In May 2019 I wanted to go to Anime North in Toronto. I was planning on going with someone else but our plans fell through. Instead I went with my grandfather. I’m so glad I did, it was the best trip I’ve ever taken with him.
I was most excited for the food in Toronto and with Grandfather’s limited palate I had to research restaurants. Most of the pictures from this trip are of food for that reason.
The events I wanted to see at the con usually didn’t start until 3 pm so we explored Toronto in the early afternoon the first 3 days. By the time it was time for Anime North Grandfather was ready for a nap, so we’d grab some food for dinner on our way out of downtown. I dropped him off at the hotel with dinner and headed to Anime North.
On our first day there we went to the Distillery District. It’s a cobblestone pedestrian-only area that has cool restaurants, boutiques, galleries, and outside art installations. It was beautiful to just walk through and window shop. Grandfather even talked to a few artists and a gallery curator.
One of the best Mexican restaurants in Canada is in the distillery district so although I knew Grandfather wouldn’t like it I couldn’t resist going.
Early lunch at El Catrin Destilleria
The outside patio was gorgeous. The tacos were great as were the chips and salsa but my favorite was the Aqua Fresca. Grandfather did not like it but he enjoyed looking around the patio. Although I’m not sure if it was better than my favorite Mexican place in Michigan. They did have more kinds of margaritas that I wish I could have tried but it wasn’t even noon yet. Also, Grandfather likes to jokingly judge me when I order a drink at a reasonable time so I don’t even want to imagine how long he would tease me if I ordered one then.
My favorite things about Anime North were the people and the Art. I’ve never been to a con before but everyone was so friendly. The first person I met was a nice lady my mom’s age who gave me some advice and thought my “accent” was cute. I loved talking to the artists, excited to talk about their work. There was a stand that I never saw anyone stop by so after my 3rd or 4th round I stopped to talk to the author. She seemed a little shy but so appreciative as she told me about her series. The story sounded interesting so I bought the first volume. She gave me a pin and looked touched when I put it on my purse. I haven’t read it yet but I swear I’m going to but I just took the pin off my purse this year. I bought my first graphic novel straight from the author. I started following her on Instagram and I found great autism activists through her even though her books weren’t about that. I also bought my first physical book about ace fiction. I was so excited when I saw the pin on the seller’s apron that they had ace books. I enjoyed the panels and they helped me find how and where to read manga but if I go again I think it would be more for the art, books and people.
The next day we went to the Art Gallery of Ontario which was Grandfather’s pick. The building was interesting and Grandfather said it looked like it was under construction because the glass architecture was only on one side of the building.
They had an exhibition for Käthe Kollwitz, a German expressionist that Grandfather wanted to see. I loved how the exhibit was designed. They transitioned from her earlier work about social injustice and rebellion to the tragedy of war at the end of her life. It was very moving, you could see the anger, grief, and finally the exhaustion in not only peoples’ faces but their entire bodies. We really didn’t have enough energy to go through the whole gallery so, after that, we went to eat. We saw the Art Gallery restaurant, it was the prettiest I’ve ever seen inside a gallery or museum, when we walked in and Grandfather had suggested eating there. He only picked out two of the places we ate on this trip but both places. I was surprised at how good both places were and that made them all the more enjoyable.
Grandfather had fish and chips and I had Croque Madame. It was amazing! I had never heard of it before but it was so rich. The hibiscus spritzer definitely helped cut the richness of the sandwich. Grandfather could believe I ate the guava in my drink but it’s one of my favorite fruits.
Before we left the city we picked up dinner at Pie Commission. They make small meat pies. I ordered a butter chicken and to my surprise so did Grandfather. I explained to him that butter chicken was an Indian dish so it would be very spicy but he still wanted it. I also told him that I was going to the con after dropping him off at the hotel so if he didn’t like it he would have to find something at the hotel. He still insisted on getting it. I had mine at the con. I forgot to get a drink so I had water that Anime North provided. I ate during a show of anime movie that had a laughably bad dub, which was the point. It was very good but so spicy. I would have enjoyed it better with milk or lassi. That night there was a late-night panel I wanted to see so I didn’t get back until after midnight. Grandfather called the pie inedible. I told him so but I also admitted it was almost too spicy for me.
