Toronto General Thoughts

Here are some general thoughts of Toronto that I sent to friends, with minor tweaking:

If you plan to visit Toronto someday, this is the most practical of my Toronto e-mails.  I was originally going to include a few journal points I forgot to mention but have decided instead to focus solely on the general stuff

Very multicultural, with man y areas of Toronto being cultural towns (Korea Town, Greek City, etc.).  The drawback of course is you’re more likely to encounter people who speak neither English nor likely even French.  There are, however, few First Nations people in the area and they don’t get their own “town”.

Turnstiles at subways stations assume you’re carrying a daypack at the most and not a suitcase.  Subways only stay within what is considered to be Toronto proper now, though some stations are in what used to be separate towns (North York, Scarborough, etc). What there are some above ground areas of the subway; these are more infrequent than the Skytrain in Greater Vancouver.  As previously noticed, the “Ossington, Ossington Station; Christie, Christie Station” repetition of the announcements can get tiresome.  Some subway directions are misleading and you might think you’re headed from one subway route to another when you’re actually headed to an exit.

Aggressive drivers can be a problem, often trying to turn while people are crossing on a walk signal.  Pedestrians can be aggressive too.  Taxi drivers’ favourite pastime is honking their horns.  Like Victoria, jaywalking including against lights is not unknown.

While there are sometimes streetcar stations in the middle of the roads, more often you wait for a streetcar to stop and open its doors and then cross the street to the streetcar to get on.

The distinction between what is and is not downtown is even more blurry than Vancouver; you’re rarely far from any shopping.

It’s actually possible to spend a full day walking around Toronto’s shopping areas and not get panhandled.

In the core of downtown, franchise stores and restaurants often do a good job of blending in to their surroundings.

Toronto doesn’t have much of a sense of humour about itself.  Beyond that naked guy with pigeons statue I noticed little by way of any really strange structures.  Major exception: Honest Ed’s has a fun sense of humour about itself (kind of like Marvel Comics: it praises itself to the point of poking fun at itself).

In some ways Toronto seems like a humourless version of Seattle, albeit with a better light rail system: main tourism attraction is a tall thin structure with a dome with restaurant on top, amphibious vehicle tours based on some animal, card being put into place that covers different transit systems, one major transit system for in town and another major transit system for outlying communities.

The water doesn’t taste very good.  Hopefully this isn’t due to its proximity to nuclear power plants.

BMV is a very good franchise store for books; lots of remained book that are still in excellent shape.

I’ve previously mentioned that the street numbers are a bit strange (numbers inconsistent with other streets and even between their own even and odd streets; also blocks are not split by 100s.  To expand on this slightly, for east-west streets this problem is a bit less the closer you get to Yonge, as that’s the dividing point between Streets West and Streets East.

Go trains, while not cheap are better than VIA Rail trains: they’re double-decker, cheaper, and actually benefit from purchasing the day you ride so you can get a daypass (VIA makes you book in advance to get a good rate).  If you get a daypass, you can ride either GO busses or trains as long as they’re within the zones covered by the pass.  GO doesn’t make their zone divisions widely available; there are apparently over 80 zones however.

While Toronto can get cold, it’s a dry cold.  I didn’t need to dress as warmly as I thought I would have to.

People in Toronto tend to be a bit reserved, though I did encounter a few helpful people.  Most won’t go out of their way to help people, but most won’t try to hassle you either unless you try to cross on a walk signal when they wish to turn.

North-south is a mild hill.  Keep going north and you’ll get a better view of the south end of the city, but the uphill walk probably won’t tire you out much due to how gradual the “hill” is.

Like Seattle and Portland but unlike Victoria or Vancouver you can find Vanilla Coke for sale there

Major chains you won’t find here but which were all over the place there (the whole Golden Horseshoe area, not just Toronto): Pizza Pizza (self-explanatory), Metro (supermarket), Beer Store (self-explanatory, Second Cup (coffee/tea).  I was hoping to see the primarily east coast franchise White Castle but never encountered any; might just be American.

In terms of what's worth visiting outside of Toronto:
  Mississauga: didn't have much time to explore.  If you're arriving by plane you'll likely visit Mississauga whether you want to or not; jury's out on the rest of the city though.
  Oakville: Nice quiet downtown; not essential but a decent Sunday excursion
  Hamilton: better than its reputation; worth a visit especially if you wish to shop
  St Catharines: to quote Thor, "I say thee nay!" If you have a choice between visiting St Catharines and experiencing an enema, opt for the enema, which can at least do your body some good
  Niagara Falls ON: A must see, both for the beautiful falls and the amazingly tacky Clifton Hills.
  Niagara Falls NY: unless money's an issue and you can't afford a passport or enhanced ID, absolutely cross the Rainbow Bridge (which is grey BTW) and at the very least visit the free observation area that hangs over the falls.  It may not be as amazing as the ON version, but it's still a must-see if you have the right documents
  Pickering: Not worth the effort
  Ajax: Same
  Whitby: See Oakville and below
  Oshawa: See Oakville; also if you like comics there's three shops close to each other downtown.  I found people in Whitby and Oshawa, except the Go bus drivers, to be among the friendlier people in the Golden Horseshoe area

Toronto Trip March 2011 Day 7 March 8

LAST UPDATED: October 26, 2025

This is the 7th and last in a series of posts dealing with my 2011 trip to Toronto and vicinity. 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”. 
 

