Take Off! My Life and Times in Toronto
My life and work in Toronto, Canada.
My life and work in Toronto, Canada.
I've come down with bronchitis again, so I'm not travelling this weekend.
Unfortunately, I don't know how to get antibiotics here, so I'll just have to soldier through it on cold meds instead. Feh.
I'm staying in town this weekend, after a couple of 1K mile weekends driving through NY State.
Nothing in particular in mind this weekend -- may work on the slide scanning, yearbook project, and possibly start on the Traveller Infinite Series rewrite. I'm sure that Toronto's got something interesting going on. Today President Bill Clinton is in town signing his book (no chance I'd get in on that gig ... it was a Hockey Line wait).
Before I drove to Stuyvesant Plaza, I took a quick jaunt down to Albany and through the Empire Plaza. The weird shaped building, for those "not in the know", is the Egg (the nickname for the Empire State Plaza Performing Arts Center).
I'm staying one more night in Schenectady, at the Kraus'. I'll probably head out in the morning, and I'm thinking of doing the Corning Glass Museum on the way back, or the Land Museum in Rochester. Either way, I'll be in NY most of tomorrow and still in cellphone range.
I'm heading to Albany this weekend, unless something dramatic changes.
Once again, I'll try to get an EZ Pass and visit my good friends at the Duty Free GST Refund shoppe in Fort Erie, then I'll shoot down the Thruway to Albany. I'm probably going to head straight for Crossgates, where I can finish off my Best Buy gift card on DVDs and catch a show of Thunderbirds. Maybe even dinner at Uno Pizza. Anyone interested?
I don't have firm plans for where to stay the weekend, but I'll check with the usual sources.
I'm also considering going home via the Adirondacks. I have a holiday on Monday, so I can spend all day driving back to Toronto. I'm thinking of visiting Saratoga Springs, Ticonderoga, and the driving to Wabeek to see how it's changed since Camp Ilk ten years ago (or was it eleven?). I'll probably cross at Watertown/Kingston ON.
More details as they arise.
Had another full weekend driving across New York. I was able to get my GST refund without incident on Saturday, but the DVD I was looking for wasn't available. Sears turned into a bust as well. I was lied to when I purchased new tires there, and so I'm not doing business at Sears ever again. I couldn't score an EZ Pass tag because the offices are not open except during banking hours. How inconvenient is that?
It rained the whole time I was in Whitney Point, so Barbara and I didn't go to Watkins Glen. We ate at the Japanese hibachi restaurant in Vestal, and then took in the excreable Anchorman film. We should have gone to see the John Irving movie, but I was not in the mood to be depressed (I've read A Widow for One Year). I did finish some more of the work at the house, but it was a drop in the bucket of what's left to do.
When I got back to Buffalo, I was able to do some quick shopping, grab dinner at Chili's, and then attend the MoveOn party (see next article).
At least the driving went smoothly. On the way down and back, the major highways had no major accidents. Crossing was a nit in both directions, too. I got in around 11:45 and had to do laundry so I was up pretty late (alas).
Looks like I'm going to be all over western and central NY this weekend.
I'm going to head down to Buffalo in the morning (on Saturday) to do a round of chores:
Then I'm off to Watkins Glen to spend the rest of the day there with Barbara. I'll stay over night at her place in Whitney Point, and on Sunday do some repair work I couldn't finish the last time I came by (and forgot my drill!).
Sunday I'm stopping outside Buffalo to see Outfoxed at a friendly MoveOn supporter's home at 7pm. After that, it's back to Toronto.
I'm flying home today (AA Flt. 1203) and will be in town until the evening of the 11th. Call my cell to reach me ...
 | When I took off from the Kraus Haus Party, I didn't realize I would be sitting in the car for five hours and twenty minutes, uninterrupted. But I did. The drive was utterly uneventful (fortunately) except for driving through three bands of storms, some pretty intense. I saw lots of fireworks along the drive and (surprisingly) most were in the rain. The border crossing was relatively short and painless (at Lewiston). I reached Markham around 12:20am, nearly asleep. The picture is the final totals for the four day weekend (1161 mi.) and for the drive home from Schenectady. |
Here is the whole holiday weekend path I took:
Also of interest to many of you is where I went in the Catskills. I drove through Delhi, NY (#25 on map), because I've been reading My Side of the Mountain to Leo and I wanted to get a few pictures of the town the book is set in. I went up Rt. 357 to Rt. 28, which took me across the Catskills, passing through Delhi, Fleischmanns and Pine Hill. Dershstock (#26 on map) is pretty close to the center of the Catskills, just south of Phoenicia, NY (#27 on map).
