Artist’s Vacation at The Drake Hotel
I had the opportunity this week to stay at Toronto’s Drake Hotel and we had a fantastic time. I had never heard of the Drake Hotel although it has the sort of name that sounds familiar to me. I found it on Trip Advisor and every other hotel in Toronto was full. I never did figure out why everything was booked, but the Drake Hotel seemed like a good fit for us. I picked up my chef daughter from her job in Muskoka and we spent 2 nights and 3 days together in Toronto.
We checked in on Sunday afternoon. The hotel is small, charming, and has multiple restaurants and bars full of trendy, interesting people. We were given a room on the 3rd floor. We were surprised to find out there is no elevator so we trekked up the stairs and found a lovely but small, very cool guest room. We were greeted with complimentary sparkling wine on ice and the room was full of interesting items for purchase as well as a fun “mini-bar” area full of tasty beverages and snacks.
The ice cream bars at Sweet Olenka’s
The design concept really stood out and we felt like we were not quite cool enough for our hip accommodations. That said, Jonathan the manager greeted us warmly every time he saw us and made us feel incredibly welcome. He hugged us when we left–we felt loved and cared for in this fun hipster hotel. I am not sure we were cool enough for our surroundings, but we felt welcome and enjoyed its charm.
We ate breakfast twice in their cafe and the food was fantastic. I only wish we had the energy to explore more of what was going on. There is a roof-top bar that looked very fun. We heard happy people partying late into the night. This didn’t bother us, it was kind of fun–like falling asleep on the couch during a really great party. During our stay, there was an open mike and a pickle contest as well as a presentation by an artist in residence. The array of activities was fantastic for us.
This was one of my favorite hotels ever. It was just so well cared for and well appointed. It was a fantastic brand. I loved every bit of it. I want to come back again with Mel and partake of the room service Sex Toy menu and party at the rooftop bar.
The hotel is in a fantastic neighborhood and we enjoyed Grand Electric for tacos and bourban and Oyster Boy for their Caesar Salad, Oyster’s Rockefeller, and Lobster Roll. Both were amazing. We also enjoyed coconut based vegan ice cream at Sweet Olenka’s. All three are definite repeaters and we loved our Queen Street journey. Curry’s Art Store is right across the street and we bought some doodling supplies so we could feed our artist spirit–it somehow fit with the neighborhood and the hotel.
It was a quick trip to the Eaton Centre to buy an i-phone and a short jaunt to Mountain Equipment Co-Op for a backpack for my daughter. It was fun to be in the heart of the city and to get so quickly from place to place. It was a great get-away and I would recommend this mini-vacation to anyone wanting a bohemian holiday in Toronto.
As a side note, I found myself wanting to “come out” to the hotel manager while I was there. It was such a queer friendly hotel in a queer friendly neighborhood, I just wanted to claim my people. I wanted to be just a little bit more queer than I appear. This may sound silly but this is one of the weirdest things about Mel transitioning–the constant need to think about coming out of the closet. Before he transitioned, if we showed up somewhere together, then we were part of the queer family. When I am without Mel, I never am perceived as queer. Anyway, I ended up coming out while we were leaving. It felt good to reveal more about who I am. Then, I felt the love!
