My 1st ever visit to Toronto started with an early flight
flying out of La Guardia, New York. An hour & a half later; 2 cans of Red Bull
down I landed at Pearson International Airport in Toronto.
Stepping off the plane, if felt like I had just
landed back on Teesside… cold, wet and windy!! However, not even the grim
weather could dampen my enthusiasm as I looked forward to a busy couple of days
ahead.
After a 30 minute taxi drive I was checking in to the Delta
hotel on Maple Leaf Square, a stones through away from the Air Canada Centre.
No time to rest though, I was picked up from the hotel by an old teammate
& good friend who now lives in Toronto, was able to show me around and
act as my host throughout my short stay in the city.
1st port of call was to the official Toronto FC bar where we
watched Portland Timbers v Toronto with all the local and very passionate fans.
It was a real family friendly environment with everyone having a good time
& supporting their team in the right way.
After watching Toronto FC narrowly lose 2-1 to the Timbers,
we made our way to the Air Canada Centre as I was invited as a guest to watch
the deciding play off game between Toronto Raptors v Indian Pacers.
This was my 1st experience of an NBA Basketball game and everyone kept telling me that I couldn’t have chosen a better game to attend. The atmosphere was electric as the Raptors hadn’t been past this stage in 15 years!
This was my 1st experience of an NBA Basketball game and everyone kept telling me that I couldn’t have chosen a better game to attend. The atmosphere was electric as the Raptors hadn’t been past this stage in 15 years!
It was a star-studded event, with big names such as Drake and Didier Drogba in attendance. Whilst at the game, I was introduced to some very influential people who loved the concept of skignz and the almost endless possibilities that it offers. Watch this space!
To top the evening off, the Raptors won the game 89-84, leaving
a party atmosphere in and around the venue, but it was back to the hotel for me
as I had a busy day ahead…
Day 2 in Toronto began with my standard hotel breakfast,
Eggs Benedict! With a full stomach and a much needed caffeine fix (Red Bull), I
was off to my 1st meeting of the day.
After some very positive and productive discussions, my friend picked me up and I was fortunate enough to experience the famous Soho House Members club of Toronto for lunch. It’s very much an 'up market' establishment in which members are very selectively chosen.
After some very positive and productive discussions, my friend picked me up and I was fortunate enough to experience the famous Soho House Members club of Toronto for lunch. It’s very much an 'up market' establishment in which members are very selectively chosen.
After an interesting lunch meeting with some promising new
business contacts, it was time for my final meeting before catching my flight
back to New York.
All in all, I had a great time in the city of Toronto and
made some exciting new contacts that will hopefully have a major part to play
in taking skignz forward in Canada.
