So the first Torontonian day started late, and cold!! I grabbed a map from the hostel desk and surveyed the attractions. Ahh, there we go, waterfront, that will be good. So off I go... into the dark and overcast day.
The alarm bells should have started once I saw that there was virtually no public transport to the waterfront. So I hoofed it, straight down Bay St (aka. the wind tunnel). I arrived at the water to discover.... pretty much nothing! No boardwalk, no boulevard and no shops!! Quite disappointing. After a stroll along the water I did find a tourist mall, Queen's Quay, where I grabbed some lunch. Seriously, the view wasn't even worth a photo. Ahh well. I backtracked a little to a coffee shop, where I spent some time reading my book, 'The Neutronium Alchemist' which I had borrowed from Growie. (It was excellent btw).
Rohan and I had agreed to meet up at a pub later that day, after he went to the airport with Lyndal. I went to the James Joyce, which was on Spadina St (rhymes with diner). It was a standard Irish pub, where I met some of his Canadian mates. Nick is studying theology and is clearly mad. Jeff is studying with the Jesuits and is even more nuts. A short while later Kevin joined us too, and I owed him a beer for his airport performance. No surprise, but they are all very bright boys, despite the loose screws... We had a great night. Shortly before close*, I needed to grab the last subway home, so I bid my goodbyes.
I did detour on the way home to 'Pizza Pizza', with which I developed an unhealthy obsession! Definitely the best pizza bases I ever had the privilege of eating :)
Then back to base, the hostel:
The alarm bells should have started once I saw that there was virtually no public transport to the waterfront. So I hoofed it, straight down Bay St (aka. the wind tunnel). I arrived at the water to discover.... pretty much nothing! No boardwalk, no boulevard and no shops!! Quite disappointing. After a stroll along the water I did find a tourist mall, Queen's Quay, where I grabbed some lunch. Seriously, the view wasn't even worth a photo. Ahh well. I backtracked a little to a coffee shop, where I spent some time reading my book, 'The Neutronium Alchemist' which I had borrowed from Growie. (It was excellent btw).
Rohan and I had agreed to meet up at a pub later that day, after he went to the airport with Lyndal. I went to the James Joyce, which was on Spadina St (rhymes with diner). It was a standard Irish pub, where I met some of his Canadian mates. Nick is studying theology and is clearly mad. Jeff is studying with the Jesuits and is even more nuts. A short while later Kevin joined us too, and I owed him a beer for his airport performance. No surprise, but they are all very bright boys, despite the loose screws... We had a great night. Shortly before close*, I needed to grab the last subway home, so I bid my goodbyes.
I did detour on the way home to 'Pizza Pizza', with which I developed an unhealthy obsession! Definitely the best pizza bases I ever had the privilege of eating :)
Then back to base, the hostel:
Although the photos look dark and dingy, it really is nowhere near as bad as it looks. They were meticulous about keeping the place clean, regularly interrupting my over-sleeping. Sharing a room with 10 others though, was quite a challenge. Even my deaf ears heard the snoring. I've heard aeroplanes that are more quiet!! Luckily I had some earplugs!!
*In Ontario, the liquor licences and sales are regulated by the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO), all bars close at 2:00am.
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