#vancouver and toronto are each a 24 hour drive | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

harryandmolly · 6 years

Text

When the World Stops Turning - Chapter 15, pt. 1

summary: a love story in two voices - cowritten with @achinglyshawn

warnings: Language, angst

word count: 7.1k

october

Lydia packs. She packs and packs and packs and it’s the perfect distraction. She strategizes and re-strategizes until her system is flawless. Because at least her system can be flawless if her heart is a fucking shambles. She does text Shawn when she gets home. She wonders if he notices that it’s hours after she left his apartment. She talks to Paul for over an hour lying in the backseat of her car until a meter maid knocks on the window and tells her to leave. The semester isn’t ending until December but she packs anyway. She doesn’t want to see anything that isn’t school related. She’s getting a jump on things — it’s good. She accepts every invitation her nervous friends extend to her during the month of October. She drinks hard and smiles harder, hoping she can fool everyone, including herself, into thinking she didn’t just make the biggest mistake of her life.

He hates that saying, be careful what you wish for, etc etc, but it hangs heavy in this heart these days. He goes through the motions of tour, but it feels distant, like he's not really there, not really experiencing it. He looks at pictures from the tour photographers after each show, and each time he doesn't recognize the man smiling back at him like he's having the greatest fucking time of his life.

His mum is an angel and spares Shawn the need to inform the team of the breakup. She calls Andrew and Andrew lets it spread quietly, and that's kind of nice, that he doesn't have to talk about it. He wouldn't like the way people walk on eggshells around him though, if he were present enough in his own life to care. It's a little pathetic, he thinks, how fucked up over this he is. He can't even bring himself to write music about it. Can't bring himself to put a pen to paper, let alone find a melody to match the way he's feeling. He feels cacophonous and distorted and distant all at once. He doesn't feel like pop music or rock ballads. He feels like white noise and tinnitus. That doesn't make for very good music. Shawn can't believe he used to want this. He used to think about the songs he would write with a little more life experience and a broken heart. He always felt like people were maybe laughing with him when he'd say that, but now he realizes they were laughing at him. And how fucking stupid he was. Now he thinks about the songs he could write if Lydia ever wanted him back, and it keeps him in the shower too long every morning. He pictures what she would say to him when she realized she couldn't leave Toronto without getting him back, how she would kiss him and say she's sorry and how she knows now that being without him during tour is way better than being without him at all and if that's what it takes to have him in her life, then she'll do it. Sometimes he thinks about going to her, thinks about how charming it might be if he found a condo in Vancouver that she could live in during her internship, and that he could go to after tour and they could be together, live together and maybe get a hypoallergenic cat. Every morning he emerges from the shower and reality hits him like the cold air of the white marble bathroom. The fuzzy feeling comes back and his skin goes numb and he doesn't feel like imagining anymore. He smiles on stage and shouts and sings like it's never been more important, and the whole time his brain is off, unavailable to make new memories because all he can think about anymore is the way Lydia's nails sliced his skin open as she pulled his heart from between his ribs and carried it away to Vancouver.

november

Lydia can barely get Paul off the phone these days. She’s sure he’s afraid to leave her alone with her thoughts for too long which makes a lot of sense and honestly, he’s probably right to shield her from the frantic chaos of her own mind. She feels... everything. She went numb in the immediate moments after the break up but since a few hours after, it’s like her senses are on high alert. At least he doesn’t have to deal with her being famous. Everywhere she turns, there he is. He’s on Instagram or on E! News or on tabloids at every grocery store she wanders into because she never goes to the same one twice now to try to escape him. But he’s inescapable so she’s on edge 24/7. Her birthday falls the week before American Thanksgiving every year. She’s turning 27 which sounds and feels old. It sounds more adult than she feels. Her friends take her out and get her plastered and she manages to get past the stage of drunk where she usually starts crying over him and instead manages to enjoy herself. One afternoon she’s lying on the couch studying for finals surrounded by more unpacked boxes when his voice comes on shuffle. It’s ‘Particular Taste.’ She sits ramrod straight and slams her finger on the remote for her stereo as fast as she can. She sits with her head between her knees for a few minutes to breathe. His voice has crowded out the rest of her chaotic thoughts. It should be calming, the singularity of it. But it haunts her. She gets home early from Quinn and Ellie’s a few days after her birthday to a package leaning against her apartment door. Somehow before she looks at it, she already knows who it’s from.

He starts drinking more often. He knows it's probably a bit destructive, but everything feels more real when he's got some bourbon in him and he's a little buzzed. It's the opposite of how alcohol used to make him feel, and he's scared of liking it so much. But then he throws up on Lydia's birthday and he decides he hates alcohol and he's never drinking it again. He's sure that's how everyone feels when they puke from alcohol, but he means it. He accepts Teddy's invite to start getting high with her instead.

Being high is nice; it's not as bad for him and it's awesome for his anxiety. He's pleasantly chilled the day after Lydia's birthday and the haze in his mind is so much softer and gentler than the icy numbness he's felt since the break up. It's in the clarity of the high that he's able to think about Lydia without wanting to scream, and then he remembers her birthday present. It's wrapped up under his bed and he disappears to retrieve it, ignoring the way Teddy calls after him. He re-emerges insisting she drive him to post office like, now. No one can say no to him these days, so they're at the post office 10 minutes later and Shawn is paying for a box to fit the gift in and overnight shipping to Lydia's address. Teddy's looking at him the entire time like she's not sure if this is healthy or like, normal, but she lets him go because it's probably the most self-aware thing he's done in a month and a half. Shawn tilts his head against the window of the car as Teddy drives them back to his condo. He sighs a little, and says, "I just hope she's happy," and his voice is a gruff whisper, like he's mostly talking to himself, so Teddy hums, then reaches and turns up Shake It Off on the radio. Shawn laughs. It feels a little more real than before.

His family doesn’t do American Thanksgiving or whatever, but he goes home anyway and his mum makes turkey anyway because he says he’s craving it.

He’s not, but he remembers the Thanksgiving meal Lydia described for him when she promised to take him home with her for the holidays, and he decides he doesn’t want to be alone.

Lydia needs some moral support so she makes Nadia and Annie come over to stare at the box with her while she decides if she’s going to open it. “I’m gonna do it,” Annie warns. “You will not,” Nadia shoots back. Lydia eyes the box, exhausted. It’s been days that it’s sat on her coffee table making her think too hard. Finally, she sits up and cuts open the box. On top are bags of her favorite roast of coffee from the Himalayan place for her to take to Vancouver. But below it is a vintage vinyl. It’s Can’t Help Falling in Love. She sees there’s a note. She hands it to Nadia. She stares at the record while Annie and Nadia exchange a glance. “So you can have a piece of Alice with you wherever you go,” Nadia reads quietly. Her voice breaks a little. Annie reaches for tissues. Lydia stares at the vinyl with a broken smile. She’s numb again. A few days later, inappropriately long after she’s received the gift, she texts him two words: “thank you.” It’s all she can do to not run away and shut herself up in Hamilton House alone for Thanksgiving. But Paul and Nick are hosting in Boston in their new brownstone and she’s the only one who knows how to make Alice’s cranberry blueberry pie so she has to go. She’s glad she does. Nick and Paul announce they’re adopting and their baby, a little boy, is going to be born in May to a 16-year-old in Omaha. Lydia cries so hard it worries her family but it’s the first thing she’s been happy about in months. The problem is that the first thing she wants to do is tell Shawn. She wants to tell him everything first.

december

December brings Lydia a completed masters degree. Her parents throw a hybrid holiday bash/graduation party. Paul and Nick fly down with sonograms.

She feels ok.

Shawn thinks of at least ten different things to say when she finally texts him ‘thank you’. For the the birthday present, he’s guessing.

I love you, how are you?, are you happy?, happy birthday, you’re welcome, I’m sure you’ll love Vancouver, etc etc.

In the end, he doesn’t say anything at all. She scares him now, like she did when they first met. Maybe more. He wants her back, but he wants to be good enough to deserve her. Which means respecting her feelings and giving her the space she needs. It also means growing up a bit himself, he thinks. He still can’t write songs about her, but he thinks about the songs he might want to write, one day. Songs about what he’s learned from this, but he’s not sure what exactly that is yet. So he doesn’t worry about lyrics, just sits for hours with his guitar or at the computer. He finally starts going live again. He sings covers of songs he never sang around Lydia and he ignores questions about her and he plucks tunes he’s fooling around with. He only realizes how somber they sound when he watches back some of the recordings he finds on Twitter. He’s not home for Christmas, so he FaceTimes with his family and pretends he’s not close to tears. Even though they always do a team holiday dinner thing that he spends too much money on, he feels lonely and he just wants to go home. (He has a sneaking suspicion that home won’t completely dull the ache of loneliness thrumming beneath his skin, but he doesn’t want to think about it.)