Now that I look at the map, I can see that I've taken all but one major east-west route through the Catskills. In 2002 we visited Windham, NY which took us across Rt. 23 (and going to the Sundae Shop one night meant driving the western leg of Rt. 23). This weekend I drove all the way across Rt. 28, almost from Oneonta, NY to Kingston, NY. Several times I've driven Rt. 17 from Whitney Point, NY to the NYC area. So, that leaves only Rt. 30 the last uncharted east-west artery. I'm in no hurry!
Just a quick note ...
Still alive, and out of the Catskills, which are goregeous but sorely lacking in cell phone and internet connectivity (I knew that going in, but the true horror of it doesn't sink in until you're there). Add to that staying at a place that shuns TV, and you start missing out on the news as well. For all I know, Marlon Brando could have died ...
I'm at the Kraus' today until I leave for Toronto, and my cell phone works so if you've been dying to call me, then today would be a good day, up until around 10pm when I expect to be crossing back into Canada.
I'll be banging around Troy (I want to try and find the gravesite that Charles Schmalzried asked me to photograph) and Albany, taking photos most likely, before the actual Kraus Haus BBQ.
Note: Click here for a great definition of noosphere.
Today I drove to Barbara's, and just about everything minor or irritating that could go wrong did.
I missed breakfast. Actually, both times I went downstairs, the food was gone thanks to the Canada Day horde. Feral packs of kids roam the hotel this week.
I drove down to the Fast Ferry (the "Breeze") and tried to get on for the 10:45am run to Rochester. After waiting an hour in "standby line" the boat took off without me, and the staff did nothing to let us know we were not going to get on. This on top of finding out (by accident) that the Sunday schedule is changed from 7:30pm dp. for Toronto to a 4:00pm dp., which means my current ticket is useless. The good news is I can stay in Schenectady until 7pm for the BBQ.
The QEW was a disaster in Oakville, so I turned north at 403 and got on the ETR ... going the wrong way. I had to go 4km to get turned around.
The QEW was a disaster in St. Catherine's so I bailed 2km before 406 and made my way across the country roads to the 406, and then down that to Thorold Rd. which took me back to the QEW and around the worst of it. Last night I had to unload all the Ontario penninsula data from my eMap (to make room for NY street data) so I didn't have street resolution data when driving around Ontario.
The duty free shop wouldn't refund my hotel tax because of a clerical mistake, so I was gyped out of $200CDN right there and then. Bastards.
At the Peace Bridge, I was randomly selected to have my car looked through by customs. So much for my Fourth Amendment rights ... accused of nothing I had to relent to a government search of my property. They found nothing because I don't bring anything dangerous, naughty or evil across the border (the SJR is safely tucked away on a server in Texas!). While the inspectors were utterly humorless when going through my car, I overheard them making a joke at my expense as I walked into Customs to get my passport: "Looks like he's getting an early birthday present." Haha. F*** You, as Dick Cheney would say. This bites and there's no way it's good law enforcement, let alone law.
Going north on 190, I turned onto 290 to take the loop around north Buffalo only to find the highway stopped dead. I tuned to AM 1610 to hear that the highway was closed so I executed one of those delicious U-turns that State Troopers do (and we're not supposed to), drove all the way back around Buffalo (past the Peace Bridge again!) and out onto the Thruway.
Many hours later, and much later than if I had been able to board the Breeze, I got to Barbara's around 5:30pm.
Ugh.
Today I will drive out to Barbara's, stopping at the Seneca Falls Women's Rights National Park (or something like that) to see what's up there. I'll be in Whitney Point tonite and most of Friday. Barbara offered to take me out on my 42nd birthday Friday night, and who am I to argue? That night or early Saturday I'll drive out to Dershstock in the Catskills State Park. I think I'll drive through Delhi, NY on the way out because it's the town referenced in the children's book My Side of the Mountain, and I've wanted to see it for (oh, let's say) thirty-odd years.
I'll head up to Schenectady and the Kraus Haus either late Saturday night or early Sunday morning, and I hope to see Ilk at the Kraus BBQ that afternoon. If the Breeze is running and on schedule, I'll bolt from GEville at a little after three in the afternoon.
Around 800 miles of driving (more if the Breeze ... blows) and four whirlwind days in NY state.
Ok, I'm still going to see Barbara on Thursday/Friday, and the Ilk on Sunday at the Kraus BBQ. But I've been invited by Charles Forsythe to go to "Dershstock" on Saturday (with a Friday stay over) in the Catskills, and I cannot pass this up.
