May 25: On the Market

In contrast to the past few days, the weather was warm and sunny today and perfect for exploring. First up was Kensington Market, a few blocks down the road from Wilson Hall. It’s an older area full of cafés and specialist shops, a little grungy but full of life.

A little down the road was Toronto’s Chinatown.

Going Up in the World

But I was focussed on getting downtown by 11:30. I took the streetcar down to nearby Rogers Stadium, where fans of the Toronto Blue Jays baseball team were beginning to line up to get tickets for the next game.

And next to the stadium was my goal for that morning: The Canadian National Tower.

I’d arrived a bit early, so I had a look at a railway museum across the road.

Then I joined the line into the Tower. I was able to skip ahead of most people…

…because I’d pre-booked a place for the EdgeWalk, where people can walk around the tower atop the main observation deck 356m up—outside.

Once I found the EdgeWalk desk, I confirmed my booking and waited with a few other people. Several groups go out on the edge each day, usually only six at a time. When our group’s turn came up, we went into the fitting room. First, we put our pocket belongings into lockers. Then we put on red jumpsuits over our clothes (shades of Artemis astronauts). Each of us was fitted with a harness which was tightly secured; even my specs had a strap attached. After everything was checked and double-checked, we were taken into the lift.

As the lift rose, glass windows in the floor showed just how high we were going. At the top of our ride, we entered an antechamber where each of us had two ropes attached to our harnesses. The other ends were linked to steel pipes that ran around the circumference of the tower. Once everything was checked again, our guid opened the door, stepped out, then asked us to follow. And there we were, standing on a steel platform as wide as a footpath, with all Toronto below us. The view was staggering: we could see the roofs of all the high downtown buildings, the greener parts of the city out in the distance, even the tiny Billy Bishop airport on islands just south of the city.

Our guide steadily lead us around the circumference, stopping every so often to teach us new tricks. First, we learned to stand facing out with two toes over the edge.

Then we learned to lean backwards from the edge, supported by the ropes.

Then the same thing forward.

And finally as a group.

I was a little nervous, but the safety features are thorough and you soon learn to trust the equipment.

Up and Down

My ticket entitled me to explore the rest of the tower. So, once we were back inside and out of our jumpsuits, I headed up to the main observation deck and looked around the outside with hundreds of other people.

Then I headed up to The Top, the highest observation deck at 447m. (The total height of the CN Tower is 553m.)

Having had my fill of high scenes, I went down to the main deck, waited in the long line for the lift down to ground level and got the printed photos of my EdgeWalk.

New Things to Find Out

My mood matched the sunniness of the day, as I walked through PATH back towards the city centre. I had a question to ask, however. Seeing a branch of TD Bank at Union Station, I went up to them and explained I was a novice traveller, and where would be the best place to withdraw Canadian currency via my credit card?


“At our ATM right there.”


“… Really?”


And it was so. I withdrew some notes as easily as at home. Something new learned.

I headed north into the inner part of the business district.

I came up to the Old City Hall.

Across the road was the New City Hall.

Half House and Corner Museum

A few blocks away was another attraction I’d wanted to see, The Half House.

Yes, it’s literally a house that was cut in half. It’s a 19th-Century house that got very subdivided during property development years later. Apparently it’s actually liveable, as it and the whole house it’s attached to are up for rent.

To get to my next attraction, I took the Line 1 Subway, which runs on a U-shaped track under the inner city. I got off on the other side of the U and looked around for Friar’s Music Museum. At first, I couldn’t find it at the stated address. Then I saw a sign saying it was on the second floor of the local Shoppers, a chain of Canadian drug stores (think Priceline with groceries). I entered the store, went upstairs, and there, in one corner, was a tiny museum dedicated to the history of Toronto music. The building the store is in was once Friar’s Tavern, a popular music venue for many years.

On the day I visited, the museum was featuring Toronto and Canadian women musicians.

Drinks and Cubes

The late afternoon was still bright, so I took a streetcar further south-east and reached The Distillery District.

This place was once Gooderham & Worts, a large distillery. It’s now home to several brewpubs and craft shops. I had a good wander around, checking out the modern shops in the old buildings.

Had a nice local cider at one brewpub.

A little further away was another site on my list: The Cube House.

This odd house was built by a pair of architects in 1996. It got attention, but the architects got into legal wrangles with the landowners. At this time, the block the house is on is scheduled for redevelopment, so the house’s future is uncertain.

It was now evening, so I took streetcars and subway back towards the University. I emerged at the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.

I walked through the University grounds, enjoying its more old-world charm.

Back at Wilson Hall, I had only a short nap, as I had another journey to prepare for…