The Hamiltons, heavy on tradition and boozy eggnog, opt to spend Christmas and New Years in Nantucket. The island is almost deserted this time of year, just the way Lydia likes it. Most of her favorite little shops are closed, including the ice cream shop that has the world’s best pistachio milkshake, or so she says, but the whole island feels like their little secret. She’s always liked that about winter.

She finds herself wandering up to Alice’s room. SM3 remains exactly where she left it.

Everything is as she left it because it’s all hers now and she has to give permission before anyone messes with anything. She not-so-subtly reminds her mother of this. She drinks too much eggnog every night and thinks about him on Christmas morning and hopes he’s enjoying his family. She wonders what he got Aaliyah for Christmas.

january

Lydia falls asleep in her bed in the Pavilion at 9pm on New Years Eve. She wakes up early the next morning, grumpy over a dream she had of she and Shawn walking down the beach but the beach kept getting narrower and the house kept getting further and she was very disturbed by this but he was ever so casual. She makes French toast for her family and leaves for Toronto to move out of her apartment.

It’s weird leaving. She never really liked this space much. She’d be glad to be rid of it if it didn’t hold quite so much of him. They did some falling in love here. They certainly made some love here on various surfaces, flat and otherwise. Her heart broke open here when she tried to keep it safe and she hasn’t quite got the pieces to fit back together yet but she’s working on it.

She’s excited about Vancouver, she really is, if only to get out of a city where she isn’t just a little concerned about running into him somewhere when he’s home. With a piece of her grandmother’s inheritance, she signs a nice 6-month lease on a condo in the heart of the city and cuts her hair to a sleek lob which she sobs over for a few hours, then decides was a good idea.

Some girl he doesn’t know kisses him at midnight while he’s drunk at another Niall Horan party. He stumbles away from her, mumbling an apology, and he winds up in Niall’s empty bedroom, collapsed on his bed. He lies there and thinks about how that girl stole a kiss from Lydia, and then he laughs drunkenly at himself about how stupid he still is. It’s been months now and he’s still so stupid over her. Still so fucking in love, too. “Shawny?” Shawn sits up a little too fast at the sound of Niall’s voice, and he has to catch his head in his hands as his friend comes into the room. “Hey,” he hiccups when he’s able to look up, “Killer party.” Niall looks concerned and not at all like he’d been downing his sixth pint a moment ago. The Irish, man. They know how to hold their booze. “Y’alright there, mate?” Niall asks as he sits next to Shawn on the bed. Shawn shrugs a little, then nods. He holds up a thumb and wiggles it in Niall’s face. “I am awesome, /mate/,” he says, then laughs at himself because he’s not awesome. He’s alone. “Saw you run away from that bird back there. What’d ya do that fer?” Shawn shakes his head a little, then shrugs, slurs, “Not Lydia, thas’ all.” “You’ll never get over Lydia if ya keep runnin’ from all the girls who aren’t her.” Yeah, tell him something he doesn’t know. Shawn rolls his eyes a little and falls back against the bed. He doesn’t feel like arguing. “Okay,” he says instead, “that makes sense.” Niall laughs at him, then pats his knee and tells him he’ll see Shawn back out there. He stops as he’s about to go through the door, watches Shawn for a moment, then says, “It’s okay if yer not ready to move on yet. Ye’ loved that girl a lot,” before he disappears. Shawn already knew it was okay that he’s not over her yet, but for some reason, hearing it from someone else calms something inside of him. He finds it a little easier to breathe for the next few days.

Vancouver is big and beautiful and devoid of Shawn Mendes. Not entirely, of course, she feels like she’ll never not see his face somewhere she’s not ready to see it, like on a magazine in her office’s waiting room, but there aren’t memories of him stashed around every corner the way there are in Toronto. She still thinks of him every morning when she opens her bag of coffee beans, though. And at many other inappropriate times. Lydia makes friends easily, always has. Her office has a bunch of interns and they all get together and go out. It’s nice because none of them are from Vancouver so they explore together. One night they’re out at a club that Lydia’s pretending not to hate when a remix of ‘Holding Me Back’ comes on and she leaves suddenly without warning. She doesn’t really have to feign an illness because she does feel sick.

february February brings more frigid weather and Valentine’s Day which Lydia does her damnedest to ignore. It makes her feel more hollow than she expected. She’s never been big on Valentine’s Day but she imagines Shawn would’ve done something special for her because he can’t resist. She wonders if he’s seeing anyone. The thought turns her stomach. But she remembers she’s not allowed to think that way. She drinks half a bottle of champagne by herself and almost calls him. Really, her finger is hovering over the call button. She calls Paul to wake him up and cry instead. “Dit, sweetie, it’s been 4 months. I don’t want this break up to ruin your whole life,” Paul says, sounding tired. His sympathy has been wearing thin lately. Lydia either has to get over this kid or get him back because this cannot go on.

He’s about as high as a kite while he lounges on his balcony. He’s halfway through a joint Teddy left for him “in case of emergency”, when he decides to look at Lydia’s Instagram. Yesterday, Valentine’s day, he’d purposefully avoided anything that reminded him of her. But today is the day after Valentine’s and he’s high now so he doesn’t really think it would hurt to see if she’s posted a picture or something. The first new picture he sees is of what he guesses is her desk at work. It’s organized with beautiful precision and it’s so fucking Lydia it makes his heart hurt a little. The next picture is of Lydia, and he thinks his heart stops. That, or it’s beating so fast it feels frozen. She cut her hair. It looks good. So good. But it makes his stomach twist with something unpleasant because he knows Lydia and he knows how much she loved her long hair. He can’t help but think that maybe there’s some symbolism there, that she cut her hair as a way to emphasize her fresh start: a new job, a new town, new hair, and newly single. He feels like the hair that’s been cut away, swept up and tossed out like an old memory she’s ready to part with. He’s calling her before he realizes it, his thumbs moving of their own accord. Shit.

Lydia’s got her hands full, quite literally. She’s balancing her travel coffee mug, phone and keys in one hand and trying to wrestle with her laptop bag and sunglasses with the other. She’s in one of her prim little office dresses with a pair of chunky block heels that are tricky to navigate in down the icy steps to her parking spot. The phone rings. She’s sure it’s Paul or her mom. It could be Nadia or Paloma but they’re on the east coast at their internships and wouldn’t likely be calling at this hour. “Helloooo?” she mutters into the phone, answering without checking as she wrenches her door open.

She greets him in way that tells him she probably didn’t look before answering. It’s soft and comfortable, like maybe she thinks it’s Paul or Margo or someone. Definitely not her ex. He should hang up. He should hang the fuck up. But then a wave of relief washes over him as he realizes this means she hasn’t blocked his number (maybe she deleted it but whatever), and he hears himself blurt, “You cut your hair.”

The same thing that has happened any time she’s heard his voice in the last four and a half months happens again, most inconveniently. She can’t fucking breathe.

She doesn’t say anything, and maybe she’s gone into shock, or maybe she dropped the phone, he doesn’t know, but he wants her to talk to him more than anything. He takes a breath. “It— it looks good. You look good. Vancouver suits you.”

She manages to drop her things on the hood of her car and put a hand in the hair he notices she’s cut. That means he’s checking her Instagram. She unfollowed him months ago. She kept drunkenly checking it and it was bad for her. Something occurs to her. He sounds a little off, like he might be drunk or something. He’s still drunkenly thinking about her. She can’t say she expected that. In her mind’s eye he’s been running around doing what 22 year olds do — fucking everything that moves. That was somehow easier for her to imagine than him missing her. Like it sounds like he is. “I.... hi. Yes. I cut it. I can’t decide if I hate it or not. I’m... sorry, I didn’t expect... to hear from you. Where—where are you?”

He should hang up. It takes her forever to say anything and when she finally does, it’s hesitant and perplexed and a little like she wishes she could hang up on him. His heart aches. It takes him a second to realize she’s asked him a question, and he has to smack his lips before answering because they kind of felt glued together and maybe he’s higher than he thought. “Where— uh, I’m, yeah, I’m home! Tour’s over.” He lets out a soft sigh and it’s the relief of his own words. He’s glad to not be pretending all the time anymore. He’s told Andrew he needs time off, that he needs to find his way back to the right headspace for writing, and so that’s that. He’s on a break. And he feels better, not having to fake a smile all the time or talk about his life like he doesn’t feel as though he’s drifting away from Earth because gravity has decided to relinquish its hold on him. “Where... are you?” He asks before she can say anything.

He’s definitely not sober. She glances at her watch. It’s the middle of the day in Toronto. Which is fine, she supposes, since he’s not on tour. Her stomach drops at the idea that if she had stuck around she could be with him right now. They could be together. “I’m... standing in front of my car. I’m leaving for work soon. I have a patient at 11.”

"Oh, fuck," he says, because he totally forgot about the time difference before he called her. It's 10 her time and here he is acting like he can do whatever the fuck he wants whenever the fuck he wants to. "I'm so sorry, Dit, I didn't even think about the time."

