And Home!

The Toronto drive is not something I would repeat again soon. Most of the drive is quite fine, a nice drive through farm country. But then you get close to Toronto it becomes urban expressway terror. On Sunday afternoon, arriving in the Toronto metro area traffic got heavier and heavier and the roads got wider - five and six lanes each direction and packed. On Wednesday getting out of Toronto, same thing. This made Chicago traffic look good. The difference is that in Toronto, everyone is somewhat saner when it comes to speed and lane changes. Everyone is going around 70 in Toronto and they not only look but signal lane changes. In Chicago speeds range from 50 to 90 and lane changing is often random and unsignaled.

The most beautiful sight I had on this trip, beside my lovely bride, was Lake Huron from the bridge between the U.S. and Canada. The color of the lake both times was awesome. Gorgeous blue on Sunday and blue-green on Wednesday. Both days the lake was spotted with sailboats and was quite a site.

Getting through Canadian Customs was a pain, more than a half hour in line but then only a few seconds at the booth. Coming back to the U.S. though was different. There was a very short line and then I got selected for a random inspection. I had to pull into an inspection lane, and open my hood and trunk and then take myself into the office. I then answered a lot of questions: where do you live (four times), where are you going, where have you been, why did you go there, what are you carrying, what did you buy, did anyone give you anything. Little did they know I had a hard time stuffing my suitcase in the trunk because it was fully expanded with Sharon's dirty clothes that I was bringing back from Canada. The customs folks had a hard time stuffing it back in the trunk!

I had a great visit in Toronto, seeing Sharon was key and we enjoyed our evenings together walking around and of course having some fine meals. During the day I visited museums and walked. On Monday I visited the Royal Ontario Museum, the ROM. The building was fascinating, two buildings - one old one new, enveloping and intertwined. In some ways it reminded me of the British Museum. They have quite a mix there from fossils to ancient Chinese and Egyptian artifacts. Their cafe where I had lunch was great. Museum cafes can be wonderful or disasters. This one was a winner.

On Tuesday I went to the AGO - Art Gallery of Ontario. There was a fine Picasso show on and I scored a ticket from a gentleman out front. He said his wife could not make it and he had a times ticket plus audio for sale. I asked how much and he said $20 for a ticket worth $30. I pulled out a $20 and I was in. It was a very nice exhibit of various Picasso works throughout his career. I had a delicious lunch in the museum Spanish themed cafe - I had a Rioja wine and paella! What a treat. Then back to the museum. One of the highlights for me was a Berenice Abbott photography exhibit funded by the Terra Foundation. An American photographer exhibited in Canada and funded by an American foundation. There was also a wonderful assortment of art by Canadian artists. This is a wonderful museum. If you find yourself in Toronto visit the ROM and the AGO and even the Shoe Museum. You will have a wonderful visit well worth the time and the admission fee. Visit Toronto but don't drive there from Glen Ellyn, Illinois!

I did a lot of walking in and out of the museum. The University area was fun to stroll with a mixture of old homes - mostly side by side styles, and a combination of old and new campus buildings. Toronto is a very large, diverse city that feels a bit like Chicago, a bit like New York, and a bit like itself. In the area we were staying it could have been Michigan Avenue and the Gold Coast. Throw in the Art Institute and you are in Chicago. Oh, and did I mention it is on a great lake? Toronto is Toronto. We found the people to be welcoming and helpful, the ROM and the AGO (Art Gallery of Ontario) to be wonderful museums, food to meet international standards (though the wine was pricey), and the weather wonderful. The public transportation was easy to use and clean. A wonderful city to visit with something for everyone. I suspect Sharon will be going there on a regular basis and hopefully I will tag along occasionally too - but I will not be driving! I am happy to be back home and looking forward to picking Sharon up at O'Hare tomorrow evening. She has been gone for two weeks and even though I was with her Sunday through Tuesday, two weeks apart is too much!

Trolleys!

Lots of construction.

Expensive but delicious Canadian wine.

Beautiful old University buildings