TRANS CANADA: Day 9--Toronto

I was looking at my blog site and noticed that I completed a blog on April 26 and never posted it.  So this will confuse many, but transpose what you saw earlier today and insert this one for that day.  I hate to say this, but our Canadian National Railway 12-day trip could have some serious internet problems, but keep returning to see what pops up.  Then again, I've had larger problems in my global journeys, so all might well be fine,

Here is what I said nine years ago about Toronto.

TRANS CANADA: Day 9--Toronto

Toronto:

• Home to indigenous peoples for 10,000 years.
• Population of 6 million (#5 in North America), where 47.5% were foreign-born (in 2006, 49.9% came from other countries)
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  More people speak a Chinese dialect than French
• Is pronounced with the second T silent.
• Attracts 25 million tourists/year (Hawaii: 9 million).
• Major professional sports teams
• Toronto Maple Leafs (hockey)--won 13 Stanley Cups
• Toronto Blue Jays (baseball)--two World Series
• Toronto Raptors (basketball)--zero championships
• Toronto Argonauts (football)--won 16 Grey Cups
• Toronto FC (soccer)
• Toronto Rock (lacrosse, which is the national sport, not hockey)

• University of Toronto has just about 89,000 students on three campuses, making it the largest university in North America.
• Has 8,000 restaurants
• Temperature range from minus 24.3F to 105F.

• PATH (which is connected to the Sheraton), is the largest underground pedestrian system in North America, connecting 1200 stores over 17 miles.
• Third largest movie production city in North America, with 25,000 jobs and 70 movie festivals/year.
• 1600 named parks.
• 35,000 hotel rooms
• Pearson Airport is the fourth busiest in North America.

I did not realize how stressful the train ride was.  I woke up to learn that my free breakfast period had expired.  Looking from my room, no one was walking around in town.  However, I took PATH underground, walked past Union Station and made it to CN Tower in around 20 minutes.  Tens of thousands of people walking around in the comfort of protection.  Thus, my eating day started with an 11AM lunch at 360 The Restaurant, which revolves at the midpoint or so point of this tallest structure in the Western Hemisphere.  Prime rib and romaine/kale salad with a sparkling rose and cabernet.

I was worried about getting a good window table.  I was one of the very few diners:

Took one hour to make a complete rotation.  The restaurant has won some awards.

I jumped on the Hop On Here sightseeing bus for free (paid for by VIA--normally $30-$40/day) and took a few photos.  I could never find the sign showing that was the bus stop, and later learned that was because someone had stolen it.   Christmas trees in Toronto:

Some street scenes:

To the right is Union Station, where I arrived yesterday from Vancouver.  

Walking through PATH, I decided to try Australian, a cousin of Canada:

Well that was in December after I had trained from Vancouver in their 4-day commute.  This time, I'll again be on VIA Canada Railway, but have added the Rocky Mountaineer to put together a 12-day trip from Toronto to Vancouver with stops in Banff and Lake Louise.  So this city in Ontario should this time be warmer.

What do I say today?  Here are ten things you didn't know about Toronto.

• But let me start with something not on this list that surprised me.
• Few people here pronounce Toronto as Toronto, Tor-ON-toe.  This is how I've been referring to this city all my life.  And I was first here a third of a century ago, and two more times until this fourth visit.
• Most common is Tuh-RON-o.  Note:  no second T.
• Locals frequently use a rapid, truncated pronunciation that sounds like Tronno or Chur-on-no.

• 
  Not only is this the largest city in Canada, it is also #4 in North America.  Metro population of over 7 million.
• The CN Tower shown above is the tallest free-standing structure in the Western Hemisphere.  1,815 feet.  Was the tallest until the Burj Khalifa was built.
• Toronto-Pearson International is the busiest in Canada.

• 
  Toronto Zoo is the largest in Canada.
• The Toronto Islands weren't always islands.
• There are over 250 ethnicities and 170 languages represented here.

• 
  Has a sports team in nearly every major league in North America.
• NHLs Maple Leafs.
• Raptors in NBA.
• Blue Jays in MLB.
• Tronto FC (MLS)
• Tronto Argonauts (CFL).
• Toronto Marlins (AHL)
• Toronto Sceptres (PWHL).

• 
  And more.
• About a quarter of Hollywood films are produced in Toronto.
• There are 52 outdoor skating rinks.
• Has the world's longest underground shopping complex, called The PATH.  Spans 20.5 miles.

Our last lunch and supper on the Viking Octantis was at the World Cafe, a buffet bonanza.  A little bit from everywhere.

We took an Introductory Bus Tour of Toronto.  Met by my Blue-bar Pigeon and Seagull.

Rained all day until the very end of the tour.

They use paper bags for yard wastes.  Normal household trash come out in bins.

Called Casa Loma, was constructed around 1913 for financier Sir Henry Pellatt, but this 98-room Gothic Revival castle-style mansion is now owned by the City of Toronto for numerous purposes, ranging from museum to movie production, weddings, a steakhouse called BluBlood, special events, museum and more.

We stopped in Chinatown for an hour.

See that cat on the chair?  My pigeon is across the street.

Then again, there was also my new friend, to greet us a seagull.

Passed the Fairmont Royal York, where we will be staying tomorrow.  Across the street from the train station.

Final supper in at World Cafe.

Sunset.

Added a noodle bowl.

Then saw the sunset.

We then danced the night away.

Woke up to catch a quick breakfast, then left the Viking Octantis on a taxi for the Fairmont Port Royal, which is adjacent to the train station where we'll be checking in on Wednesday for our 12-day train cruise to Vancouver, via stays in Banff and Lake Louise.  Just now reading the itinerary, and tours generally start as early as 6:30AM.  I'm not an early morning person.

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