Eastern Canada Trip 2019 Day 14 September 20 Toronto, Mississauga, Oakville, Burlington, Hamilton

This is the 14th 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. 

Got up around 5:45 and walked to the King St McDonald's. Kiosk receipt worked I think. Order took a while; even the front staff got a bit annoyed at the back staff.  I walked to Exhibition Place and arrived at Exhibition GO Station. The Lakeshore West train (GO Transit/Metrolinx) arrived right away. I thought I had dropped my Visa card but found it in another compartment. I got off at Port Credit GO Station, Mississauga. I walked down to the waterfront at St. Laurent Park and walked briefly along the main drag of Port Credit. Returning to the GO Station, I asked if I could make the starting location Union Station instead of Exhibition Station, same price. Good thing I asked because the machine had given me a daypass to Guelph instead. I paid the difference, got the corrected pass, and took another Lakeshore West train to Oakville GO Station, Oakville.

 

[NOW: I stayed at Parkdale Hostellerie. That McDonald's has moved east a ways.]

In Oakville after passing Hog's Back Park I walked along Kerr to the waterfront. I was going to wander a little ways but there was construction. on the main drag I crossed a river and was going to wander further but there was construction there as well. I made my way to Comic Connection, where there's a pop machine with a "Let the Lord Decide" button. I can't pass up mystery buttons on pop machines so I tried it I was bestowed upon me Lemon-Lime Sprite. Not bad. I walked to The Beat Goes On. It was 15 minutes before opening. I decided I didn't feel like waiting to returned to Oakville GO Station.

I took another Lakeshore West train to Appleby GO Station in Burlington. I visited another The Beat Goes On before Lunch at Burger King. I made my way to Spencer Smithy Park at the waterfront and found a spot that goes up a small ways to give a nice view of the waterfront. I visited Book Nook and A Different Drummer Books before walking to Burlington GO Station. The Lakeshore West train was a little late but then took me to Aldershot GO Station, where I transferred to an 18 GO Transit bus (double decker; got a top front seat) and rode to Hamilton GO Centre in Hamilton.

I saw a 25 (Hamilton Railway, which has no trains currently) bus right away. Having no time to check my notes I got on. I soon realized I needed a 27 (Hamilton Railway) and was going the wrong way so got off. On Inverness I saw a 27 bus going the other way and so waited across the street and a 27 arrived soon after. I got off at Big B Comics, jogged across a bridge over the nearby highway, and took another 27 bus to another The Beat Goes On, I just missed another 27 going back so found a Shoppers Drug Mart and, feeling dehydrated, got a couple bottles of lemon lime flavoured water. I just missed a 20 express bus (also Hamilton Railway) but a 27 arrived soon after and I took it to McNab Transit terminal. I got some Blu-Rays and a DVD at Cheapies. 

 

[NOW: Cheapies has closed.]

 

I crossed through Gore Park between lanes of traffic. It's nicer than the name suggests. Statues and a nice fountain. At a stamp and coin store I asked about a couple comic collections. I passed on a $120  Batman collection I used to have, but got a $10 British Marvel Annual from 1968 that would make for an interesting conversation piece. A woman working there was from Kelowna and was really nice. At Tabby's Variety there were some cheap DVDs. Some I passed on because the front covers were photocopies so I opened them to find obviously bootleg discs. However I did get a bunch of still sealed DVDs that looked real, all but one part of Mongrel Media's foreign output.

I was getting close to time o get my bus but wanted to do a little more wandering. I walked past FirstOntarioPlace, which as Copps Colosseum was the main setting  for the Canadian series Power Play. There was no time to catch the 18 bus back at Hamilton GO Centre but I caught it at another stop. A 12 GO Transit bus to Union was there but wanted to take the train back most of the way (more comfortable) so waited for that.

The was a single decker and all the window seat was full but as the trip progressed I got more confident about shooting over people's heads. The bus arrived at Aldershot GO Station a bit late but still made the Lakeshore West train just in time. The apparent reason for the full bus and later the full train was an Argonauts game. I got off at Union GO Station and walked to Yonge-Dundas Square, where a toddler had decided to join a musician busker until her mother retried her. I visited BMV Books. I walked to check out the horror section but someone else was checking that section slowly.

I always go to Pizza Pizza at least once so today got elected. I got a large bacon pizza. Returning to Union, a woman was surprised I was taking photos of the tracks, My explaining that I was a tourist led her to being further surprised that I would leave BC for Toronto even briefly. Make it back to the hostel and did the bulk of the packing. Will likely tweak tomorrow.