One thing you absolutely must do in Toronto is visit the CN Tower! You can see the entire city, right from your table!

Enhance your experience on the CN Tower by going to lunch or dinner at the 360 Restaurant on top of the CN Tower. It’s slightly more pricey than Horizon Restaurant, but you get an amazing view of the city. The windows are thoroughly clean, so you can peak out them as you eat. My absolute favorite part is that the restaurant rotates, you get a full 360 view of the city! By the time you finish your meal, you would have seen the city from every angle!

Going up to the Glass Floor alone is about $23. So why not have a meal that includes the Look Out and Glass Floor view? Enjoy a nice and quiet meal with an marvelous view.

Once you are done with your meal, the elevator will take you down one floor. This is the floor with the glass floors and look out, as well as the Horizons Restaurant. Expect this level to be a little bit more noisy. You’ll see many people running around, taking photos of themselves on top of the glass floors. You can stand on it and look 1,122 ft down! Looking down gives me the chills!

Note, the elevator ride to 360 Restaurant, Look Out, and Glass Floor Levels is complimentary with the purchase of a main entrée by each guest at 360. Normally, it’s $23 for just the ride up to the tower!

Important Links

• 360 Restaurant
• Make reservations a few hours before your meal. You won’t have to wait in line when you get to the Tower!

Photo taken by Daynah using Camera+ on the iPhone 4

Day 2 in Canada was a day of passing through beautiful towns and taking walks in these amazing cities.

We spent the entire day in Niagara Falls yesterday. It’s a good idea to get a hotel there since it’s about 2 hours from Toronto. Day 2 in Canada was mostly driving to Toronto and stopping at various places along the way.

We drove by the Niagara Botanical Gardens and saw so many busses pull in that we had to stop by ourselves! The gardens were beautifully maintained and contained all sorts of plants. Walking around was quite relaxing, especially on such a nice day. There were also horse carriages giving tours of the gardens. And in the center of it was also a Butterfly Conservatory. There were lots of photo ops here. The only thing lacking were the roses. They’re not in season yet, so some parts of the gardens were flowerless.

We left the botanical gardens and took a left. If you drive for a few minutes, you’ll pass by the Niagara Floral Clock. Be sure to turn on the curvy street and stop by! It’s a giant functional clock made perfectly out of flowers. You can see a photo of it above.

We continued to head East and stopped by a little town called Niagara-on-the-Lake. My friend Claudia suggested that I visit it, and I’m so happy she did. This town was gorgeous! Every lamppost had a big bouquet of flowers hanging from it. Everywhere you looked had colorful blooms. The only difficult thing in this city was finding parking, and I can see why! It took us a while, but after driving up and down the street a few times, we found street parking. This city had lots of unique little shops and take a nice walk to each one. We stopped by The Epicurean Restaurant for lunch. It’s a cute little restaurant tucked away from all the excitement happening in the street. The food was quite fresh, and they make it when you order it. Albert highly recommends the beef pot pie. (See food pictures!)

By 5pm, we hurried off to Toronto. The drive there wasn’t as spectacular. They closed down the Gardier Expressway, so you had to take the Lake Shore Blvd (almost like a highway) that parallels it. That means you get all of the local city traffic. It took about 30 minutes to go a few miles. On the bright side, look to your left and you’ll see some amazing ads made of plants and white rocks. It looks lovely! And on your right side is Humber Bay. You’ll see piers, parks, and beaches as you drive to your hotel. It’s a slow, but scenic route!

After we checked into the hotel, we took a while into Downtown Toronto, in search for a good place for dinner. The city was packed! There was a music festival happening, and people singing on the sidewalk, and just excitement everywhere. We walked around a bit and found a place called Fine Asian Bowl, which was mostly Vietnamese food. Delicious!

After dinner, we took the subway and headed toward the CN Tower. We got there a bit too late, and they were closing up, so we ended up taking some night shots with the tower instead. We walked back to the hotel after, which was very close by!

