Eastern Canada Trip 2013 Day 4 Sunday September 15 Toronto, Barrie, Aurora

UPDATED: February 10, 2021

This is the fourth of a series of posts dealing with my third 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”.

Some issues with dorm-mates last night. Don't want to talk about it; suffice it to say that I dodged some issues by faking sleep. Will try the same tonight.

[NOW: The hostel, Global Village Backpackers, is now closed.]

I got up around 5:45 am (like I said, I was on edge) and walked to the McDonald's at Queen & Spadina for breakfast. I wandered east along Queen and north along Yonge over to Yonge-Dundas Square and from there walked south to Union GO Station. I realized there I'd left behind my itinerary and dashed home for it. On my way back to Union I took more photos of Canada’s Walk of Fame. Today was originally going to be my Toronto Islands day and unless the weather is really bad for most of the rest of the trip that will still happen. But the weather being what it is I got another GO daypass.

[NOW: I did make it to the Toronto Islands latter in the trip.]

I took a 65A GO Transit bus to Newmarket. Waiting for the next bus I watched a seagull couple. One got really upset when a bus arrived. Finally the 68 GO Transit bus and I took it to Barrie, though I got off one stop too soon by mistake. Along the way to Barrie I listened to transit driver misadventures coming over the radio. Walking downtown I passed Kerry's Bookstore (opened later), BJs (a CD shop closed on Sundays), Old Forester Books (ditto), Rivendell Books (open later) and in the same mall on Wellington as the latter, Bandito Videos (bought some videos), Backing back along Wellington to Bayfield, I headed north to Sunrise Records and Video Time. A bit behind schedule and knowing the GO bus is bi-hourly, I took a Barrie Transit bus to the Barrie Transit Terminal. Before the bus came I was going to hit a Burger King, but that's okay because there was another at the terminal. I visited Lake Simcoe and wandered around a bit, including visited the aforementioned Kerry's Bookstore.

[NOW: Old Forester Book Shop, Bandito Video, and that Burger King are closed. Video Time has moved. I later determined that the Barrie Transit bus was 2B.]

Back at Barrie Transit Terminal, I took a 68 GO Transit bus to Newmarket, noting how interesting it was to see Yonge that far north, as it's the same Yonge that terminates in Toronto. At the terminal, the bus switched to the 65A and everyone had to get off. The layover was supposed to be 5 min but was actually 15 min. I took the 65A GO bus to Aurora GO Station. I visited Box Office Video and Entertain Me. I had a polite argument with the woman there because one movie had two price stickers and I insisted on her honouring the lower one, noting that other movies had the same lower sticker with the higher one. She was noticeably cooler to me after giving me the partial refund. 

[NOW: Actually I think the Toronto Yonge terminates in Newmarket and another Yonge takes over from there. Entertain Me Movies has closed.]

I walked back to Aurora GO Station and took another 65A GO Transit bus back to Union Bus Terminal (Union GO Station), fighting sleep somewhat. I bought a weekly Toronto Transit pass at Union Station (this was the reason why few in-city activities have happened so far; I'm saving most of them for tomorrow or later, once the bus week begins). I walked to the hostel, getting more Canada’s Walk of Fame photos along the way. I dropped off stuff there and then walked to a Mac's on Dundas, where I got a peach Slushee. I walked to Yonge-Dundas Square. On the Toronto Eaton Centre side there was some sort of preacher talking on a megaphone and debating with people. I visited the nearby Future Shop, then Best Buy, then the Ryerson University grounds.

 

[NOW: Future Shop has closed.]

I walked to a Pizza Pizza on Queen St for dinner. There I made revised plans with my friend Aidan for tomorrow. In the rain, I walked to a Chapters (on Richards I think) and got an Eastern Canada map book. For some reason they couldn't access my Plum Rewards account. I then returned to the hostel. I'll probably surf the web a bit to put off returned to the dorm; that or go for a walk.

[NOW: The Chapters above is now closed. I went for a walk after this report]

And... that's a wrap for the GO Transit part of the adventure!