1002 Things Before I Kick the Bucket
Because Eventually I Have To Die, Maybe
NYC In Three Days – Day One + Travel
Jul 22nd
There is really no other way to describe my trip to NYC except as a whirlwind of adventure and maybe a little misadventure.
First things first: the city prevented me from seeing Bon Jovi. Cool points lost = 29
Aside from obvious sadness over the loss of seeing “The Jovi” (though I have to admit I later compared seeing Bon Jovi to finding a cockroach in our hostel), New York was one of the most amazing places I have ever been. I think I mentioned before on my quick post from Irma’s house that it was already on the list of places I need to go back to. There was so much to do and see, there was no time to do anything but have assloads of fun.
I think one of the primary reasons we were able to enjoy ourselves so much is that we sketched out a rough schedule of things to do, based mostly on area and distance from the hostel. We didn’t plan out every minute (neurotic is not fun), but we planned it well enough that we were never at a loss for things to do and we managed to get everything we wanted done with the least resistance possible.
We left on Thursday night, 11pm out of Toronto’s Greyhound terminal. We barely squeezed onto the bus, leaving about another bus and a half load of people standing in the line wondering if there were more buses coming to cart them into the U.S. Lucky for us, we managed to get seats together, albeit they were right beside the washroom facility, which stank. Word the wise, if you’re taking the overnight Greyhound between Toronto and New York, go in early to make sure you get a seat, especially if you want to sit with your travel companions. The ride was alright, though my sleep was lacking. I had finally fallen into a deep sleep when we got to customs. I was shaken by my previous experience of being yelled at on the way to Niagara Falls when the customs agent was screaming at me, but going through was a breeze. They were a bit annoyed we didn’t have our return tickets on hand (considering I had no choice but to pick them up at Penn Station…), but they were quite nice on all fronts. We actually got into NYC over an hour early, since we skipped a stop in Syracuse.
We got on the subway pronto and went to our hostel to see if we could check 
in or at least drop our belongings off. It was about 11 in the morning and we didn’t want to be lugging backpacks to the Met and Guggenheim all day. We were staying at the Royal Park Hotel and Hostel on 97th and Broadway. We couldn’t check in but for a $2 fee we could check our bags, which we of course opted for. We made our way directly to the Museum of Natural History, sticking to the shaded sides of the streets of course! The Museum was packed with groups of summer camp kids, but I suppose that’s what we get for going on a Friday afternoon, right? Overall we found the MoNH to befairly confusing, with really poorly done maps, but we had a blast none the less. The planet-arium show was particularly awesome. “Hello, I’m Robert Redford, here to give you a non-creationist view of the Universe”.
The rest of the day was occupied by hostel checking in and going to the Met (which I loved and strongly recommend). We noshed on some delicious pizza from this tiny joint, allowing me to cross off #124 on my list, eating a slice of authentic New York pizza. We hit the hostel early in the evening, as we were both exhausted from our trip and walking around in the heat all day. We still had two days to get through, but my first day had given me a high opinion of the city.
Monday’s Picture of the Week
Jul 21st
Sign in found on the backroads of Southern Ontario, near St. Catharines.
Review – Sauble Beach
Jul 20th
On one of the weekends I was in Guelph my host suggested we head up to Sauble Beach. I had no previous knowledge of this beach, but was quickly informed that it was one of the top five beaches in Canada and the top beach in Ontario. I had been itching to go to a beach for sometime, and if you’re going to do it at all you might as well do it right.
It was a long haul from Guelph, about a three hour drive in total out to Lake Huron. We went in a bit later in the day to avoid the glaring sun, getting there around three in the afternoon. From about a kilometer away we could see just how busy the beach was, and were a bit worried. We soon discovered that the main part of the beach is the busiest, but if you drive a bit down and are willing to walk a little bit to use the toilet or buy food, you can get a nice chunk of land for yourself. With 11km of sand beach, I can’t see it ever being crammed full of people outside of the main entrance.
The sand is just amazing at the beach, not white, but a 
good colour, and it extends out far into Lake Huron. The water is warm and seaweed free which is an absolute must on my list for a good beach. Over all it was just an amazing beach and I can’t wait to go back. I can definitely see why it is one of the top five beaches in Canada.
Crossed Off – Giant Mennonite Boy
Jul 18th
I don’t know why I was so fascinated with the prospect of seeing a giant figure of a Mennonite boy, but I assume it has something to do with my interest in Hutterites. When I saw on Road Side Attractions that in Cambridge they had a Mennonite boy, it was added straight away to my list. Since Cambridge is only about 30 minutes away from Guelph where I was spending about two weeks, I figured this latest excursion out east would be an appropriate time to cross this particular item off of my list.
Located next to a giant bed in a field out between the Mennonite furniture store and the 401 high way, there is the smiling, waving Mennonite boy, who actually isn’t that big, but I will forget that fact because he was just so cool! What a random thing to make into a big sign…Mennonite boy. Haha.
A Little Dose of Americana
Jul 16th
I don’t have much to say about my trip to the American Falls. Here’s a numerical list of interesting points.
1. The American border crossing guy was an asshole who yelled at us for not knowing the address of Niagara Falls.
2. I got heat stroke incredibly bad while I was there and almost passed out en route to a look out point for the falls.
3. American Falls = less impressive that Canadian Falls.
4. A guy jumped the fence to get a better look, and stood on a rock right beside the falls. The slightest slip would have killed him. There is no security there. I’m surprised there are not suicides occuring there every day.