He calls her Dit like it’s August and they’re still crazy, stupid in love. She plants a hand on her car for stability and closes her eyes.

She has no idea what to say to him. She’s afraid of what might come out of her mouth so she forces herself to stay neutral. “How... was tour? Fun?” She wants to smack herself. His brows raise at her question. He didn't expect her to want to continue on with the conversation, especially since she's on her way to work. He can't answer for a moment because he's never lied to her before and he doesn't want to start now. Tour was horrible, but there's no reason to make her feel bad for it. It's his own fault that he couldn't get over her, even if he still disagrees with her stupid reason for leaving. Then, there's his ego. The idiotic part of him that doesn't want her knowing he's hurt, that he spent all tour licking his wounds. That he's still licking them right now, as he gets blazed in the middle of the day, alone. So he says, "Great," and lets a smile split his lips so it sounds as genuine as he can make it while his mouth feels thick with smoke. "It was really, like, awesome. The crowds were nuts." He doesn't actually remember the crowds like he usually does. He doesn't remember the shows like he usually does. Lydia doesn't need to know that, though. “That’s— that’s great, Shawn. I’m glad. You must be happy to be home though.” She hears it in his voice under a layer of whatever substance he’s on. It’s relief. She recognizes it as the same thing she felt when she got to Vancouver and got her fresh start. Doesn’t feel so fresh when he’s calling her. She has to end this soon because she doesn’t know where it’s going. “I need to get to work soon. Uhm, did you just call to say hi, or?” She sounds a little dismissive. She doesn’t mean to, she’s just anxious. But she thinks maybe it’s better if he isn’t thinking she’s missing him still as much as she is. She thinks about the fact that she hasn’t been able to come since they broke up. She’s tried, boy has she tried, but it’s like her body is broken. She assures herself that like everything else that’s wrong with her right now, it will be healed with time and space.

So, she’s obviously not interested in talking. Big fucking surprise there. He almost laughs at himself instead of answering her. All these months later and he’s still just as desperate as he was the day she broke up with him. He’s supposed to be a rockstar. He’s supposed to move on, to write a Grammy award winning break up album and have another woman on his arm when it drops. Clearly, that’s not what’s happening. “Oh, I, yeah, I’m sorry. Sorry, Lydia, I was just wondering, I guess. Have you smoked weed before?” He wasn’t actually wondering that, but he pretends he was so that he can stay on the phone with her just a bit longer. He should hang up but he doesn’t want to. He wants to keep pretending she might still love him.

She’s piling into her car and pretending like she can go about her day like this isn’t the biggest thing that’s happened to her since she moved out here. She’s jamming her coffee mug into a cup holder when she hears his question. “Have I...” She chuckles and it doesn’t sound as dead as usual. “Yes. I smoked in college. And on girls nights. Paloma always got good weed from Seb.” Now she gets it. He’s high. She likes the idea of him getting high and lying out on his balcony. She bets he’s so fucking cute and spacey when he’s high. She stops that train of thought before it can take her off the rails. “Why do you ask?”

It’s actually pretty sexy, that Lydia likes to smoke. He bets she’s sexy when she’s high, probably giggles more but in a lazy way that would make him wanna bury his face in her neck and rut his hips against her ass. He doesn’t want to think about it. Instead he grabs the lighter, smushes his phone between his ear and his shoulder, then lights his joint again, inhaling as Lydia asks him a question. He manages not to cough while he talks around the smoke billowing from his mouth, “Oh, well, you know. Just thought you’d like it, eh?” He’s such a moron, but his phone is stuck to his cheek and if they’re gonna end this conversation, she’ll have to be the one to do it.

She hears the lighter and smiles a little foolishly. Fuck. She wishes she had a joint. She wishes she had him and a joint. He hasn’t gotten any less sweet or thoughtful. Her amused smile drops a little. She looks around her car. “I gotta go. I’m... I mean, it was nice to hear your voice today. I hope—“ She stops short of finishing that thought. “Enjoy your break from touring. And enjoy your weed.”

End the conversation is exactly what she does. She sounds distant and maybe a little cold, but some of her words stick in his head. He says goodbye distractedly, thinking about the way she said it was nice to hear his voice. He drops his phone, hits the joint, and wonders what she meant by that. It’s not the usual pleasantry - it was nice hearing from you - which is cordial and polite and something you say to someone you don’t really want to talk to again. But nice to hear his voice? That’s different. It’s got a different connotation, even if the words are basically the same. The joint eventually goes out and he fucks around on his phone until he gets too cold to be outside and not smoking, so he goes in for a hot shower. He decides to touch himself, and It’s the first time he’s been able to jerk off properly without feeling utterly guilty for thinking about Lydia or having to stop half way through. He considers that a victory.

march

February ends largely the way it began — quietly and cold. She can’t stop thinking about why he called her. He wasn’t supposed to call her. He’s supposed to be forgetting all about her. Well, not all about her. But he’s supposed to be moving on and getting happy and it’s been five months and she’s really starting to think they’re both still raw. It doesn’t help that she can’t relieve her stress with an orgasm. She doesn’t consider for a second the idea of going out and finding one — she’s not ready for that. But fuck, she can’t even manage one on her own. One night, vibrator, erotica and porn have failed her again and she’s so fucking desperate that she lets herself do something she hasn’t since they broke up. She pictures Shawn’s soft curls between her thighs, imagines the way he would look up at her with eyes dark and probing while nipping at her clit to make her eyes roll back in her fucking head. She comes in under five minutes and it’s so intense she tears up a little. It was a bad idea, in retrospect, because now she knows definitively what her body is craving and it’s not an orgasm. It’s him. She flirts with checking flights like she used to do when he was on tour and she needed to see him. She doesn’t want to actually book one. That would be insane. She put 6 months into recovering from this break up, she’s not throwing that away now to selfishly run back to him and admit she was wrong and beg him to take her back. But she does think about it.

Nothing changes after the phone call, and he’s not sure why he thought it might. He let himself read far too much into her ‘nice to hear your voice’ comment, convinced himself that that meant she’d wanna hear it again, and then next she’d be calling him. But she doesn’t. All she does is bake cake and post pictures of the process on Instagram. He wonders who helped her lick the bowl when he wasn’t there to do it. He hopes no one. That’s his job. Eventually, he forces himself to unfollow her social media accounts because he’s tired of being hopeful over something that’s obviously not going to happen. The more weeks go by, the less he’s able to think, ‘Well, one day...’ because the days keep coming but she doesn’t call him, doesn’t reach out, doesn’t make any indication that she thinks about him, ever. He thinks he owes it to himself to stop thinking about her. Or to try, at least. He writes music, instead. He writes a song he calls Fade, and it’s not very good and there aren’t many lyrics, as he basically just sings “and I’m fading in the morning, burning out at night” over and over in different ways, but it’s how he’s felt these last few months, so he likes it. He plays it on a live session and most fans are nice and say they like it and some of them ask if he’s on drugs because that’s what it sounds like and some people ask if it’s about Lydia. He doesn’t answer anyone. His manager says his studio heard the song and they like it. They like the “minimalist LA vibe” and want to record it so he does and it’s not like, a single or anything, but his producer says he knows DJs who would love to remix it. So he signs whatever papers they draw up and goes back home to smoke. He doesn’t let himself wonder if Lydia will hear it. He’s trying not to care.

Lydia is so good at her job. She’s meticulous in her observations and insightful with the kids and all her supervisors are so pleased and complimentary about her work. She takes the praise and wants more so she works even harder. Paul is worried but she promises she’ll take a break when the baby is born. Paul has stopped asking if she’s ok because he knows she’s not but it’s been 6 months and he knows she feels like she is supposed to be ok by now so he doesn’t want to make her feel bad. She stops going out with work colleagues. She sits in front of her gas fireplace and watches action movies and, when she’s had too much wine, checks his Instagram. He looks happy and relaxed. But she remembers his voice on the phone, the way he didn’t seem to want to stop talking to her. She thinks about calling him but she remembers her forbidden orgasm and decides it’s another in a series of bad ideas. She takes a long weekend in Nantucket and has the place to herself for the first time in her life. She swims laps in the indoor pool and sleeps in her grandmother’s bed and tries not to think about where he might be right now. Before she heads back to Vancouver, she takes his St. Christopher medal out of its hiding spot in Alice’s jewelry box next to her pearls where she left it when she was there for Christmas. She doesn’t wear it but she wants to keep it close. She doesn’t let herself think about why.

