This is the 11th 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.
In the middle of the night I could hear a street woman calling for
help. She eventually quieted down and I went back to sleep. Woke up
later than expected (6:48). Walked to Dufferin Station. Got day pass
and got a 2/Bloor-Danforth train (all transportation today Toronto
Transit) to St. George Station. From there I switched to a
1/Yonge-University-Spadina train to the new Vaughan Metropolitan Centre
Station in Vaughan. Along the way there was an announcement of an
emergency at Queen's Park Station that got cleared. I was going to walk
from there to Canada's Wonderland for some photos but landed a breakfast
meet so instead transferred trains and returned to St. George in
Toronto. Slight delay along the way due to second medical emergency.
Still I had just enough time to get to Over Easy for breakfast with my
friend Aidan. Aidan offered to pay. had he not I would have asked to go
somewhere else. Food was good but grossly overpriced. Pop there, which I
passed on is $3 no refills.
[NOW: I stayed at the Parkdale Hostellerie.]
I visited the
Toronto Metropolitan Police Museum, which now has tighter security: they
search bags and do the wand thing. Still, a nice but small museum. In
the prison cell section, use your camera to zoom in on the graffiti on
the wall to get the "prisoner" (mannequin)'s opinion of the food.
I
got on the 506 streetcar, one of the few remaining old style streetcars
to Roncevalles Ave. The old streetcars are bulky but have character.
Aidan said this is the last year for them sadly. I visited that street's
She Said Boom! as well as A Good Read, Another Story Bookshop, and, on
Queen St, West End Comics. I took a 501 (gentrified) streetcar to Sonic
Boom Records, then another 501 to Queen and Greenwood. There passengers
were asked to switch to a bus of the same number due to construction,
but there as a KFC across the street from the stop so I had the Tuesday special there. I walked to
Woodbine Beach and swam three times. The second time I noticed, while
already in the water, a buoy saying to keep out. The third swim was a
ways past that area. but then I stopped as I had more shopping and
travelling to do and wanted my clothes to dry/be less sandy. Still, glad
I swam because I'm told it's been rainy in Victoria, so this might have
been my last outdoor swim of 2019. But we'll see. I passed through more
beach area to Nursewood, which has some interesting architecture, kind
of like Ancient Rome. I was going to good to Queen St East's Book City
mainly for photos along the way but changed my mind, in part because I
didn't know where the detour would actually take me when it happened.
Instead I visited Planet X Comics, then after a short hike took the 64
bus to the east end of Danford Ave. I visited that street's Buy &
Sell Kings. I found Blu-rays but not DVDs. Graphic novels but a woman
was reorganizing them so I could access them very easily. I walked to
Main Street Station (a busker there was playing on his clarinet or
recorder the Do-Ra-Mi song (Doe, a deer....) and took a 2 train to
Donlands Station.
[NOW: I can't recall for sure, but I think that was my last swim of that year.]
On the west end of Danforth,
which is really an extension of the east end of Bloor, I got some DVDs
at Circus Books & Music. A woman there wanted me to go to a climate
change event, but it was for September 27. I'll be home well before then. I
also visited Game Centre, Re: Reading, Mike's Music. I walked to Castle
Frank station and took a 2 train to Bloor-Yonge Station. there I took a 1
train (right before the doors of the train closed) north to Lawrence
Station. I walked a ways north to the new location of Hairy Tarantula
(comics). I returned to Lawrence and took a 1 train south one stop (but
a fair distance away) to Eglinton Station. At Yonge's BMV Books I
bought some comic trades, including at least one I saw prior to heading
to Montreal. I love not having to worry quite as much about baggage now.
I took another 1 train to Dundas Station. I grabbed dinner at Burger
King. I relaxed a little at Yonge-Dundas Square I'm pretty sure I
recognized the busker there from his music, which is quite good.
I
took a final 501 gentrified streetcar back to the hostel.
[NOW: Estate matters omitted from final paragraph.]
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