling with a baby. A curve that Eliot and I were not quite aware of, particularly for a big city like Toronto. We have both traveled a lot and typically we want to hit all the major sites plus a few minor ones early in the morning on the first day we arrive to a new place. You may imagine that that quest is rather difficult normally then add baby. After careful consideration we opted not to take the stroller instead we used the Sherpani carrier we picked up at a second hand store on the way up through Georgia. An additional backpack with supplies finished off our preparations and we were off, by noon. The late departure into the adventure had us flustered so we chose to take a bus tour located 3 blocks from our hotel in Downtown Yonge that is the easiest way to see the highlights and use the mode of transport to get on and off as needed. We diligently altered our plan and decided that we would get off in just a few stops to see the Castle. Got Lydia out of the backpack and securely on my lap on the top floor of the bus, then realized the sun was out and powerful, so we suncreened, then she was fussy so we gave her some milk, then she took a nap. By this point, we had missed our first stop, decided to pass our next choice and created a small tent out of Eliot’s shirt to protect her from the rays a bit more. The bus stopped for a ten minute lag which gave a chance to grab a Starbucks treat and Lydia to sleep on the seat giving my arms a needed rest. She woke up right before the waterfront stop which we took advantage of to catch our ferry ride. First we had to change a diaper and use the washrooms ourselves…sigh. It was in this process that we simply had to regroup mentally. Take a deep breath and realize that we may not get everywhere. We may not check everything off the list and it was okay. It was more fun to just enjoy the moment. So we did. From that moment on, we let go of all expectations and had a terrific day.
We rode on the ferry on Lake Ontario, walked to the CN tower while lunching and finished the full bus tour. While we were on line for CN tickets a generous lady came up and gave us a free ticket, as a result the next day we paid it forward by giving our bus tickets that were good for 7 days to another couple. Seven hours of touring, Lydia fell asleep in the pack and we headed to the hotel for showers. We were renewed, grabbed our stroller and found a great strip of places for dinner. Adega, on Elm, was tasty but not child friendly. They didn’t have high chairs. The waiter kept bumping into our stroller and forgetting we had our baby with us. There certainly were not any kid meals, but we enjoyed a decadent meal ourselves and ignore the pompous attitude of the server. We gave Lydia bits of our dinners which ended up to be fine and walked leisurely around the city after 10 as she slept in the stroller comfortably. 
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