5. I went on Canada Day. The fire works on the Canadian side for Canada Day were terrible.
6. I also went to Lake Erie that day. That was fun. I put my feet in the water and walked around. I miss water.
NYC Update
Jul 14th
I just got back in from New York City and am crashing at my friend’s house in Oakville, Ontario before making my way tomorrow morning to Kingston to stay with my grandparents. I felt I should make a quick post here to break up the continuous scheduled posts I wrote a week or so ago. After a quick shower and some food, I feel a lot better from my 15 hours of travel today.
I absolutely loved New York and have alright mentally ticked it off as somewhere I have to return to. Our hostel was sketchy at best (cockroaches in bathrooms at night with French women screaming – yes), but it did not deter me at all from the city. In fact the cockroach factor ADDED to the experience if anything. It felt so authentically NYC, so real, or something.
I did a lot of tourist stuff, Empire State Building, Guggenheim and the likes, but sitting in Central Park with a cool breeze watching the fire flies glowing under the drooping trees; that was my New York.
5:00 am wake up call tomorrow to catch my via rail to my hometown. There will certainly be a more descriptive post regarding my journey to the U.S. once I get back home and recover from my month away. I just couldn’t resist the opportunity to post while I had computer access.
Monday’s Picture of the Week
Jul 14th
A shot of the CN tower from the ground care of myself.
Back in Canada today, via Amtrak. Off to Kingston pronto.
Quick Hit – Fire Flies
Jul 13th
I forgot to post about seeing these.
Sadly, I did not get pictures of them, they are hard buggers to get a picture of in the dark without a proper camera. I have seen them a few times since coming out here, though, which pleases me greatly. Nothing like standing on a deck watching the bushes flick on and off slowly. One of the many things I miss about Ontario, the light bug shows that happen on most nights in the summer. Truly something people should experience!
Crossed Off – CN Tower
Jul 12th
One of the more nerve racking things I have included on my list is a trip up the CN tower to walk on the glass floor. I am terrified of heights and am not exactly a huge fan of elevators, especially those with glass windows, so this particular item on the list was more a test in will power than a chance to have fun. Though I had every intention of making the trip on my excursion out east, I didn’t have any definite plans. My travel partner Chris and I decided more or less on a whim to go into Toronto from Guelph in the middle of the afternoon and go up the highest building in the world. Greyhound tickets purchased last minute and some clamoring to get onto the bus did nothing to settle my nerves. When we arrived in the core, the tower dominated the skyline, pointing ever upward, reminding us of where we would soon be standing.
We got into the queue to pay for tickets and were informed at the booth that there was an hour wait to get up, another hour wait to get to the sky pod (a higher lookout), and an full 60 minutes wait to get down. Since we had already sat on a Greyhound bus for over an hour and a half, we figured we had no choice but to put on our patient faces and stand in line with all the other tourists. The package we chose was $26.50CND, and included the regular observation deck, the glass floor, and the sky pod, we decided to pay the extra $4 for the sky pod experience and extra hour in line!
We got in line with the rest of the tourist sheep, but noticed that the line was far too short to be over an hour like we were told. We assumed that they gave a “worst case scenario” wait time to avoid angry people, but when we discovered we were only in line a mere 20 minutes, we were a bit baffled. Worst case scenario is one thing, but it seems we were given the “operating with one elevator” wait time instead. I shouldn’t complain too much, as 20 minutes standing with the brats from hell and their douche bag family that were behind us was 20 minutes too long in the first place. Let me warn you: the place is crawling with demon children. If you don’t like small children, I suggest avoiding the CN tower altogether or email them suggesting a child free day or evening so you can actually enjoy the experience.
We got into our elevator, and the first thing I noticed was the fully glassed “walls”, but I had to give thanks to the attendants for not placing me in a glass-floored elevator. As we started our climb the vertigo and fear took over, and I closed my eyes tight, and counted the 58 seconds down in my head. Everyone else was oohing and aahing over the view, but opening my eyes was not an option for me. Once at the top we were thrust into a pulsing orgy of screaming children, running children, and men acting like children. We slowly made our way to the glass floor, slipping through cracks in the crowd and avoiding small children running under our feet.
Of course, the glass floor was plastered with small children crawling and swimming around as they are wont to do. It was a challenge getting close to it. Upon catching glimpses of it through the feet and children’s bodies, my heart starting racing. I couldn’t stand on it, I just couldn’t. Chris over course hopped onto it like no bodies business, walking around and posing for my camera. I knew I had to do it, since if I didn’t do it then it would mean another 26 bucks and a hellish elevator ride up the tower again. I planted a foot onto the see-through floor, heard a creaking sound, but decided to stick to my guns. I was only on there a little bit at first, and had to get off. There are SO many giant fat men jumping on it, shaking what seems to be the entire tower. It’s ridiculous and annoying.
We went out to the observation deck and saw what we could, but by this point we were both overcome with hatred for man kind, especially their offspring. Chris was also battling a major headache, so we decided to forego the sky pod, and head back down. We got into the line, which of course had a screaming/crying brat in it, and waited for our turn on the elevator. While I’m sure it didn’t take an hour, it sure felt like it with the high pitched screaming going on everywhere around us.
My general review of the CN tower is that it’s a giant waste of money. It’s over-priced tourist shit with too many children running wild and being insanely loud. As I said to Chris on the way down, I would only recommend it to people planning on jumping to their death since it would reaffirm why life is not worth living. I guess it’s something you have to do while you’re in Toronto and such things, but maybe bring some ear plugs.
Of and of course you can always high five one of the bears to make yourself feel better!