There’s so much to see and do in Toronto.. that I wish I had another day or two to explore.

Tips: To-Do list if you’re driving from Niagara Falls to Toronto..

• Visit the Botanical Gardens
• Take a photo with the Niagara Floral Clock
• Stroll down the streets of Niagara-on-the-Lake. I hear that they have nice wineries too, so visit those if you have time.
• Have lunch here, I recommend at The Epicurean Restaurant
• American and Canadian money are inter-changable in Niagara Falls and Toronto, so no need to exchange them at the airport.

Disclosure: Many thanks to Virgin America and Klout for their special promotion. I was given free roundtrip tickets for LA-Toronto as part of a Klout Perk. #VXToronto

Photo taken by Daynah using Camera+ on the iPhone 4

Niagara Falls was such a magical experience. I touched the Falls up close and felt mother nature’s beauty and power.

Thursday night, Albert and I hopped on a plane and headed to Toronto (one of Virgin America’s new stops). It was a red eye flight so I was trying to get as much sleep as possible. Every seat has a tv, but I was good and didn’t flip through much of he entertainment.

Our plane landed in Toronto at 7am EST (to me, 4am PST) and we hurried off and got our rental car and drove to Niagara Falls. It’s about 2 hours away from Toronoto. The weather in Canada could not have been more perfect! It was sunny, nice, and warm and I was just overjoyed.

We headed straight to see one of the ace wonders of the world! You can easily see the Niagara Falls from the Fallsview Casino. Just walk out to the back patio, and you’ll see the natural beauty from a distance. Follow the path on the right, take a ride down the steep hill, and it takes you right in front of the Falls. Believe me, it’s an amazing sight! I could probably stand there for hours if they sun wasn’t beaming so much. You can stand right next to where the water falls over. There’s a railing of course, but it’ll take your breath away nevertheless. Once you’re done snapping your photos, take a walk and follow the path to the left side.

Be sure to have your sandles on, because your journey to the Maid of the Mist will leave you soaked with fantastic memories! It’s a boat ride that goes right into the mist of the waterfall. Once you get on the boat, the best viewing area is on the left side and if possible, closer to the front. I can’t really explain it, but being that close to the waterfalls was quite an invigorating experience! You’re given blue ponchos to wear so your clothes and bags don’t get wet, but your feet/shoes might. Oh, and your face and hair will definitely get wet, even if you’re on the bottom deck! Be sure to bring a water camera and capture the magical moment!

After you get off the boat, you walk into a fun souvenir store. When you leave the store, you can pick you your Maid of the Mist photos! It’s green-screened, but looks magnificent! This is a good wifi spot and you have a nice view of the Falls there too.

If you’re lucky enough to be in Niagara Falls on a Friday or Saturday night, watch the spectacular fireworks show over the waterfalls. The show starts around 10pm, so plan accordingly. After the show, take a walk down to the rails and watch the waterfalls change colors in the night. The lights will be on until midnight.

If you’re up for some adventure, check out the attractions at Niagara Falls. From what I heard from locals, the Maid of the Mist is the best ride, but I also had my heart set on “Cave of the Winds” too. You can climb up and see the back of the waterfalls. If only my vacation was a bit longer.. :)

Tip: If you don’t have an international phone plan, there’s free wifi at the Toronto Pearson International Airport, in the FallsView Casino (next to the water fountain0, and in the gift shop after you get off the Maid of the Mist. ;) Check into Foursquare after you get off the boat… you’ll get a special badge!

Disclosure: Many thanks to Virgin America and Klout for their special promotion. I was given free roundtrip tickets for LA-Toronto as part of a Klout Perk.

One thing I love to do when traveling is organize Tweetups so I can meet my twitter friends! And going to Hawaii is no different. We had a “Hulaween” Lunch Tweetup on Saturday, Oct. 31st. It’s a good thing that it was on a Saturday because all the kids were able to attend.

We had lunch at Nico’s at Pier 38, which is a favorite place of ours ever since @hawaii introduced it to us last year! Anything with the seared ahi is good!

