Rüfüs Du Sol with Allison

Oh good gosh, was this really a week and a half ago or more.  So much to catch up on.  As usual!  I should rename this blog "Peter Ten Days Later".  Sigh.

You know, this is a fairly easy blog post to write.  A lot of photos, not much to say.  Allison and I made it to the Rogers Centre (and, no, I will refer to it as SkyDome henceforth because that is what it still is in my mind) during the opening act, Fcukers. 

I'd heard one of their songs before the show, and I don't think I heard it at the show.  I also wasn't inclined to listen to more, sorry.  The sound was muddy, the vocals failing to cut through everything.  Maybe we got a bad night, and I thank them for opening, but not for us.

Before Rüfüs Du Sol came on, we got to witness something pretty cool:  the opening of the roof. 

The weather was fine for a late summer concert, and the spectacle of it opening was fun to watch.  Plus, terrific view of the CN Tower! 

Once that was done, it was on to the show.

Van and I saw Rüfüs Du Sol back in fall of 2021, and it was such a good show.  But honestly?  This was better.  More uninhibited post-Covid (he writes on an evening when Conrad has tested positive), more energy.  Rüfüs Du Sol were more polished, the show was sharp and focused.  So good. 

I was really happy to be there with Allison for her first time seeing them.

Post-show, Allison navigated us to a subway stop where we could get on the train before the crowd.  Smart thinking.  I was back at the hotel before the bar closed, getting a glass of wine from Peter, the bartender, and heading to my room.  It took a long while to wind down and fall asleep, but it was all so worthwhile. 

sunny morning for leaving

After the relatively miserable day yesterday (although it was not bad late afternoon, truly), today is mocking us.  The event is over, and so we have clear, sunny weather.  

No, not warm, but beautiful nonetheless.  Of course, right?

A decent morning walk today heading the other direction.  I’ve had hotel breakfast, and now I need to get packing as soon as Van is awake.  Back to Seattle to meet up with Conrad - hooray!

Sunday morning check in

Living in SoCal, I go far too long in between seeing rain, so it is a genuine delight to me when I do get to experience it.

Alas, I fear this shall make for a bit of a muddy, messy, and even miserable day at The Gorge later, even if the rain stops (and it is forecast to do so before evening).  We left early last night because of a two hour pause in the show due to high winds, and now I am wondering if we both want to contend with a slippery, grassy slope.  We shall see.

checking in from Wenatchee

Ah, Peter.  Not even done blogging the Toronto trip, and now you are out of town again.  Just swell.

I’m in Wenatchee this morning, in a hotel breakfast area overrun with young hockey boys and their families.  They certainly are, well, loud.  No matter.  Van is asleep upstairs, we will head to The Gorge later today.  Here’s hoping it’s a great afternoon and evening of music!

I’ll have much to catch up on next week, I know.  Stay tuned!

Saturday in Toronto before the concert

I have been to Toronto, oh gosh, ten times in my life?  Maybe more, maybe less, but I feel like it is at least that.  Three times since I resumed the blog in 2023, and I know that there were at least a couple in the in-between years of the blog and at least a couple more pre-blog.  Anyway, as a whole, it's not really new to me.  That said, I do tend to stick to the same parts of the city, and there is a lot of it I haven't seen.  And a lot of it I never will - there are sure to be plenty of residential areas that are that and nothing more, not worth wandering and visiting.  But a lot is familiar - the street names at least, even if it seems newer and newer highrises are going up.

Anyway, I did start out my Saturday morning in Toronto in such an area.  My hotel

was a block off the main drag of the gay village,

so I ambled over to a Starbucks I knew was there, grabbed my decaf latte, and got to walking around the broader area a little. 

I had a leisurely morning to enjoy.  Allison was planning to meet me after 10:00, so there was no rush.

Once she picked me up, we caught the metro and streetcar over to where we could take a ferry over to the Toronto Islands. 

Yes, friends, a new part of the city for me to see.  Hooray!

It's a short ferry ride and a very popular one at that.  Still, we got to stand along a rail and get some good shots of the skyline as we headed over.  

Once on the islands, it was hours of walking all over, enjoying the great weather

and overdue, welcome, deep conversation.  And, of course, there were the sights.  Monarch butterflies abounded. 

A cormorant sunning itself. 

Something in the mustelid family scooting across the boardwalk.  And views of the city, both through the setting of a marina of boats and unobstructed. 

Just such a nice day, broken up with a light lunch at the Riviera Lakeside Patio

and a coffee from the Runaway Cafe.

Allison and I caught a ferry back and began walking back to my hotel.  We stopped into the Eaton's Centre, into Eataly

and Simon's and Uniqlo.  Once back at the hotel, we freshened up and relaxed, and then headed a handful of blocks north to dinner.  It has been AGES since last I had Ethiopian food, and it made for a fairly inexpensive, filling, and not-too-rich meal sitting outside at Ethiopian House, the sounds of the city all about. 

A meal in our bellies, it was time to head to the show....

getting to Toronto

Last Friday morning I boarded a flight from LAX to EWR.  Oh, I know, I could have flown direct to the Centre of the Universe, but a) it would have cost more miles, and b) there were more options on Air Canada, which I try to avoid flying.  So disloyal to my home country, I know.  I had originally booked LAX --> DEN --> YYZ, but it meant an ungodly 5AM departure.  Look, I'm a morning person, but come on!  A couple of weeks before the trip I changed my routing, leaving later and going by way of EWR. So, yes, across the continent, but hey, lie-flat seats!

It was an uneventful flight.  I had a tasty enough breakfast aboard

and then a cod cakes "lunch" before landing. 

I dozed, read, listened to music, watched Cougar Town (my new favourite show).  We landed, and I had over an hour in the lounge before the next flight.

A window seat on flight two meant that I was able to see outside as we left Newark

and then, an hour or so later, as we approached and landed in Toronto. 

Ah, Lake America!  I joke.  Fuck that.  Lake Ontario.  Let's be real.

Getting through the airport and to the hotel was relatively smooth and as fast as it could reasonably be.  I made it to my room,

dropped my bags, and headed to the hotel restaurant/bar for a basic dinner, a turkey and avocado BLT. 

The sandwich was a sandwich, but the fries were good.  The bartender, also named Peter, warmed up to me after I explained a Boulevardier

to him and chatted a little.  Dinner done, I came upstairs to unpack and unwind and sip the glass of Baco Noir I'd brought up with me. 

A long day of travel done, and so much to come for the weekend!