I don't know much about the event other than it being an informal weekend long get together at the Catskills home of Alan Dershowitz (yeah, that Dershowitz -- as a ardent Leftie, I'm kinda psyched but he rarely shows at these events anymore). It's not a conference or anything formal, just people hanging out and probably behaving badly (I'll probably be the only sober man standing on Saturday night).
This means I'll not be in Albany before Sunday. I'll attend the Kraus BBQ from around noon until a little after 3 o'clock, when I have to bolt for Rochester and a boat I wanna catch.
I got all the way back to within five miles of the RI before I hit bad traffic.
From the looks of it, the SUV flipped twice since there's a splash of windshield debris near, but not right at, the upside down Ford Escape.
Tonite I'm watching Fahrenheit 9-11 at least once!
I'm staying in Ontario this weekend (for once), but I am thinking about shooting down to the Niagara Whirlpool to ride the aero car and take photos on Saturday. Then I may stop at the Hamilton Canadian Warplane Museum on the way back.
I'll probably be working at ATI on Sunday in preparation for a short and brutal week.
Thursday of next week I'll drive down to Whitney Point and stay with Barbara for the night. Friday I'll probably do some exploring in the Finger Lakes area, and I plan on being in Albany-Schenectady-Troy on Saturday and much of Sunday. I have booked passage on the Breeze for the 4th of July, taking the 7:30pm leg back to Toronto from Rochester. That afternoon is the Kraus family BBQ, which I'll be at for a while (till around 3p). I have to drive 240 miles to catch the ferry!
I've booked passage from Rochester to Toronto for the evening of the 4th of July, when I'll be returning from Albany and the BBQ party at the Kraus Haus. this is the new catamaran ferry that runs between Toronto and Kodakville ;-). I'm taking the 7:30pm run back to the Great White North ...
Look for the review of the Da Breeze the night of the 4th, same blog channel, same URL.
Months ago I was planning on going home for my 42nd birthday (7-2-2004), but because of scheduling issues, I'm flying to Dallas on the 8th instead (same flight time, same gate Mel). My mother-in-law will come into town that weekend, too.
The weekend of my birthday is, of course, the 4th o'July (officially known as "burn your neighbor's house with a bottle rocket" day in Dallas) weekend. I have a couple of days "banked" with ATI, so I am thinking about driving down to Barbara's on Thursday (the 1st, a Canadian holiday, too). Saturday and Sunday I'll be in Albany, doing the Kraus family BBQ and doing stuff around the cap district.
Update: I will try to take the Breeze from Rochester on the inbound leg, possibly in both directions.
I'll have to drive back to Toronto on Sunday evening (it's around six hours, so I'll need to leave by six o'clock).
As always, when in the U.S. call my cellphone to reach me.
I just got off the horn with Anne in Dallas -- they're back in the U.S. of A. My brother is waiting for them with her car, so she should be home around 10pm or so. Awaiting her is an insane Persian cat who has left her surprises everywhere, according to the friend who watched over her while Anne was gone.
Look for Alanna on line later tonite ... two days without the Internet has certainly driven her mad, too.
Update -- they're all the way home, safe and sound. The cat is probably driving Anne nuts as I type this.
The Breeze finally took some passengers somewhere. On it's maiden voyage from Rochester to Toronto (a telling thing, that is), for a tux and gown $500/seat gala. Hopefully he damn thing will be running regularly (and smoothly) staring this month (just in time for Anne and the kids to miss it!).
"We're good to go," he said. "This is a green light." He said service would start today with a 9 a.m. departure from Rochester, returning from Toronto at 6 p.m. On Saturday, the ferry would start operating two roundtrips a day. The trip takes about 2 hours and 15 minutes.
At least Barbara and I can experience it this summer.
Update - as if to "rub it in", I received an e-mail today (June 20th) announcing the regular service of the Breeze -- just a week too late to be of use to me and my family. Feh.
This weekend it's back to the Falls.
Anne's mom is driving her and the kids to Niagara Falls, ON on Friday, where we'll all spend the weekend there until I take them to Toronto's Pearson airport late Sunday and send them home.
Anne and I will stay in the Marriott Fallsview hotel on Friday night, and then on Saturday we'll stay at a bed and breakfast in Niagara-on-the-Lake (yes, the hyphens are part of the real name). Barbara will keep the kids at the Embassy Suites back in Niagara Falls. Saturday we'll go to Marineland, Ontario and see the orcas and manatees.
This will be my umpteenth trip to the Falls, so I'm acting more as tour guide than tourist. It'll be fun to be on the "cool" side and for the wife and kids to finally see the falls in their full glory.