More nighttime kitty activity again (Artemis).  I wanted to do a final exploration.  I left my bag at Aidan's place because it was already packed thus heavy, but my camera still had over 1000 photos in the memory card.  I walked to the McDonald’s across from the ROM on Bloor, then went south along Yonge, visiting a couple Shoppers Drug Mart because on the way over a lost a few things such as my electric razor due to my bag opening up.  So I was searching for plastic ties.  Neither had any.  I visited Dundas Square, when roughly around the time I was going to head back anyway I ran out of photos.  Taking a subway from Dundas to Bloor stations (north) and Yonge to Ossington stations (west) I managed to get space for a few more photos by temporarily changing my camera settings to the lowest quality.  I decided this time to exit Ossington from the further side to Aidan's place this time, as I wanted to do something different.  This worked well because I found a dollar store en route.  The guy there didn't speak very good English but I found the ties I wanted to stop zippers from opening up.

[UPDATE September 19: I won't put a damper on most of my trip reports by mentioning this in the earlier days' reports, but Artemis has since passed away. The McDonald's across the ROM closed but another later opened, albeit with not as nice of a view. The subway trains were the 1 Line thenn the 2 Line]
 
I hung out with Aidan for a bit, and then took a subway train west to Kipling.  There I meant to get on the 192 Rocket transit bus to the airport but got confused and got on the 191 Rocket to Humbert College which stops on the same stop.  I realized my mistake too late and had to double back a ways (I later learned that my friend Dave  was on the bus probably further back but I hadn't noticed him and he hadn't noticed me until I was leaving the bus.

I took the 191 bus going the other direction to East Mall.  I crossed the street and saw a 192 bus just leaving.  I waved dramatically and shouted and thus managed to get that bus.

[NOW: The 192 bus has been renumbered 900.]

I checked in at Lester B. Pearson Airport in Mississauga.  One of my bags was overweight.  She let it slide but told me to put it through oversized.  I did that and then rode a tram that takes you to two other sections of the airport; this was just to take photos from above so I got off back where I started.  I decided to go through security a half hour ahead of time.  This proved to be wise because after wandering around a little and grabbing lunch from a bit of a line-up at Tim Horton's, it was already time to get on the plane.

The seat I thought was mine turned out not to be,. but that worked out because the guy who actually had the seat offered to trade.  There was some wing but not enough to kill the view and probably helped it at points.  The first part of the flight was through the States, returning to Canada at west Saskatchewan.  Some clouds, some not. I'm pretty sure I saw Lethbridge.

In Vancouver (actually Richmond), there was a separate section for oversized baggage at Arrivals but as it turned out my baggage was now back in the regular section.  For the first time, I rode the Canada Line's airport section, getting off at Bridgeport, where there was a wait of about half an hour.  I took the 620 bus to Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal.

[NOW: The Canada Line SkyTrain and the 620 bus are TransLink.]

There was an hour before the next sailing so I asked if the snack bar where the terminal was was open. The ticket lady instead directed me instead to the building ion the vehicle area, where I grabbed some Chinese food at Wok n Roll.  There wasn't much to choose from and I passed on one selection I wanted because she wanted an extra dollar for it but it was edible.  I made my way to terminal 5 to Victoria (actually Swartz Bay) where I found that the snack bar I had asked about was indeed open.  The lady there looked bored, maybe because the ticket people keep sending passengers wanting to eat elsewhere.

I got on the ferry which seemed to have a different layout than any I'd been on before, even the newest ones.  I decided to get a highway bus to finally finish the trip home and so bought a ticket.  I grabbed a couple of tall glasses of water from the express restaurant and partly watched a hockey game mainly because it was fascinating to see how much later the subtitles came on after the spoken words.

[NOW: The ferry was a BC Ferries one. I took a coach bus downtown that may have been Pacific Coach Lines at the time.]

Arriving at the bus depot in Victoria (I couldn't get off at Douglas & View because my heavy bag was underneath) I got home and thankfully had no messages and no notices from View Towers.  I dropped off my stuff and went to London Drugs for a new electric razor; the cashier asked me how my day was going.

[NOW: I have moved twice since living in View towers.]

Toronto Trip March 2011 Day 6 March 7

LAST UPDATED: October 26, 2025

This is the 6th in a series of posts dealing with my 2011 trip to Toronto and vicinity. 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”. 

