CN Tower and Lake Ontario

Wednesday 6th May 2009

Arrival at Toronto was late. And some bad decisions made for a tiring mess up in accomodation. The subway here is very interesting cuz is in a loop format. Alighted at Union station which was at the tip fo the loop. Toronto is such a huge cosmopolitan city and I had mixed feelings about it at first impression. Hectic bustling city life and endless fun.

After purchasing tickets to Canada National Towers, there was some time to kill. Despite the cold stormy weather, our sightseeing trip was made sweeter with an offer from the Kayak company to join them for a trip around Lake Ontario. Adventurous people that we were, we agreed. Fortunately, the other paddlers were veterans in the sport and it was not a problem to slack off in the middle of the ocean. I was sitting almost at the end, and the coxswain was very friendly. He's native to a European country but has resided in Toronto for many years doing this job.

Rogers Centre home of the Toronto Blue Jays. Our visit was untimely and they were playing any games during the three days we were here. The CN tower looms over the stadium and is an icon holding the title as the tallest freestanding structure in the world. It is funny because, I have heard it was a must-see in Toronto without ever anyone mentioning this superlative.

Glass Floor was pretty fun to play because initially, there was this fear that the glass would break and that would be a 342m (113 storeys) plunge down. Of course, I verified that the glass was strong by jumping up and down on it.

Next, we went to the outdoor observation deck. It was very cold and the view was spectacular. Stayed till the sun slowly set revealing the city lights which made me fall in love with Toronto. Our tickets restricted us to this levels but there was an option to ascend to the skypod at 447m (147 storeys). American Dan Goodwin in 1986 scaled the tower with hand and feet. Wiki says he climbed 100 storeys.

Ended of the night with some good ol' swing jazz music by Bradley and the Bouncers. Such a good jazz group they definitely put me in a good mood and the rest of the patrons of the restaurant occupied the dancefloor as soon as the first beats were dropped. The ambience was magic and I was jealous that I resigned to just watch from my seat. The band played many songs and we stayed for two sets. Some of the more prominent pieces I can remember were Fly me to the Moon, A Michael Buble song, many Louis Armstrong songs, Sitting by the Dock of the Bay and the frontman with a raspy voice was so nice to ask us out of towners to suggest a song. I requested All of Me. Unforgettable experience.