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 to a new location.]
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.
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.
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