Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Eastern Canada Trip 2014 Day 3 Thursday June 12 Toronto

UPDATED: February 10, 2021

This is the 3rd of a series of posts dealing with my fourth trip to Eastern Canada. I’ve made minor corrections to these reports. Also, I’ve added additional thoughts with the hindsight of a year later or to add further clarification.  These are indicated by “NOW”. After I booked the trip I unexpectedly had to move and was staying at a friend’s place at the time of the trip, so I was already pretty tired before the trip back.

Forgot to mention yesterday: it was pretty rainy in the morning yesterday, easing off gradually during the day; it was actually pretty nice around 4. The 900 buses were very warm, especially heading to Oshawa.

[NOW: The 900 buses were Durham Transit.]

Had bank card issues at Pizza Pizza because I forgot to deposit the View Towers and broken lease Pandora St cheques before heading out, so in the short term I transferred money at a Scotiabank near Ossington Station. There's a new McDonald's at Bloor and Ossington with a dentist's office in the same complex.

[NOW: My old place wrote out cheques for my damage deposit plus a partial refund on my May rent.]

Started falling asleep just after 8:30 so feeling a lot better this morning. About to step outside. Looks like it's been raining or is raining again.

[NOW: The above was written in the morning at The Only Backpackers Inn. The rest was written in the evening.]

I walked along Danforth, grabbing breakfast at McDonald's as it was again too early for the hostel. I continued along Danforth as it become Bloor St E and then headed south along Yonge to Yonge-Dundas Square. I continued south to Union Station, then north to Canada's Walk of Fame. I found one section I hadn't photographed before but I'm still missing a section.  I went to the site of the former Global Village Backpackers. The only sign that it was closed down was stuff in front of the door inside.

[NOW: I later figured out where the rest of the Walk was.]

I took a 510 streetcar north to College St (all transportation this day Toronto Transit). I walked to the Police Museum, paying a small donation. Then I took a Yonge-University-Spadina train to St. Andrew Station and walked from there to the CBC Museum. This time unlike previous times it wasn't playing the Friendly Giant theme. There's a separate annex in the lower level but I left sooner than expected because someone was texting and their cell had that really annoying whistling sound that some cells have, and it was very persistent.

[NOW: The Yonge-University-Spadina Line is officially the 1 Line. I tend to still think of the subway lines by their traditional names. The CBC Museum has closed.]

I made it to Queen St and took the 501 streetcar west to 7-24 Movies; HMV on that street was closed. 7-24 wasn't yet opened so I walked to Roncevalles St. I visited Another Story heading north; A Good Book, Film Buff, She Said Boom! were also not yet opened. I then waited about 18 minutes for an eastbound 506 streetcar. Getting off further east on College I visited Soundscapes, Balfour Books, another She Said Boom! I headed south to Bellevue Square to the Al Waxman statue. The bench in front of the statue was clear this time because it was wet. Someone was smoking pot near the children's playground at the Square.

[NOW: 7-24 Movies & More and Film Buff have closed. The second She Said Boom! moved a couple doors down. Bellevue Square is also called Denison Square.]

I visited Sonic Boom Records, and Iceman Video Games on Augusta; Comic Pile not yet open.  I wandered along Nassau/Kensington Market and on Bathurst took a 511 streetcar to Bathurst Station, then took a Bloor-Danforth train to Keele Station. Waiting for a 89 bus, I got a Slushee at the Petro-Canada just before it arrived. I headed north to Dundas West.

[NOW: Sonic Boom Records merged with the other branch and moved to Spadina Ave. Iceman Video Games and Comic Pile have closed. The Bloor-Danforth Line is the 2 Line.]

I visited Pandemonium (got a DVD and blu-ray) but Big Daddy's DVD didn't open until 3. I took a 30 bus to High Park Station, a Bloor-Danforth Line train to Kipling Station, then a 111 bus to Cloverdale Mall where I visited Sunrise Records and ate lunch at A&W. I walked to Bloor, still west of the subway line, and did a very long walk to Yonge St. During the walk, passed an area where Bloor does a loop, passed the Bloor-Danforth train a couple spots, passed Excalibur (also not open until 3), passed a fitness place with a sweets building touching it at a 90 degree angle.

[NOW: Bid Daddy's DVD has closed. I also passed a Bar with No Name, now closed. In Captain America comics, a Bar with No Name is where Scourge murdered 18 super-villains.]

I visited 2 for 1 Movies, briefly left Bloor to visit Red Nails II Comics, visited Book City, got a drink at Mac's, and visited Movie Art Decor and Super Pawn. Still no sign of the cat in the window. I rested briefly at Christie Pits Park, visited Honest Ed's, visited Seekers Books (previously overlooked), and got another drink at 7-11. I finally made it to Yonge.
 
[NOW: 2 for 1 Movies,  Movie Art Decor, Super Pawn, and Honest Ed's have closed.]

I decided to tackle some of tomorrow's tasks so I walked north along Yonge, visited Book City, a gamer’s store, BMV Books, Upstairs Video (new?), Vortex Records.  At Lansdowne Station I finally called the walking quits and took the Yonge-University-Spadina train back south to Dundas Station. I grabbed a McDonald's dinner at Toronto Eaton Centre.  I tried calling my friend Aidan but had trouble hearing him, so I called instead from a payphone at Yonge-Dundas Square. Despite the live music I had no trouble hearing him from the payphone. The info centre there still has the same typo as last year ("Niagra Falls"). Well, I did try pointing it out last September; no one around today.

[NOW: I later did point this out to them again to no avail; the sign is no longer there. Upstairs Video and Vortex Records have closed.]

I took the Yonge-University-Spadina Line train to Bloor Station and then after a little wait the Bloor-Danforth train to Donlands; because it was so packed, I only got a few shots from the latter train. From there a short walk to the hostel.

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