Before I get into the new stuff I just wanted to mention stuff about the GO train I keep meaning to mention: they're double-decker, so you get a nicer view from the top.  They also operate under the same fare principle as Vancouver’s Skytrain, in that it's possible to try to ride them without paying but if you get caught you get fined.  I only got checked once, at Scarborough station while heading to Pickering on Sat (my ticket wasn't yet soaked at that point).

New stuff.
Again, Artemis wanted to play in the middle of the night.  Maybe Grayson too but I think just Artemis.  She left me along for the most part after 3 this time though.

[NOW: Artemis has passed away. Don't know about Grayson but it's been over 14 years so it's likely.]

I walked along Bloor, ate breakfast at the McDonald's across the street from the Royal Ontario Museum (this McDonald's had an upper floor so a nice way to get exterior shots of the ROM), then walked along Queen's Park and College to the Police Museum.  I like the one in Seattle a bit better but this one's also worth a visit.  A wrecked car was probably the highlight, though stuff used by real criminals was also interesting.

[NOW: That McDonald's closed. Another reopened later but with not as nice a view. The Seattle Police Museum is now closed.]

Walking back along College and then south down University, I bought three 32 GB camera memory cards for around $50 each.  Heading back north and cutting through the University of Toronto, I made it back to Bloor.  There I was going to have hot drinks with my friend Rachel at Cafe L'Espresso, but they ignored me at first and then told me their green tea was about $4, so when my friend showed up we went to a nearby Second Cup instead.  I had fun catching up with Rachel and then walked to Casa Loma, a castle, which is supposed to have a decent view even without paying to go in, but the place with the best view, the parking lot, still had a lot of trees obscuring the view.

I made my way to the Book City on Yonge near St Clair, and then took the subway south to Union.  I grabbed a few more GO schedules for friends in Victoria (who can choose from regular or the water damaged ones from Sat) then had lunch at the Manchu Wok at the RBC building.  Very loud in there and I think I zoned out a bit there.  Rachel had recommended the Hippos ride (apparently like the Ducks in Seattle, i.e. amphibious) and I looked into off season rates, but they were closed until May.  I went to the CN Tower and went up, opting to pass on the Skywalk.  I got some decent shots from the Observation deck (including a plane landing at the airport at the Toronto Islands; I wanted to visit them but ran out of time) and then went down a floor to the Glass Floor level (I didn't stand on the glass floor but they had an open air area on the floor that was not glass so I took shots from there.  It took 15 minutes in line but finally made it back down; I lucked out in that I was the last one on the elevator for my particular trip.  On the subject of CN Tower: despite the height (world's largest free standing building) while you can see it at a lot of places, it's not as omnipresent as Seattle's Space Needle, probably because there's more skyscrapers in the immediate vicinity of CN.

[NOW: The train was the Yonge-University-Spaina Line, now 1 Line. All transportation this day TTC/Toronto Transit Commission. The Hippos ride and Ride the Ducks are now closed. The former moved to Victoria for a couple years before closing completely]

I walked to Lake Ontario and then doubled back and walked to the CBC Building. I don't want to be too critical about a free museum but it was very small, didn't really look at their present, and a few shows like the Friendly Giant were covered quite a bit while numerous shows were not covered at all (I do like the Giant, but wish that other shows had also gotten the coverage).  There was a book etc. sale there so I bought a couple of DVDs which they put in a cloth bag at no extra coast.

[NOW: The CBC Museum is now closed.]

I then started winding back and forth between the east west streets, working my way north.  I considered the Hockey Hall of Fame but realized that like the ROM I just wasn't going to fit it in this trip.  I did get a pic of the entrance and a sign warning people to beware of falling ice (from weather conditions). I visited Nicholas Hoare Books and wanted to visit Giant Book Sale but the latter’s building was being demolished apparently. Among the places I revisited were the Walk of Fame, BMV Express (got more books), Dundas Square, the BMV on Edwards beside World's Biggest Bookstore (bought more books at BMV but didn't visit WLB a third time), ABC Books on Yonge.  By that point I was now walking north along Yonge to Bloor.  I visited the gay book store Glad Day Books in the hopes that they might have some obscure DVDs and the like (if a store has what I'm looking for I don't care if I'm not their target customer base).  They did but they wanted about $40 each and the owner wanted to inspect my bag for beeping even though it also beeped on the way in.

[NOW: Nicholas Hoare Books, BMV Express, and World's Biggest Bookstore have closed. Glad Day moved to Church St before also closing. In the above visit a co-worker pointed out to him that I couldn't have put anything in my bag given where I left it but he insisted anyway.]

