Rex, Steve and I spent four days of the past week in Toronto for ASAE's 2009 Meeting & Expo. We met association leaders from all over the globe and sat in on some great sessions on topics ranging from advocacy to marketing to social media and communications. And you know us: We photographed, videoed, blogged and tweeted every aspect of our visit.

But I had a few random thoughts about my personal take on our visit to Toronto that I thought I'd share:

Everyone is very friendly. ASAE and Toronto did a superb job of partnering up to make sure visitors were never lost in the city or in the convention center. "We've been expecting you" t-shirts and buttons were always within eyeshot – in our hotels, in the convention center, on street corners – so that we could grab someone if we needed directions to a session, suggestions for dinner or just a friendly "good morning." There was even a friendly homeless guy on the walk between my hotel and the convention center. He spoke to me every morning.

Ketchup is very sweet. Honestly, I never expected something like ketchup to taste so different just north of us, but it really did. With my first dipped French fry, I didn't really notice it, but a couple more bites into my lunch Tuesday, and it was unmistakable. This stuff is sweet! I flipped the bottle around to see if anything might tip me off to the difference in taste. There was no high-fructose corn syrup (which I thought was a very good thing) but "liquid sugar" was listed on the label in its place. A couple more bites, and my southern taste buds just couldn't take the sweetness. The rest of my fries went down without their ketchup partner.

Toronto recycles. Like no other city I've ever seen, they are incredibly environmentally friendly. One coffee shop that I walked into on a Monday morning had tape over the opening of the trashcan. Instead, patrons were directed to recycle everything. There were bins everywhere for "plastic bottles and cans," "organics" such as unfinished food, coffee and the bamboo dishes we used during the conference, and all "paper." There was even a recycle bin in my hotel room.

They don't say "eh" as much as you might expect. I only heard it once, and that was in the airport when I was leaving town. I was quite disappointed.

Portions are smaller (more normal). Breakfast muffins weren't the size of softballs but more like tennis balls. My appetizer at dinner Sunday evening was just enough to make me hungry for more, unlike restaurants around here were I'm apt to be stuffed after an appetizer, but still continue to eat more. And mini-desserts were perfect for that after-dinner something sweet.

Blueberries are out of this world. I consumed something blueberry-related every day that I was in the city. Whether totally fresh and raw or mixed into a dessert or dipped in chocolate, they really were like no other blueberries I'd ever had. I don't think I can ever look at a pint of blueberries in a Texas grocery store the same way. Yes, it's the same fruit, but somehow so different.

Condominiums kill the vibe. Downtown Toronto was full of life, character and great architecture. The Queen's Quay along the lake was vibrant and full of fitness buffs and visitors. And even through the two were only about three blocks from each other, a shiny new row of condominiums cut the two completely apart from each other. The condos blocked the view of the water from downtown, and if you were on the water's edge, you couldn't see past them far enough to even realize you were that close to the city. Austin could take a lesson from Toronto and never consider building such beasts along the shores of Town Lake (now Ladybird Lake). There was something kinda sad about it.

Bring comfy shoes. I beg you. Toronto is one of those cities you walk in, and walk a lot. Whether it's a nice, breezy evening walk to dinner or a jaunt along the water, you'll want your feet to be able to keep up with all the things you'll want to do while you visit.