It’s been nearly 25 years since I last visited Toronto, and this year’s ASRS meeting gave me a chance to return to the bustling Canadian metropolis. Getting there was no piece of cake, however, as our frugality required us to fly into Buffalo first, followed by a 2 hour car ride across the border. The Five Guys burger from the airport did not hold me over adequately, leaving me hungry and exhausted by the time I arrived at the hotel at 3 am. On Saturday morning, I walked to North America’s largest Chinatown for toasty pineapple buns and a bowl of pho bo kho before returning to the meeting. The conference itself turned out to be one of those events where one spends more time socializing than actually attending the talks. By the time I made it through the sea of my retina colleagues, the day was nearly adjourned. We walked to the dinner reception at Canada’s well-loved Hockey Hall of Fame, and snacked on small plates while mingling beside the Stanley Cup. The food certainly did not compare to the fancy culinary spread atop the CN Tower sponsored by Genentech on Sunday evening. With 360 degree views of the Toronto skyline as the backdrop, we stuffed ourselves with Caribbean jerk chicken, Indian biryani, Chinese dim sum, and Italian lasagna. The night ended with a Mexican party at a bar called the Bier Markt, which aside from the absurdity of the concept, left us memorable photos that will no doubt make their way online some day. On Monday, we joined Regeneron reps to lunch at Canoe, considered one of Toronto’s finest restaurant with impressive city views. I returned to the meeting to present my poster, then joined other fellows for the Vit Buckle Society dinner at swanky Brassaii sponsored by Synergetics. With my growing list of financial disclosures, I decided on Tuesday to sneak off by myself for lunch at Momofuku Noodle Bar. Here, my bar seat gave me a front row view to the creation of David Chang’s acclaimed pork buns (too fatty) and Momofuku ramen (good but overrated). Despite all the gastronomic adventures, the meeting itself was one of my busiest, with 3 case presentations, 2 interviews, and a research poster. The fear of international roaming costs also kept me tied to the hotel lobby, which added to the exhaustion. I shared the car ride back to Buffalo with my co-fellow and attending, stopping briefly for pictures at Niagara Falls and wings at the Buffalo airport before our flight back. After three consecutive weekends out of town, I was ready to finally unpack my bags.