Welcome back for Part Two of my little series here. It's only two parts, so here is the next day of my adventures around Toronto for Doors Open.
This time I went all the way down to King Street to visit the Royal Alexandra Theatre. I've been inside before to see musicals, but I've never had the opportunity to wander around throughout the entire building, visiting the box seats etc. Unfortunately I wasn't allowed to take photos inside the theatre, but here's a view of it from the outside:
Also, here's a look at Roy Thomson Hall which is where I went to for the symphony last Wednesday. It's a pretty interesting looking building. I quite like it actually:
Next stop was Union Station. I signed up for a "behind the scenes" tour, which is offered at the end of every month by the Toronto Railway Historical Association. The tour is the last Saturday of every month and costs $10. I got to go for free, and it was pretty interesting to see and hear what Union Station is really like.
Now, I can't remember everything that I heard on the tour, but here are some fun facts that I do remember:
- Union Station is one of the busiest stations in the world. More passengers pass through here than the Toronto Pearson Airport, Grand Central Station in New York, etc. This is due to the traffic created by VIA Rail, GO Transit and the TTC Subway.
- This is the 3rd and final location of Union Station.
- There use to be a bath located in the Station which cost 50 cents. This was popular with the women who would stand in line and wait to have a bath. Just imagine these people travelling for hours and hours and hours, and are pretty smelly, no wonder it was popular!
- There was a barber (which is still there), who would shave all the men passing through the station. All the business men would be arriving after long trips and need a nice clean shave!
- Jack Nicholson filmed a movie in one of the men's washrooms near the barber shop.
- The glass panels that you see when inside actually acts as a corridor between the hallways located behind the walls of the station which you can't actually see. It's also used for ventilation:
- On one of the doors in the hallways within the walls is a sticker that says "New York City Police" which was left behind during the filming of a Bruce Willis movie. The name of the movie escapes me.. and I didn't get a shoot of the door. My apologies.
- The Station is a very popular place to shoot movies because of it's "1920s" vibe. However, with the new renovations that are to come, all the rooms and offices that have been unoccupied for years will now house many employees, making it harder for film crews to get in there. Thankfully the doors and other heritage elements will be preserved.
- Next time you pass by, check out the names and dates carved on the exterior of the building. You will notice that it says "1919" which is actually the wrong date. The stone mason got carried away and thought the building would be complete in 1919 when really it was done in 1920. However, the building didn't open until 1927.
- Inside the building, if you look up, you'll notice there are names of the major cities the trains use to travel too. You will notice a slight error with "Sault St Marie" which should really be spelt "Sault Ste Marie". However, you can erase stone can you?
Later, I wandered over to Toronto's First Post Office:
I attempted to wait in line for the tour of The Flatiron building, but it was an hour wait. I didn't feel like waiting, but it's a pretty cool building eh?:
After these buildings, I had no other plans to visit any other places. I decided to wander down to the CN Tower to see what was going on there. I ended up stumbling upon Steam Whistle Brewing, got a free glass of beer, and a free tour of the brewery. How cool is that? I was amazed they didn't ID me, and thankfully they didn't cause I didn't have it on me, but I saw a group of young people that already had a drink in hand and a security guy stopped them and started questioning them. I tried to steer clear of the security guy...
I had a lot of fun on the tour and learned a lot! I'm a big fan of Steam Whistle now! Especially since I don't actually drink beer....
Did you know there is something called a "Brew Master" who oversees the making of the beer. They have to study for 8 years in Europe to become one. Isn't that crazy?
Anywho, I recommend going on a tour, it's kinda fun :)
After a long day in the downtown I eventually made my way back home.
The weekend was lovely, and I saw parts of Toronto that I never thought I would really pay attention too.
If you're in Toronto, take the time to visit different parts of the city, you'll be amazed at the "coolness" of Toronto. There's a reason why people visit! Take that Vancouver! :p
Actually, I recommend just checking out your own town in general. Take a look at your city like a tourist would, it's tons of fun!
:)
keep smilin',
Monica
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