Canada Trip
Part 3
On the third day of our trip, we went to the CN Tower, as well as to The Bay, more commonly known as “the store” to all Today’s Special fans.
In the morning, Mom and I took a taxi to the CN Tower. Sarah was visiting a friend who worked at The Hospital for Sick Children, and so she could not come with us. Upon arrival at the CN Tower, which is right next to SkyDome, we went over a number of stairs, past a Planet Hollywood, and to where we changed our receipt for admission (we had paid for the tickets at the hotel) into real tickets. We then proceeded up an escalator, and then it was to the high-speed elevator we went! We ascended to the large part of the CN Tower through the glass elevator, which took you from the bottom of the tower to the middle in 60 seconds. All I have to say is wow… that’s a fast elevator.
One of our CN Tower tickets.
Upon our arrival up there, we took lots of pictures of the view from up there, from all angles. We got pictures of the city, we got pictures of the CN Tower’s shadow, and we also got pictures of the Harbourfront, and of Lake Ontario. As we passed through the restaurant, we noticed some glasses sitting on a bar. These were drinking glasses, shaped like the CN Tower! We bought two glasses (wrapped) from the bartender, and continued on our way around the area.
Two CN Tower glasses, with some sort of beverage in them.
At one point, I played this interactive quiz on one of the little machines they had off to the side. There you had to answer some fairly easy questions about how certain stuff is taken care of, kind of about water and how things move, and that kind of stuff. Basically elementary science class material. But it was fun. I got all the questions right, and they superimposed a crown over my picture (the machine takes your picture before you start).
After this, we went down one level, to the area where the glass floor is located. While we were there, people working for the BBC were filming a documentary on the CN Tower. The host of the documentary was standing on the glass floor in the picture at right. She was telling the viewers at home about the CN Tower’s glass floor, which “could support the weight of fourteen hippopotamuses”. After this, she proceeded to jump on the floor.
The BBC woman stands on the glass that can support “the weight of fourteen hippopotamuses”.
Me, I would not get on that glass floor, even if you paid me to do it. It’s just that thing about being able to see what’s 1,000 feet directly below you (different from the observation area and on the airplane, when you can’t see directly beneath you, but rather over an edge to see.
Mom’s photograph through the CN Tower’s glass floor.
Mom stands on the CN Tower’s glass floor.
Now while I was not going to get on that glass floor, no way whatsoever, Mom was just walking all over it, sitting on it, and laying down on it to take a picture of herself on it. Me? Perish the thought. But Mom had a grand time on the floor, and was surprised that I didn’t join her on the glass floor. As I said, I was just not comfortable about doing it. And it seems to run in the family. Talking to Dad that night on the phone, he said that when he went to the CN Tower a few years back, you couldn’t make him get on the glass floor, either. And I have the feeling that it’s the same for Sis. What can I say, except that Mom’s the daring type.
The closest that I got to standing on the glass floor, mind you, was standing in between the two large sections of it. I stood on the piece of solid floor among the glass. Even walking on the two-foot wide solid flooring made me nervous. But, I was able to turn around, smile, and have my picture taken, as evidenced here…
Standing in between the glass panels.
After seeing the glass floor, we went back up to the main level of the CN Tower and got in line to ride the second elevator up to the top observation deck.
Mom and I in the upper observation deck.
And I tell you, it’s very high up there. But the tower was, of course, steady, as well as completely enclosed, and so I felt secure. The room smelled of paint, which hinted that the ceiling had been recently repainted.
After finishing here, we went back down the elevator to the main deck, and then back down to the bottom of the CN Tower, watching as Toronto got bigger and bigger right before our eyes, after we saw the reverse going up. Down in the gift shop, they had lots of CN Tower and Canada-related items. In the gift shop I got a key chain, as well as a “World’s Tallest” sweatshirt.
Posing for a photo with a giant bear that was also in the gift shop.
When we had paid for our items, headed out, where we hailed a taxi, and returned to the Delta Chelsea, had a quick lunch, and then meet up with Sarah and Darlene to head over to the store.
In heading to the store, we went in through the Toronto Eaton Centre, just in front of Eaton’s. We walked down through the Eaton Centre, stopping on the way down at this fragrance stand, just for fun. They mainly had interesting-smelling soaps there.
Also in this area is the Toronto Eaton Centre’s famous flock of Canadian geese. It was designed by Michael Snow, and is entitled Flight Stop, consisting of life-size Canadian geese hung from the ceiling.
