Truthfully, there isn’t much to update.
I’ve booked a total of zero hostels/hotels/B&Bs/campsites for the upcoming road trip, which is now two weeks away.
Yes it’s true.
I completed my bike marathon — a total of 103 kilometres from Toronto to Oakville and back. To give you a better picture of what that exactly looks like, check out the map above.
When I told a friend I was planning to bike to Oakville - a distance of about 92 kilometres from the downtown core of Toronto - he naturally assumed I would be going by motorcycle.
But then I corrected him. I’m planning to ride a normal, everyday, mountain bicycle, using just the power generated from my legs pushing in a circular motion to accelerate.
Exactly one month from today, I’ll be heading out on the road, traveling east until I hit the Atlantic Ocean.
Yet here I am thinking about another trip that is months away and would take me in the complete opposite geographical direction.
I’m going up to Muskoka tonight to a friend’s cottage where the air is cleaner and the water is pristine…I think…I hope.
In any case, I’m heading north. And although it’s just for a night, I’ve been looking forward to getting away from the inescapable, hectic and fast-paced lifestyle in the city.
Check out the following two links (the article is separated into two parts) outlining the author’s preference of 10 cities around the world to visit before you die.
I’ve been to two of the ten listed (New York City, U.S.A. and Paris, France) so I guess I got some more travelling to do.
Yeah it’s a month-and-a-half away.
Still, the anticipation is there, especially with some of my co-workers recently returning from their respective vacations. So I’ve begun my research in where to stay on each stop of my east coast road trip. Continue reading…
One thing that made both my European trips (in 2008 and 2009) especially memorable were the free walking tours I went on.
As a clueless foreigner and tourist, I gained so much insight and a deeper appreciation for the cities I roamed through on foot in wonder of their rich history and culture.
Now Toronto surely has a rich history of its own, celebrating 175 years of formal existence. As such, Heritage Toronto will be conducting free walking tours that are researched, designed and led by local historians, groups and professionals from across the city who volunteer their time.
Yes I know. It’s officially referred to as “The Beach.”
But to me it will always be known as “The Beaches” (as it makes more sense since this Toronto neighbourhood consists of multiple beaches.) For those who disagree and start to lecture me on the history behind the name, you shouldn’t take my personal preference so seriously because (a) I never lived in The Beach or frequented the area all that much during my 30 years in the city, and (b) I just like how “The Beaches” rolls off the tongue.
After playing a double header softball game on Sunday, I looked forward to the Monday off that I conveniently scheduled.
I got to sleep in. Let my wounds heal a bit. Then boredom kicked in.
The return of Jane Pitfield? - Posted to City Hall by David Nickle
Jane Pitfield, who represented the communities in Ward 26 for eight years before running an unsuccessful mayoral campaign against David Miller, is attempting a comeback this year - and this afternoon, she'll make it official. Pitfield said she'll be filing her nomination papers to run in Ward 29 - the East York ward that will be left vacant when current councillor Case Ootes retires this year. “In the past three years, I’ve had the ability to watch from the outside and although I have had the opportunity to participate in a variety of projects and a lot of volunteer work, I remain committed to the City of Toronto,” said Pitfield in an interview from her home in Leaside. “It is my great.. (Read More)
New Blogsite - Posted to Going Places! by Clark Kim
For future postings, go to Here And There (link provided). Thank you. Clark. .. (Read More)
Canadian National Exhibition - Posted to Going Places! by Clark Kim
I like it even better than Canada's Wonderland. The Canadian National Exhibition, aka C.N.E., aka The EX, is an annual tradition running from the last two weeks in August until Labour Day, which for most Torontonians, marks the unofficial end of summer. Of the 175 years that the C.N.E. has provided an endless array of events, activities, entertainment, games, rides, and concerts to residents near and far, I've faithfully gone to The EX for the past decade. Maybe it's the carnival atmosphere I like so much where people of all ages come to gather for fun with the whole family. The Air Show is a good draw as well as the international vendors offering their goods. Or it could just be the food. Speaking of which, I tried the deep-fried Mars bar for the first time and it was...okay... (Read More)
East Coast Reflections - Posted to Going Places! by Clark Kim
The east coast of Canada is really something else. I'm not sure why I wanted to go do this road trip this year or even at all. It wasn't like my west coast road trip in 2003, which was much longer. But it was something I really wanted to do probably because I've heard so many things growing up about cities like Vancouver, Banff, Calgary, and Winnipeg (ok, not Winnipeg but I was there). But no one really talked that much with the same level of great detail about Charlottetown, Moncton, or even Halifax. Yet each of those cities in their respective Maritime provinces were definitely just as beautiful as the ones aforementioned. As usual, in these cases, photos do a much better job in describing what I've just seen and experienced. So click the photo above to see a small sample.. (Read More)
Long Road Home - Posted to Going Places! by Clark Kim
I see the light at the end of the tunnel. After eight days on the road from Toronto to Cape Breton with stops at Quebec City, Fredericton, Fundy, Halifax, Cape Breton, Cheticamp, Charlottetown, and finally today, the final stop, in Montreal, I am ready to go home. Ok, not quite yet. My friends and I are going to go out one last time to enjoy this lovely French-Canadian "ville" and check out a couple of places this guy from Montreal who I met during my European trip earlier this year had recommended through Facebook. But yeah, after tonight, I'm looking forward to sleeping on my own comfortable bed. Mostly because a couple of guys here are loud snorers and I've slept in the van (instead of the tent) a couple of nights just to get at least four consecutive hours of sleep. Other than that, this trip has been nothing short of amazing. The.. (Read More)