It was such a nice and friendly tweetup group. 19 people attended (more came after this photo was taken). More photos to come (after I’m back from my vacation).

p.s. This photo should be on Hawaii IRL! :)

Vacation is finally here! Albert and I left for LAX in the afternoon to catch our flight to Honolulu. Traffic was amazingly non-existent, and on a Friday afternoon too!

I love Hawaiian Airlines. It’s one of the few airlines that still serves food on their flights! My 5-hour flight was pretty enjoyable. Before I knew it, we landed in Honolulu already!

Ed was sweet enough to pick us from the airport when we landed, and took us out for dinner at Sanoya Rahmen. The service here was a bit slow, the food here was definitely worth the wait. The portions were huge, and slowly, but surely, I finished my bowl of ramen!

Before heading back to the hotel, we stopped by the biggest Safeway on the island to pick up some snacks. We had to pick up some POG (Passion, orange, guava juice) while we were at it! It’s a favorite of ours, along with the Hawaiian sun drinks.

We then checked into Aqua Pearl Waikiki and called it a night. It’s right on the other side of the International Market. So if you like shopping, it’s within walking distance to all the little shops. But since it’s close in town, it’s a bit on the noisy side as well.

First night in paradise.. and we can’t wait for tomorrow’s Tweetup! Going to see a lot of friends at Nico’s at Pier 38!

Today was a nice sunny day in NYC! My friends and I spent half the day taking photos at Liberty Island. We walked up as high as we can in the monument — to her feet! It was quite the exercise.. work those stairmasters. :) The day was quite fun and peaceful.

We were going to Ellis Island, but spent way too much time at Liberty Island. Oops!

Then we ventured onto the Brooklyn Bridge! That was a fun walk. I only wish I had a bike!

After our hike, we went to dinner at Peter Luger Steakhouse. Yum. Love the bacon there. :)

I had an absolutely great time today in Washington DC. We went back to the National Mall to soak in more of the touristy landmarks.

The Museum of Natural History was one of my favorite museums. I just love nature, and to top it off, they had the “Orchids through Darwin’s Eyes” exhibit this month. Orchids are my favorite flowers! There’s also a huge fail whale floating on top of the ceiling inside. ;) Oh look, they even have a twitter account @NMNH!

By 5:30pm, we kept walking around the National Mall taking photos of the cherry blossoms and gardens. We had a wonderful dinner at Teaism. Yummy teas and delicious foods. It was one of the places Rachel Ray stopped at. ;)

We walked on over to the Union Station to stay warm and do some shopping. I managed to buy Washington DC cherry blossom scrapbook paper.. heh

Our last stop of the night was the Thomas Jefferson Memorial. We took a ton of photos and called it a night. Tonight is our last night out here in DC. We’ll be on a road trip to NYC tomorrow. Follow my tweets to see what city I end up being in next. :)

Day 7.. We woke up early to finish packing and checked out of the hotel. And then headed to North Shore again. We liked this area. We stopped by the Dole Plantation to do some shopping. Anything you can imagine in pineapple — you can find here! Candy, t-shirts, stuffed toys, keychains, and ice cream! I only stopped by the store, but there was enough for me to play with that I was quite happy!

The front of the Plantation looks lovely!

And I love the stuffed toys!

Hello Kitty Tour by me. haha

Pineapple ice cream is so yum!

For lunch, we had to stop by the locals’ favorite, Ted’s Bakery. I had the Mahi Mahi dish and Albert had Ted’s Bento box. They were both quite delicious. I suggest getting both! Bento box if you like variety. After lunch, I tweeted where I was and asked for dessert suggestions. Everyone tweeted back and told me to get the Chocolate Haupia pie. Done. And what a great choice that was!

We drove around a bit and ended up on Turtle Bay Cove. It was a cloudy day, so I opted to stay on the beach and playing in the sand. Albert went snorkeling but he couldn’t see much in the water. Too cloudy.

