Toronto: Ride the Rocket

I'm LOVING the wi-fi here at the Maple Leaf Lounge at Pearson Airport in Toronto. The flight to Vancouver boards soon, so I'll have to make this SHORT.

Here's a tip: Ride the Rocket

That's the TTC's slogan for riding the subway, and I took it today to get here to the airport. Sergio wasn't feeling well, so I shoved off for the metro with my suitcase and PowerBook in tow.

Airport. Rush hour. Luggage.

It's OK if you have one suitcase that doesn't have two printers in it. (Don't ask.) Oy VEY.

The upshot is it only costs $2.50 to go door-to-door. That's a real bargain, considering how far it is from Toronto city centre to the airport. There were some connections involved -- manoeuvering through College, Bloor, and Kipling metro stations, then the airport shuttle -- but as long as you're not carrying more than 60% of your body weight in baggage, it's worth it.

Even during rush hour.

Toronto: Cheap Eats and Mystery Treats

Sergio and I having an all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ lunch for the incredible price of $8.95 on Queen Street West.

We're running out of table space. The only way to create space is to, erm, eat more food...

There are more plates on our table, but I couldn't get them in the photo!

Last night we went to a Jamaican place, where we watched a guy race off with a drink in an unlabelled bottle. When we inquired about it, the woman behind the counter told Serg that the drink was "only good for men"...

"Not for women," she said.

We looked at each other.

"Why not?" I piped up. The girl beside me just tittered.

"You know what I mean..." She continued serving up the girl's order.

"Go on, Serg," I said. "Order it."

"It's made from seaweed," she said in her rhythmic Jamaican accent.

She ended up pouring some for Serg to sample, for the benefit of all who were watching our reaction. I tried some, too.

We still have no idea what that drink was called, but I'm sure we gave them a good laugh at Albert's Authentic Jamaican Food (St. Clair and Bathurst).

Toronto: happy Ontarians

Yesterday I saw an Ontario license plate that just said "CAR". Go figure!

Toronto and beyond: Tourist Trappings

straight down 500+ metres

I'm finally able to shoot down

We checked out of our little home away from home in Kensington Market yesterday, and decided to do the two most touristy things in the region for the American holiday (4th of July). Photos here:

CN Tower and Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls

Tourist trap-o-rama,
originally uploaded by AviatorDave.

Toronto: CN Tower

Nope, we haven't been up in the CN Tower yet. There's a massive convention in town at the Roger's Centre -- formerly the Skydome -- that's making it too busy for us to bother waiting in a long queue (1-2 hours PER deck). I went up the tower when I was about 10 years old, but this will be David's first time, if we go through with our third and final attempt in the morning.

All weekend we were wondering what the convention was for. Normally giant welcome banners indicate who's in town, but everywhere it's just mentioned as "the convention": TORONTO CONVENTION 2005. The attendees are literally everywhere -- you can't miss them, with their badges hanging on lanyards, at every intersection, on every streetcar.

While waiting for our ice cream order at the base of the CN Tower, David turned to someone with a badge and asked what the convention was for.

"Alcoholics Anonymous," the man said. "70,000 people from around the world are here for an international convention for AA."

Ahhhhh... that explains it! It's definitely anonymous.

Well, we know what they WON'T be doing in Toronto.

The Steam Whistle brewery is right across the street from the Rogers Centre.

It's a pretty rowdy bunch of people, for being straight. The streetcars positively shake when they're on them. 'They must be high on life,' David says.

Toronto: David gets shorn

I brought my haircutting implements with me to Toronto with the intention of trimming David's thick mane. But since we're on holiday I thought it would be easier for him to get his hair cut at ScoreCuts. Oy vey, it's military-issue short (I never cut it that short) but David says he likes it that way and it'll grow back by the time I see him again. His hair grows like a spring lawn, but at least it doesn't have to be weeded and fertilised.

Toronto: Canada Day!

David and Sergio
Uploaded by gail on the web.

Toronto skyline
Uploaded by gail on the web.

picnic at Hanlan's Point
Uploaded by gail on the web.

Canada Day sparklers
Uploaded by gail on the web.

take a closer look
Uploaded by gail on the web.

David wrote about yesterday:

Dave's Logbook: Trip to Toronto Part I
David's photos

My photoset for yesterday:

Canada Day!

Toronto: ¡Feliz cumpleaños!

¡Feliz cumpleaños!
Uploaded by gail on the web.

Birthday party in downtown Toronto! Click on the pic for the full set.

Toronto: ScoreCuts

ScoreCuts
Uploaded by gail on the web.

My friend Sergio's new sports-themed hair salon on Eglinton Ave, Toronto:

www.scorecuts.com/

More photos here.

Hugh's Holding the Fort

Ferocious jungle cat
Uploaded by AviatorDave.

Camouflage
Uploaded by AviatorDave.

David arrived here in Toronto safe and sound last night around 11:00 -- which was a good hour before we expected him!

Meanwhile, I just saw these photos of Hugh that David posted earlier this week and laughed hysterically at the one on the left -- he looks SO FEROCIOUS! Hugh is holding the fort while David and I celebrate Canada Day and 4th of July here in Toronto. I'm sure he's doing his part, by showing his teeth to everything that walks by. I miss the little bugger. I'm told he sometimes snuggles next to my red shoes. With Hugh's sharp sense of smell, it's probably taken a couple of months for my foot odour to subside enough for him to get near them.