A Day in Toronto

This fountain in Berczy Park features 27 cast iron dogs, one scared-looking cat, a lone bone and the water is filtered safe for dogs and cats to drink.

Royal Bank Plaza Towers are insulated for heat by having the windows covered with a very thin coating of 24-carat gold leaf.  The 41-and 26-story towers have a total of 14,000 windows, covered with 2,500 ounces of gold, valued at over $1,000,000.

The CN Tower (CN = Canadian National)

I have been pretty lucky with traffic heading South; the bulk of the bumper-to-bumper was heading North.

Union Station receives over 300,000 daily visitors; opened in 1927, Union Station was designated as a national historic site in 1975 and is considered one of the finest examples in Canada of the classical Beaux-Arts architecture style representing an era of expanding national rail networks and vigorous urban growth.

Some of the islands viewed from the harbor boat tour

It is interesting how the old buildings are protected, so the new skyscrapers are either add-ons or built behind the old building.

I thought this picture was interesting in how the old building is reflected in the glass surface of a new building.

Toronto skyline

The Flatiron

I know it's been awhile since I've been to a "big" city, but OMG, Toronto was a hive.  I arrived downtown during the lunch hour .... just one of the office skyscrapers has over 10,000 employees, so you imagine the number of people.

Driving is insane; gridlock, drivers are honking and shouting obscenities at each other; craziness.  They even have those people who wash your windshield while you're stopped.

This "scrambler" intersection crosswalk has over 60,000 people crossing it every day.





It was a pretty expensive sightseeing day in Toronto.  It was $32.00 to park for 7 hours, $42 for the CN tower just to get to the first level, $4.15 for a Diet Coke, $35 for the On/Off bus and $10 for a hamburger.

I couldn't afford a second day ....

Rogers Center

Toronto has lots of murals and sculptures throughout the city

Hopped back onto the QEW (like I could just move this behemoth in a blink of an eye) heading for the border and Niagara Falls.  (QEW = Queen Elizabeth Way).