He thinks about her less and less, but it doesn’t necessarily get easier. He’s just. Adapting. He gets used to being alone. He guesses the weed and the music help. The time off sure fucking helps. Brian, and Teddy, and Geoff, and his family. They help. He’s finally kind of. Okay. Things don’t feel so fuzzy anymore, even when he’s high. The world is a little sharper again but it doesn’t sting like it used to. He decides to spend a day out of the condo. He wears a hat and sunglasses and goes to the Himalayan place he’s been avoiding, but he misses the croissants. He buys a box of them, then sticks around to have a cup of tea and munch on one while he reads a comic Brian showed him on his iPad. A fan notices him, but she’s older and calm when she approaches, and no one else is really paying attention, so he doesn’t mind letting her sit and chat for a minute. It’s nice. It’s normal. He hasn’t felt normal in months. The fan- Sheila- leaves, so he finishes his tea and his comic and tucks his box of croissants under his arm. He walks to his car slowly, deciding he doesn’t ever take enough time to admire the beautiful city around him.

Lydia has felt a little off all day. She can’t really explain it, but she feels like an animal before a thunderstorm. She’s on edge and testy. It’s Friday and she has one patient first thing in the morning and then pilates immediately after. She’s going to go back to her condo and do laundry and do some report write ups, order sushi and go to sleep early.

She’s on the way to pilates bouncing her head as she sings to the radio. She’s looking around at a stoplight because she’s still on high alert. She happens to look up above the stoplight and there he is.

It’s a new billboard downtown. Now that she’s not relieving stress in any other way, Lydia goes to pilates every day. She hasn’t noticed it. They must’ve put it up overnight. Her edginess feels like it makes sense now.

She stares at the billboard like it was put there to cause her pain. Her chest aches in a familiar way, in a way that has dulled over some months but never truly relieved her of itself. The pessimist in her thinks it never really will.

She stares at it until after the light is green and she’s being honked at. She slams on the gas and speeds to the pilates studio. She’s having trouble breathing and she’s sure it can be attributed to his continuing his Armani partnership and lying on his side shirtless to model a fucking watch on a massive billboard. It’s rude.

She misses her class because she can’t get herself inside. She thinks about calling him but she’s not sure what to say.

A dam breaks. She cries like she hasn’t in months and it’s then she comes to terms with something she’s known all along. No progress has been made in getting over him. She’s gotten better at bottling it up but apparently not that good because the bottle has just spilled everywhere.

She’s sobbing with her head on the steering wheel and it feels so much like 6 months ago it hurts to inhale. She broke his heart, she broke her own. For what? Did she think she’d stop loving him if she forced it? She remembers what Paloma said about it being worth it, the distance. She should’ve fucking listened.

Maybe she still can.

Lydia is fucking sick of trying to be strong for this. She’s sick of feeling like she’s fighting for something she doesn’t believe in. She’s sick of trying not to love him because fuck it, she loves him so fucking much, maybe more than she ever has because you really don’t know what you have until it’s gone. Cliches are cliches because they’re true.

Lydia goes straight to the airport. She buys a ticket for Toronto at the counter for the first time in her life and, another first, she’s sprinting onto the plane as it’s about to leave.

She has nothing. No change of clothes, no toothbrush, no phone charger. She doesn’t feel stupid until they’re halfway across the country and she realizes she’s not even sure if he’s home.

To try to calm herself down, she plugs in her headphones and listens to his music for the first time since last summer. She curls up in her seat and stares out the plane window, smiling at each new song that comes on, each old memory that comes with it.

Something she doesn’t recognize comes on Apple Music, startling her. She checks the description -- it’s a song called Fade. It was released recently. Her heart rattles. He released new music and she didn’t even know about it.

It’s not a happy song. He sings about fading and burning out and he sounds so fucking alone. It’s beautiful and haunting and, for almost four minutes, she gets a taste of the reality she left him with when she walked out the door. She excuses herself to the plane lavatory to cry until a stewardess knocks and asks if she’s ok.

She feels the stupidest of all when knocking on his condo door and realizing he’s definitely not home. She pulls out her old spare key and lets herself in. She looks at the couch where she broke up with him and decides to stand.

He stops at a record shop on the way home, just to peruse the offerings, see if there’s anything new. It feels nice to go out and not have a schedule, to really take his time to do whatever the heck he wants to do. He finds a few albums, even lets himself buy something he thinks Lydia would like, but he tells himself he won’t ever send it to her. She doesn’t want to hear from him, if her radio silence over the last few months is any indication. He’s not giving into her anymore, he decides. He won’t ever move on, won’t keep this streak of being okay until he can actually be happy if he keeps caving, keeps indulging the itch that begs him to scratch. He wants someone else to be his itch, someone who won’t tell him he’s not worth it. That’s what he deserves, isn’t it? He nods at the doorman when he reaches his building, even whistles as he walks through the lobby and rides the elevator. He whistles down the hallway, whistles while he unlocks the—

His door is unlocked already. He doesn’t remember leaving it open. It doesn’t look forced open, so he’s not worried it’s some crazy fan, probably just someone with a key. “G?” He calls as he swings through the door. He goes to his bedroom first, puts his records on the shelf with the others, then brings the box of croissants to the kitchen where he flips it open and pulls another out. “You want a croissant, dude? They’re from Himalayan. I actually managed to walk inside today. So I bought a whole fucking box of these things—“ He’s walking, balancing two croissants on a plate, not paying any attention to anything around him, so it’s not until small, pink Nike shoes appear in his line of sight that he realizes the person who let themselves in was absolutely not Geoff. He almost drops the plate. “Lydia?”

Taglist: @celaenaaashryver @softboyshawn @marlahey @smallerinfinities @crapri @the-claire-bitch-project @stillinskislydia @rosesfool @sippingchai @lostinshawnslight @infiniteshawn @localforeiigner @evergreeneyesx @randi-eve @accioalena @shawnitsmutual @searchingunderthestars

#shawn mendes #shawn mendes fanfic #shawn mendes fan fic #shawn mendes fanfiction #shawn mendes fan fiction #shawn peter raul mendes #shawn mendes fic #shawn mendes angst #shawn mendes rpf #shawn mendes roleplay

140 notes · View notes

adsthumbrealestate · 3 years

Text

Auctions on Line Hub Provides Free Classified Ads

VEOXO is excellent website to get your products by online auctions. Auctions Online is method of buying and selling online. There are three ways to buy/sell your products: Auction, Buy and Sell. You will get best quality products and services with fewer prices than original market price. We are providing Traditional buying and selling is very time consuming and also less responsive. It allows you to create your own online store. We always welcome individuals and business persons, who are interested in making profit and want to be reach by an easy way. VEOXO Online Shopping USA is safe, smart and secured way without any stress. Buying and Selling with a huge inventory of the best brand names and the highest quality goods including various types of products like books, cloths, entertainment, jewelry, antiques, home gardens, toys, travels and many more.

Visitor can easily browse your interested products with affordable price. By creating your online store, it is easier to sell items in bulk. Choose your own design and colors for your products. It will take less than one minute to create your store. There three different store packages for you valuable products. We update daily special products throughout a day and 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. Each product is daily researched thoroughly by our special team to fix best deal for our customer.

We provide you the best way to publish your products and services. Free advertisements online is fastest growing way of advertisement. There are many advantages of online classified ads, i.e., Buying and Selling is easy for customers, more trustable, get response soon etc. If you are interested in antiques then VEOXO is your destination. We have ancient antiques for sale. If you have any antique publish it in our free classified ads.

VEOXO guarantee that you will not found cheaper products than us. Customers can easily check product prices with other cheap online shopping websites. VEOXO is one of the best ways for online shopping in USA. VEOXO's mission is to drive USA's most comprehensive e-business which give customers to best value of their money. We look forward to business with you.

VEOXO offers:

Ads Thumb Offer Post free ads Services in All Over CanadaCities mentioned below:-

· Free classsified ads Toronto

· Free classsified ads Montréal

· Free classsified ads Calgary

· Free classsified ads Ottawa

· Free classsified ads Edmonton

· Free classsified ads Mississauga

· Free classsified ads Winnipeg

· Free classsified ads Vancouver

· Free classsified ads Québec

· Free classsified ads Hamilton

· Free classsified ads Brampton

· Free classsified ads Surrey

· Free classsified ads Laval

· Free classsified ads Halifax

· Free classsified ads London

· Free classsified ads Oshawa

· Free classsified ads Okanagan

· Free classsified ads Victoria

· Free classsified ads Windsor

· Free classsified ads Markham

· Free classsified ads Gatineau

· Free classsified ads Vaughan

· Free classsified ads Kitchener

· Free classsified ads Longueuil

· Free classsified ads Burnaby

· Free classsified ads Ladner

· Free classsified ads Saskatoon

· Free classsified ads Richmond Hill

· Free classsified ads Barrie

· Free classsified ads Richmond

· Free classsified ads Nepean

· Free classsified ads Regina

· Free classsified ads Oakville

· Free classsified ads Burlington

· Free classsified ads Greater Sudbury

· Free classsified ads Abbotsford

· Free classsified ads Saguenay

0 notes

adsthumbusaads · 4 years

Text

Auctions on Line Hub Provides Free Classified Ads

VEOXO is a leader in e-market and well known for its cheap online shopping. Our online auction provides you live streaming, you can feel you are in real traditional market. Once you registered with us you will get latest updates about your last bid and also about your interested products. Buying and Selling is one click away now. Auctions Online is person to person buying and selling of products and services. Visitor can easily browse your interested products with affordable price. By creating your online store, it is easier to sell items in bulk. Choose your own design and colors for your products. It will take less than one minute to create your store. There three different store packages for you valuable products. We update daily special products throughout a day and 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. Each product is daily researched thoroughly by our special team to fix best deal for our customer. We provide you the best way to publish your products and services. Free advertisements online is fastest growing way of advertisement. There are many advantages of online classified ads, i.e., Buying and Selling is easy for customers, more trustable, get response soon etc. If you are interested in antiques then VEOXO is your destination. We have ancient antiques for sale. If you have any antique publish it in our free classified ads. VEOXO guarantee that you will not found cheaper products than us. Customers can easily check product prices with other cheap online shopping websites. VEOXO is one of the best ways for online shopping in USA. VEOXO's mission is to drive USA's most comprehensive e-business which give customers to best value of their money. We look forward to business with you. VEOXO offers:

Safe and secure payment options. Assistance in Buying and Selling online. Free advertisement online. Daily special deals for limited days. Latest products at reasonable costs. Unbeatable prices. Free Listing Submission Free classified ads. Real time online ordering. 24 x 7 customer service support. Live online auction bidding Online Store Creation

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Toronto

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Montréal

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Calgary

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Ottawa

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Edmonton

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Mississauga

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate North York

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Winnipeg

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Scarborough

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Vancouver

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Québec

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Hamilton

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Brampton

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Surrey

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Laval

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Halifax

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Etobicoke

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate London

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Okanagan

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Victoria

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Windsor

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Markham

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Oshawa

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Gatineau

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Vaughan

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Kitchener

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Longueuil

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Burnaby

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Ladner

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Saskatoon

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Richmond Hill

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Barrie

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Richmond

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Nepean

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Regina

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Oakville

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Burlington

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Greater Sudbury

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Abbotsford

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Saguenay

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Coquitlam

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate St. Catharines

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Sherbrooke

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Lévis

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Kelowna

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Cambridge

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Trois-Rivières

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Guelph

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate East York

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Kingston

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Sydney

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Delta

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Dartmouth

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Thunder Bay

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate St. John's

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Waterloo

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Terrebonne

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Ajax

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Saint John

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Pickering

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Brantford

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Moncton

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Nanaimo

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Milton

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Sarnia

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Niagara Falls

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Willowdale

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Saint-Laurent

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Chilliwack

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Repentigny

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Fort McMurray

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Peterborough

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Sault Ste. Marie

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Newmarket

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate La Haute-Saint-Charles

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Red Deer

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Saint-Léonard

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Lethbridge

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Maple Ridge

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Brossard

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Kamloops

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Notre-Dame-de-Grâce

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate White Rock

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Prince George

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Medicine Hat

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Norfolk County

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Drummondville

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate New Westminster

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Port Coquitlam

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate St. Albert

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Sherwood Park

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Saint-Jérôme

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Jonquière

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Granby

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Fredericton

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Welland

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Saint-Hyacinthe

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate North Bay

· Free ads Roomates, Real estate Belleville

#ads service #ads #free classifed ads

0 notes

mitchbeck · 5 years

Text

CANTLON: PACK HIT THE ROAD FOR THREE-IN-THREE

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings CROMWELL, CT - The Hartford Wolf Pack have passed the halfway mark on the 2019-20 season and they do so sitting atop the Atlantic Division with a 19-8-2-5 (45 points) record. It's hard to imagine that back in September anyone would have picked this group to be heading into the second half of the season in first place in the Atlantic Division and among the best teams in the AHL. One of the factors for the Pack resurgence and current position in the race to the Calder Cup is their persistence and growth as a team-unit. It cannot be overlooked. “The biggest thing is, we have won so many one-goal games and a big factor is a mature team wins a majority of those games. We have handled leads well late (in games) and have had very strong third periods." Pack head coach Kris Knoblauch said. The Pack are unbeaten with the lead after two periods with a 15-0-1-2 record. Hartford has also scored their share of miraculous goals late in games and did that twice to send it to overtime. "The other big reason (for the turnaround) is our goaltending of Igor (Shesterkin) and Adam (Huska). They have made stop-after-stop and our defense has done such a good job with blocks like we did Tuesday (a 3-2 win over Bridgeport). Right now we're a little fortunate,” Knoblauch stated. Knoblauch is enthusiastic about his team, but does not want to be over-confident. Because the Pack are in first place, Knoblauch was honored by being named one of the AHL All-Star game's coaches. The game will be played at the end of January in Ontario, CA. Before that though, the Wolf Pack have a lot of work to do starting Friday when they head to Providence to take on the Bruins. The game will be their seventh of the season, and they won’t see the Baby Bruins, who they've been trading first place with back-and-forth for the past month, until March 1st. Shesterkin will start Friday night, making it his first three-consecutive-game-starts for the Wolf Pack as he transitions and adjusts to North American rinks. “We're going to enjoy Igor for as long as we have him, because he will be in the NHL at some point. Providence is a very good team, well-coached and they have very good structure. Our records are similar, but Shesterkin has been the difference in several games. We also have capitalized in key situations against them, and that has been the difference.” After the trip to the Dunkin Donuts Arena in Providence, the Wolf Pack travel to Utica to play the red-hot Comets who are 7-2-1-0 in their last 10. The Comets are in second place in AHL North Division percentage points behind the Rochester Americans. Each team has 44 points. Next Wednesday, the Wolf Pack complete this road game grouping with a drive down to Hershey to face the Bears before they return home on January 10th against the Charlotte Checkers where they will seek to improve on their home record of 14-1-0-2. NOTES: Knoblauch would neither confirm nor deny that defenseman Libor Hajak would be making a rehabilitation assignment in Hartford. The Rangers are on a four-game Canadian road trip. “We haven’t received any notifications or instructions at this point," is all the head coach would say on the subject. So far, Hajak has missed 13 games with a right knee injury he suffered on December 5th after playing the first 27 games. When Hajak does eventually come to Hartford on his rehab assignment, as is being highly speculated among beat writers in New York, somebody will either sit in Hartford or a player will head to New York. The Rangers have dropped three games, including last night’s 4-3 loss to Calgary to ex-Wolf Pack and Ranger goalie Cam Talbot. The team completes the Canadian trip in Vancouver on Saturday night. The Rangers did make two transactions from the Wolf Pack. They recalled center, Ryan Dmowski (Old Lyme/Gunnery Prep) from their ECHL affiliate, the Maine Mariners. In return, after two games, forward, Dillan Fox, was released from his PTO deal and returned to the Mariners. Forward, Patrick Newell, will return to the lineup after a three-game absence the result of an upper-body injury he suffered against Providence. Wolf Pack’s leading scorer, Vinni Lettieri, (11 goals and 24 points in 34 games) and defensemen Joey Keane, and Yegor Rykov, spent nearly a half-hour post-practice working on their shooting techniques. Lettieri has one point, an assist, in his last five games. Former Qunnipiac Bobcat, Brogan Rafferty, was named CCM/AHL Rookie of the Month with three goals and 16 points in 13 games. Rafferty signed as a free agent by the Vancouver Canucks after his junior season. He's third in assists with 25 and leads all defensemen in scoring with 30 points in 34 games, He's also sporting a healthy plus-17 so far. Forward Kieffer Bellows of Bridgeport was named the AHL Forward of the Month with 10 goals in 11 games. Bridgeport sent defenseman, Mike Cormell, and right-wing, Ben Thomson, who's coming off an injury suffered early in the season, to the Worcester Railers (ECHL). Providence got defenseman Jeremy Lauzon back from his recall to the Boston Bruins. Mason Marchment, the son of former Hartford Whaler, Bryan Marchment, was recalled from the Toronto Marlies by the Maple Leafs. Ex-Sound Tiger, Aaron Ness, was returned to the Tucson Roadrunners by the Arizona Coyotes. Goalie, Parker Milner, (Avon Old Farms) was sent to the South Carolina Stingrays (ECHL) by Hershey. Dalton Smith, the nephew of former Whaler, Keith Primeau, was released by Rochester. Ex-Wolf Pack/Ranger, Dale Weise, was recalled from the Laval Rocket by the Montreal Canadiens and got into a first period scrap against the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Patrick Maroon. Rangers President, and one-time New Haven Nighthawk, John Davidson, was selected to enter the Alberta Sports Hall-of-Fame along with six other inductees. The ceremony will be held on July 19th in Canmore, Alberta. The only other CT connection is former Whaler and Ranger, Mike Rogers, who was inducted last year. The WJC semifinals are set, and the US will not be in it. Finland upset the US 1-0 despite a strong game from goalie Spencer Knight (Darien/Avon Old Farms) who made 26 saves. The Canadians took care of business on the Slovaks winning 6-1. Sweden's team saw Rangers prospect, Nils Lundkvist, get an assist and have the second best ice time of 19:30. He shutout and knocked out the host Czech Republic, 5-0 and then Russia upended Switzerland 3-1. The Russians play Sweden in the first semi-final at 3:00 PM local time. The Finns play the Canadians in the other semifinal on Saturday. Finland is coached by ex-Ranger and New Haven Nighthawk, Raimo Helminen, who was in a record-setting six Olympics. He led Finland to a silver as a player in the 1984 WJC, and was the tournament's top scorer. He could gain gold by the end of the weekend. Read the full article

0 notes

entirebodyexercise · 5 years

Text

Top 10 charity walks

1. End drunk driving Strides for Change Where: 25 locations nationwide When: Numerous dates from April to October Distance: 5 km Having started in 2005, this occasion includes 25 strolls across the country, profiting Mothers Against Drunk Driving's neighborhood chapters and projects. Numerous individuals at each place lace up with red MADD shoelaces, several commemorating closed one killed or injured by damaged vehicle drivers. If the 5-km range appears very easy, focus on rate, and pump your arms to go quicker. Stridesforchange.ca.