Heading back west on Bloor (with a brief sidetrip south on St Thomas to visit Theatrebooks), I revisited Bloor's BMV and Book City (BMV was probably my favourite book chain here; lots of remaindered books).  I also visited another book store but I'm blanking on the name; maybe Paul something.  And I visited Honest Ed's; a general discount store.  Inside isn't that interesting but there's a real PT Barnum feel to the outside as well as the signs inside.  Lots of corny joke, plus well lit on the outside at night.  I kept meaning to visit a music/movie store a few doors down from where I'm staying, but I missing the closing time by about 4 minutes today and they open too late tomorrow).  I dropped off my stuff at Aidan's place and they went to ; as with a couple days ago I ordered a medium pepperoni pizza there and bought some Vanilla Coke at Bloor St Mini-Mart while waiting.  I decided to relax the rest of the day as I'll have a long day tomorrow (three extra hours to be exact).
  
[NOW: Theatrebooks, that branch of Book City, and Honest Ed's are now closed. The third bookstore was probably Doug Miller Books, which moved across the street.]

Toronto Trip March 2011 Day 5 March 6

LAST UPDATED: October 26, 2025
 

This is the 5th in a series of posts dealing with my 2011 trip to Toronto and vicinity. 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”. 

This morning I walked west along Bloor in the fresh snow and I hung out with two long-time friends I met while working at a book store.  They treated me to breakfast and then we wandered through High Park, which is like a larger version of Beacon Hill Park.  The petting zoo was open so I got some photos of llamas, sheep, etc.  Outside the zoo area there was also a black dog in the park; unfortunately it was sleeping so I couldn't see its face.

[NOW: The friends were named Dave and Jan.]

We got on the subway at Keele Station; they parted company on their stop while I switched at St George to a southbound train to Union Station.

[NOW: The first train was a Bloor-Danforth line, now 2 Line, the second was Young-University-Spadina, now 2 Line. Both TTC/Toronto Transit Commission.]

At Union Go Station some confusion arose when I wanted a daypass that would cover both Oakville and Mississauga's Square One Mall.  The cashier said that there was no Oakville-Square One transportation on Sunday.  I wasn't sure at the time if I had plugged in the wrong date or if the bus I wanted was another system (the bus number was actually the same) or if a daypass was possible with two different GO sections so I just bought a daypass to Oakville.  I grabbed some lunch at Union's Dairy Queen and then walked outside where there was a statue of a naked guy and pigeons.  Heading back in a security saw me taking photos and asked me to delete the ones I just took.  Unfortunately there was something wrong with the delete button of my new camera but luckily because I had a train to catch so he let me go after promising to delete them later.  I took a train to Oakville, whose downtown looked really nice after the snow.

[NOW: The DQ closed during Union Station's renovations. The statue is Monument to Multiculturalism.]

All the stores I planned to visit were gone but there was a store called Comic Connection where I bought a couple of cheap comic paperbacks.  Returning to the train station I confirmed that Port Credit was part of Mississauga and decided to visit there instead (I would have had to stop there anyway to get to Square One).  I took the train there, therefore, where I did see the bus to Square One.  But since it would have been a long trip to take a bus there and back and then go to Toronto (If I took a bus back to Toronto from Square One it would have been an added cost since it was outside the daypass zone) I decided to just explore that area.  I wandered around (both there and Oakville earlier I visited the lake briefly) and visited a book store that wanted $3 each for some really beat up comics.  I also checked out a few other stores, including a discount store that was a bit on the pricey side, very comparable to a nearby convenience store.  I bought some chips at a sore by the train station.

[NOW: Oakville's Comic Connection has moved twice and is now called Enter the Battlefield.]

The train was late; while waiting for it a well fed black squirrel appeared and later climbed up the GO Building.  A couple batteries weren't working so I used up the rest I had on hand and had to switch back to the backup camera for a bit as the train arrived back at Union.  I took the usual two trains back to my friend's place and we soon grabbed dinner at a Falafel place.

[NOW again the now 1 then 2 lines, TTC.]

I took a subway to Bloor Station and then another to Dundas where I took night shots of Dundas Square before visiting the co-called World's Biggest Bookstore again.  I walked to City Hall, where people were playing hockey on a small outside rink.  I went past an Art Design College that looks like it's on stilts.  I noticed that the CN Tower was visible in the background sometimes, but due to the other skyscrapers in the area, not consistently.  I did get a photo with two fast food joints including McDonald’s, CN Tower, and the Art Design College all in the same shot.  I took a subway to Spadina instead of St George to mix things up a bit despite a longer walk and then took another subway train to my friend's place again.

[NOW: The first two trains were again the now-2 and 1 trains/TTC, then the reverse on the way back.] World's Biggest Bookstore is now closed. The rink, normally a large fountain is at Nathan Philips Square. The college is Ontario College of Art and Design.]

BTW in Toronto aren't divided by 100s, so 199 is often right beside 201 while 167 might be across from 169.  Also the blocks aren’t entirely parallel in their numbers compared to other streets and for that matter, odd numbered locations aren't even beholden to the even numbered even on the same street, so the 400s of Bloor might be in the 500s across the street.  Important to know if you visit.

Toronto Trip March 2011 Day 4 March 5

LAST UPDATED: October 26, 2025
 

This is the 4th in a series of posts dealing with my 2011 trip to Toronto and vicinity. 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”. 

