Apparently the Museum Station Fair―where rerouted subway trains transform a quiet station into a carnival filled with old fashioned signs, bewildered riders and life-size sculptures―is an annual event. Visit this weekend, May 14 and 15.
If you miss the fun this year, look for the Fair’s return in May 2012.
Last spring, I discovered an oasis in busy Toronto, the redesigned green roof on the podium at city hall. It was my final stop, after a long day of Doors Open tours and the crowds that the event generates. I sat on one of the benches nestled between the gardens and looked south past Queen Street. Surrounded by the city, I felt calm and removed from the chaos below.
My next visit was on a steamy hot day in July. I expected the plants to be taller and fuller. What surprised me was how different the
It is early Sunday evening on the May long-weekend, and the usually quiet Museum Station is teeming with people. The Bloor Subway trains have been rerouted here because of track repairs at nearby Bay Station. The southbound track is business as usual, but trains on the northbound track can go any of three directions. None of this is readily apparent as you walk down the stairs to track level.
To communicate what is happening, the TTC have abandoned their recent advances in
I had a solitary ride on the subway between Dupont and Spadina stations Sunday morning. Being alone in the car completely changes the experience of riding the subway. It makes it very intimate. I began talking out loud to myself. At Spadina a young couple got on. The magic feeling began to dissipate and by St. George station it was gone as the doors opened and people streamed in.
Leslie and I got to Richies’ warehouse sale by about 5:15pm just as it was starting to get busy. Karen is coming to town this weekend to shop for a wedding dress and we were there to scout out the possibilities. Leslie was right; walking through the ballroom felt like being in a movie. All it took to convert the non-descript suburban hotel into a place of wonder were a few hundred brides-to-be, each in a white strapless gown. Women of all shapes, sizes and ethnicities wandered the ballroom wearing their favourite dress while searching the racks for another more perfect dress.
The sense of being in a movie was clinched by the exasperated look on the face of the guy at
It’s freezing cold outside. Tonight is the Artscape Holiday party at Wychwood Barns and Aaron has joined me. The Christie Street doors are locked, so we are forced to walk around the building over very icy terrain. The party is in the LOOP Theatre space, and the room is full when we arrive.
Wooden bleachers are folded up along one side, twigging a memory of my high school gym. Groups of people stand chatting. A drunken couple is making out by the cheese table. Shortly after 10pm the lights come on. The room is still full, and feels uncomfortably bright. I half expect to see teachers with crossed arms shooing us out the door into the cold.
Stretch and Strength class is taught in the JCC’s main studio in the basement. Today, the usually chill class was interrupted. The manager swung open the door saying something about a problem with the pool and pipes, “The water is rising fast”. Slightly dazed, we hopped over the rapidly forming pool of water and climbed the slippery steps to the boxing studio. Upstairs there is no music. Instead the rhythmic sound of an individual skipping filled the air and a different kind of calm took over.