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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