After eating dinner in Buffalo on Sunday, I had to choose which bridge to take to cross into Canada. I typically choose the Lewiston bridge (the northern most) because it isn't interesting to tourists and was the shorter route from north Buffalo (although it involves paying a 50 cent toll to cross Grand Island bridge). When I arrived around 7:38 pm, the NY State Troopers were turning all cars back from the bridge. They wouldn't say what the problem was, either.
I had to take the Moses Parkway south to the Rainbow bridge, which is at the Falls. The line was long, but not as bad as I expected. I got a good photo of the "Around the World in 80 Days" style balloon (see photo) on the American side (hey Anne, wanna take a ride?). None-the-less, it took around 27 minutes to cross. After crossing I drove down River Street to catch a view of the Falls, and then I ended up driving down the road to Marineland, just to see where it was. I ended up driving a big N down and up and then back down to get to the QEW.
Yesterday I found out what happened at the bridge. There was a church bus accident on the Canadian side of the bridge around 6:10pm. The driver lost control of the extended van he was driving when a metal coffee cup became stuck under the brake pedal. Of the twelve passengers, three died on the spot and most of the rest are in hospital recovering.
I'm coming back to Dallas this Thursday (same flight time, same flight channel), which happens to be Alanna's 13th birthday.
That's right, I now have a teenager. What's that annoying phrase I use? Oh yeah ...
My life, as I knew it, is over (again!)
But enough about that. Alanna and I will be at Project: A-Kon 15 on Friday and Saturday. She's staying with the Amaya's at the hotel on Friday night, while Dad gets to ride DART back to Plano at night. Oh boy.
Sunday I take the whole family to the aeropuerto and we fly to Toronto, eh. Thus begins the two week trip to CA and NY ...
When I finished fiddling around Barbara's computer, I decided to drive home through the back roads in the hope of seeing scenery that I'd like to photograph.
I went up Route 79 to Ithaca, and then took Route 89 north along the largest Finger Lake (Cayuga), through towns like Ovid, Romulus, and Taughannock Falls State Park, which is really nice. The route ended up taking me through Seneca Falls, the birthplace of the Woman's Movement (why here? It's in the freaking wilderness!). I could see taking a day repeating the trip but stopping at Ithaca, the lake park, and visiting the Women's Rights National Historical Park in Seneca Falls. We could head back to Whitney Point via the Thruway and Syracuse.
Oh yeah ... we went to Love Canal.
Yeah. We drove right over it, apparently. I didn't remember where it was ... I looked it up one time. We drove to the end of the Moses Parkway, which passes over the "canal". I have wanted to "do the canal" while I'm up here, and Brian seemed so hep to the idea ;-).
Actually, he was pretty up on the EPA and SuperFund sites. Since this is SuperFund site #1, it seemed only fair game. At one point we passed a big green field with a huge cyclone fence around it. Brian declared it the most likely candidate ... and he was right. When we got back to the RI, I compared our GPS track with the map site and voila, we went right over it and then back past it.
I can check that one off my list of "things to do when the wife isn't around".
I'm just kidding! -- Fericito
The company that runs The Breeze ferry between Toronto and Rochester called Anne today and told her that they won't be running before June 19th, which pretty much wrecks my plans to ride it with the family to Rochester. This means I have to drive them all to Whitney Point on the 2nd weekend, instead of meeting Barbara on Tuesday. It also means that Barbara probably cannot ride it back from Toronto on the last Sunday the family is in town.
Feh!
 | Saturday and Sunday I'm hosting Professor Brian Borchers in Toronto at the exclusive Residence Inn Markham, Ontario ;-}. I'll drive out Saturday morning to Waterloo and gather him up. We're likely to go down to Niagara Falls during the afternoon, and then Toronto in the evening. I'll try out one of the roll out beds at the RI Saturday night as Brian will stay over with me. I'll take him to Pearson Airport on Sunday, saving both of us a round trip back to Waterloo. |
Apparently Brian is trying to "Star" the "Circle", an old mathematician's occult practice in this exclusive photo. :-P
  | I've booked passage on the Breeze, Lake Ontario's newest ferry, for June 15th. I'll join Anne and the kids for a ride across Lake Ontario to Rochester (from Toronto), spend the day in Rochester with them and Anne's mom Barbara, and then return to Toronto on the 7:30pm leg. Looking forward to this "minicruise" on Canada's inland sea, and to visiting Rochester and seeing the Eastman Museum. |
 | I'm coming home this weekend (May 6th - same Bat Time, same Bat Channel, Melanie!) on American Hairballs on Thursday afternoon. Should be in around 6pm; expect to be home by around 7pm. The image, btw, is an American Airlines billboard I see downtown all the time, that reminds me how I get home. |
Flying to Dallas today, arriving around 6p at D/FW.
