First, the news of the day.
- Al Jazeera says excessive U.S. demands led to failure of talks.
- BBC indicated that oil prices are rising? Are they?
- Checking American WTI crude for the past month, the price seems to have recently stabilized in the mid $95/barrel range.
The other newsworthy item is that the 2-hour marathon threshold was finally attained, twice.- The first marathon over the official distance was won by American Johnny Hayes at the 1908 Summer Olympics, with a time of 2:55:18.4.[17]
- This distance of 26 miles plus 385 yards was established in 1921.
- Geoffrey Mutai of Kenya lowered the record in the 2011 Boston Marathon to 2:03:02, followed by countryman Moses Mosoc in 2:03:06.
In 2019, Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge ran a specially tailored race in Vienna called the .50 Challenge, arranged by British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe. Under favorable conditions, using rotating pacemakers, Kipchoge ran a time of 1:59:40. Was paid more than $150,000 for this run.
This was a promotion for Nike's Air Zoom Alphafly NEXT%, a shoe designed for the race.- Zoom Air Pods for increased energy return.
- ZoomXFoam for midshoe cushioning.
- Carbon FiberPlate to propel the runner forward,
- Atomknit Upper, a new lighter and breathable Flyknit material.
- And yes, the first, next and current Nike shoe of this type can be used in an official marathon.
- This third generation model sells for $375.
- However, yesterday, 29-year old Kenyan Sabastian Sawe became the first to run a record-eligible marathon under two hours at the 2026 London Marathon with a time of 1 hour, 59 minutes and 30 seconds. Interestingly enough, Ethiopian Yomif Kejelcha, running in his first marathon also went under 2 hours, 11 seconds behind Sawe.
So yesterday, we said goodbye to the Viking Octantis. Our luggage.
This is where total uncertainty about where we would stay for night ended up fine, if not great.
- We knew our Canadian VIA Railway package, where two nights were to be spent in the Fairmont Royal York. So I made a separate reservation for a third night, as the Viking ship was scheduled to arrive in Toronto a day early.
While on the ship, we noticed that we were to be evicted at 9AM, so to make the transfer smoother, I tried to call the Fairmont Royal York to upgrade our room to Gold Level, which meant that we would be paying more to be allowed into the Executive Lounge.
For some reason, I just could not talk to anyone at the hotel. The only form of communications was with a third party. They said they could not find my reservation, and how did I make this reservation.- Unfortunately, I couldn't remember how, so this uncertainty remained. Thus it was possible that we wouldn't have a room when we tried to check-in.
Turned out that when we got to the Fairmont, the hotel person found my reservation, and I was able to not only get that room, but could upgrade at a lower rate than I expected, They even threw in a free restaurant breakfast and two drinks in the club lounge. This province prohibits free drinks, and a typical cocktail starts at $20. Even a beer is more than $10.- So we checked into the Fairmont Royal York. The lobby area.
Went to our room and saw the Canadian National Tower, built by the Canadian National railway in 1976, which stood as the tallest free-standing structure in the world until 2007, when the Burj Khalifa in Dubai was built.
We spent all day in the lounge, where the staff was incredibly helpful in making copies for us of what the Canadian National railway said we had to do before boarding their train. There surely has to be some mistake somewhere, but this turned out be several pages long, many repetitions of totally useless information. Anyway, the Gold level status made this all free. Had a lunch, snacks and evening appetizers.
So a bit more more about where we are staying for three nights. You know why our Fairmont Royal York hotel is called Royal York?
- Famously known for hosting British royalty.
- This was the official residence for Queen Elizabeth II and here family during their Toronto visits. Watch this video,
- She was here 20 times between 1951 and 2000, continuing the tradition that started with King George V1 and Queen Mother Elizabeth in 1939.
- Of course, too, presidents of other countries, like Ronald Reagan, and a whole host of celebrities.
- Opened in 1929 with 1048 rooms, and was the largest hotel in the British Empire. Also then the tallest building in Canada.
- Includes a 12-bed hospital, 12,000-book library and 50-ton pipe organ in the Concert Hall.
- A new wing was added in the 1950s, bringing the total up to 1600 rooms.
- Was re-branded as the Fairmont Royal York in 1999.
- There is an underground walkway linking the hotel with Union Station as part of Toronto's PATH underground city system.
As part of the Canadian National railway package, included are a visit to the CN Tower tomorrow, plus a tour of Niagara Falls the next day.
To close, I recall some of my early favorite songs coming out of Toronto.
- In the 50's:
- The Diamonds formed in 1953, and had big hits like Little Darlin' and The Stroll.
- Gisele MacKenzie became a star in this city by becoming a regular on the Arthur Godfrey Show and Your Hit Parade.
The Crewcuts covered the Penguins' Sh-Boom, emanating from the Arthur Godfrey Show.- The Four Lads originated in Toronto and had Moments to Remember.
- Robert Goulet spent his formative years in Toronto, paving his way to Camelot on Broadway.
Of course, today, you must know:- Drake, born Aubrey Drake Graham, was born in Toronto in 1986,
- Weeknd (Abel Makkonen Tesfaye) was born in Toronto to Ethiopian immigrant parents in 1990.
- Shawn Mendes was born in 1998. His Senorita with Camila Cabello reached #1 on Billboard.
The rock band Rush formed in Toronto in 1968, and had a hit with Tom Sawyer.- People like Mike Myers, Jim Carrey and Lorne Michaels (Saturday Night Live), Michael Cera and Catherine O'Hara.
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