Monday, May 8, 2017

Eastern Canada Trip 2016 Day 12 Saturday June 25: Toronto Including Toronto Islands

UPDATED: February 11, 2021

This is the 12th of a series of posts dealing with my 2016 trip to Toronto, Montreal, and vicinity. I’ve made minor corrections to these reports (typos, bits I don’t feel like making public). Also, I’ve added additional thoughts with the hindsight of two years later or to add further clarification.  These are indicated by “NOW”.

4/5 of the way to the end now!  Last night someone snored the most obnoxious snoring I've ever heard. I got up to use the washroom but really to get relief from the snoring. Managed to get back to sleep. At a little after 5:30 I woke up again and this time the room's peanut gallery was also commenting on the snoring.

I got up and walked to a further away McDonald's for breakfast and then continued north along Yonge to Sheppard-Yonge Station. During this walk I noticed that the coin section of my new money belt had a split so I moves the coins to the larger section; my padlock key and subway tokens survived; since the hole is small I left the cards in the coin section. Passing through the west side stop of the 4/Sheppard Line route, I took the 1/Yonge-University-Spadina train (TTC/Toronto Transit) south to Union Station, where I transferred to a 509 streetcar (same). No one thought to ring the bell so lots of us got off at the stop after Queen's Quay Station.

[NOW: Like the one I normally went to, this McDonald's was on Yonge St.]

 I walked to Jack Layton Ferry Terminal and bought a ticket to the Toronto Islands. I handed the ticket/receipt to the ticket guy and much to my shock he didn't return the ticket. I took the Centre Island ferry (Toronto Parks) to Centre Island Ferry Terminal. The ferry terminal is on an island often called Centre Island, but I prefer Middle island to distinguish from a larger island of the same name. On Middle Island I visited Centreville Amusement park, briefly walking to Olympic Island and back and visiting the park's Far Enough Farm (petting zoo). The whole receipt thing was bothering me so I found an info booth near Centre island Ferry Terminal; they said I'd have to go back to Jack Layton to get the receipt. In the meantime I crossed over to Middle Island to the larger Centre Island, visiting a beach with multiple names including Chelsea Islands Beach. I walked west, stopping briefly at Gibraltar Point Beach and Gibraltar Point Lighthouse., working my way to the Hanlan's Point area of Centre Island. That section has a clothing option beach and a ferry terminal, both also called Hanlan's Point. I returned to Gibraltar Point then Chelsea Beach and then continued east. I walked from Centre Island to an island with the Toronto Yacht Club and back, then Snake Island and back, then Algonquin Island and back. For the letter two islands, got nice views of the CN Tower. On the east side Centre Island (the larger one) becomes Ward Island so I visited Ward Island Ferry Terminal and then Ward's Island beach, where I had lunch. During this walk along Centre/Ward Island I sometimes saw 10 km/h speed limit signs.

[NOW: Chelsea Beach is probably best known as Centre Island Beach and also known as Manitou Beach. The Yacht Club island is RCYC Island aka South Chippewa Island.]

After lunch and resting, I walked along the boardwalk from the Ward Island section of this largest island to the Centre Island section. The boardwalk doesn't allow quadcycles where are common; boards along the boardwalk are loose. I revisited Chelsea and Gibraltar Point beaches before working my way back to Hanlan's Point. I took the Hanlan's Point Ferry (Toronto Parks) back to Jack Layton Ferry Terminal. Playing my Asperger's card I managed to get a receipt, albeit with the wrong time (after 4 pm instead of 9:13). So a receipt indicating Toronto Islands but not really a memento of the specific trip to the islands sadly. I took a 509 streetcar and 1 train (both TTC) to Dundas Station. There was a Christian concert at Yonge-Dundas Square. With a meet with my friend Aidan to happen in an hour I walked to his street (Church St) to get a sense of distance, returned to Yonge St, visited Hairy Tarantula, and grabbed a Slurpee from 7-11. Near the square and dog was doing flips for treats. I wandered along Church St and grabbed a Pop Shoppe pop (lime ricky) from Hasty Market). I visited my friend Aidan and got some photos from his 24 story place. I also briefly met his new partner. Aidan and I had some drinks and then we had pizza at Blaze's across from Yonge-Dundas Square. I then returned to Backpackers on Dundas.
 
[NOW: That Hairy Tarantula and Backpackers on Dundas have closed.]

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