With spring break curtailed by an upcoming meeting, we decided to take a trip to Toronto, having already forgotten how East Coast winter linger into March. Arriving on a red-eye flight made for a rough start, but our spirits lifted when we spied Comic-Con cosplay at Union Station. After stashing our luggage, we visited St. Lawrence Market to share a peameal sandwich from Carousel Bakery, lobster roll from Buster’s Sea Cove, lox bagel from St. Urbain, oysters from Seafront, butter tart from Eve’s Temptations, and take-away cheese from Olympic Cheese Mart. Our harbourfront walk was cold and windy, so after grabbing President’s Choice cookies and watching sugar scoops from Sugar Beach, we sheltered at a Community Center for chess and nap time before checking into our high-rise AirBnb. We shopped for Muji goods at The Well and browsed the Wellington Market food hall before heading to shoot Decepticons at the Rec Room and ascend CN Tower for dinner at the rotating 360 Restaurant. Our pricey meal included access to the observation deck to reward us with panoramic city views. The Sunday morning drizzle shifted our plans indoor to the Art Gallery of Ontario, where we were captivated by David Blackwood’s printmaking, Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirrored Room, a ship model collection, and a free draw station. From there, we snacked our way through Chinatown and Kensington Market, hitting Mashion Bakery, Mother’s Dumplings, Wanda’s Pie in the Sky, Golden Patty, Pancho’s Bakery, Fresco’s Fish & Chips, and Rasta Pasta. I sipped a Canadian Maple Latte to stay awake at the Distillery District while shopping for a stuffed beaver and handmade mug, then relaxed to Studson Studio videos before dining on Raku udon. On Monday, we took the GO train to Niagara Falls, where our Wonder Pass included an uninformative Niagara Takes Flight ride, a frozen-over Journey Behind the Falls, and a Power Plant visit that featured a musical Tesla coil demo. We skipped the Butterfly Conservatory and most of the cheesy Clifton Hill attractions, but at least rode the SkyWheel for birds-eye views of the falls. Despite a lackluster welcome center lunch, we were wowed by the Indian fare at Desi Road which kept us warm while we waited for our bus and train back. We visited Toronto Zoo on Tuesday, where we got to watch gorilla surgery despite many exhibits being closed due to weather. From there, we shared creamy Hakata-style Ramen Raijin on the way to the Royal Ontario Museum and its amazing wildlife photography exhibit, then returned to Chinatown for Goubuli baos and old-school HK fare from Swatow Restaurant. For our final breakfast, we revisited Chinatown for rice noodles and congee at Yin Ji Chang Fen, then picked up pineapple buns from HK Island Bakery and banh mi from Nguyen Huong for later. Our self-guided tour of Casa Loma afterwards featured secret passages, military paraphernalia, antique cars, and a documentary of its financier. The gothic mansion apparently also doubled as a set for movies and escape room experiences. Unfortunately, our return flight was delayed, resulting in a longer layover and later arrival home. Our first Canadian vacation this year was short, cold, but delicious. We’ll see how Montreal fares later this summer.

This year’s Macula Society gave me a chance to reconnect with friends and colleagues over a one-night stay in sunny Coronado. I arrived early Thursday to catch the morning sessions, then grab lunch with a clinical trial sponsor before taking a ferry ride with friends across San Diego Bay, and reembarking on the same boat back to catch dinner with my UCD and Duke friends. My talk on day two was well received, and I opted for solo dining instead of the gala to make an earlier flight home. I was not immune to Melody’s cold, unfortunately, and my symptoms came down hard that weekend, forcing me to miss the Paul Hom Health Fair and binge my way through an exciting first season of the sci-fi show Paradise. By Monday I was back on my feet, which allowed me to power through an action-packed week recording a meeting debrief in a studio, petting pythons with Westley at his school’s STEM night, celebrating my student’s first-place win at UCD Poster Day, and cheering on our resident Christine at the ARC Orchestra concert. Last weekend, we drove down to Oakland to revisit the Mammoth Bonsai Auction at Lake Merritt, where we splurged on a striking corokia cotonester draped over a rock, and massive crape myrtle that barely fit in the backseat. We stayed on theme with dinner at Soba Ichi before returning home for tax season and spring gardening, which included planting a new “golden nugget” mandarin tree in our backyard. We celebrated Pi Day with three pies from Ikeda and dinner with my friend Parisa’s family over Indian curries. With cake and tarts they brought from Ettore’s and mochi donuts from Tomo using our new food-saving app, our spring is kicking off with plenty of calories that will hopefully burn off with our new Peloton subscription.