Little sleep in on Sunday morning… snuggled in ’til almost 8:00 am Atlantic time but quickly tackled a couple of trip logistics chores. Firstly, got to the business Centre to print Boarding Passes. Then prep for checkout prior to noon and flight at 7:00 PM. While I updated the web, Janie scored a breakfast locale, Eggspectation, just 4 minutes walk! Eggs Benny all the way around… mmmmm. Comfort food kind of breakfast for sure. Oh my… That “inter-web” is a wonderful thing!
At roughly 10:30 AM we closed the door and made our way to checkout. The Doubletree was made to order for this trip… With a comfortable room, the amazingly early check in, close proximity to TTC Subway stops and walking distance to AGO, Remembrance Day Service and Kensington Market, everything came together. All at $70 dollars a night after using partial points for the stay. Two thumbs up!
The afternoon was tucked aside for Janie… And basically “Shopping”. The four stories of Eaton Centre (also only a block away) seemed suitable. Meanwhile, I’d walked enough, so I found a quiet table, connected online and did web updates and work emails. As much as malls are not my space, they are super for people watching! Toronto is incredibly multicultural and all walks of life seem to be representated. In particular, this trip saw us spending a lot of time in the Chinatown area near Spadina. Toronto, as a cultural centre, is richly infused with an abundance of global influences from those that are its composition. I’m reminded of the isolation in which I grew up, and how important it is to understand the beyond.
The morning news tipped us to the possibility of an afternoon protest in Nathan Philips Square, just a block away. Growing frustration has manifested from the initial shock of the Trump ascendancy to the presidency. At about 3:30 we crossed into the square and found a perch overlooking the area. I’m guessing the turnout wasn’t all organizers had hoped for. There seemed, at this point, more media than actual protesters at the time we left, shortly after 4:00 PM. However, we received tweets later in the evening that noted upwards of 300 actually attended the event (CBC Article).
At this point we bid our goodbyes to the city and grabbed the Union Pearson Express back to the airport. Smooth sailing, but a lot busier on the train (and at the airport) than during our morning arrival. The flight home was on time and uneventful. Having looked after bags and parking, we started for home, arriving at our doorway 12:00 AM sharp! Great run… Don’t regret a minute of it!