It started getting late, so we headed back to Waikiki. I had one more stop to make before heading home! I briefly ran pass the new Waikiki Apple Store..

Yes, I had to go to the second location of Paper Island! I was in heaven! So many papers and scrappy stuff!

The store manager even gave me a tour of her store! I bought a few things and we then rushed to dinner.

I was meeting up with Ed and Neenz for dinner, so I didn’t want to be late.

We arrived at Longhi’s and had an amazing dinner with Ed, Neenz, and Noe.

Can you believe Ed made all of this earlier this morning? Yummy. I love desserts! Couldn’t choose one, so I ate them all. haha

Had had a wonderful 3-hour dinner! So much to talk about.. and so sad to leave. We hesitantly left. Our flight was leaving in about 45 minutes.. so we were a bit worried. We returned the car, and arrived a few minutes before the plane was about to take off! Whew.

Aloha Oahu. I’ll see you again soon..

Day 4.. was a more mellow day. We woke up early in the morning and visited the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial for a few hours. Admission is free, but I highly recommend getting the audio tour for $5. There’s just so much to learn from such a historical place. Once you watch the movie about December 7, 1941, you’re taken on a boat ride to visit the final resting place of our brave men. A beautiful memorial has been built on top of the ship to help us remember their sacrifice.

We went to the Aloha Swap Meet afterward since it was close by. This is probably where you want to get your souvenirs! Lots of magnets, flowers, and many Hawaii clothes and crafts. I loved it. We walked around the entire swap meet. And I want to add, it’s one huge stadium! We bought some packages of exotic dried fruit. Yum!

Lots of great deals for $1.

Buffet Lunch at Oceanarium and we got to sit right next to the giant aquarium.

We drove back to Honolulu and had a big buffet lunch at Oceanarium. The food wasn’t bad, but the aquarium was amazing. We were lucky enough to have a table right next to it.

After a big lunch, we decided to work it all off by hiking up Diamond Head Crater. I wasn’t too thrilled with this idea because I left my walking shoes at home and only had sandals. There are stairs. Lots of them! It took a little over an hour to get to the top. Once you get there, you forget how tired you were and just soak the beautiful view. You can see all of Waikiki from there. It was wonderful! The hike down was much faster. I suggest doing the hike in the late afternoon since it’s cooler. Pack water and wear proper shoes too. ;)

Hike through the tunnel but only halfway!

Hike through another tunnel, but this one is lighted.. and there’s more stairs!

The view up here is gorgeous! I can see our hotel from here. haha Behind me is all of Waikiki.

For more photos of Oahu Day 4

Day 3.. we got up extra early today and left before the hotel even served breakfast. We wanted to get to Hanauma Bay Beach as quickly as possible since parking is limited, and the beach gets crowded quickly.

The view from the top of Hanauma Bay Beach was quite amazing! And the view in the ocean was even more magnificent. We went snorkeling for a good two hours or so, and so all sorts of fishes. The highlight of course was the sea turtle that my friends and I managed to follow around.

Sea Turtle!

We had lunch at a nearby Ono Shrimp truck. Yum.

Afterward, we went to rent some kayaks in Kailua! There’s a great place called Kailua Sailboards and Kayaks, Inc.. For a half day Double Kayak, it’s $49.00. Backrests are $3 each. I definitely suggest getting on.

We kayaked to Flat Island which is a bird sanctuary. I think it’s off season though.. not too many birds nesting there. You can also kayak to the other nearby islands too.

For dinner, we had lunch at Todai which was conveniently across the street from hotel.

And since it was Friday night, The Hilton Hotel (which is also located across the street) was having a free Polynesian show and fireworks. It’s a weekly event, so do plan to go on your next trip to Oahu! By 9pm, the fireworks started to go off. I have never been THAT close to fireworks before. And seeing it above the ocean was beautiful. The only thing that would make it better is if they did the show to music. But no complaints. It was awesome sitting on the beach and looking up at the lights.

Day 3 at Oahu was awesome. :) More photos from Oahu Day 3.