2. Fight third-world poverty World Partnership Walk Where: 10 cities across Canada When: May and June Distance: Around 5 km Now in its 27th year, this stroll for the Aga Khan Foundation is Canada's biggest yearly event committed to eliminating global hardship. In 2014, virtually 40,000 participants increased over $6 million for programs that consist of offering kids vaccinations in Mozambique as well as assisting entrepreneurs in Egypt. Up the stake by establishing an objective for yourself: First-timers ought to aim to complete a 5K in 60 to 90 mins, recommends Lee Scott, a personal instructor as well as pet parent of Wow Power Walking in Toronto. Well-trained speed pedestrians must establish their sights on finishing in 30 to 45 minutes. Worldpartnershipwalk.com.

3. Beat breast cancer Mother’s Day Walk Where: Even more than 80 malls/locations across Canada When: Mother's Day weekend (May 7 and also 8) Distance: Varies This walk for the Bust Cancer Society of Canada is commonly an interior event at malls across the nation. But this year the Sarnia, Ont., and Mississauga, Ont., occasions will certainly going outside. There are some advantages to staying inside, however, claims Barb Gormley, a walking instructor in Toronto. "Shopping mall walking is excellent for anybody, yet specifically for people that have balance issues or are older. It's cool and the floor surface is nice as well as, so you will not journey." Mothersdaywalk.ca.

4. The paws cause Friends for Life Walk-a-Thon Where: Across Ontario When: May and September Distance: 5 km " Your canine is the ideal workout partner, rain or luster, he'll exist waiting at the door to go with a walk," claims Gormley. "Dogs can not hear justifications, so their proprietors have the tendency to excel walkers." Take your pooch on the utmost journey around the block to support the Ontario Culture for the Prevention of Ruthlessness to Animals. Walkathon.ontariospca.ca.

5. Stop violence against women Walk a Mile in Her Shoes Where: Across Canada When: May to October Distance: Around 1.6 km Firemen, beefy law enforcement officer and bankers in matches press into high heels as well as click-clack with towns across the country on behalf of the White Ribbon Campaign to finish violence against women. Females rate to take part, states the project's director of advancement, Nick Rodrigue, "but we urge them to wear apartments." Walkamileinhershoes.org.

6. The vision quest See It Our Way Where: Toronto When: May 29 Distance: 5 km Walking 5 km is one point, doing so without being able to see is quite an additional. The stroll, arranged by the Ontario Foundation for Visually Damaged Kid, motivates people to hike a route blindfolded-- with an overview-- on behalf of support early-intervention solutions. Ofvic.org.

7. Booty patrol Push for Your Tush Where: Eight areas in Ontario, Alberta and also British Columbia When: May to July Distance: 1, 5 or 10 km Colon Cancer Canada's walk raises recognition regarding the condition (which is highly treatable if captured very early), motivates screening and also increases funds for study. As well as the option of distances provides something for everybody. Coloncancercanada.ca.

8. Walk and talk against autism Walk Now for Autism Where: Vancouver, Edmonton, Toronto, Montreal, as well as London, Ont. When: June and September Distance: About 3 km This stroll for Autism Speaks Canada elevates funds for advocacy, household services as well as biomedical research. As well as it brings thousands together for a rare opportunity to meet others affected by the condition. "Sometimes parents are shamed when a youngster has a fit," says Paula Stamp, a leading fundraising event that has a six-year-old boy with autism. "You come to this walk and also it matters not if your child has a meltdown. Every person is approved." Autismspeaks.ca/ walk-now-for-autism.

9. Choose your charity The Great Walk Where: Vancouver Island When: June 4 Distance: 63.5 km Billed as "The United States and Canada's toughest promise walk," this event by the Tahsis Lions Club takes individuals from around the globe through crushed rock logging roadways, from Gold Stream to Tahsis on Vancouver Island. The route, which winds via woodlands and also past the Pacific Ocean, takes the typical person 8 to 16 hours, as well as you could raise funds for any charity of your option. Greatwalk.com.

10. Join our teams! This year Chatelaine staffers are walking to support some causes near our hearts. (We're pleased sponsors, also.) Join us in Toronto or pick a place close to you:

Walk to Fight Arthritis Where: 24 locations When: May 15 Distance: 1 or 5 km

MS Walk Where: 160 locations When: April & May Distance: 5 or 10 km

Walk for ALS Where: 78 locations When: May, June & September Distance: 5 or 10 km

#aerobic #best workout #exercise #fitness #good workouts #workout #workouts

0 notes

travelonlinetips-blog · 6 years

Photo

New Post has been published on https://travelonlinetips.com/2-weeks-canada-road-trip-itinerary-exploring-quebec-and-ontario-with-prices-miss-tourist/

2 Weeks Canada Road Trip Itinerary – Exploring Quebec And Ontario (With Prices) | Miss Tourist

Notes and possible changes in the road trip

As I said earlier, you might arrive in Toronto and that is no problem, as this itinerary will work great for you nevertheless – just start and finish there. In fact, you can start and finish at any point on this route as this itinerary is a loop.

If you have fewer days you could either skip something on the Far East (one of the National Parks), either the last day – Thousand Islands. You could also speed it up a little if you do not stay overnight in the Thousand Islands area on the last day and you would go directly to Montreal, but that would involve a lot of driving.

If you have more days, I would definitely add Mont Tremblant and Lac-Saint-Jean to this plan! If you have the US visa or you are allowed in without it, you can visit Boston and New York, both of these cities are just a couple hours driving from Niagara Falls.

There are some other great road trips to do in Canada like The Trans-Canada Highway, Sea to Sky Country, but I will leave these for next time!

You could also do a cross-country road trip from Montreal to Vancouver – I think that would be epic! But keep in mind that this is 4,600 kilometers / 2,860 miles, so it would be a loooong journey.

Some practical things to know about your Canada road trip

I could not leave without giving you some useful, practical tips that I think are important to know before taking this trip, so here you go:

Do you need to speak French in order to travel in the Canadian French-speaking part?

No, absolutely not! Do not worry, people are bilingual in Quebec, so you will not need French. I only met one couple during my trip who did not speak English, and they were actually French who moved to Canada a while ago.

Money and prices in Canada

How about the prices?

Canada is definitely not one of the cheapest countries in the world, I am sure you are aware of that. However, if you book your accommodation and a car rental in advance, you will be able to significantly lower the cost.

Before we even start talking about approximate prices, I want you to know one thing – in Canada, just like in the US, the price is displayed WITHOUT the tax. You will need to add about 13-15% to get to the final price. This will not be surprising to Americans, but it can come as a shock for some other people. You can use this calculator to see the tax for each state. It is 13% in Ontario and 15% in Quebec.

Below are the approximate prices (in CAD, after tax, without tips if applicable):

A meal in an inexpensive restaurant for 1 person – 20 CAD

Dinner for 2 in a restaurant – 60 CAD

Night in a hotel (very approximate) – 100 CAD

Taxi – ~2 CAD per km + 3,50 CAD initial charge

A bottle of water – 1,5 CAD

Domestic beer 0,5L – 6 CAD

Metro ticket – 3.25 CAD

Average price for a museum – 18 CAD

1 l of gas (1/4 gallon) – 1,32 CAD (in total, we spent about 280 CAD on gasoline doing this exact itinerary)

Tipping culture in Canada

Please do not forget to leave tips in restaurants in Canada, as it is part of the culture and it is extremely rude not to! I have asked around and Canadian tip about 15% in general.

One other thing to note for tourists from Europe and Asia – you do not have to have cash to tip your server, it can be deducted directly from your card! The payment terminal machine will ask you how much you want to leave (usually 15%) and it will calculate the final price for you.