Then we reached the skywalk, and headed across the street to the store…
We entered the store on the second floor. Interestingly enough, this area that we came upon was featured on the Today’s Special episode “Moods” where Jeff was once dancing with a robot. Here was a balcony overlooking the fragrances department, whose promotions and the like rose two stories high, with the word “Parfumerie” on them (they said “Estee Lauder” on Today’s Special).
We also encountered next to this entrance a window that we saw Canadian actor and dancer Jeff Hyslop standing in on the episode “Wheels”. Since seeing it on TV, the store’s owners had painted the wall green (it was yellow on the show), and pasted a large maple leaf on the glass. The wall color looks pretty good, but it is my opinion that the maple leaf has got to go. Mom, Darlene, and Sarah agreed with me on this count.
After this we took the elevator up to the fifth floor. Here was fine china, right next to the children’s department. The elevator, though, was still the same as I remembered it from Today’s Special. The back of it was wood-paneled, and the sides and front were gray.
On the fifth floor, the elevator lets you out in the china department. Needless to say, I was nervous, as was everyone else, in fear of breaking something. So we quickly headed to the children’s department.
The children’s department had this large sign letting you know that you were there. It was neon, and said “BAY KIDS” on it.
We walked around this department for a while. They have a whole room full of stuffed toys! It’s amazing… if I had that many stuffed toys, I wouldn’t know what to do with them. And of all kinds, too, ranging from really large to really small.
After this, we went down to the lower level, where the food was. The store has a very large food court. They had some name-brand food places in there (I saw a Pizza Hut), and they had some of their own names there. We all had ice cream there at the store.
Darlene, Sarah, and Mom enjoy their ice cream in the store.
After this, we explored around the ground floor, where they had Housewares, among other things. Here, they also had connections to Toronto’s subway system, as well as underground passages to nearby buildings.
We then got back on the elevator to the main floor. Here, they had the men’s department, as well as the fragrances department. The men’s department. Here, we stopped for a moment to go outside and look at the outside of the store, since we were in front of the main entrance to the store.
We also took a moment to look at the historic plaque at the corner of Queen and Yonge Street, which said that the store was built in 1896.
After this, we went up to the third floor, which was the ladies’ department. It was pretty much straight out of Today’s Special. Just turn to any episode where they show them in the store, and you’ll see it. One section was the “St. Regis Room”, a particularly upscale area of the third floor of the store.
After this, we went up to the sixth floor, which was furniture. It was amazing what kind of furniture the store had to offer! All kinds of neat stuff. After that we moved up to the eighth floor, home to the Arcadian Court restaurant, for a very quick peek.
We all had decided we wanted to get something from the store, and so we returned to the fifth floor, to the children’s department. Sarah got a computer Monopoly game (I already had this same program, but now we could play online!), and then I got “Toronto in a Box”, which was a Toronto-themed version of Monopoly. After this, we headed back down to the second floor, to get ready to head out.
But before we did, Darlene and Mom each took a picture of Sarah and me in the store.
And then we left the store through the skywalk. I stopped to take some photos from inside the skywalk before we left altogether. At left faces the store, and at right faces the Eaton Centre.
We then went down to the Queen Street level of the Eaton Centre, so that we could see the store again. I then went around the store with my camera and took some pictures of the exterior.
After this, we went back up to the main level of the Eaton Centre, and had another photo opportunity. So Sarah and I posed again for a picture, this time in the Eaton Centre. Here, we were almost directly beneath the Canadian geese that were hanging from the ceiling.
We then passed through the Eaton Centre again, and headed back out, back to the Delta Chelsea. When we got back, and then headed to Sarah’s room, Anni was there, as well as Rita, another friend who lives in Toronto. We met Rita and we all talked for a while, but then Mom and I got hungry, so Mom and I went for something to eat. Cindy from the night before recommended the Pickle Barrel restaurant. The Pickle Barrel was a very neat restaurant! It had cartoony pickles all over the menu, and the food was magnificent! Along with East Side Mario’s, I would recommend this restaurant to anyone visiting Toronto.
Upon returning to the Delta Chelsea, since it was our last night in Toronto, we visited Sarah and crew again. We all talked about all kinds of stuff, and for the first time in a while, both Schumin Web shirts were reunited! There was my shirt, which I had brought in case it was cold, and then Sarah brought hers.
Mom and Darlene each took a picture of us holding up our shirts.
These shirts were very much a product of their time. As such, these shirts said ben-schumin.simplenet.com, instead of the current www.schuminweb.com, and carried an older logo, rather than the rainbow logo that had been adopted a month or so prior to this trip.
Our conversation continued for a while longer, but then it was time to retire for the night. So, Mom and I got our hugs from everyone (as it was unlikely we were going to meet up the next day), went up to the 16th floor, and went to sleep. Time for another day…