This is the 14th of a series of posts dealing with my 2024 trip to Eastern Canada. 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 a year later or to add further clarification. These are indicated by “NOW”.
I walked to Yonge-Dundas Square and entered Dundas Station for a daypass; all transportation today Toronto Transit. The ticket from the machine was dated two days earlier so I pressed a button to call for info. No answer. I tested the ticket and it seemed to work. As I started to exit the Station I noticed that the rain had started. After waiting just a bit at Yonge-Dundas Square, I returned to Neill Wycik Hotel early. I had breakfast. By the time I finished the rain had stopped so I walked north along Yonge, noting where a bus stop was. At Yonge-Dundas Square I took a 2 train to Kipling, then gradually walked east back to Bloor-Yonge. It was rainy but it finally stopped; at some point early on I lost the umbrella's bottom handle. Enroute I accidentally got a Pepsi Zero instead of Pepsi at Dollarama and later got a Pepsi Slurpee at the 7-11 closest to Spadina Station. Back at Bloor-Yonge Station I took a 1 train to Finch Station and walked south, luckily most of this route was downhill. There was a slight detour due to the turn in the path to cross Hwy 401. Ironically you have to cross Yonge via overpass and then cross back at street level right after.
[NOW: Yonge-Dundas Square is now Sankofa Square. ]
I had lunch at the McDonald's closest to Lawrence Station and tried to visit Paradise Comics but once more it wasn't open. I got drinks at two Dollaramas. For the first one youth asked me where I'd been, noting my sunburn. I replied "All over". I visited Yonge's BMV. At a library where I went in for water I promised security not to take pictures. I got a couple trades at ABC Books. I took a 506 streetcar to The Beguiling and got some trades, which meant briefly grabbing a mask. I visited College St.’s She Said Boom! and Balfour Books. Neurotica proved not to be open today so it too missed out this trip. I took a 511 streetcar to Bathurst Station; apparently due to a wait for another streetcar to leave the station there was a long wait before anyone could get off.
Bloor's BMV also has a cheap section that I noticed earlier but it too wasn't open today. I briefly visited the main store. My friend Monica had noticed that the Royal Ontario Museum is free at 4:30 third Tuesday of the month but the lineup was huge. I'm not really into more general museums so the line-up far exceeded my interest level, figuring even when it opened it would be hard to get quick pics through the crowds, so I decided to pass. I'm sure I would have found it to be a great museum that I'm not all that into. I much prefer smaller focused museums like the Police Museum: get in, snap 15 minutes of shots, get out. I even found the Royal BC Museum boring the last time I visited, so even iff the ROM is great I might not be its target audience.
I took a 2 train from Museum to Osgoode Station. I revisited Nathan Phillips Square. I got more trades at Edward St's BMV. The Pizza Pizza I ate at last time was gone but I found one near College St. I carried the pizza to Yonge-Dundas Square. A guy, perhaps jokingly, asked for a slice. I declined. Later he and his friend, aside from asking for a slice, made a grab for my camera and then my backpack. They might have been joking or perhaps the backpack was heavier than expected. I moved to a different part of the Square and finished the pizza, then grabbed a drink from Dollarama.
I was already planning on ending today early because I have to get up around 3 tomorrow but the altercation cemented that plan. I returned to the hotel.
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