The next day I had planned for us to see a movie at the Toronto film festival that morning but the night before I went to an event that made me want to grab a few more mangas. So we skipped it. After we checked out of our hotel, I dropped Grandfather off at a breakfast place and I went shopping.
Before checking into our Airbnb we went to Kensington Market, a hippie neighborhood known for its multicultural food and vintage stores. I knew that Sundays in summer the streets closed to cars but what I didn’t know that the first Sunday of the summer the stores have a yard sale so it would be more packed than usual. On our other trips downtown, I had planned out where we parked so that Grandfather wouldn’t have to walk far but I could find any street parking. After the third circle around the block, I apologized to Grandfather and found the closest parking garage. It was a five-minute walk to the market and I knew we would need to rest soon. I also knew that Grandfather wouldn’t like most of the spicy ethnic food most of the restaurants would have. So I told him we could eat at the first restaurant he picked. We walked to the middle of the neighborhood when he saw a Chinese restaurant.
It was actually vegan, probably the only vegan place Grandfather has ever eaten in and the fanciest place in the neighborhood with white tablecloths and silverware. He had a platter of different things and I just had a small plate of dumplings, I planned to pick up some street food later. After we ate we headed to the first store I wanted to go to. There was a Brazilian restaurant across from the store with a patio. Grandfather went to hang out there while I shopped. The vintage stores were very nice but expensive. I could really only afford the yard sale items which were right outside the stores. I had heard rent had gone up in the last year so the prices are understandable. In fact, a few of the dresses I bought were from a man selling them out of his pickup truck, he told me he use to have a store there. The live music was great and I grabbed an empanada that was great. I also picked up breakfast food for us at a bakery and a grocery store that only sold fruit and kombucha, I couldn’t find any juice. When I went back to Grandfather he was with a nice Colombian couple. On our walk back he waved hello to a few other people he had befriended, which is so Grandfather.
We drove to our Airbnb which was nice but I wish there were more pictures or transparency about accessibility. I tried the best I could but there weren’t any pictures of the steep stairs at the entrance. It also wasn’t clear that the bath was downstairs and the shower was upstairs. While Grandfather took a nap I unpacked, chilled, and read one of the books I bought.
For dinner we went to a cider bar in a few blocks away.
The Patio was nice and the ciders were great. The burger was good and I loved the salad. The patio had a nice vibe and was really relaxing.
I felt really bad about where I had to park yesterday so for the rest of the trip we used Lyft. Grandfather loved it. He asked all our drivers where they were from and how they wound up in Toronto. The drivers were grinning by the end of our ride and were clearly charmed by Grandfather. We had breakfast at our place before going to the Royal Ontario Museum.
The museum is huge so we picked two exhibits to see. The first one was Chinese textiles and Grandfather told me about a Chinese boy he was friends with when he was a kid. The other exhibit was about the Rajasthan dynasty of jodhpur. There were beautiful outfits, jewelry, tents, textiles, weapons, and paintings. The most impressive item was a 1927 Rolls Royce Phantom.
For lunch, we went to Café Crepe. It had a great French diner vibe. They even had French soda that I loved. We both had a savory crepe which was delicious. The lemon sugar crepe we shared was even better. Best crepes I’ve ever had. I’m so sad that it closed last year.
After lunch, we went back to our place so Grandfather could rest while I went to Graffiti Alley. The alley was beautiful but a little eerie because of how quiet and empty it was. I even passed a couple getting engagement photos.
I had nitrogen ice cream before I went back. It was really cool seeing how it was made.
Before we went to dinner I wanted to check out this LGBT bookstore. On our way there our driver asked us if we knew where we were going. He hesitantly said it was like Greenwich village. When we got to the bookstore it was packed for a book reading so Grandfather suggested we grab dinner across the street. It was a new Italian restaurant that was having a soft opening. The staff was great. I could tell that they thought Grandfather was adorable. We were seated on the patio and it was a beautiful night.
The pasta I had was great and the wine was amazing. Grandfather had chicken marsala that was so soft. He said it was the best he has ever had. It was a great last night of our trip. The next day we stopped by the bookstore before heading home. I’ll never forget this trip, I felt like I knew my grandfather better because of it.
