Nov. 24, 2008 – Brockville, Ontario (Toronto)
..Niagara Falls, Toronto, and snow.
Another horrible two hours of sleep. I don’t care what anyone says, only two hours of sleep when you are sick is bad enough, but when you’re 6′2″ -300lbs trying to leg wrestle the steering wheel in a compact car for an extra inch of leg room in 25 degree temperatures, it happens to be even worse.
Ralph Wilson Stadium - home to the Bills
After awakening in the permafrost of the drivers side seat, I made the 30 minute trip to south Buffalo to see the stadium where the Bills play. The stadium was surprisingly old. It is definitely one of the older stadiums I’ve seen so far and it’s wide open parking lot made a great place for me my face to catch the wide open frosty breezes. I’m starting to wonder if my nose is swollen. It seems to be doing the impossible, getting bigger! Is it the cold? Is it the constant applications of tissues? I’m not sure, but let’s hope it manages to shrink.
Gas is $2.50/gallon here in Buffalo. This is the most I have paid for gas since California. I have heard that many areas are paying around $1.50/gallon right now. I can assure you, it isn’t in Buffalo.
I made it back to Niagara Falls on the U.S. side for a stroll. It is unbelievably cold and I can tell that I am going to need a stocking hat soon! My ears are freezing and in danger of falling off.
As I viewed the falls from many different points, I found myself already preparing for another border crossing. If you remember my last crossing into Canada, it was quite eventful. Let’s see if I learned anything and if I can make the passage easier this time.
When customs asked if I had a home in the states this time, I emphatically said “YES!” This seemed to be the difference because he was hardly interested in me after that. A couple of more questions and I was told to “enjoy your stay.” Now, that’s how I remember the passage from the old days.
Niagara Falls - Canadian side
I have always heard that the Falls are a much better view from the Canadian side and all I can say about that is: “It’s true.” There is no debate. The falls are hardly worth paying a visit on the U.S. side, but the Canadian side is remarkable.
The quarter mile of road leading up to falls on the Canadian side seems to be in a perpetual deluge of rain! It is not rain, but rather the mist of the falls. This isn’t your typical mist though, it soaks everything, so much in fact that you need your car wipers on while driving. I parked along side of the sidewalk to get out for a view and got soaked. I guess I should park farther away?
Yes, that is exactly what I needed to do and that is what I did.
Even at a greater distance, I still managed to accumulate enough water in shoes and clothing to feel squishy. I left the fall views and ventured around the area’s other viewpoints. After a few hours of looking at a river, I decided to head to Toronto.
My first impression of Toronto is: WOW!
This city seems to be enormous. It feels different than the other metro areas I have seen so far. I would have to say that it is a cross of Chicago, New York, and L.A. It’s unique. The city seems to take a liking to high-rise living. Usually, when you start to leave the downtown area, the suburbs kick in, which usually means “single family homes.” This was not the case in Toronto.
Each turn seemed to give way to more high rises. I wonder if Toronto has more 50+ story buildings than any other North American city.
There were clusters of high-rises. They all seemed new too. Even in the downpour of the foggy rain, I could sense the cosmopolitan feel that the new high-rises provided.
CN Tower - Toronto
The traffic was horrible as expected. It brought back traumatic memories of sitting in Houston’s traffic. The only difference this time is that it isn’t “rush hour” and it is still bad. I don’t think Toronto’s freeway system is as good as most large American Metros and it shows.
I drove around downtown to get a feel for the life of the city center. I saw the CN tower, which I believe was the tallest free-standing structure in the world for a very long time.
I would have liked to ride to the top for a view, but I don’t want to spend more money and the view would have been horrible today. There is an ominous gray blanket hovering above the city and the CN Tower seems to be making an attempt to penetrate through the top. It would not be a good day for a view.
I made my way out of Toronto after a few hours. The countryside started to cool off and it was evident by the rain turning to snow. Here I am, in Ontario Canada in midst of a blossoming snow storm. The sky showed it, I could feel it, and the emergence of snowflakes were becoming more prominent.
Before long, the sun gave way to the 4:30 nightfall. I’m sure the gray skies blocking out any attempt by the sun to aid in visibility didn’t help. It was now a gray night with shades of white snow overpowering the landscape. The wet roads were becoming slipperier as time passed and I was growing “ever more nervous” driving.
Once again, I justified my desire to get a hotel by remembering how sick I have been lately.
I feel as though I am beginning to get over this illness, but I am still congested to the point of aggravation. I pulled off to get a hotel in Brockville, Ontario, which is about a two hours southeast of Montreal.
After seeing Buffalo’s Ralph Wilson Stadium, I have now seen 21 of the 31 NFL Stadiums.
