Eight weeks in Toronto

As we head into December, I am heading into my third month of living and working in Toronto. Here are some random photos and thoughts - in no particular order or preference - summarizing a few highlights of my first eight weeks here in T.O.


The ever-changing views of Lake Ontario from my 36th-floor window.

 

Christmas window at The Bay on Queen St. reminds me of the famous Woodward's windows in Vancouver.

ONroute stop on Hwy 401 between Toronto and Kitchener. These are "one-stop shop" locations on some of the highways in Ontario with services such as Tim Hortons and Starbucks, tourism info and gas stations. They're called "beacons of hospitality, convenience, innovation and safety." I think it's a great idea.

The Royal Canadian Curling Club on Broadview. My first on-ice curling experience in Toronto. This club deserves a full, future blogpost!

St. Paul's Basilica Parish. I've been to mass here a couple of times. Established in 1822, this is the first Parish of the Diocese. Located on the east side of downtown Toronto.

The Spadina Garden on Dundas and Bay.  I found a ginger beef and hot and sour soup lunch special. It was good, but my quest for this dish and soup will continue.

First snowfall of the season on Nov.23. The view from my window after a quick 10-minute snow flurry - or snow squall as they're called here.

 

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

As a former Eaton's employee, I have always enjoyed how department stores gear up for the holiday season.  So, I had to see the Toronto Santa Claus Parade today, which began in 1905 as the Eaton's Santa Claus Parade.


With 25 floats, 24 bands, 1,700 participants and 3,000 volunteers, the 109th edition of parade made its way along a nearly six-kilometre route in downtown Toronto.

It was great to see the community support for the event. And the parade was a welcome change from a week of  shenanigans at Toronto City Hall.

Yes, the Christmas season is definitely here!

 

Road to the Roar in Kitchener

For my first mini road trip in Ontario, I headed west of Toronto for 100-plus kilometers to Kitchener. I spent the day at the Memorial Auditorium at the Road to the Roar curling event. 

Twenty-four teams from across the country were in Kitchener this week in search of their Olympic dreams. Four teams from this qualifier bonspiel (two men, two women) will punch a ticket to Winnipeg next month in the Roar of the Rings Olympic Trials. That event will determine Canada's representatives in Sochi.

BC's upbeat Kelly Scott speaks to the media.

It was great to be back at a major competitive curling event.  I had a role to play, as a blogger for The Curling News. Here are my observations:

http://thecurlingnews.com/blog/2013/11/road-to-the-roar-2013-sunday/

http://thecurlingnews.com/blog/2013/11/road-to-the-roar-2013-saturday/





Over the years, I've had the opportunity to attend many major competitions including the 2001 Olympic trials in Regina and gold medal games at the Salt Lake 2002, Torino 2006 and Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games.

And I saw every game at the 2010 Paralympic Games as a sportswriter for the Paralympic News Service.

So, now it's time to stop writing about curling and actually get back onto the ice and throw rocks and do some sweeping. I haven't joined a team in Toronto but have put the word out that I'm available to spare!

Good curling.

Friday Night Lights in TO

A last-minute plan saw three TO2015 staffers head to the Rogers Centre to catch the last regular-season Toronto Argonauts game.  When I was asked late Friday afternoon if I wanted to go to the CFL game, I replied, "well, going to an Argos game is on my list."  With that, it was off to the stadium formerly known as the SkyDome. 

The stadium is holding up well, in my opinion, since it opened in 1989.  The stadium is the site of the opening and closing ceremonies for the 2015 Pan Am Games.

But on this night, the focus was football -- Argos vs. the Montreal Alouettes. It was the first CFL game for my American colleague Cecil who commented that "field is massive" compared to the NFL.

There was plenty of on-field marketing activities in a family atmosphere.


As for the game, in true CFL fashion, it was down to the final minutes to determine the score in a tight game.

The visitors beat the home team 23 - 20.  Here's the game summary:  http://www.argonauts.ca/article/week-19-recap

Next up for the Argos: hosting the eastern final on Nov. 17.