Well, it seems like most trips I go on one day is a total disaster and this trip is no exception.

It started out amusing enough actually: in the middle of the night one of the cats (Artemis I think) wanted to hang out and be petted.  This happened a number of times during the night though the last time or two it was definitely Grayson, who has different markings.

 

[NOW: Artemis has passed away. I don't know about Grayson but since this report was over a decade ago he's likely gone as well.]

I took one subway train to St George and another to Union.  Crossing over to the Union train station, I bought another daypass before grabbing breakfast at McDonald's.  I took a GO train to Pickering (left very little impression on me beyond one half being north of the highway, the other half south), where asking directions to one store proved to take a lot longer than expected.  I crossed the highway with the original intent of visiting Blockbuster and Chapters but the rain was coming down good so I doubled back without getting to them.  I walked east along Bayly, ironically deciding not to go to Video 99, the store that had cost me a bit of time getting directions, as it was too far out of the way in the rain.  Another store wasn't open yet as I headed eat.  A bus honked to let me on at one point but I didn't know how close I was to my destination I was so I declined, which may have been a mistake, though by not getting on I crossed to street to Ajax (a pretty industrial town) on foot right after and later crossed a small but nice wooden bridge.  I visited Corner Books and Deju Vu discs before heading north to Gnu Books.  Heading west to go to the Ajax GO Station I noticed that the LCD screen had stopped working due to the rain and I checked things with my backup camera to see if it was at least taking pictures okay.  Unfortunately I chose some sort of security area to check this out and due to an annoyed security guard who didn't connect the dots between the rain and someone fiddling with their camera, had to walk a ways to determine that at this point the camera was in fact working except for the LCD screen at that time.

[NOW: Both subway trains were TTC/Toronto Transit Commsion: Bloor Danforth, now Line 2 , and Yonge-University-Spadina, now line 1. That McDonald's closed during renovations. That Chapters either closed or became a Coles. Video 99, and Ajax's Gnu Books are now closed. What I called Corner Nooks might have been Reader's Discount, now closed. Blockbuster is now defunct.]

I made it to the Ajax GO Station and had lots of time, so because there was no food place in the area that was open, headed south to a pace called On the Run (tried to avoid the muddier areas of the path) before heading back to the GO Station, where I bought some Vanilla Coke at a convenience store.  I took a train to Whitby though I had to switch cars because due to construction they weren't letting people out in some cars in Whitby including mine.  In Whitby I bought some trade paperbacks (happy all sealed) at Comic Book Addiction before heading east, passing through a small but nice downtown area.  I saw a GO bus heading the right direction and got on.  The driver was a bit annoyed by how wet the daypass was.  I got off at Oshawa Centre in, yes Oshawa, where I went inside to work out the final plans for this part of the trip.  Heading east some more I got some DVDs at another branch of Deja Vu and then visited Blockbuster before making my way downtown.  There were actually three comic shops in Oshawa's downtown.  I bought some comics at Silver Star (some subsequently water damaged), none at Skyfox (few comics, more gaming stuff if memory serves), some at Worlds Collide (also subsequently water damaged).  I went to the GO bus station but didn't see any stops for buses heading to the GO train Station in Oshawa so went to a stop I recalled.  A bus happily came soon after; when I asked he driver if she stops at the train station she replied "If I have to." Good enough for me in the rain.

[NOW: On the run has closed. Comic Book Addiction moved north a ways. Again, Blockbuster in now defunct. What I called Silver Star was probably actually Comics Alley, which moved a little ways. ] 

 
I took the GO train back went and my camera quit on me so I had to use my backup camera.  I want to say I had been to Scarborough but wasn't up to exploring so in Scarborough Station I got off the train and then right back on.  After the train arrived at Union, I took the subway to Sheppard in North York, where I ate dinner at the McDonald's at the subway station.  There I found that my main camera did work but soon noticed that even through the viewfinder the images were a bit fuzzy.

 

[NOW: It was the now 1 Line/TTC that I took.]

I took the subway north some more to Finch where I accidentally took a bus to Yonge and Centre Ave rather than Yonge and Centre St, which is further north.  I checked my memory card and determined that my main camera wasn't taking good enough photos to continue using.  Not sure how salvageable it is.  I took a bus from Centre Ave to Centre St.  Getting off to bus put me in Thornhill, greater Markham.  Crossing the street to Vaughan, I walked a little ways to a small but pleasant looking park called Orchard Pond Park.  Returning to the bus stop I took a bus north to Richmond Hill Centre in Richmond Hill (around this time noticing that a zipper at the bottom of by sack was becoming unzipped.  I didn't feel like walking to Indigo as originally planned so mainly stayed at the bus station except to briefly visit a covered overpass that would have led me to Home Depot had I fully crossed it.

 

[The train was again the now 1/TTC. The bus likely York Region Transit.]

