A Little Getaway to St. Catharines, Ontario

We're still in the middle of a pandemic, but we had to get away. If you follow me on Twitter, you'll probably have seen my rant about our building management scheduling construction that requires us residents to leave our units for two days. To reschedule, they would fine us $1000+. With a lot of things still closed, having the dog, and not social circling, we had very limited options. A little getaway proved to be the best option and I set out to find a good and affordable choice for us. It felt a bit like blackmail for the choice of construction over health, honestly.

Since we didn't get away for our annual anniversary trip this year, we treated this like that. Granted, we spent a good percentage of the time in the hotel room because...well...COVID-19. It still felt like a vacation! St. Catharines was an easy drive from Toronto, making it a good day trip option if you're not wanting to stay overnight. I'm actually thinking of making that happen again, because I fell head over heels for a food item that you will see below. I've been craving it ever since we got back!

Here are a few things we ate from local restaurants and some of the landmarks we visited!

We packed up and headed out from Toronto on a clear Wednesday morning! Here's the CN Tower and Rogers Centre. I think the Blue Jays (our baseball team) were practicing that morning, because the roof was open.The Rogers Centre used to be called the SkyDome, though most of us still call it that (just like Scotiabank Arena is still the ACC)! It has a retractable roof, which is pretty genius since you never know what you're going to get with Toronto weather. At the base of the CN Tower is where our Ripley's Aquarium is and I've yet to visit it! I refuse to go up the CN Tower, because I'm terrified of heights.

We checked into the Best Western. I pre-registered to limit contact at the front desk and asked if an early check-in would be available on a ground floor room. We checked in two hours early with no issues, which was great and saved us from trying to find something to do to wait for the normal check-in time of 4pm! The best part is the ground floor rooms have patio doors, making it super easy to slip out and walk Indy for bathroom breaks without having to go through the hotel's common areas. Free wi-fi and parking. Due to COVID-19, the outdoor activities and pools were closed. With it being hot out and on the ground floor, our room did have a few black ants.

For dinner on our first day, we went to a local spot called Joe Feta's Greek Village. We got a takeout package for two that involved souvlaki, gyros, garlic bread, and salad, all for $20. The biggest winner was the Greek salad. I asked for extra feta and they delivered on the promise. Bless 'em, they made this cheese lover's day! The more feta, the betta!

Lunch on the second day was IT. The very thing that I can't stop drooling over. I posted this in my Insta Stories and got more feedback than I ever had on any food or drink item I've posted! Everyone was curious and drooling over this dill pickle pizza from Rollin' Pizza. I love pizza and I LOVE pickles, but I've never had them together. I am a pickle fanatic (except the sweet ones - no thank you!) and I believe you can throw just about anything on a pizza and it will taste good. But along with authentic deep dish pizza from Chicago, this is the best pizza I've ever put in my mouth. I want to go back just for this. And better yet, it has started the search for pickle pizza in Toronto. So far I've come up empty-handed, which is surprising with what a big foodie city this is!

We also had the buffalo cauliflower bites and those were tasty, as well. Rollin' Pizza's menu is customizable in a lot of ways offering vegan and gluten-free options. They also make those gigantic slices that I am sure you've seen trending from different places on social media!

For dinner, I found a Mexican restaurant called Chile and Agave Mexican Grill. We got the takeout special for two ($27.50 + tax) and it came with so much food! Burrito, nachos, 2 quesadillas, 2 beef tacos, and 2 chicken tacos. The main event of the meal was the salsa and guacamole. I requested extra salsa and they didn't charge for it, so that was a nice bonus. The rest was good, but I come from a state that has so much excellent Mexican food and this paled in comparison to what I know and love. It just was not what I was hoping for. I have had the hardest time trying to find amazing Mexican cuisine up here and my search continues.

We chose to do our sight-seeing on the last day after checking out of the hotel and before heading home. I planned for outdoor fun to keep us safer. Our first stop was the British Methodist Episcopal Church, a church that Harriet Tubman attended during her time in St. Catharines.

These plaques lead to lovely pathway beside the church with flowers and a sculpture dedicated to Harriet Tubman. I'm so happy we stopped to see this.

After the BME Church, we made our way to the Port Dalhousie Range Lighthouses. There was a bit of construction going on, so it was hard to get close to the lighthouses but I did what I could to capture them. I love the pop of teal! I can't turn down a lighthouse. If I know I'm near one, I have to see it. It's just one of those things!

We called it a trip after that and made our way back home. I am sure we missed out on plenty with not being able to do too much with the pandemic happening, but it's all the more reason to return and explore again later on. Granted, I am seriously pondering making a trip just for that pickle pizza. Worth it? Absolutely!

Do you have any trips on your schedule for the last bit of summer? This is the perfect time to explore things and places around you and just doing it wisely and cautiously!