Let me say first of all that Toronto's Yonge line in morning rush hour can give the Buenos Aires Subte a pretty good run for its money, as far as congestion is concerned! It was already 8 a.m. when I squeezed onto a nearly-jam-packed subway at Davisville station this morning with my "Math for MathPhobic Teachers" workshop in a carry-on bag and a backpack, and I did not manage to get a seat until we had nearly arrived at Union station.
I was pretty impressed with the new, bigger-feeling, more open subway cars, though, as well as the working announcement system that actually calls out the correct subway stops along the way, AND displays them electronically (and accurately) in several locations above the windows of the subway!
I was pretty impressed with the new, bigger-feeling, more open subway cars, though, as well as the working announcement system that actually calls out the correct subway stops along the way, AND displays them electronically (and accurately) in several locations above the windows of the subway!
Union Station, where are you?!
The ensconced-in-fog CN tower that greeted me when I stepped out onto the misty morning downtown street from the subway around 8:30 a.m. was eery enough; the fact that Toronto's union station had almost completely disappeared behind construction scaffolding gave the normally busy downtown core a strange impression.
Underground, a crowd to rival that of Retiro in BsAs pushed through Toronto's busiest train station, but up on the street level, things were strangely quiet. With so much construction, people had traded in Front Street for alternate routes to their downtown destinations.
The Porter Shuttle
Like an out-of-town tourist, I lugged my baggage to the nearest entrance of the Royal York hotel, and enquired as to where the temporarily displaced Porter shuttle stop was currently to be located -- the workshop I was facilitating was out of town, and I had to get to the airport to catch a 10:30 flight out of City Centre airport.
Two friendly porters directed me to the shuttle stop a few blocks over, and I was soon seated on the bus amidst fellow travelers on their way to CYTZ.
As we made our way through construction- and rush-hour-traffic-packed streets and down to the also-under-construction waterfront terminal, I reflected on how the city had changed... in addition to the massive Union Station construction project, several new buildings had sprung up here and there over the past 10 months....
Soon we arrived at the ferry terminal; it, too, was under construction, as Porter patrons will "soon" be able to walk to the airport, rather than take the world's shortest scheduled ferry.
"Big" Airplanes for a Change
How strange it felt to be embarking on the ferry not to fly a Cessna, but to board a "real" aircraft that would carry me further than Claremont!
The ensconced-in-fog CN tower that greeted me when I stepped out onto the misty morning downtown street from the subway around 8:30 a.m. was eery enough; the fact that Toronto's union station had almost completely disappeared behind construction scaffolding gave the normally busy downtown core a strange impression.
Underground, a crowd to rival that of Retiro in BsAs pushed through Toronto's busiest train station, but up on the street level, things were strangely quiet. With so much construction, people had traded in Front Street for alternate routes to their downtown destinations.
The Porter Shuttle
Like an out-of-town tourist, I lugged my baggage to the nearest entrance of the Royal York hotel, and enquired as to where the temporarily displaced Porter shuttle stop was currently to be located -- the workshop I was facilitating was out of town, and I had to get to the airport to catch a 10:30 flight out of City Centre airport.
Two friendly porters directed me to the shuttle stop a few blocks over, and I was soon seated on the bus amidst fellow travelers on their way to CYTZ.
As we made our way through construction- and rush-hour-traffic-packed streets and down to the also-under-construction waterfront terminal, I reflected on how the city had changed... in addition to the massive Union Station construction project, several new buildings had sprung up here and there over the past 10 months....
Soon we arrived at the ferry terminal; it, too, was under construction, as Porter patrons will "soon" be able to walk to the airport, rather than take the world's shortest scheduled ferry.
"Big" Airplanes for a Change
How strange it felt to be embarking on the ferry not to fly a Cessna, but to board a "real" aircraft that would carry me further than Claremont!
Upon checking in, I was told that all flights were grounded due to the fog: My 10:30 flight was now delayed to at least 11:45 a.m., and did I want to book onto the 8:30 a.m. flight instead? (That one was currently slated to depart at 9:45 am.)
I took the rebooking, and settled into the Porter lounge for some free tea and shortbread cookies.
Not for long, though, because they soon started boarding my new flight, and by 10:35 a.m., the 8:30 flight was in the air with me on it.
A short time later, we descended into Ottawa, and I was able to capture our break out of the clouds, and the opening of the landing gear on my trusty iPhone camera, in time for this quick blog before I head off to the workshop!
I took the rebooking, and settled into the Porter lounge for some free tea and shortbread cookies.
Not for long, though, because they soon started boarding my new flight, and by 10:35 a.m., the 8:30 flight was in the air with me on it.
A short time later, we descended into Ottawa, and I was able to capture our break out of the clouds, and the opening of the landing gear on my trusty iPhone camera, in time for this quick blog before I head off to the workshop!
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