I took a bus back to Finch station and then took the subway south, having to move at one point because a conductor needed my seat.  I found during this trip the style of the next station messages was grating on me (e.g. "The next station is Bloor, Bloor Station.  You are now arriving at Bloor, Bloor station).  Not sure why the redundancy is needed.  One of the rechargeable batteries I'd used up earlier also went missing.  Anyway, I got off at Dundas because I recalled there was the Future Shop there and I had purchased my good camera at the Saanich branch.  I got lucky in a way and spent *a lot* of money to get a replacement camera of the exact type.  My backup camera is pretty decent as a backup, but the screen's not as big, there's something just a bit off with the images, and it takes a couple tries to turn on.  However, rather than risk the rain destroying another of the same type of camera I continued to use the backup for the rest of the day.  I took one subway train to Bloor, Bloor station and another to Ossington, Ossington Station.

 

[NOW: The bus was again likely York Region Transit. The south and north trains were the now 1/TTC while the train to Ossington was the now 2/TTC. Future Shop is now closed; the Saanich one is now a Best Buy.]

Back at Aidan's place I dropped some stuff off and decided to have a second dinner to de-stress, grabbing pizza at a nearby chain and couple of cans of Vanilla Coke from a nearby convenience store.

[NOW: The store was likely a Bloor Mini Mart.]

Toronto Trip March 2011 Day 3 March 4

LAST UPDATED: October 26, 2025
 

This is the 3rd in a series of posts dealing with my 2011 trip to Toronto and vicinity. 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 took one subway train from Ossington to St George station and another from St George to Union.  At Union I switched to a GO train to Burlington and from there took a GO bus to Niagara Falls.

[NOW: The train was the Bloor-Danforth line (now 2 line), the second was Younge-University-Spadina, now 1 line); both TTC/Toronto Transit Commission.]

It was a bit of a boring hike to the falls themselves and upon arriving I had breakfast at the Tim Horton's on Clifton Hill (more on that later).

I paid a 50 cent return toll to visit Niagara Falls, NY.  Guide books mention that the Customs officials there are gruff but I found the guy quite friendly.  When I sat on a bench to get my bearings a squirrel tried begging for food.  I walked along Main St to Corner Books (not that interesting an area; I did pass an Urology building along the way) and then worked my way southeast to Pine St.  I visited Ruben's Buy & Sell in the place of another place I had intended to visit, then got some pop at a Rite Aid, including Pepsi Throwback, apparently an older formula with more sugar.  I walked along Pine to World of Fantasy (a comic shop, not an x-rated shop) and then walked to a sign indicating that one side (not sure which) was Little Italy, marked by the presence of a Rite Aid and a Walgreen's, which I hadn't realized came from Italy.  I made my trek to the falls including an observation platform.

[NOW: The toll is now 75c. Ruben's and World of Fantasy are now closed. Rite Aid is now defunct.]

I returned to Niagara Falls, Ontario and got some even better photos (having said that, it's one of the Wonders of the World so both sides are worth visiting).  While the boat doesn't run in the winter, the falls are still very much worth seeing because you see the ice all around the falls, which actually enhances the view.

I went back to Clifton Hill, which is incredibly fascinating in its tackiness; souvenir shops, lots of horror related attractions like Dracula's Castle.  I went on the SkyWheel but wasn't as impressed by the view as I thought I would be, though at least I got four rotations instead of the promised three.

I walked west to Neutral Zone (comic shop), passing a major construction area.  Neutral Zone isn't that nig and is so backed it's hard not to accidentally step on the comics. Very claustrophobic.  Double back I ate lunch at Dairy Queen.  Their four items for $7 deal was four for $14 there but the regular combos were still priced okay.  I made my way downtown and fund a couple shops not on my list (Ragged Glory and Pulp Comics, where I bought the only Super Friends DVD set I didn't already have).

[NOW: Neutral Zone, Ragged Glory and Pulp Comics are now closed.]

It was 3 pm now and had to choose whether to sill visit St Catharines or not.  I heard good things about St Catherines and bad things about Hamilton so took a chance despite the 1 1/2 hour layover. Big mistake.  It might have been a nice place to visit at some point but is now a @#$%hole.  A couple of people were rude to me on my way downtown.  I had some hope it might be okay when I saw a gorilla statue wearing an apron, but the buildings downtown looked like if you breathed on them they would collapse.  I got directions to a book store to the buses and took a bus back to the Go stop.  I visited the Fairview Mall there (Future Shop, Chapters, Zeller's, where I got some chocolate peanuts,) then took the GO bus to Stoney Creek (greater Hamilton), then took a bus to Hamilton proper.  Some residential buildings there were run down but even in the dark the downtown area looked quite nice and I'll have to visit it again in the light some day when I have more time.

[NOW: I think that Future Shop is now a Best Buy. Zeller's is now defunct].

I visited Tabby's Variety, Letterbox (turned out to just be video games), Cheapies Records and Tapes, and the exterior of Copps Coloseum.  Those few of you who recall the under-appreciated show Power Play might recall Copps as the home of the fictional hockey team the Hamilton Steelheads.

