Toronto Day 1

Gleam, originally uploaded by Tim McDonald.

Headed to Toronto for 3 nights on Monday. Flight left Vancouver at 9.50am and due to the 5 hour flight and the 3 hour time difference, I didn't arrive into Toronto until 5.15pm. I flew with Westjet, and they have the screens in the back of the seats so that you can watch a number of TV channels (such as Discovery Channel). I think the programming must be straight off the satellite as one of the programs on Discovery Channel was unforunately a show about the investigation into the crash of Swissair Flight 111 off of Halifax in 1998. The investigation found that faulty wiring caused a fire which ultimately led to a loss of control and the loss of the aircraft. Just the kind of thing you want to see on a plane! Headsets are not complimentary on Westjet; you have to bring your own or pay $3 to purchase a set in-flight. Their headsets are a bit better than the ones you normally receive on flight, having better padding around the speakers. Once you've paid your $3, they're yours to keep for future flights.

I didn't have to worry about waiting for me luggage as I carried everything on with me. Caught the shuttle bus ($39 round trip) from the airport to my hotel. The weather was nice (about 24C) with a little bit of humidity. It was, of course, cool and rainy back in Vancouver.

There was quite a bit of haze and smog in the air; obscuring the city skyline on the approach from the airport. It was about 6.30 by the time I got to my room. I'm glad I paid the extra (approx $150/night) to stay smack-bang in the heart of the financial district as everything

was within easy walking distance. For instance I was about 3 blocks away from the CN Tower. That evening I walked around and checked out the downtown area.

Toronto reminds me of Melbourne in many ways. There are many architectural similarities - big, tall, glass buildings alongside Edwardian buildings from the late 1800s. One of the main streets, Queen Street, reminds me of Fitzroy with all it's 'alternative' shops and posters plastered on building walls over many years. By and large, the streets and buildings were clean (except everyone leaves their garbage bags on the footpath) and don't have that 'grit' that coats the buildings and streets in Vancouver (caused by the moisture I guess).

Had a meal and watched a bit of baseball (boring) in a pub before heading back to the hotel.