Like a lot of people from this city, I left shortly after work on Friday to head up to the cottage for the long weekend.
Actually that's a fiction Torontonians been telling for decades now. What really happens in the summer on weekends is that all the cool people from Toronto all get together up in Peterborough, where we hang out at Artspace with the artsy crowd. So when you see the traffic backed up on the 400 going north Friday evenings, we're not headed out to "rough-it" for 2 days. We're going to party without the losers who we leave back in the city.
I mean, who in their right mind would want to spend their summer weekends with the mosquitos, doing nothing but fishing, relaxing by the lake, where all the convenience stores within 100 miles are closed by 11pm?
But it's a secret. If anyone asks, just say you caught some pickerel and yummy were they ever good.
Toronto Drivers
One of the pleasures of living only 2 blocks from my office is that I can walk to work.
Being a pedestrian in this city can be scary sometimes though. Drivers in this city have some bad habits, and walking can be a real adventure. My complaint today is with stopping at stoplights. We all know the line from the movie
Starman, "Red light means stop, green light means go, yellow light means go very fast". In this city they seem to have their own motto, which is "stopping for pedestrians means go slowly".
What I'm referring to is the situation where a pedestrian is waiting for a green light to cross, with a car at the same intersection waiting for the same green light. Cars are supposed to give pedestrians the right of way, and let them cross first, but the reality is that a smart pedestrian gives the car the right of way unless the driver motions the pedestrian across or gives a sign that he is aware of the person on foot.
But when a driver starts to ease out into the intersection, with their head craned around and away from the pedestrian, it is impossible for the pedestrian to judge the intentions of the driver. In this city, drivers don't like to remain stopped at intersections, they like to creep out into traffic then hit the gas. Which leaves poor Mr. O'Pedestrian in a real quandary as Mr Rubberneck Driver may not realize there is a person crossing.
And to add insult to an already difficult situation, once the driver finally turns their head back to look where they are going, and realize they are essentially blocking the pedestrian lane, they tend to impatiently wave the pedestrian across with a look of "Come on, what the hell are you waiting for?"
I fully expect to evetually be hit by a car walking to work. I only ask drivers to please pay attention to the pedestrians in the intersection.
Life in Toronto. Like most people who didn't grow up here, I never wanted to live here. I grew up in a small town, moved to Ottawa when I was old enough to start making my own mistakes, and somehow 6 years after that I woke up one day and I was living in Toronto. I've been here ever since.
More later probably Tomorrow
