Lunch at Shangri-La Bosk in Toronto, Canada

Greetings,

Yesterday I had the distinct pleasure of catching up with an old friend and having lunch at Bosk in the living room like lobby of the Shangri-La Hotel. Afterwards I found myself strolling around the streets and staring at scrapers that extended to the sky. I always knew Toronto was a big city but I’m just starting to fully grasp it; this place is the true center of Canada in every conceivable way and the place to go if you want to make it happen on Canadian soil.

Shangri-La is rather new on the Toronto scene and it’s a beast of a building standing at something along the lines of 66 floors. If you’ve ever been to Vancouver I’m sure you’re already familiar with its iconic style as it literally extends into the sky. As it happens the first 17 floors are for the hotel while the others are private residences. When I arrived in the lobby I was greeted by my friend Adam whom I had the pleasure of meeting in Keystone, Colorado earlier this year.

As it happens the restaurant was fully booked and we ate in the lobby. Besides some great food it also has a selection of over 68 teas, indeed. As a result, it’s less a lonely lobby and more a place people come to hang out and slowly sip on tea while perusing the newspaper etc… We ate right next to the fireplace and I enjoyed a mixed green salad to start and some Alaskan Sablefish as my main course. The salad was pleasant and the fish was fantastic, in fact it was perfectly cooked to my liking. After passing the last few months in Costa Rica, it was a real treat to have fish that wasn’t fried.

Afterwards we went for a tour of the public space while continuing to catch up. It’s a pretty stunning space but I’m sure you already knew that. In particular I thought it was interesting to have an infrared sauna and those booths near the hot tub looked like a great place to pass a lazy day. Sadly I can’t show you what a room looks like as well, they were all full. Not much long after that, I was back wandering the streets and on way to meet some other friends.

One thing lead to another and next thing you know I’m snapping the photo below of the CN Tower. Again, I’m in awe of just how big and busy Toronto is. Maybe it’s because I just came from that small town with one paved road on the Osa Peninsula or I just never realized it before? Either way, I can feel the energy in this city and see why it attracts so many talented and ambitious souls from Canada and the rest of the world alike.

I’d continue but I’m inspired and there is progress to be made in many departments.

Big thanks to Adam, Alex and the Shangri-La for their gracious hospitality.

Tips hat,