Friday night Anne and I are going out to celebrate being married for 14 years. You have been warned.
Saturday morning is Alanna's belt test in McKinney.
Sunday is Leo's BD party at Allen Natatorium.
As per last trip, I will not have a car so getting around will be difficult. If you want to see me, plan on driving to McKinney!
I'm going to come back to Dallas for a long weekend on the 6th of May. I was planning on going to Niagara-on-the-Lake again with Barbara, but my daughter has an all day adventure at Six Flags Over Texas and I can chaperon (it's band related) if I fly home the night before, so I am. This fits nicely into the "go home every two weeks" promise I made a while back, too.
So my return weekends to Dallas are:
And the added bonus of 6-6-2004 flying the whole family up to Toronto for two weeks (split in CN and NY).
I'm flying home this Thursday (3.30p departure from Toronto, arrive at 6p in D/FW) for another three day layover. I'll be in town until Sunday evening, when I catch the 7.30p flight back to Toronto.
While I haven't got any big projects in mind for the weekend (other than fixing computers), I do plan to attend Alanna's belt test on Saturday morning, Leo's birthday party on Sunday, and Anne and I will celebrate our 14th wedding anniversary sometime during this shore leave.
According to this article, the "Spirit of Ontario" high speed catamaran ferry had an accident in NYC on April 1, delaying the service past it's May 1st start date.
It looks like the fares (one way) are $28/adult and $10/kid, plus $40/car. A family of four in a car costs $116 each way. This is actually less than I expected. The travel company isn't touting this as a shorter trip (it is, to a large extent) but rather as a way to take a "mini-cruise" across Lake Ontario. The boat's amenities sound awesome.
I'll probably take my family on it when we go down to Anne's mother's home in early June.
PS. It's 151 miles from Whitney Point, NY to the Rochester docks, and 239 miles from Troy, NY. That turns into (roughly) 2 1/2 hours of driving from Whitney Point and four hours from Troy plus the 2 1/2 hours on the ship to Toronto. My best time on the road is 5 1/3 hours from WP and around 8 hours from Troy. It's definitely shorter (it cuts the driving in half for Troy!) in terms of drive time.
More info about the ferry is located here.
 | Just a reminder to all ... this weekend ATI is closed on Friday (Good Friday holiday) so I will be travelling to RPI and the Capital District that morning (a delightful 6hr drive). I plan to hook up with the Kraus family, the Jones family, Mike Weisberg, and Bob Oldendorf. Any other takers? Bob sez Aaron Heller will be in town that weekend, too. It could be quite the WRPI reunion. Now, where did I put my roller-skates and hat? |
 | In the morning, we took off for brunch in Greektown. This is a part of Toronto east of the Don Valley Parkway that is famous for it's Greek restaurants and shops. Recently, it was featured in the film My Big Fat Greek Wedding (the family diner and some of the stores in the film are on Danforth Street in Greektown). Like many movie stars, Nia Vardalos (the star of the film) is a Toronto native. We drove down the DVP in far better weather than the night before and into Greektown. It is an endless run of small shops, stores and restaurants. The street signs are themed in Greek and feature the colors of the Greek flag. Clearly, this must be a wonderful place to visit during Greek Festivals. |
We found a small establishment called the Vive Restaurant and Cafe on Danforth that offered a brunch menu.
We got the last table, right near the door. I was a bit put off because it was so very cold today and the wind blew raw. Fortunately, only one party came into the restaurant after us, and before the food arrived and could be chilled. Barbara was spying the menu when I stole the opening photo of her. She ordered bagel and lox, and I asked for an egg on salmon with béarnaise sauce. It was fabulous. The service was poor, what with one girl doing all the tables, but we didn't mind as the food was good and the people watching was (as always) interesting.
After the meal, I noticed we had parked in front of the Communist Party of Canada, nestled about the Greek-Canadian Democratic Organization. No doubt, I'm on Ashcroft's list for certain now. It's a wonder I was allowed to cross the border later that day ;-).
Barbara spotted another interesting shop called Fermentations on the Danforth. This was a hint of the day to come, with the theme and the aria being wine.
On Sunday afternoon I drove Barbara to Niagara-on-the-Lake, a small Victorian town on the shores of Lake Ontario at the Niagara river. The town is largely a collection of antique shoppes, bed and breakfasts and businesses oriented toward the Shaw Festival which runs from April thru December.
We visited the Shaw Shop and found some nice gifts for family (no, you can't have them yet!).
I began asking shop salespersons where we could get dinner with the local specialty icewine. The answer, over and over, was "the Vinyards".
