Hortons, Poutine and Double, Double – Toronto, ONT

I recently went on my fourth visit to the fourth largest city in North America, Toronto, Ontario Canada. This city boasts a population of 2,731,571 that is 887,443 more people than the entire state of West Virginia (1,844,128). That is really mind boggling when you stop and think about it, imagine living someplace where there is 10,747 people per square mile, compared to 77.1 people per square mile in West Virginia! Ummm WOW! Except for the traffic driving in on the QEW (Queen Elizabeth Way) I have never felt that smothered in people while there. My first visit to this globally diverse, culturally driven and financial center for Canada was in 1984 with my dear friends, Cath and Mike. Never had we country bumpkins from Ohio ever seen the likes of such a cosmopolitan magical city. Towering buildings as far as the eye could see, crowded streets filled with Canadians doing their daily duties, sipping on their Tim Horton Double Double coffees. We stayed at the Delta Chelsea Hotel on Gerald Street one block west of Yonge Street; which is “THE” street of Toronto, at the time of our visit, it was considered the longest street in the world as it stretches from Lake Ontario to the northern points of Ontario; that was until 1999, the Guinness Book of World Records repeated the popular misconception that it was 1,896 km (1,178 mi) long, and thus the longest street in the world; this was due to a mistaken conflation of Yonge Street with the rest of Ontario’s Highway 11. We were in awe of the shops, cafes, boutiques, he mammoth Eaton Centre. Casa Loma, CN Tower, Yorkville all of which were just quick subway ride away. We of course had never ridden on a subway, so we were nervous wrecks trying to figure it all out. Since we were poor struggling Grundy Loft employees we decided to only eat out once, somewhere nice that was, and we chose the revolving restaurant high atop the CN Tower. I truthfully don’t remember much about the food, I do remember getting the palate cleanser between courses and Cath getting lost coming back from the restroom as we had revolved away from her. It was definitely a memorable trip for us and I have never forgotten it. Toronto kept calling my name as a few years later, probably around 1993 we visited the city in November for a fast weekend getaway and I convinced Jackie she would love it; however she didn’t – she did however enjoy the The Fezziwig’s (remember them in The Christmas Carol?) Christmas Party that we attended interactively at Casa Loma and she seemed to enjoy the ROM (Royal Ontario Museum) and definitely not the dinner at His Majesty’s Feast near High Park, whereas I was only allowed to call her a wench and only she could get me salt as she was supposed to serve her master – guess what? I didn’t get any salt that night for my dinner and was I was banned forever from uttering the words wench from my mouth. I work in engineering and I am a member of ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) and ASTM holds its working meetings twice a year in the spring and in the fall – twice now I have attended the spring meetings when they have been held in Toronto, a 5 hour and 40 minute drive from Norwalk. Unlike my first two visits to Toronto, the past two visits have required a passport. My view from the 15th floor of my hotel was of Nathan Philips Square, City Hall and the TORONTO sign. Though there wasn’t much time for any sightseeing or leisure as we attend meetings from 7:00 am to 9:00 pm I did mange on both trips to get some exploration of the city’s massive underground city called the PATH. The PATH is connected directly to the Sheraton Centre Hotel where I stayed. I walked these shop and food court lined corridors filled with Toronto commuters and tourists completely in awe as to the extent of the maze of this underground climate controlled world. You are able to walk from the Eaton

Centre south to Queen’s Quay completely oblivious to whatever weather elements are happening in the outside world. Both times I have purchased Lindt truffles from a shop that carries every flavor offered and discounted when purchased in bulk, so I came home with 100 truffles justifying the cost as they were for Easter. On Sunday evening after arriving and attending a workshop several of my colleagues and I ventured down Queen Street West looking for dinner. One of the guys in our group, who lives in the Toronto area recommended a place that is popular called ME-VA-ME, which is a Mediterranean kitchen, much like a Chipotle. I love Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine so I was excited and definitely not disappointed as my friend suggested getting the Chicken Schnitzel Box which was served with Greek Salad and rice, it was even more delicious when covered in what they called schnitzel sauce. Queen Street West is a neighborhood filled with quirky shops, art galleries, boutiques, restaurants and coffee houses. It is part of the Toronto entertainment district and really comes alive after dark. I am also a huge fan of Tim Hortons, so a visit to Toronto or anywhere in Ontario is a Timmy’s fan dream come true as there are more locations in Canada than there are McDonalds, every exit on the QEW has one and from the Sheraton Centre alone there are three within sight of each other as crowds gather for their DOUBLE-DOUBLE fix. I’ll just have the double cream, no sugar please, oh and a Honey Dipped donut too. On Monday I ventured out during lunch to the Yonge-Dundas Square area which didn’t exist on my first two visits to get some pictures. The lunch I was anticipating was a traditional order of poutine at Smoke’s Poutinerie on Dundas Street, crisp hot fries covered in rich dark gravy and cheese curds…why this heavenly thing hasn’t caught on in the USA yet, baffles me! The square is continuously illuminated by large billboard screens, which has led to it’s comparison with that of New York City’s Times Square and London’s Piccadilly Circus. Crowded with locals and tourists alike the square is located in the heart of the shopping district across the street from the Eaton Centre and a block north of the Ed Mirvish Theater, formerly known and famous as the Pantages Theater which presented for 7.1 million people in 4,226 performances of the Phantom of The Opera which ran from 1989 to 1999 and grossed over 465 million dollars. I’m very excited for the sequel “Love Never Dies” which is coming to the State Theater in Cleveland’s Play House Square in 2018.
With any luck I can convince Jackie to give Toronto one more chance to explore this Tim Horton and poutine filled land, if not maybe Cath and Mike would want to go again

I’ve included my version of Poutine – you’ll be as addicted as I am! In Canada it’s served at all the fast food chains, Wendy’s and McDonalds included.