Last week, upon returning from a business trip in Fort Pierce, Florida, which was about as much fun as a weekend at a leprasarium, I set out to visit a couple I know living in Toronto, ON. This was the third year in a row I had planned to take this trip. Each previous year, my vacation was thwarted by work related projects. The elusive "work/life balance" has always proven to be subject to the requirements of the company. However, this year I held fast and managed to escape for two days, making a four-day weekend.
Day One - "The Open Road"
Driving. My god, how far I did drive. So far, it is the longest single road trip I have undertaken, not to mention the most money I've blown on petroleum distillate in a single day. After getting a late start and drastically changing my route an hour into the drive, I crossed the Canadian border around 10:00 EST. I made good time, staying within the $250 fine range (about 80-85 mph) most of the way. Traversing the Trans-Canada is scenic and relatively hassle-free, given the fact that there are only a handful of major cities between St. Leonard, NB, and Toronto, stretching roughly 1,200 kilometers. Twelve hours later, I arrived at my destination with no hang-ups (i.e. I didn't get lost).My arrival warranted a small toast of wine, Crown Royal, and more wine, compliments of my host and long-time friend. In addition, I was given a fascinating glimpse into the world of Samurai swords. I held a seven-hundred year old sword my hands, forged over a period of six months by master swordsmiths to serve as a showpiece in high-society ceremonies of an ancient oriental era. And I was drunk.
Day Two - "Movin' & Groovin'"
After a good night's rest, Marc (my friend) and I set out for breakfast and a quick tour of his little corner of Hogtown (otherwise known as Toronto). One plate of steak and eggs over-easy later, we arrived at one of the many parking centers for the city's service vehicles. Marc works as a paramedic for Toronto EMS.
He drives one of the ERUs (Emergency Response Units) and is usually the first on the scene of an emergency. I got a quick tour of the ERU, a Chevy Tahoe, retrofitted with state of the art navigation and communication equipment and all the basic implements of emergency medical services (except a stretcher). It even has a portable defibrillator, which I had the privilege of being hooked on to. Just a test, no actual defibrillation, thankfully. For my role in testing the machine, I was rewarded with a printout of my heart rhythm, which now serves as a bookmark in a book I acquired at a yard sale on day three entitled "The History Of Torture."After verifying that I have sufficient cardiovascular functions, we drove into the heart of Toronto. Specifically, we visited a couple of large stores selling outdoor recreation equipment; biking, hiking, camping, canoeing, kayaking, rock climbing, etc. Coming from a land where a selection of outdoor sporting goods of this magnitude is only available through the internet, I felt obligated to take advantage of the opportunity for instant gratification offered in this holy temple for outdoorsy type people. The place I ended up buying all my goodies was Europe Bound Travel Outfitters. While not exactly spacious, they've managed to cram just about everything I could possibly need to have fun outside and extremely knowledgeable salespeople to tell you everything you could possibly want to know about their wares. I highly recommend it.
Later in the evening, I ventured out on my own in search of the Beaches Jazz Festival, which happened to be occupying a section of Queen Street East that very weekend. The street was filled with people marveling (as I was) at the great culmination of music and culture that has entered it's nineteenth consecutive year. The music ranged from professional jazz orchestras to local garage-band talent. Many shops opened their doors to the crowd. Restaurants and bars flourished. I had a burger and a few glasses of Guinness at the Lion On The Beach, a quaint little establishment suitable for getting drunk and socializing.
One band that particularly caught my attention was Zed Head, a Canadian rock group with Texas style. They reminded me of ZZ Top (see bass guitarist on the left). They kick arse playing live. A friend of the band even jumped in for one of their songs (pictured on right), producing an amazing jam session. I purchased their debut album entitled "Texas Cufflinks". It made for good driving tunes on the ride back home.
Walking through the festival, I noticed there was no beer to found anywhere. And I looked. Helga (Marc's wife) informed me that drinking in public in Toronto is very illegal, which I'm sure attributes to the city's comparatively low crime rates. Although it does make it a bit difficult to get a beer. In fact, there was point in the night that I was hard pressed to find a bar that wasn't filled to capacity and rejected you at the door. Regardless, I enjoyed the festivities.
Day Three - "Waltzing With The Queen And Gettin' High (about 1,465 ft)"
The previous week or so of traveling and working ludicrous hours had taken a toll on my body and, without consulting with me, it decided sleep until about noon the next day. Thus, roughly one quarter of my daylight hours in what is reputedly one of the most culturally diverse and artistically centered cities in the world was spent lying unconscious in the guest bedroom. After having coffee and pancakes with Helga, I set off to walk the length of Queen Street, east to west, back into the heart of the city to ascend 1,465 feet above the streets to gaze at the magnificent panoramic view of the city of Toronto from the top of the world famous CN Tower...and maybe have dinner while I was up there.
One key feature of the tower (besides being the tallest man-made land-based structure in the world) is the section of the floor in the observatory that is made of glass. Actually, it is a little known fact that the entire floor of the observatory is made of glass. However, when the tower was opened to the public, reactions to the transparency of the floor were less than alluring to other tourists; people started freaking out, being unable to see any barrier between their feet and oblivion. In response to the concern that nobody would visit Toronto's largest tourist attraction, the owners carpeted the floor, leaving a small section for people to "optionally" feel the thrill of looking straight down and seeing the ground more than a thousand feet below them. In reality, the entire floor is glass just below the carpet. Mind you, the glass is about a foot thick, can withstand the weight of over a dozen adult hippopotami, and is not likely to crack under the weight of the millions of tourists that trample over it each year. I even watched as a large man jumped on the glass repeatedly while several small children rolled and tumbled carelessly over the floor.
Having walked seven and a half miles down Queen Street to get to the tower, I was ready for a grossly overpriced meal coupled with a million dollar view. After having seen the entire panorama and watched part of a football game in the stadium directly below the tower (Rogers Centre), I headed up to the 360 Restaurant, which actually revolves in a complete circle to offer you a view of the entire city for a unique gustative experience (pictured on right). A quick glimpse of the menu reminded me of the fantastic economic opportunities to be found in the civilized world. Fantastic enough to be able to spend upwards of $600 on a single meal, not including at $300 bottle of merlot to cleanse the palate. Of course, as stated on their official website, "Elevation is complimentary with the purchase of a main course." Yah.
My meal was not nearly as gratifying as the price tag suggested it might be (although it was not on the high-end of the menu). I've had better meals at my grandparents house. But the view...!
Day Four - "The Journey Home"
Not much to say about the final day of the trip. Again, I made pretty good time and nearly had to sell my soul to fill my tank.
I would like to thank Marc and Helga both for their hospitality and hope to see them again very soon....hopefully to show me a good place to go scuba diving.