We ended up at a Vinter (Wine County Vinters) owned by Peller Estates Vinyard where we taste tested three Peller icewines. I've finally found wine that I genuinely enjoy. Icewine is made from frozen grapes, and has a sweetness far in excess of normal wines. The bottles are substantially smaller than normal wine bottles, and the price is rather more like a liquor than a wine. But it's worth it.
At the vinter, we were told of tours at Peller Estate Vinyards ... and if we hurried, we could make the tour ... so ...
 | After the tip at Wine County Vinters, we drove the short ride to Peller Estates Winery to partake of the 4:30 tour. The current slogan here is the road to our winery took 75 years to build. |
What started as a whim became a fabulous afternoon adventure. The new vinyard facility was built two years ago for $10M, but it looks "shrink wrap" new and ten times that price. The main entrance boasts a warm lobby with a large fireplace.
To the left is a receptionist and the wine store.
The view from the lobby reveals the short entrance road and some of the vineyards.
The basement has a showroom quality to it, with the oak barrels laid out elegantly in a gorgeously lit room.
The tour guide explained the general parameters of aging wine, the kinds of wood and flavoring they impart on the wine. We were the only people on the tour (it seemed like the entire place was ours) so we could ask any questions that came to mind.
As the tour came to an end, we went back to the bar in the "Library" where we were offered tasting (again).
After the tour, we took a peek in the restaurant ...
and couldn't resist having dinner there afterall. We sat next to the veranda, where we had a fantastic view of the main vineyard.
Barbara and I visited Niagara Falls on Saturday. It was her first visit to the Falls, and my second. We started on the American side (I met her in Buffalo, NY where she parked her car for the weekend), driving to Goat Island where I took this photo of the Canadian Falls from the American side.
We went over the Rainbow Bridge and spent the bulk of the day in Niagara Falls, Ontario, which neither of us had been to before.
Our first stop was to see the Falls from the Canadian vantage point. When I first saw the falls in 2002 from the American side, I was impressed with the view. I was even more impressed with the view from the Maid of the Mist. But the Canadian view is truly the best. You can see the full Horseshoe Falls (the Canadian Falls) and the American Falls face-on.
I took a photo of Barbara while standing as close to the Niagara River as she could stand (she got dizzy watching the water race by). The water is racing towards the drop off with no hint of the height of the Niagara Escarpment.
The American Falls appeared to have gained two large ice sculptures (or stalagmite) in front of the Falls themselves (seen in the middle of this photo).
The promenade along the Canadian side is quite long, running from above the Horseshoe Falls all the way to the Rainbow Bridge. We walked to the Horseshoe and about 1/2 km further south before turning around in the bitter cold and mist. We saw the array of spotlights used to illuminate the Falls, as well as the southern tier hotels (shown in this photo).
But that's taking us to Niagara Falls, Ontario ... which is another blog entry.
Note: this blog entry is not a summary of our entire weekend ... there's lots more to come.
I'm going to spend the weekend with Anne's mom, Barbara. I'll meet her down in Buffalo, and we'll do the Canadian side of Niagara Falls on Saturday. Saturday night we'll drive up to Toronto and I'll show her around town. Sunday we'll return to Niagara-on-the-Lake and then I'll return her to her car that evening so she can drive home.
Looking forward to seeing the wilder side of Niagara Falls, as well as the more spectacular vistas from the Canadian side.
That and being able to shop at the Duty Free three or four times!
I'm entering this on a pay-as-you go Internet terminal at D/FW airport, so it's painful and expensive.
AA won't let you check in electronically so I had to wait in a long line. Security made me take my shoes off. And AA changed the gate from A26 to A18 as I am entering this, so I gotta boggie to the other side of Terminal A.
Modern airtravel is so ... antiquanted.
I'll follow up when I get back to the RI.
No, I didn't wreck the car. But when a full sized Yukon pulls out in front of you when you're going 45 and your brakes aren't fabulous ... you get a spike in adrenline. The drive from Allen to home this evening after visiting my friendly make-you-wait-an-hour doctor was an ugly reminder of why I really, really like my Residence Inn commute.
No cars.
No traffic.
No gridlock.
To quote Bob Marly, "No SUV, no crime."
I'm back in Dallas (well, McKinney) for the long weekend. YEEEEE HA!
Many profuse thanks to Melanie (and Andrew Dillingham) for getting me home via Fry's Electronics and Segal's fine wine and spirits. When we left D/FW, Melanie and I should have put on shades and said (to each other):
It's 50 miles to McKinney. We've got to get past Fry's, booze and Benihana's to get there. We're on a mission to Anne ... let's go!"
