Halloween
Haloween, believed to have originated from the European Pagan festival of the dead, is celebrated every year on October 31, which happened to be a Saturday this year. Maybe that gave an extra punch to the celebrations because I saw people dressed up the previous night and even the previous weekend. The festive mood probably has to do with the fact that the seasons are changing and everyone simply wants an occasion to celebrate.
Here are some pictures (very few are taken by me) from the street parties, prominently in the Church-Wellesley neighborhood where the streets, closed for traffic, were overflowing with people.
Toronto Halloween Pool on Flickr
It was the first Halloween I celebrated, and the first time I got dressed up (note: put your shirt on before painting your face!)
Chad (some freak) and me (butterfly). I had silly wings but they got ruined while cycling.
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Fall colours and Canadian Geese at York University
Autumn is at its peak in Toronto and everything is pretty colorful. Last Saturday afternoon, the campus was unusually empty and the central lawn was taken over by geese who were busy having lunch.
The presence of these birds is a sign that real winter hasn’t begun yet (indeed, the lows are not below 5ºC). Soon, the birds will start flying south, migrating across the border.
I love walking on crunchy leaves that carpet the ground. When there’s wind, these leaves scatter around in circles and loops, flying all over the place, like little kids who just finished school and are running home.
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Bathurst Street Bridge
The Bathurst street bridge is a steel truss bridge over the rail tracks south of Front St. The bridge was built in 1903 and was moved to this location in 1916. It is a four-lane bridge, with two lanes for street cars, and a wide pedestrian walkway.
I love such rustic and simple bridges. Especially on days when the light is perfect, shadows are crisp and I am equipped with a camera (this picture was taken during summer). 
Google maps now supports ’street view’ in Toronto. You can view actual pictures of the place!
मोठा नकाशा पाहा
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Fall colors at Frontenac Provincial Park
I spent the last long weekend (it was Thanksgiving in Canada) camping at Frontenac park, about 280km east of Toronto, with the intention of watching autumn colours. Thankfully the timing to watch Fall colors was pretty good although the weather was kind of a letdown, and so was the terrain.
Signs inside Frontenac.
It was quite chilly (about -4ºC last night and +3ºC previous), windy and occasionally there was a shower. Still overall it was very enjoyable… I’ll let the pictures do the talking.
PS: I wasn’t sure if I should include this place in Toronto Tuesday since technically the park is not in the city. But I thought it was okay to expand the boundaries once a while.
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Nuit Blanche
Nuit Blanche (नुई ब्लांश) – meaning ‘White Night’ or ‘All-Nighter’ in French is an annual all-night arts festival that’s held in several cities around the world, Toronto included. This year, it is estimated that close to a million people attended it, including, ofcourse, yours truly. The official website says “From sunset at 6:55 pm on Saturday, October 3, to sunrise on Sunday, October 4, 2009, Toronto’s playful overnight celebration of contemporary art once again takes over the streets for one night only”
Unfortunately I wasn’t suitably equipped with a camera, but no worries, there are others who do a much better job.
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| by synchros | by tarafillion |
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| by Petecat | by exMOHAX |
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| by arcticlamb | by Miles Storey. |
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| by Jessica C | by Donnay |
These are just some of the pictures, very random. Venues in downtown were very crowded, with long lineups to get in and often the art on display made you wonder about the definition of art… Nevertheless it was another excuse to get out and see how lively (and lovely) the city was. I love Toronto.
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Canada’s Wonderland
About a month ago (when it was still summer), we went to Canada’s Wonderland – an amusement park – to get some adrenaline rush and have a wild ride (literally) in the numerous roller coasters there. Here are some pictures that will hopefully make you jealous.
Flightdeck: Speeds of 90km/h, exhilarating 90-degree vertical climbs, barrel rolls, inverted wing loopovers, a 270-degree after burn and a complete snap roll over. Highlight: You are in a chair that is suspended from the top.
Mighty Canadian Minebuster: Longest wooden rollercoaster. Speed over 90km/hr and over 1.2km of track. Highlight: I love wooden rides for their clittery-clack sounds and jerks.
Sky Rider. Highlight: You are standing up.
Some time to cool off!
The Behemoth: Canada’s biggest and fastest. It takes you up 70m and then sends you speeding down at a 75 degree angle of descent with speeds reaching 125km/hour! Highlight: Open air seating: there is virtually nothing substiantial to hold on to
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| Water rides: Since it was a beautiful day, this area was too crowded. | |
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| Psyclone: Gravity defying hang time on the most powerful pendulum on the planet! It will swing 120-feet in the air, while spinning on a giant, sky teasing disc. Highlight: Your body swinging and spinning (two forces). | |
Dragonfly: Two 360-deg loops, helix and corkscrew on a wooden roller coaster.
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| Shockwave: Twisted force and spinning power, boosts riders 70-feet in the air, while rotating and looping 360-degrees! Immense speed, immense force. Highlight: Your body spinning and rotating on 3 axes – complete confusion guaranteed. | |
Some classic stuff
There were many more rides that I couldn’t photograph. Overall the day was great and we did most of the high-thrill rides and a couple of kiddie rides. The last time I was in an amusement park was about 15 years ago, at Esselworld in Mumbai.
Information:
Canada’s Wonderland is accessible by public transit and takes only an hour from downtown: Take a GO bus from Yorkdale or Yorkmills subway station on Yellow line. Alternatively, YRT bus #20 serves this area but it will take ages to reach. By car, the wonderland is about 40km from downtown, off Hwy 400N.
Tickets for adults cost $53.
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