My corner room was beautiful, in the vein of all the Thompson Hotels: minimal, sophisticated, hip but not painfully so. The decor was done in neutrals with splashes of orange, with a pole-mounted flat screen TV and floor-to-ceiling windows. The front doorman recommended Coco Rice, a Thai restaurant around the corner, for a quick bite. This restaurant, with its kitschy fish tank and paper napkins, was unremarkable on the inside, but it was fast, affordable and yummy, so for the small window of time we had between parties, it was perfect. And clearly it's a fave of the locals, who steadily picked up to-go orders throughout our meal. Then it was back to the Thompson, where Sir Richard hosted a VIP cocktail party up on the rooftop, which is a destination in its own right. The space has a pool, bar, cozy pool-side beds and 360-degree views of Toronto and Lake Ontario, making it the sexiest new destination to see and be seen in Ontario's capital city this summer. (See view below.)
With a bit of shut eye, I woke up to enjoy a few hours in the neighborhood surrounding the Thompson, namely strolling along King Street and Queen Street. These could be likened to Capitol Hill in Seattle or 7th Avenue in Park Slope, Brooklyn (that was how the local gossip columnist described it to me and he was surprisingly accurate). The streets are lined with some seedy shops mixed in with fashion and beauty boutiques, pubs and cafes. (One food store was even having a post-G 20 sale on chicken!) I grabbed some eggs, jasmine green tea and fruit at Zoe's on King Street (that thankfully took Visa since I didn't bother to change any money). Then it was back to the airport for the non-stop Virgin flight back to LAX.
What's next for Virgin America? Flights to Cabo and Cancun! Arriba Arriba.
Sir Richard Branson's Mile High Party
In 24 hours you can eat, sleep and work. Or you can fly internationally with Sir Richard Branson on a party plane with celebrities and a Grammy-nominated recording artist.
This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. If you need to flag this entry as abusive, send us an email.
HuffPost Shopping’s Best Finds
MORE IN LIFE
Wellness