Discover Toronto on Your 6-Hour Layover

Discover Toronto on Your 6-Hour Layover

Hey! Jeremy. Window Seat. We just arrived in  Toronto. We’re here on a long layover on a long   flight from Canada back home to the US. We’ve got  six hours. We don’t want to just hang out in the  

Airport. We want to get out and explore this  city. No way in hell I’m going out there. It’s   wild. It feels sturdy. I think we’re good. It’s  unbelievable! Oh my God, it feels so weird! How  

Much can we accomplish in a short period of time?  And will we make our return flight? We’re going   to make it. Why not? Why wouldn’t we make it. I  think we’re almost out of time because there’s   all kinds of mayhem in downtown Toronto right  now. Find out in this episode of Window Seat. We are coming in hot from Europe en route from  Dublin to Denver with a long layover in Toronto,   Ontario and nothing to do. Okay, so we got to  go out. It is the perfect time to get out and  

Explore. If you’ve seen our videos, you know we  are big advocates of getting out of the airport   and using those layovers to see the city. You  should do it too. Take a chance, live a little,   guarantee it is worth it. Get him on camera  when he comes out. Now every second counts,  

And you got to move fast if you’ve only  got six hours like us. Our escape from the   airport is being delayed just a little bit  because Sean’s been flagged at customs for   some reason. He’s been hanging out there for like  five minutes. We hope it’s not too long because,  

If it’s much longer that’s going to delay  our entire trip into Toronto put this entire   expedition into jeopardy. So, wait until he  comes out… I guarantee you he’s going to   be raging about this! Let’s see. Which is why  we were worried when, moments after arrival,  

We hit a snag. Dude, oh okay, what happened? So  they said I declared something then, after about   2 minutes of talking to the person after waiting  in line for however long, that was it’s like okay   you can go. Lesson learned: pay close attention  to what you check on those customs forms. Alright,  

First things first. We can’t lug our suitcases  into the city, so we found this place… The   Excess Baggage Company. We’re going to go explore  Toronto. We’ve used them before in London on a   long layover. They have them at airports all over  the world. We’ll put a link in the description  

Below. It’s a great service. They’ll hold on to  your bags until you return to the airport. It’s   a little pricey… for six bags, it cost us about  $100 US. But that was a small price to pay for not  

Having to pull our luggage all over Toronto. Okay  thank you. We’ll see you in a bit. Now here’s the   great thing about Pearson International and  a lot of other great international airports:   they have an express train from the airport to  the center of the city. It costs a little more  

Than $9 US each way per person. And it gets there  quick. About 25 minutes. Along the way you get to   see the city. Tall building. And as we approach  downtown… “Can you do it?” The first tourist  

Attraction on our list starts to get a little  too real for Sean. You’re going to make me so   yeah! You may remember from our time in Dubai. No,  still no. Or when we traversed one of the scariest  

Bridges in Europe. I hate you. I hate you. Can’t  see. Not looking. Don’t shake the bridge. My god   dude… dude… dude. Sean has a debilitating  fear of heights. Alright, so first stop we   believe is going to be CN Tower. It’s the tallest  structure in all of Canada. Like hates them and  

Gets freaked out at the mere thought. We’re  lacking a video where I freak out in a while. So it’s only natural we take him 1400 ft into the  air, to the top of one of the tallest freestanding   structures in the world. We’re doing this for  you, and your sheer entertainment. This is the   CN Tower. The most identifiable landmark in  all of Toronto. Two million people come here  

Every year. That’s really the the gist of what  we’re doing here. Most have no problem at all.   But it’s clear this ain’t going to be easy for  Sean. Give me a nice high five! Yeah awesome,   awesome work. We’re actually going easy on him:  they have an edge walk where you go outside and  

Lean over the edge while harnessed to a rail.  We’re not doing that. We couldn’t. I mean look   at the fear in his face and the deep breaths as we  take the dizzying highspeed elevator all the way  

To the top in less than a minute. It’s open on one  thing as you can see, it’s, so you can get a nice   view out there. But if you’re like me I’m staring  directly to the back of that elevator. I don’t  

Want to see it. So that or the floor. I don’t want  to see out there. My knees will shake. They were   already like shaking a little bit just knowing how  high up I am. All the while the city skyscrapers,  

Shrinking below us as we climb higher and higher.  Then the jaw-dropping views 114 stories above the   city are revealed. 360° of glass and goosebumps.  The perfect mix of height and horror. This is not   a normal building cuz we’re out over things, so  I’m kind of not doing well right now. Breathtaking  

Views. You got Lake Ontario over there, you  can see all of downtown right here. Uh I’m   not as scared as Sean but I still don’t want to  lean on here. I would be a little more afraid of  