Essentially all I brought home was myself and lots of gifts:
For Leo
The main thing I noticed over my absence is how much my wife misses me. You know ... misses me. Ahem. I'm so glad we booked a doctor's visit for Friday afternoon ... I'll need it! (I hear the nanotech violin symphony orchestra tuning up as I type this).
I'm not looking forward to travelling home sick, but it is starting to look like there's no getting over what appears to a bought of bronchitis before I fly tomorrow. If only I had gone home last weekend (sigh) when I was not sick. Anne even booked a doctor's appointment for me on this coming Friday. TANJ!
No, the contract is not over! I'm just making my first visit home on Thursday.
I have an American Airlines flight (1203) arriving at 6:10p at D/FW on Thursday (3-28). I'll hitch a ride home and will be in town until Sunday evening, when I take the 7:30p flight back to Toronto.
I won't have a car, so I won't get around all the much. If you want to see me, you'll have to come to McKinney (for once ;-} ).
Anne has asked me what I'll blog while in Dallas. The easy answer is "nothing" since this blog is about Toronto. The harder answer (pun intended) is ... this is a PG blog so anything that happens in Dallas (repeat with me) Stays in Dallas!
But yeah, ducks will be pressed. It'll get squelchy. Hope I can avoid the "sock gap"! You get the picture.
 |
I just read the historical website for Rye Brook, NY (where LunaCon was held) and discovered that nestled in the heart of some of the wealthest and oldest settled land in the United States (Westchester County), Rye Brook was founded in 1982. That's after I showed up in New York and started attending RPI! I'm dumbfounded. Go read the history and see for yourself. |
On the way back from LunaCon 2004 I drove over the Tappan Zee bridge and back in time -- I mean -- back into Nyack.
I pulled off I-87 at the first exit, which is for Nyack but also for Rt. 9. In fact, you pass through this Klein bottle of an exit ramp and can even reenter I-87 heading north (the same direction you were going when you exited) if you choose. I chose Nyack instead. As soon as I was heading down Franklin St., I saw something I knew I had to share with Anne:
This elephant sculpture was easily 1:2 scale and just sitting on the sidewalk, daring anyone to cart it off. Maybe if I had the RocketBox ... nah.
Of course, no trip through Nyack is complete without a look at "where it all began" for Anne and I.
But for this place, there'd be no Alanna or Leo. Scary!
I took a photo of the "Reliable Meats" butcher, but it's hard to read the sign and since that's the entire joke, I'll skip it!
My insane weekend jaunt to New York (and by proxy, the United States of America) ended this evening (successfully) when I returned to the RI in Markham, ON at 10:47pm, a few minutes off from my eMap's (amazing little GPS) estimated time of arrival.
I drove 1,000 miles in 15 h, averaging just under 70 MPH. Coming back I hit some snow storms (north of Whitney Point on I-81) all the way to just west of Rochester on the NY State Thruway. I broke the drive up into four parts (two symmetrical halves): Toronto to Whitney Point (320 miles) and Whitney Point to Rye Brook (180 miles). I did the first quad on Friday night, hitting the worst of the Toronto traffic and wishing I had taken the ETR 407 all the way to Hamilton, ON (at a cost of around $7US) instead of the 401/403/QEW. The second quad was Saturday morning. The third and fourth quads were on Sunday, starting at around 10am and pausing in Whitney Point until 4:50p. The worst part of the drive wasn't actually the snow, it was my eyes drying up in the cold winter air.
I had dinner with Barbara Decker at Aiello's in Whitney Point. This is the family Italian restaurant with a diner and banquet room sections. I had the gnocci with meat sauce. The gnocci didn't look like gnocci so much as it looked like pasta caterpillars. It was good food, but I was hoping for real gnocci.
One highlight of the drive is seeing Toronto from St. Catherines and along the QEW on the southern side of Lake Ontario. The CN Tower is clearly visible across the lake starting near Niagara Falls! Amazing.
Crossing took under two minutes. I was asked for my citizenship ("United States") and what I was doing ("Returning to work in Toronto" while waving work visa in front of me). All the immigration person said was, "Have a nice stay in Canada." and I was off. Now that I've gone both ways (on the Peace and the St. Catherines-Niagara Falls bridges -- I've not done the "Rainbow Bridge" although we saw it in 2002) I feel a lot less concerned about the ins-and-outs. Flying will be the last different border crossing experience and it happens this Thursday.
It's intensely cold tonite in Toronto, which made upacking the car that much more exilirating. No thanks!
This Friday, I'm driving down to Whitney Point, NY to spend the night with Anne's mom.