[Letterbox and Cheapies are now closed. Copps is now FirstOntario Centre.]

I took a bus back to Toronto (I think I nodded off a bit because it didn't seem like an hour), took the same two subway trains as before (the one to Ossington was late so I kept hearing the other train above me), and then return to Aidan and Josh's place.  While here I had dinner and their two cats (Artemis, who tried playing with me at the middle of the night last night, and Grayson) had a little war.

[NOW: Artemis has passed away. I don't know about Grayson but since the visit was over a decade ago he's likely gone as well.]

Toronto Trip March 2011 Day 2 March 3

LAST UPDATED: October 26, 2025
 

This is the 2nd in a series of posts dealing with my 2011 trip to Toronto and vicinity. 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”. 


Okay, lots to cover.  In the interest of time I won't mention places that weren't open when I passed them or which weren't there any longer (unless there's a story to tell).  Also, assume that if a place is mentioned twice or more that it's a different branch.  Also assume I only bought stuff where noted

This morning I was supposed to go to a convenience store for the people I was staying with (Aidan and Josh) but they hadn't opened for the day.  Aidan and I walked to a Subway in Korea Town on Bloor where I bought a breakfast sandwich.  Continuing east on my own I visited Doug Miller Books (which seemed to be in a high security area), Indigo (same company as Chapters), Maison/Presse Internationale (that was on a side trip to Yorkville before turning to Bloor), then Rogers.  Passing Castle Frank Cres. (luckily not Frank Castle Cres. because I don't think the world is ready to have a street named after the Punisher), I crossed a bridge where Bloor becomes Danforth and visited Book City, Presse Internationalle, Greek City (Greek videos etc; owner wouldn't let me concentrate), Re-Reading (strong smell of incense; isn't there supposed to be an incense taboo?), Rogers, Blockbuster, Circus Books & Music (bought some horror DVDs), Comics & More (the cheap boxes where on shelves making them hard to look through), then walked south down Greenwood and west on Gerrard (bought DVDs at Jumbo Video),  then north on Pape where I visited Atomic Age Comics and tried to visit Pape & Dingwall (accidentally walked in not realizing it was closed; my impression of the guy was that he probably found customers an annoyance even when open), briefly west then south down Carlaw (visited Don's Convenience to look at the DVDs), south to Queen St E, where I went west and checked out Queen & Jones Pawn (very claustrophobic), then west east and visited In the Groove.

[NOW: Doug Miller Books moved across the street. Blockbuster is now defunct. Rogers has left the video rental business. The Presse Internationale locations above, Greek City, Comics and More, Jumbo Video, and Pape and Dingwall Books are now closed. In never smelled incense in subsequent visits to Re: Reading]

I took a streetcar west and visited Kops, BMV Express (bought a graphic novel and a couple books on comics), HMV (bought Dark Skies complete series DVD), Silver Snail Comics, then lunch at Bon's Submarine.  Continuing on west visited Criminal Records, Outer Layer, Cosmos Records, Frantic City Records, Eyesore Cinema (bought a DVD), Rotate This, 2Q Video, Type Books, Black Dog Video, I headed north along Ossington (visited Frantic City Books), west on Dundas (Monkey's Paw Books), back to Ossington to College St, went west and visited Marquee Video, then a trolley east to Queen Video. Walked to Ammo Video (bought DVDs; they were having a clearing out sale), Dragon Lady Comics (bought lots of comics), MVP Master Video Production (all Italian), then walked south to Bellevue (Dension) Square; unfortunately the Al Waxman statue (late actor best known for King of Kensington and Cagney & Lacey) had graffiti on it.  Went back north to College where I visited She Said Boom! then took a streetcar once more east.  I visited the Legislature grounds, apparently on the University of Toronto property (I don't know enough of ON politics to speculate if the people there have spent much time in the educational areas).  I continued east to Yonge and headed south. I visited Play De Record, Hairy Tarantula Comics, HMV (largest one in Toronto), BMV Books (bought DVDs), the inaccurately named but still large World's Biggest Bookstore (now owned by Chapters) (latter two on a brief walk east on Edwards), back to Yonge: Future Shop, then Dundas Square, Toronto's equivalent of Times Square (large neon signs, ticker tape messages, and the like); it was sundown then so I good time to see that.


