Eastern Canada Trip 2019 Day 4 September 10 Toronto, Oshawa, Whitby, Ajax

This is the fourth in a series of posts covering my trip to Eastern Canada in September 2019, adapting emails originally sent to friends. I use NOW to refer to any updates since I did the trip.

Had another nice chat with one  of the people from the night before. We're keeping in touch on Facebook. Got up around 5:20. Saw a skunk and managed to get some photos without getting sprayed, but since it was still dark, will see  later how they turned out. Went to the McDonald's on King from day 2 though had to doubleback because I accidentally put my coupons in my locker. Tried a different kiosk and this time it work so now at 4-3 in favour of getting receipts.

[NOW: That McDonald's has moved.]

Walked to Exhibition Centre and from there to Ontario Place and back, getting some nice sunrise photos including of the CN Tower in the background. I cut through Exhibition Place again and got to Exhibition GO Station. It doesn't open for customer service until after 12 but got a daypass via a self serve machine. I asked directions to the neat washroom and was surprised that there was none there. However, the eastbound Lakeshore West train (all transportation today GO Transit/Metrolynx) that arrived had one so I used it at the layover at Union Station, where it become a Lakeshore East train. It's a doubledeckerand I took it to Oshawa GO Station in Oshawa. Along the way ticket police came by. He hadn't seen a daypass with my specific destination before but was unconcerned.

I took a 90 bus to downtown Oshawa. I visited Sunshine Variety and decided it was enough to just see the outside of the video game store Skyfox. I visited Memorial Park and did a long walk north. the two stores there that I went to were slightly late opening. Got a couple DVDs from Buy & Sell Kings including the third and final parody era Brady Bunch movies, Brady Bunch in the White House. So one theme seems to be completing sets this trip. Back Downtown I visited Entertainment Cube.

 

[NOW: The store near Buy & Sell Kings that I visited was Gnu Books.]

At Comic Alley Toys i started to put down my backpack but he asked if I was planning on stealing anything and when I said no he said to just keep it on. He doesn't like treating customers like potential thieves, which I appreciated. Briefly leaving downtown again I visited Deja Vu Discs where I  got some DVDs and Blu-rays and then back downtown I visited Worlds Collide comics, A British store (Promenade?) didn't open until 12 unfortunately.

 

[NOW: I think the British store was Paraphernalia Books 'N' Stuff.]

My former supervisor Monica treated me to pizza for lunch and also bought me more for dinner later. I just missed a 92 bus by about five minutes or so so I jogged a ways to work off some of the lunch. I finally took the 92 bus to Whitby. There I visited the new location of Comic Book Addiction and photographed the vintage Hulk and Spider-Man pinball machines.

 

[NOW: I think the pizza place was Reginos.]

I waited at a GO bus stop hoping one would come but finally got moving again and made it to Whitby GO Station as a Lakeshore East train was arriving. I just barely made it; the doors even started to close on me. I took it to Ajax GO Station in Ajax. I walked a way to their Buy & Sell Kings and Deja Vu Discs, plus a convenience store.

At Circle K I got a fountain drink of lime flavoured carbonated water. Probably would have tasted nice except that it was warm. Took a Lakeshore East train to Union Station in Toronto. Perhaps in part due to the pizza I was fighting sleep during this stretch. It briefly spat rain outside Toronto was especially crowded in downtown core. Checked a whole bunch of pawnbrokers on Church St that were next to each other, plus some convenience stores. One Circle K had no drink cups. Another had no ice but was cool enough. I ate at Yonge-Dundas Square and had the rest of the pizza. I thought about heating at the hostel but it's paper bag was starting to disintegrate due to grease. I returned to Union Station and took Lakeshore West train back to Exhibition GO Station. A couple women moved as I sat down. Shrug. I revisited Exhibition Place and Ontario Place and back. Looked at a few more convenience stores but decided to same money by briefly putting water bottle in freezer.