In the morning, I'll drive down to Rye, NY to attend LunaCon 2004. I'll be hanging with the Kraus family for the day and evening, attending pre-WorldCon (NoreasCon 4) meetings, and trying to see and do all I can in the 24 hr. I have to attend. I'll be packing my digital and film cameras, too.
Sunday I'll try to visit NYC area family and friends, and then drive back to Whitney Point for dinner with Barbara. I hope to be back in Toronto before midnight.
Other good news -- I expect my passport will be in today, so crossing the border should be a nit.
I've decided to stay in Toronto this weekend, instead of going to the Capital District as I was planning. I'd like to visit the Capital District when RPI is in session, and with enough advance notice that anyone who lives in Boston who might want to hook up can plan to drive out to Albany for the weekend. When I do go, I'll get a room at (where else?) the Latham Residence Inn. I might be able to swing a good rate, who knows? And out-of-town Ilk can crash there as well.
I've been here for over a week and while I visited downtown, I really haven't been to Toronto yet. I'll load up the cameras and go on an expedition, this time on foot. The weather this weekend is supposed to be good here -- that is -- sunny and above freezing. Trust me, that's an improvement.
I'm hoping to visit Anne's mother the coming weekend in Whitney Point, north of Binghamton (the closest friend or family member in NY at only 325 miles).
I bought round-trip airline tickets from American Airlines today. I'm flying home on the 25th of March, arriving at D/FW at 6:09pm. I don't expect to be toting any serious luggage, so I should be able to meet my ride and head home (into the maw that is Dallas traffic) immediately after deplaning. I'll be in town until the evening of the 28th (my flight out leaves at 7:28p).
My dance card is filling up, as hard as that is to believe. The following friends and family members have mentioned visiting:
Here are some snapshots of my motel room:
The view of my room from the door. I'm on the fourth floor in the back, where I have a spectacular view of a warehouse building and the 404 highway. Yuck.
My computer desk and work area (right at the door). Notice the QuickCAM camera that doesn't #$^$# work on video chat sitting on top of a photo of my wife Anne. This is a subtle reminder that she's always watching me ... ;-) just kidding -- Fericito.
And of course, the room Anne thinks I will never set foot in -- the kitchen. I actually made myself a Slim Fast meal tonite for dinner, and the coffee machine is always on.
You're a weary, American traveller who's lost and cold and frankly, kinda scared of hearing "eh" at the end of every sentence, so where do you go for comfort? The Comfort Inn? No! The Residence Inn.
Those of you in the Ilk may recall that Tom White and I hosted the first IlkCon at the Albany Residence Inn, so I have an established history with this kind of oddball motel. For you see, it's an apartment and a motel. A floor wax and a topping. And while trying to be both, it ends up being ... well still mostly a motel.
So I'm staying in this five-story motel with an indoor pool, workout room, breakfast bar, and laundromat.
One of the odd things I noted about Canada when looking at maps of the road system (this entry should be in the That's a Canadian Fact! section, too) is how regular and gridlike they are. I couldn't believe it, I mean it's not like Canada is utterly flat like the rest of the Earth's surface just south of it, right?
Wrong. It is flat, at least the land between Lakes Huron, Erie and Ontario (aka Southern Ontario), and the roads are nearly Cartesian in their regularity. So a typical moment on the 402 on the way to Toronto might look like, say, this:
Three hours of this will get you
a) Lots of chances to stop at Tim Hortons for coffee, and
b) to Toronto.
Around 3:30pm on March 7th, I reached the Canadian border. Actually, I reached Port Huron, MI, where one finds the following scene:
Across the Blue Water bridge into Canada I drove, wondering if I would be able to get a work visa and gain entry into the Great White North.
It turns out I had little to fear. Entering Canada is easy. Their biggest concern, assuming you aren't up to something illegal, is whether or not the United States will let you back in. Apparently, the U.S. Customs are a bunch of hardasses compared to their Canadian counterparts.
I had to apply for a work visa at the border. The consultant who works for my firm and who came over in December said he got "worked over" and it took over an hour to clear the border. He had to produce all kinds of documents he hadn't brought with him.
I had no problems whatsoever. I had to bring a photocopy of my RPI diploma, a letter of employment, and some other (it turns out) outdated cover letters. The Visa people were friendly but officious. It was a strange combination.
 | My 2003 VW Golf TDI averaged 47 MPG on the 1470 mile drive from McKinney, Texas to Markham, Ontario. Better yet, I did it with the cruise set to 75 MPH most of the way (I averaged a hair under 70 MPH for the entire drive). I had to fill up when I left, once in Nashville, TN, and again north of Dayton, and that's it. Three tanks got me here. |