By the way, I hardly used any cash in Canada, almost everything can be paid by card!

Sim cards in Canada (buy a pre-paid sim card)

If you want to buy a prepaid sim card with GB and minutes, this can be done in 4 major cell service providers – Rogers (with sub-brands like Fido and Chatr), Telus, Bell and Freedom Mobile.

Rogers seemed to be the cheapest plan when I made my research (I paid 49 CAD with taxes for 4 GB), BUT it turned out it only worked in 17 places in Canada (say whaaaat?). I wasn’t informed about it in the beginning, so I had to be without internet connection for a couple of days when we were hiking the National Parks of Quebec. This was very frustrating, so make sure to ask if it works all over the country before you buy the sim card.

I also do not recommend Freedom Mobile as I read it does not work in all cities.

You can compare the up-to-date prices and make your decision according to that here.

I bought my sim card in the city center in one of the offices of Rogers, but you can also do it right in the airport if you are arriving in the daytime.

NOTE: do not forget about the 5-15% tax depending on the state you are buying it in.

When to visit Canada?

I would generally say that any season has its advantages for visiting Canada – there are great things to do in the cities in the winters too, but you see… you are going to do a lot of driving, so I would suggest waiting until the snow melts. Even though the government of Canada does an AMAZING job cleaning the snow off the streets and highways, the weather conditions might be severe at times. So, again, I would say anytime between May and October would be perfect for a road trip!

Conclusion

That is it! During this Canada itinerary in 14 days, we covered 2.405 km (1.494 miles) in 24 hours and 40 minutes of driving, with the average of 1,5 hours per day.

I hope you liked my Canada road trip itinerary where we discovered 2 eastern provinces of Canada – French Quebec and bustling Ontario.

I tried to give you a price estimate on activities to do for each of your trip, accommodation recommendations sorted by price and general tips about this particular road trip – when to wake up, how many kilometers (miles) of driving per day, practical information and much more!

Please let me know in the comments if you are going to do a similar road trip, I would be happy to know if this Canada trip planner was useful to you!

As usual, if you have any additional questions, do not hesitate to let me know!

Yulia

!function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function()n.callMethod? n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments);if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n; n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0; t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)(window, document,'script','https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js'); fbq('init', '1839992519652485'); // Insert your pixel ID here. fbq('track', 'PageView');

Source link

0 notes

kenziechance94 · 7 years

Text

About Last Night

I am currently sitting in the airport waiting to board my flight and I’m going on two hours of sleep, so I’m pretty tired (but it’s worth it). I’m reminiscing about the last 24 hours of my life, and I am in complete awe. As a writer, you would think that I would know just what to say, but alas, even writers are at a loss for words sometimes. I don’t know how this is going to come out, but I am going to try my best.

I have been listening to East of Eli’s music since his first EP, “Nothing Ordinary,” came out in 2014 (if you haven’t heard it, check it out). I was lucky enough to see EOE at The Troubadour in LA in March, and seeing him live for the first time was like a dream. Nathan was absolutely amazing, and I knew that I wanted to see him again. So when he announced a concert in New York, I wanted to go. I had never been to New York, and what better excuse to go than to see an artist that has impacted you so much, am I right? Anyway, I looked at the date and realized that it was going to be during my spring break (I’m a writing student at the Vancouver Film School), and I was already planning on going home to KC to visit family and friends. I immediately thought of my sister, and figured that maybe we could make a little sister trip out of it. Unfortunately, the concert was a 21+ venue and my sister is only 15, so that wouldn’t work. Luckily, EOE was able to sell out that venue, so that allowed them to set up another concert the same week for all ages. At that moment, I was like, “I don’t know how I’m going to make this happen, but I am going to get my sister and I to that show if it’s the last thing I do!” And I did! After lots of negotiating with my parents, they finally agreed to let us go. So the week of my spring break came around, and I got to catch up with family and friends. Yesterday morning, my sister and I got up at 4am to make our flight to New York. After a layover and a grounded plane in Milwaukee, we finally made it to New York. I love cities, they just amaze me, so as soon as we were outside of the airport, I was ready to explore. My poor sister on the other hand is a country girl at heart. She lives for trap shooting and riding dirt bikes (we are the complete opposite in every way, but we are really great friends), so she was not as thrilled about being in the big city. After getting lost with our cab driver, and an hour drive to our hotel took us three hours, we were tired, but we knew we should try and see some of the city. So of course, me being the pizza lover that I am (I even brought my PJ pants that have pizza hearts all over them with me), told my sister we had to try authentic NY pizza while we were there, so we did. I was stuffed by the end of it, but it was definitely delicious. We then decided to embark on an adventure and take the subway to Central Park (luckily I’ve had experience with subways in Vancouver and in Berlin, so it wasn’t that difficult to figure out). Central Park was really pretty, but we didn’t get to stay long because we had to get back to our hotel to get ready for the concert.

Now, the concert. The concert is where the real magic began. We get to the venue and the line is insane to get in which just fills my heart with such joy to see so many people coming out to support Nathan and Chyler. We finally get inside and it’s about 15 minutes or so before EOE comes out. Now, for those who don’t know, this past week has been a rocky road for Nathan and his family. Last Monday, he got a call telling him that his father was losing his battle with cancer. He spent that next week by his side, and he wanted to cancel the shows (rightfully so), but his dad said no. His dad’s wish for him was to “carry on” (from “The Siege,” which according to Nathan is his dad’s favorite song) and play these shows in New York. I can only imagine how difficult it was for Nathan to have to make that choice, knowing that at any moment, his dad could no longer be on this earth. But Nathan made the choice, and he chose to follow his father’s wishes and continue on to NY. That only made me admire Nathan more than I already did because that kind of choice takes an enormous amount of strength. This just showed more clearly the depth of his character and the size of his heart. I have such respect for him. Then on top of that, yesterday, T-Mobile shut of Nathan and Chyler’s phone numbers, so they had no way of contacting each other. Luckily, Nathan and Chyler have some of the most amazing fans out there, and they were able to get the attention of the CEO of T-Mobile. Because of all of this, they got their phone numbers back. There is power in numbers, and when you set your mind to something, there really is nothing you can’t do. This was such a great example of that. You would think that this was enough adversity for one family in one week, but sadly this was not the last part of sad news. Nathan announced when he got on stage that there were some issues with Chyler’s flight and she was currently grounded in Toronto. Chyler was of course upset because she had missed Tuesdays’s concert to be with her kids and family in LA, and so she wanted to be here. Of course, everyone was sad, but it was understandable. Things happen, they suck, but we have to make the most of the situation and just keep going. Nathan and Chyler, being the awesome humans that they are, said that they were going to do everything in their power to get Chyler there and to make sure she got to meet every single person. Nathan continued on with the show, adding in some fun things to try and drag out the time, especially when we found out that Chyler was finally in the air and so she was on her way. Like always, he was amazing! His voice is incredible, and his lyrics are beyond compare. I have to say, EOE at The Troubadour was great, but there was something extra special about last night. Nathan brought multiple fans onto the stage, he goofed off, and he even tried singing a song from his first EP. The last one was the best because he’s only human, and so he was having a hard time remembering all of the words. The concert eventually ended, but he wanted us to hang out until Chyler could get there. We went to the front room, and I went with my sister towards the bar area and sat. Chyler showed up like 30 minutes later, and everyone was so excited. Chyler is a trooper. She was going on maybe two hours of sleep after finishing up her last scene of the season on Supergirl, and yet she was still here for her fans. Nathan and Chyler performed two songs together acoustically, and it was beautiful. After that, they made their way to an area of the room to do meet and greets. I stayed with my sister at the bar because: 1. just being in super large crowds in enclosed spaces makes be kind of anxious and 2. I had met Chyler briefly before, so I wanted to make sure everyone else got their chance. If I did’ t get to say hi, it wasn’t as big of a deal. So I was at the bar, and I started talking with the bartenders. John and Eric were so much fun! They offered up so awesome conversation, and they were great company while I was there with my sister. My sister and I had a blast chatting with them, and then Dre, the security guard, when he came and joined us (Dre actually thought I was an undercover cop, so that was both funny and awesome at the same time). I want to take a quick moment to thank all of the people working last night at The Knitting Factory in Brooklyn because they went above and beyond for us. This definitely includes John and Eric. John was sweet and he gave me a RedBull for free since I was tired, and then when he went to the store, he got my sister a banana. It was nice to make a friend in NY that said that if we were ever there again, they have an extra bed that we could crash in. I also got a sweet fox mask thing from Dre as a souvenir, so that’s pretty cool. Nathan came over at one point to thank John and Eric himself. He told them about everything that had happened that day, and how much it meant to him that they were doing this for us. John and Eric continued to keep my sister and I company until we ended up having to move outside because the bar was closing. My sister and I got in line outside and began waiting our turn. Nathan, again, being the amazing human he is, decided to give each of us still waiting a t-shirt for free. My sister and I were at the end of the line, so when he got to us, he stayed and talked for a minute. The first words out of my sister’s mouth were, “Brr it’s cold out here,” so Nathan so properly responded with, “There must be some Torros in the atmosphere.” My sister, whom I’ve been trying for a while to get to watch Bring It On, just stood there. I high-fived Nathan of course, because the reference was just beautiful. Gotta love some Jan the man. He then gave my sister a giant hug because she was absolutely exhausted. He was like a dad comforting his daughter, and it was such an amazing sight to see. He is just so genuine, and I can’t believe I’ve had the honor of meeting him. We eventually made it up to the front of the line to talk to Chyler, and Chyler gave my sister the biggest hug in the world. Like I said before, I have had the incredible pleasure of meeting Chyler before, but the only thing I’ve gotten to say to her was hi and that’s about it, so I was looking forward to a hug (my friend, Dened, has gotten many from her and she likes to say how great they are). I finally got my hug, and it was great. She’s just so sweet, gentle and kind, so of course her hug was very comforting. There was so much that I wanted to say, but I didn’t want to keep my sister out any longer. She had already came all the way to NY just for me, and was out at 5am when she had only gotten three hours of sleep the night before. My sister is a rockstar, and I am pretty lucky to have her (even if we disagree on 90% of things).

