There’s something pretty exciting about travelling for pleasure! Even taking the smallest of excursions can be the pick-me-up that refreshes. This run was meant to be nothing extravagant, just a change in scenery and the opportunity to explore and learn! This trip wasn’t destined to be researched to death, leaving lots of time to ramble and roam the city. So… Let us be entertained!
Thursday evening we made the trek from Antigonish to Stanfield International and hunkered down to be ready for an early AM flight. Nice evening, as we connected with friends, Danielle and Keegan, for supper and conversation (a post Trump debriefing). Kind of a surreal week as the gruelling two year long US election ended in dramatic finality! Stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn Halifax and had a great sleep, despite the 4:30 AM start required to put us in the air on time at 6:45. All smooth at the airport, with no lines and boarding passes in hand. Learned something… Corkscrew can pass security!
Flight left on time… Found ourselves in the “big seats” at the mid-plane exits. Could’ve played tennis in there with extra leg room! Mrs Lumsden closed her eyes for a portion of the journey while I caught up on the blogging and watched the flight map. Settled into Toronto at about 8:30 Eastern to a fine morning, bright skies and 10 degrees. Perfect Remembrance Day Service weather. Then off to find the Union Pearson Express train to Union Station… Dandy little no nonsense trip in to the city centre ($12 bucks each which I thought reasonable).
My plan was to make the Doubletree Downtown Toronto our first stop, in order to store bags. We hiked up Bay St to City Hall, and quickly found our accommodations. Turns out, when we asked the front desk to hold our luggage they actually checked us in! All set at 9:30 AM. It wasn’t an expected perk, but very much appreciated (Cookie too).
Just a block away stands the Old City Hall, site for the Remembrance Day Service at 11:00 AM. As is most often the case, the weather was down right chilling. Worth the cold though… As the service was heartfelt. From the flags and colours to the music and “missing man” fly pass, Remembrance Day in Toronto was just that for us, memorable. Further, we actually studied and watched the sequence of events closely (even brought a service brochure home) as Janie had organized our school based event this year. A solemn but appropriate start to our couple of days away.
After scurrying home to get warmed, we hustled 5 minutes in the other direction down Dundas St to the Art Gallery of Ontario. Gorgeous space, with a wide variety of artistic styles and periods represented. Our favorites included an Alex Colville, the broad cross section of Group of Seven contributions, and, new for me, multiple Emily Carr works. The upper floors featured contemporary art which we always enjoy… Spent about the best part of two hours at AGO and this very Canadian collection.
On our return walk we landed some supplies (snacks and wine), to stock our little fridge, in a nearby shopping centre. At the Doubletree I took about 15 minutes online to set up the evening, making sure we had the correct tix/reservations and locations, then off for supper to The Overdraught Irish Pub. Found this little gem online, located just minutes from Air Canada Centre. We had a nice meal there relaxing in the casual setting and sampling a couple of traditional pub fare selections from the menu while sneaking a few pints before the game.
Now, I’ve always had a soft spot for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Over the last 45 years they’ve broken my heart more than once. We secured tix months before departure for a Friday Leafs vs Flyers through StubHub (Ouch…) and queued for entry/security check shortly before 6:00 PM. All fun and games after that… Great folks in the stands, Rememberance Day veteran tributes, Hockey Hall of Fame past and present inductees (Sittler, Lanny, Rogie Vachon, Salming, Lindros to name a few) as well as a few cold $12 beers and a Leaf comeback 6-3 win. What could have been better… Caught the subway to St Patrick’s Station just minutes from our accommodations and dropped after a lot of steps and sites from Day 1!