That I guess, uh, but it’s it’s pretty cool. I  would check it out. Even though this place has   been open nearly 50 years they’re constantly  upgrading it. Adding new technology. And the   view of this Metropolis is ever-changing. The  population of Toronto has doubled in the last  

50 years and is expected to double again in the  next 50. A little further. A little further.   Don’t worry. You’re fine. We got you bro. But if  you really want to see the city from above… “I  

Hate all of you.” And you’re not faint of heart,  you’re going to love what awaits one floor below. A see- through floor made of 2 and 1/2 in thick  glass that puts your fear to the test. There’s no   way in hell I’m going out there. Not doing it. So  Drew is from Chicago and he knows at Willis Tower  

The glass has cracked twice. Twice! This looks a  little more sturdy honestly. While Sean remains   steadfast, our pal Drew ventures out onto the  thick glass floor. Oh my God. This is so crazy.  

It feels wrong. And I decide to give it a go, too.  So yeah it’s like a long drop down to the frozen   tundra of Ontario below us, but, uh, I don’t know.  I don’t mind it that much. I’ll get down here and  

Give a little bird’s-eye view. It’s, um, I have  no idea how thick the glass is. I hope that it’s   very thick. Um, but, uh, you know, I subscribe to  the theory that when your number’s up, it is up,  

And there’s not much you can do to change that.  I suppose you could lessen your chances by not   standing on something like this, but hey, why not  just go for it? It’s fun, it it feels sturdy. It  

Feels definitely nice and thick and sturdy. As  I knock glass, Sean knocks wood that we make it   out of here alive. So back down the elevator we  go. Back to street level. And back to our mission  

Of seeing as much as we can of Toronto in a short  period of time. So bottom line on CN Tower… it’s   nice, quick visit. Lines weren’t long. Especially  on a weekend day like today. Views were great.   There’s construction going on, so you didn’t get  the full experience, but you definitely got the  

Overall vibe. And if you’re scared of heights  like Sean, what a treat. It really is. Okay so   there’s stop one. Now we’re headed straight to the  Hockey Hall of Fame for stop two. Along the way  

We get some cool views of Canada’s largest city.  Right there next to us is the stadium where the   Blue Jays, Canada’s only remaining Major League  Baseball team play ball. We also pass a number of   bars and businesses rolling out the red carpet  for the NHL All-Star Game, which was happening  

Just days after our our visit. Then there are the  skyscrapers, the cool architecture, the police.   Lots of police. Lots and lots of police. Wait a  minute. What exactly is happening here? Right in   front of the train station we stumble onto a  protest over the war in Gaza. Several hundred  

People on hand, making their voices heard. But at  least from our vantage point, it never got out of   hand. And despite the major police presence, there  weren’t any big problems. Once we’ve walked a few   blocks from the protest, in the shadow of the CN  Tower, we finally reach destination number two. A mecca for hockey lovers the world over, this  is the Hockey Hall of Fame. Located inside the   architecturally stunning Brookfield Place. Oh wow.  Very cool. Tucked beneath a cluster of shops and   a food court, you’ll find the front entrance to  hockey history. Oh we’re in the World Hockey Hall  

Of Fame. It’s really cool. To get here you have  to come down in like the basement of the square.   In these hallowed halls they pay tribute to  to the greatest teams, players, coaches and   referees to ever hit the ice. There’s just a lot  of history. Things to learn. Things to see. Just,  

You know, artifacts of the game. And we’re not  just talking about the NHL. This place pays   tribute to the sport played all around the world.  74 international teams recognized right here, from   the frigid rinks of Northern and Eastern Europe to  the blazing deserts of South Africa, to some very  

Unexpected places. No way! There’s a North Korean  jersey. What? There’s even a full-scale replica of   the Montreal Canadiens dressing room. A team that  won 23 Stanley Cups. Pucks, sticks and uniforms   from some of the most historic hockey games and  hockey players ever. There’s a hall dedicated to  

Hockey’s biggest dynasties from the 1920s to  today, filled with mementos and memorabilia.   And this hall, called The Mask, paying tribute  to the game’s greatest puck stoppers. And it   shows the major changes to goalie masks over  the years, from the minors to the majors,  

College teams to Stanley Cup champions. This  place has it all. And speaking of the Stanley Cup,   we are Colorado Avalanche fans, recent winners  of the biggest prize in hockey. So we couldn’t   wait to enter The Esso Great Hall. Oh wow. Get  to see the Stanley Cup. I mean, I’ve gotten stand  

Next to it before, so have Jeremy and Drew. But  it’s always cool. I saw it when the Avs won the   Stanley Cup. Well, before actually. I got to uh  cover media day and meet like all the players, and  

It was really cool seeing just how many countries  were just sending people over to cover the Stanley   Cup finals. Because it’s a worldwide event, you  know. Also in the Great Hall, nearly every major   trophy awarded in hockey. And tributes to some of  the past winners and game changers. This place is  

A game changer. It’s got to be one of the coolest  professional sports Halls of Fame in the world.   And if you care even one iota about this sport,  you’re going to love it. And bring your kids   because it’s completely interactive. They have  exhibits where you can practice being a goalie.  

