Yesterday was jam-packed but was probably the least amount of walking we’ve done thanks to the all-day subway pass. We caught the Casa Loma, Chinatown for lunch, Royal Ontario Museum, and eventually a Blue Jays game (cleanest stadium ever!).
Some off-the-track notes about Toronto:
1. There are a lot of highways, they’re all at least 4 lanes (some as many as 8!) and they make excellent use of express lanes, ala Chicago. Seeing how efficient their highways are makes me more critical of Cincinnati’s and their lame excuse of an “update”/widening effort.
2. We’re staying at a Renaissance Inn (Marriott) by the airport. It was $100/day LESS than downtown and we’re saving on the $30/day parking fee the other Renaissance Inn charged. It’s particularly nice – indoor pool, full complimentary breakfast, weekday happy hours (that we’ve yet to catch), and incredibly friendly staff. Our suite is 2 rooms connected by a common area with sitting space and kitchen. Works out very well!
3. Nicole’s positives: she’s really cute (granted I’m biased, but I’m told so by strangers like 5X/day) and she’s super friendly. She started “talking” to this little girl in McDonald’s yesterday and hugged her by the time we left. Ladies wave to her and nudge their guys to look at her too. Some random woman videoed her at Niagra because she was waving and calling "hello". Jim commented, correctly I think, that we need to enjoy this period now while she’s little because it won’t be long and she’s just another kid that no one pays attention to.
4. Nicole’s negatives: she’s in a SUPER clingy phase but only with me. If I’m out of her sight at breakfast, for example, she’s throwing an obnoxious fit. She was getting antsy at the baseball game and I asked Jim to take her up to the main deck to walk around. He described her attitude as “ballistic” the entire time: “People were staring and not in a good way.” Result – I’m carrying/walking with/pushing her around most of Toronto myself without assistance. I don’t want public scenes so we work on the separation anxiety in the privacy of our hotel room.
5. Toronto is really really large – 2.5M. There are an absolute TON of downtown living places and grocery stores, museums, malls, etc. right downtown. Perhaps we should quit expecting (and being consequently disappointed) that people know where things are when we ask for directions.
4 comments:
If you are there, will Nicole go to someone else? I'm sure it is a phase...
I am glad you are having a good time. Everything sounds great. Off note, don't you just love the chinatowns practically every city offers. I sure do!
At least she only throws fits about being clingy. My niece throws fits about everything right now. Really annoying. And would earn an ass whooping from me. Good thing she has nicer parents I guess.....
Sounds like you're having a great time. Can't wait til you post some pics. Hopefully the anxiety phase will be short lived for Nic (and for you).
Sorry Nicole is being clingy, but I can assure you that the rest of the world thanks you for working on it not in public.
I'd like to live downtown - it's obviously the same in Chicago with a Jewel, Dominick's, and a Trader Joe's all within less than a 10 minute walk of my office. We could live on one car if we lived downtown, too. Some day. :-)
I think Nicole will always be cute...at least until she's a teenager and then you'll have to worry about fending off the boys with a shotgun.
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