The CN Tower was calling, so today was all about snapping some epic shots of Toronto from above. I rolled out of bed at the luxurious hour of 10:30 am—plenty of time before the 12 noon checkout. A quick breakfast, some dorm-packing gymnastics, and one last shower later, I was ready to conquer the day!

Check Out

Bags stored, checked out right on time—smooth start to the day. I spent the afternoon typing reports in the hostel’s main area, feeling productive and smug about my foolproof evening plan: the bus left at 9:30 pm, so I’d head out by 7:30 pm to arrive by 8. Solid, right? What could possibly go wrong? Famous last words—I hate when plans decide to self-destruct.

At 5:30 pm, I left the hostel to finally conquer the CN Tower. Yesterday, I’d lost one of my subway cards—no biggie, I figured I’d just buy a ticket. After arriving at Union Station, I went on a little treasure hunt around the area. Ten minutes later, I stumbled upon the station’s main entrance (see second pic below). Familiar territory—I’d been here with Sofia yesterday, so I knew exactly how to reach the CN Tower.

Arrival at the CN Tower

Leaving Toronto was bittersweet. The city wasn’t half bad—sure, it was just another concrete jungle, but not as grim as I’d expected. The boulevard walk yesterday? A solid highlight. Of course, everything’s better when you have awesome people like Sofia around. Friends really do make travel 10 times better.

At the CN Tower, I forked out about $35 for a ticket—ouch, pretty pricey. I was a bit bummed, though, since I had just a few bucks left and still needed to buy a subway ticket for tonight. No way was I using the ATM again (I’m too cheap for those fees, haha). So, I hatched a genius plan to walk back to the hostel later and save some cash. How hard could that possibly be?

Security Check

Inside the CN Tower, I had to go through a security check. They had this massive machine that looked like an MRI scanner—super weird to walk through, but no big deal. Afterward, I entered a huge hall. Downstairs, I spotted the souvenir shop—knew that’d be my last stop before I made my exit.

I was blown away by how far the elevator was! They were taking pictures somewhere, but I wasn’t about to waste time in that line. Straight to the elevator I went. And bonus—there was a cool glass floor to look through, which was pretty fun.

The Observation Deck

Once upstairs, I was a bit let down by the views. The observation deck only offered 180 degrees of scenery, and at one point, it turned into a restaurant. I wasn’t sure if I could just wander in and snap pictures, so I played it safe and kept my distance.

Instead, I headed to the outdoor deck, which was safely enclosed by a net—presumably to keep any impulsive moments at bay.

I took a quick stroll around the tower, snapping some photos along the way. It was freezing out there! Way colder than down on the ground, haha. Afterward, I headed back inside to check out the last few things they had to offer.

The Glass Floor Windows

They had these awesome glass floor windows, but the experience was a bit spoiled by all the kids running around, haha. I managed to get some cool close-ups before heading out. It was a bit pricey for my taste, but hey, at least I can say I saw one of Toronto’s main attractions!

On my way to the elevator, I spotted a chart featuring major engineering wonders. The Golden Gate Bridge was on there, but so were the Dutch Delta Works. I couldn’t help but laugh—they called it the “North Sea Protection Works,” located “off the European Coast.” Close enough, right?

After leaving the CN Tower, I took a leisurely walk back to the hostel. I had plenty of time, and the views of the city were great. At one point, I found myself in Chinatown, which was surprisingly big!

Back at the Hostel

Back at the Planet Traveler hostel, I kicked back for a bit with some internet and a drink from the fridge (just a little Coke left). After about 20 minutes, I shut down the laptop and got ready. I swapped into warmer clothes for the bus ride—I knew it was going to get chilly. By 7:30 pm, I grabbed my backpack and daypack and was all set to go.

Public Transport: Always an Adventure, Except When It’s a Nightmare

The first thing I did wasn’t wait for the streetcar—it never showed up, so I decided to walk to the subway, just 4 blocks. By the time I got there, I was tired of lugging around my stuff and couldn’t wait to sit down on the train. After two stations, the train stopped, and I wondered why the doors didn’t close. Five minutes later, the announcement came: “Ladies and gentlemen, this train is now out of service due to a problem with the doors.” Of course, right?

I was still fine—plenty of time, shit happens, I thought. The subway in Toronto was nice, and the ride to Dundas Square was supposed to take 10-15 minutes. I wanted to get to the bus station by 8 pm to sort my tickets, so I waited on the platform with the other commuters. Ten minutes later, the next train showed up, and we were off. All according to plan, or so I thought. Two stations later, the train stopped again for what felt like an eternity, and I started losing my patience. “You gotta be kidding me, what the heck is going on today?” I muttered. Then the announcement came: “Ladies and gentlemen, we have a security issue on College Street, and we can’t proceed to the next station. Please stand by for more information.” I was fuming, waited five minutes, and then just gave up.

Panic Mode Engaged

I rushed upstairs to the booth, greeted by the usual angry officers—apparently, it’s a Toronto thing. Not wanting to waste time, I fired off my question: “Miss, what’s the quickest way to the bus terminal from here?” “Go down and take the train on the left,” she replied. I immediately shot it down. “No, that won’t work, I just got off that train—it’s out of service due to some security issue. I need another route.” The woman frowned but gave in: “Alright, go back and take the train on the right, get off at St. Patrick, and walk three blocks to the bus terminal.” “Thanks,” I said, already heading back.

When I got to St. Patrick, I headed toward Dundas Square and easily found the terminal. I made it to the queue around 8:30 pm—slightly late, but still on time. I grabbed my ticket by 8:45 and hung around for a bit. With the last of my cash, I bought a snack. The bus finally left at 9:40 pm, and I lucked out with a seat next to a power socket. A guy from a South American country sat next to me. At first, I thought he was Brazilian, and he turned out to be pretty cool.

Back to the States

Around midnight, we crossed into the US at Buffalo, cleared customs, and headed to the bus terminal. Of course, we got delayed. The next bus driver was an hour late, and people started getting pissed. I was chilling, though—I couldn’t care less if we got to New York at 7 or 8 am. My flight was in the evening, around 8 pm, so no rush.

The bus driver was a pro—he had a great sense of humor and knew exactly how to handle the frustrated passengers. He couldn’t skip any stops, though, due to safety rules (he needed a break every two hours, which made sense). I tried to sleep, but the cold on the bus was unbearable. Around 3 am, we stopped, and I asked the driver for my jacket in the bag. He opened up the storage, and I finally got it. After that, it was much easier to catch some sleep while listening to music. I messaged Jackie around midnight, letting her know I’d be a bit late in New York—hopefully, she’d see it in the morning. Luckily, she did.