Vacation to the north, part 3

Tuesday, 8/10:
This being my birthday, I woke up to lots of nice greetings on Facebook (Don bought a brand new shiny laptop just in time for the trip and we had wi-fi practically everywhere, even on the trains). Above, the elegant lobby of the Fairmont Royal York. We started the day at the Art Gallery of Ontario which had a nice exhibit called Drama & Desire, about the influence of stage productions on artists of the 19th century. We couldn't take pictures inside, but the museum was very nice indeed, and I found a David online that was featured in the exhibit:

We walked through Chinatown; we entered and summarily backed out of two restaurants because of my unease with unfamiliar cuisine (one Chinese dim sum, one Jamaican) and hard-to-figure-out dining formats, but finally ate a nice lunch at Rivoli's. Did some book shopping at Chapters, a Canadian Borders, and had a wonderful birthday dinner at an Italian restaurant called Il Fornello; I had a fabulous gin martini (w/3 olives, always a good sign), a very good chicken & pesto cream sauce pasta, and for dessert, some Black Sambuco--which, as the waitress pointed out, was actually a deep purple color when swirled.

Wednesday, 8/11:
To Chez Cora for a breakfast of yummy crepes (a "Sunshine panini-crepe" to be exact); ate at a sidewalk table, a lovely perch for people watching on a delightfully warm and sunny morning. Shopping up at Easton Centre followed--found a couple things at Banana Republic. On to Glad Day, a gay bookstore, and Eliot's Bookstore, full of used book treasures, and purchases were made at both establishments. Had a late liquid lunch at the Library Bar in the Royal York--and an "After the Frost" which was vodka, ice wine, and Grand Marnier. See the atmospheric bar below:

Dinner was at Pizza Rustica (had tuna pizza), at another sidewalk table. I normally don't choose to eat outside, but both times we did here, we had good experiences. The rest of the evening was spent strolling around the Financial District and Old Town, which was on the pleasantly funky side. I'll close this post with a picture of a sculpture outside the Art Gallery, probably a Henry Moore, though I forgot to check the plaque (I'm such a philistine). Last few days coming soon...