And you can practice shootouts against a virtual  goalie. You get eight shots. Sean actually snuck   four of them past the goalie. Not bad at all.  No it’s not bad. Got a little lift, which was,  

I forgot how you swing that thing. I liked street  hockey when I was a little kid. So overall, real   win I think. That was cool as hell. Uh awesome.  If you’re at all into hockey and its history and  

Its International reach, this is the place for  you. We’ve got a few souvenirs for the family,   so great experience. And if you’ve got even just  a couple hours in Toronto, head down there because   it’s perfectly worth it. So we’ve accomplished  CN Tower, we’ve accomplished Hockey Hall of Fame,  

And I think we’re almost out of time because  there’s all kinds of mayhem in downtown Toronto   right now. There’s a pro-Palestine protest  and you can hear them honking their horns in   the background, so we’re worried they may disrupt  rail service or cause some other issues downtown,  

So we’re just going to head back to the airport  and try to make that flight. And by the way,   our fears were unfounded. There were no issues  whatsoever. We headed right back to the train   station, bought another express train ticket,  and began the journey back to Toronto Pearson  

International Airport with plenty of time to  spare. But we weren’t quite done. Drew wanted   to experience some Canadian cuisine known as  poutine, so at a restaurant just past security,   we ordered him a gooey plate of it. It was  good. Um it’s definitely more of an appetizer,  

At least the version they had, than a meal.  So I would keep that in mind if you order it   yourself. And just like that, in one long  layover, we experienced the highest of the   highs in Toronto. We soaked in a lot of hockey  history in the cathedral to the sport. I’d say  

We got a taste of this place that we never  would have experienced had we not walked out   those airport doors. Alright, so there you have  it. Whether it’s London or Toronto or Timbuktu,   if you’ve got a long layover get out of the  the airport get into town, experience something  

Interesting. Create a good memory. Even if it’s  just a few hours. We picked a couple of things   that were pretty cool. And you can do the same  thing no matter where you’re going. Get out and   explore. Don’t sit in the gate area or in the  lounge at the airport.Tthere’s much more fun  

To be had. That is it for this episode of Window  Seat from Toronto’s Pearson Airport. I’m Jeremy   Hubbard. We’ll see you next time. And next time is  next Friday, when we drop another brand new video  

From our adventures all over the world. Please let  us know in the comments what we missed in Toronto,   and what we should see next time we’re there. Also  we’d love it if you liked and shared our video so  

We could spread the word. And most importantly,  hit subscribe if you’d be so kind. Hope to see you   back here soon. In the meantime, be sure to check  out one of these other videos from Window Seat.

Got a long layover? DO NOT stay in the airport! Get out and explore! That’s our mantra here at @windowseatworldtravel – and we’re putting our time management skills to the test in this week’s episode. We have a six hour layover in Toronto, and it’s our mission to get out and explore the city.

What can you accomplish in six hours? What do you do with your suitcases? And is there an easy, cheap way to get into town and back? We answer all your questions and give you all the tools you need to maximize your visit and get out of the airport terminal.

LINKS:
Excess Baggage Company:
https://www.excess-baggage.com/

Express train from Toronto Pearson to Union Station:
https://www.upexpress.com/en

CN Tower:
https://www.cntower.ca/

Hockey Hall of Fame:
https://www.hhof.com/

A primer on poutine:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poutine

If you want to follow our adventures and stories, check us out on Instagram. Our official account is https://www.instagram.com/windowseatworldtravel
Jeremy can be found at https://www.instagram.com/jeremyhubbard and you can find Sean at https://www.instagram.com/seandtowle.

🙏🏼 Thank you so much for helping our new YouTube channel grow. We really appreciate it. We’re still working on a webpage and Facebook account – so standby!

JOIN OUR NEW TRAVEL COMMUNITY
Window Seat: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrlq…
📸 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/windowseatw…

🎥 THANKS FOR THE SUPPLEMENTAL MUSIC AND GRAPHICS

Thanks to Motion Array for supplying the royalty-free music for this piece.
https://www.motionarray.com/

Thumbnail graphics created using Canva
https://www.canva.com

Some video graphics created using Toko for Final Cut Pro X.
https://videohive.net/item/toko-graph…

Our Most Popular YouTube Video
🎬 Machu Picchu: What they won’t tell you about visiting here