Going Green(er) in Toronto

I usually visit Toronto a few times a year but December 2019 was the last time we spent a day there free from Covid restrictions. We tried to visit the Distillery District's Toronto Christmas Market last November but couldn't find a parking spot as many of the lots we used in the past have been sold to condo developers. It took us a long time to get out of the city core that day making it clear that public transit is the only reasonable way to visit the city. Yesterday I parked for free just north of the city limits and we took a 43-minute subway ride to Union Station. I purchased a Presto card which allows me discount fares for my age. The subway system is much more extensive than when I rode it as a teenager. One of my favourite places to visit when our family lived in Toronto was the Royal Ontario Museum. The subway station at the ROM now features interesting pillars of ancient Mayan and Egyptian influence. 

Our first destination was Toronto Comicon which returned this weekend after a two-year hiatus. We visited The Becka who had a table in the Artist Alley. The Comicon is very family-friendly these days as costumes that are excessively revealing or composed of body paint are no longer allowed. It is a place where nerds of all ages can have a good time. The event was sold out but it was not too busy until early afternoon. While mask restrictions are being eased significantly this month, I will still remain cautious where there are large indoor crowds.

Bloor St. W Toronto near Trinity-St. Paul's United Church

We hopped on the subway again and rode to Bloor St. W to visit BMV Books, an old-fashioned bookstore featuring discounted and pre-owned books and music. I say "hopped on" when I really mean "hobbled on" as subway stations have more stairs than escalators and I had already walked 11,000 steps on pavement. My joints are definitely not used to this degree of stress! Biking is far easier for me than walking or prolonged standing, and walking on dirt trails is far more gentle than doing the same distance on hard surfaces. Toronto has a good network of bike lanes that are well marked and safe for attentive adult riders and rental bikes are available in several locations. A visit to Toronto's Centre Island is on my bucket list and I would definitely rent a bike for touring that area. 

Toronto CN Tower (courtesy of The Becka)

We ended the day in The Becka's hotel room which overlooked the CN Tower and the Lake Ontario waterfront. We ordered from Aroma Fine Indian Cuisine, a restaurant we enjoyed for the first time three years ago. When we opened up the bags of food, there were no eating utensils included as we have come to expect with take-out meals. There was a federal government plan to ban single-use plastics including straws and eating utensils by 2021, but this target was softened during the pandemic. But I noticed that several Toronto eateries have proceeded to follow the proposed rules. Finding something to eat with on a Saturday evening was an adventure for a daughter with stronger legs than mine. She found a package of bamboo sporks at a 7-Eleven store several blocks away. The food was delicious!

Today I am sewing little bags to hold a travel set of eating utensils for everyone in the family! I have become accustomed to excessive single-use plastic in the hospital environment because of Covid. It is good to remember that we must do better in reducing waste.