Toronto, Ontario.



Favourite., originally uploaded by iMachias.
The view of Downtown Toronto from the Gardiner Expressway, as seen through a dirty windshield with an iPhone.

So I spent the weekend in the beautiful city of Toronto, Ontario. I always fully appreciate how close we are to this fine city and that there are multiple ways of getting there, so the drive is rarely boring.

I made the trek to help dave get settled into his new home and to touch base with some friends up there. On the way home I stopped in to see my sister, her husband and my nephew. I didn’t get the chance to spend as much time there as I would have enjoyed but it was good to see them. I’m determined not to let the snow slow us down this winter when it comes to future visits. Canada is properly enjoyed in both the summer and the winter.

Try as I might to the contrary, I can’t help but declare that Toronto is my favourite North American city. There is such an openness there that you rarely find in the states and the folks that I have run across are not crabby or cranky. I feel very, very comfortable in Toronto; much like I felt when we spent time in Dublin. My love for the city shouldn’t be perceived as an anti-U.S. sentiment, because it truly isn’t, I just like Toronto better. I tell my sister that she is quite fortunate to live in the area; I understand why folks bend over backwards and invest thousands of dollars into immigration proceedings for the opportunity to live there.

It’s all a matter of taste, I suppose.

The weekend started off as a long one; Earl was helping Jamie finish the move from Buffalo to the Manor, so I was going to spend the night with them in Buffalo Friday night and continue the short trek to Toronto Saturday morning. dave was flying into Toronto from New York Friday night but all his flights were canceled due to weather, so we went with Plan B where he flew into Buffalo and then I drove him across the border to Toronto. We ended up getting into Toronto Saturday around 0300 so we slept in a bit Saturday morning. The change in plans and sleep schedule made the weekend feel extra long and I feel surprisingly good today.