[NOW: All transportation this day Toronto Transit Commission. The streetcar was almost for sure the 501. Bon's Submarine, BMV Express, Criminal Records, Frantic City Records, Black Dog Video, Frantic City Books, Marquee Video, Ammo Video, Dragon Lady Comics, MVP, Play De Record, that branch of Hairy Tarantula, World's Biggest Bookstore, and Future Shop are now closed. HMV, 2Q Video, and Queen Video chains are now defunct. Silver Snail Comics moved to Yonge St then another location on Queen St. Eyesore Cinema and Monkey's Paw Books moved to Bloor St. The graffiti has been cleaned from the Al Waxman Statue. That She Said Boom! moved a couple doors down]

I walked south some more to King and then headed west.  I briefly checked out the PATH underground city (a bit of a maze and not a terribly interesting one) and Canada's Walk of Fame (roughly 30 stars give or take).  I took the subway back to College Yonge and this time headed north on Yonge, having dinner at McDonald's. Then NDJ Books, One Million Comix (nearly bought an extremely thick $70 hardcover until I realized that if you skip the ones I already have in some form, I'd be paying about $2 and issue for the rest and didn't think I could justify that so I charged my mind mid-Interac). Then Eliot's Bookshop, ABC Book Store (bought some comics), Monster Records (got there just as they were closing for the day; closing forever Mar 11), Sunrise Records (the sun was long gone by the time I reached this).

[NOW: I overlooked part of the Walk of Fame and it's expanded since. NDJ Books, One Million Comix, Eliot's Bookshop, and that Sunrise Records, like Monster Records, are now closed.]

Heading west along Bloor, visited BMV Books, Queen Video I think, Book City (bought a couple used books; I told the guy which page I found the price bought he had trouble finding the price anyway, Seekers Books.

[NOW: That Book City is closed.As noted above so is the Queen Video chain). 

I then decided to return to Aidan and Josh's place but on my way to the subway visited Sonic Boom Records (much bigger than their unrelated Seattle namesake; bought a few cult movies including Troma movies, then took the subway "home").
 
[NOW: This branch of Sonic Boom moved twice and is now on Spadina, merged with the other branch.]

Toronto Trip March 2011 Day 1 March 2

LAST UPDATED: October 26, 2025

This is the 1st in a series of posts dealing with my 2011 trip to Toronto and vicinity. 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’ve misfiled one of my 2008 trip reports and want to do a bit more research before continuing the Scourge files. In the meantime here’s part 1 of my Toronto adventures. It was just this year so nothing much to add from what I sent friends and family (except that one of the cats has sadly passed on), aside from minor tweaking (for those who don’t know me I live in Victoria):

First off I did in fact make it to Toronto but things didn't go quite as planned.

I had only gotten a few hours seep when I woke up and couldn't get back to sleep due to a wind storm.  A little before it was time to leave I decided to check the ferry schedule, the plan being to take a ferry to Vancouver and then fly to Toronto from there.  The cancellations weren't yet confirmed so I pretty much had to chance it.  I grabbed a quick breakfast at McDonald's (I know, I know) and then took the 72 bus to Swartz Bay Ferry Terminal... at which point a guy said that all ferries had been cancelled until 3 pm.  I called the friend I was staying at to let him know I was scrambling to make backup plans and then took the same bus to McTavish Park & Ride and then hiked to the Victoria Airport.  As it turns out there was a bus going to the airport around then but I got there soon after anyway.

 

[NOW: The friend's name is Aidan.]

I went to the Westjet terminal and explained my situation.  As it turns out I was able to get a 9:15 flight from there to Edmonton and Edmonton to Toronto by paying a fee ($56 I think, maybe $58; regardless, much cheaper than rescheduling another time).  She mentioned that this would skip Vancouver and I replied I wasn't worried about that.  I still got a window seat, only instead of the last row on the left it was the first row on the left, which is actually better because you still avoid the wing and you have more leg room.  While waiting for the flight after calling my friend, I heard and later saw a confused sparrow that had gotten inside the airport

At the Edmonton airport I got off brief and bought lunch at a Chinese food place.  Westjet was good at offering some complimentary refreshments.  The first part of the flight was pretty cloudy but the clouds most parted mid-way into Saskatchewan and when there were clouds they were the type that make for decent photos. At times especially when taking off or landing I'd set my camera to Sport mode so I could hold the button down and have it take photo after photo.

The sun was coming down as I arrived into Pearson airport and I got some nice sundown photos including peach fluffy clouds.  Terminal 3 at the airport was perhaps not as welcoming as it could be.  The baggage area resembled a dungeon and the bathrooms were of the one at a time variety.  I took the 192 Rocket bus to Kipling Station and then took a subway train to my friends' place.

 

[NOW: Pearson International Airport is in Mississauga. Kipling Station is in Toronto. All transportation starting from Pearson was Toronto Transit Commission. The 192 Rocket bus is now 900 Airport Express but otherwise it's the same bus. The subway line was the 2 Line]

I wanted to treat my friends for letting me stay with then so we went to a pub with a great rooftop view overlooking the University of Toronto and, yes, drank outside in sub-zero weather.  But I got some great photos.  I brought my debit card only to the pub; they didn't take cash but luckily a bank machine was the right bank.  On the way back to the subway back to their place we encountered a bunch of amazing ice sculptures so I took photos of them for posterity as they're not going to be around much longer.  Then I returned back to their place, which has two cats.

 

[NOW: I believe we used both the 2 and 1 subway lines.]