Last night, only proceeded to reaffirm all of my beliefs about Nathan and Chyler. I love what they are doing. They are using their power of influence to not only impact and change the community around them, but also the global community. They are such amazing people with huge hearts. They believe in family, and putting family first. Even though we aren’t their direct family, they treated us like family last night. They took their time, as tired as they were, to speak to each and every one of us. I admire them so much for that. What I love about them, is that they are open about their old baggage and dirty laundry, letting it be known, so that they can hopefully inspire others. They don’t try and hide their faults or their downfalls (we are all human after all). Along with that, I love the representation they are for the Christian community. Too many times nowadays, when people hear you are a Christian, they automatically assume you are going to be judgmental and rude, which sadly is not too far off for a lot of them. Chyler and Nathan on the other hand, are great embodiments of what it truly means to be a Christian (in my opinion). They show so much love to everyone, and Chyler is such an example, especially as she is playing the character of Alex Danvers on The CW’s, Supergirl. On the show, Alex recently realized that she was gay when Detective Maggie Sawyer entered her life. They are now together and are so cutely named, Sanvers. I think that this is one of the greatest things she could be doing for many reasons. One, her relationship on the show is such a healthy example of a relationship (especially for a queer couple). Then, I feel like this is a great thing because she is a Christian. She is showing that love is love, and it shouldn’t matter as long as you love each other. I think that that is a beautiful thing. I admired her so much more when this storyline came to be because of the impact I knew it would have. I struggle with being a Christian and supporting the LGBTQ community because so many Christians are so against it. I just don’t understand how a God who loves all (even the murderers), could hate someone who happens to fall in love with someone of the same sex. And Chyler has been outspoken about this as well. I remember watching an interview where she talked about this, and I cried. I cried because it was great to see someone with such influence who has the same beliefs as me. I am so grateful that Nathan and Chyler are in this world, spreading love and kindness with all that they do. Thank you for being prime examples of what it means to be human, and to love your neighbor. Thank you for taking so much time out of your day last night (and this morning) to meet each and every one of your fans. Most people wouldn’t do something like that, so thank you. You two are true heroes, and I pray that God blesses you immensely. I also pray that as your family is going through this difficult time, that you are able to find solace in him and in each other. Thank you again for everything. Thank you for being the role models this world needs. Thank you for inspiring others with your music and your words. Thank you for being superheroes to us all. Thank you.

Wow! This was a lot more than I thought I was going to say, but I wanted to get this all out. The past 24 hours truly has been magical, and I will never forget it. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I can’t wait until I get to see this amazing band again in July when they perform at The Roxy along with City of Sound and State to State (both of whom are amazing and deserve your attention as well). Thank you for taking your time to read this, it means a lot. I hope everyone has a great day!

#chyler leigh #nathan west #westleigh #east of eli #supergirl #sanvers #national superhero day #this turned out way longer than anticipated #sorry not sorry

50 notes · View notes

sentrava · 6 years

Text

Looking for a Winter Trip to Canada? Here are 5 Wonderland Getaways

It’s that time of year when I begrudgingly pack away all my fall and summer clothing, then the tables turn and I’m giddy once I dig into the attic and dust off my robust collection of beanies, parkas and scarves. What traveling girl doesn’t get excited rediscovering her winter wardrobe each year, I ask? I may not love this particular season in Tennessee specifically—it’s gray and gloomy, no white fluff to be found—but there’s one thing I love about the months between December and March and that’s finding an excuse for a good winter vacation to some place that is straight out of a fairytale. And of all my travels over the years, very few can beat our winter trip to Canada.

You may recall that back in January, Jade and I took our moms to British Columbia and Alberta in search of a winter paradise. We may or may not have coordinated our outfits for the trip—that sounds exactly like something we’d do, no?—and I haven’t had so much fun frolicking in sub-zero temps in my life. The great thing about Canada this time of year is you are essentially guaranteed a winter wonderland, plus it’s generally more affordable to visit Alberta in winter than in summer months. And need I mention just as stunning—if not more so—under a blanket of white? Guys, Elsa knows what’s up.

Despite being there for eight days, we only scratched the surface of Canada’s winter offerings, and I can’t wait to get back for more. If you’re looking for your own wonderland vacation this winter, I’ve rounded up some ideas in partnership with Canada by Design. They custom-tailored our trip to Canada in January—they handle train journeys, self-drives, wilderness lodges, winter skiing, and anything and everything in between—and I can’t imagine traveling there any other way!

Note: Canada by Design frequently has early booking deals like the current offer of up to $400 off for couples who book before Dec 21 on select popular Rail & Coach winter routes.

A Rail Trip Across Canada

I’ve now journeyed across western Canada twice by train—both VIA Rail and the Rocky Mountaineer—and it’s one of those iconic bucket list items everyone should tackle at least once. The trains are extremely comfortable, and the views unsurpassable—after all, much of the terrain isn’t somewhere you can visit by car or on foot.

If you want to travel across the entire continent, including seeing the surreal drama of a partially-frozen Niagara Falls, you also can do that on VIA Rail: 11 days from Vancouver to Toronto with stops along the way.

VIA is the only train that operates cross-Canada, and the luxury seekers among us should consider upgrading to Prestige Class. Not only are the Sleeper Plus cars super luxe and spacious, but you also get a private concierge and first-row seating held in the viewing car. I only spent a little under 24 hours on the train, so next up, that 11-day trip is going on my bucket list!

Don’t have that much time? No problem. You can mimic our own week-long train trip, comprising six nights from Vancouver to Calgary with stops in Banff, Jasper and Lake Louise. Note: While I love the Rocky Mountaineer to bits, VIA is the only option where you can sleep on the train overnight. Canada by Design puts together itineraries for both options, though, so go with your gut and pick what’s right for you.

Hit the Slopes in Banff

Of all the mountain towns in Alberta, Banff offers the most to do. On top of restaurants galore, great shopping and a natural hot springs on the slopes of a mountain, it also boasts a trio of ski slopes: Banff Sunshine, Lake Louise and Norquay. Ski safari? Yes, please! Best of all, you can enjoy staying right in the center of town, then shuttling up to the closest mountain for a few hours on the slopes, before getting your hot toddy on back in Banff at the end of a long, chilly, fulfilling ski day. If you’re the ultimate adventurer, consider a heliskiing deluxe package (then take me as your plus-one!).

Spend Christmas at a Fairmont Hotel

Fairmont Hotels originated back in the late 1800s, and the iconic Fairmont Banff Springs was the second property to open—and Canada’s first “railway hotel.” Today, it remains one of the most recognizable luxury hotels in the world, and I can vouch it’s every bit as glamorous as you hope it will be. But when I really love visiting Fairmont hotels is during the holidays; they go all out, no matter which one you’re visiting. Remember my Christmas trip to Fairmont’s D.C. property last year? Now, picture that on holiday steroids, but situated in a snowy, mountainous landscape. Sounds pretty dreamy, right?

It’s not too late to jet up there for this Christmas, you know! There’s limited availability left— Christmas dates book up fast in Banff and Lake Louise, so book ASAP if you want in on the action (or take advantage of early-booking offers and go ahead and plan your 2019 holiday adventures). Though we visited in January, we still got to see the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge all gussied up for the holidays. Another place I’m dying to visit in the height of winter: Quebec City and its famed Fairmont Le Château Frontenac.

Experience Mother Nature in Jasper National Park

Our train journey ended in Jasper, where we cozied up for two nights at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge, and it took approximately five minutes after leaving the hotel before we saw a huge herd of elk grazing alongside the road that goes into the park. You can tack on an extended Jasper winter adventure to your train trip to really get a feel for this gorgeous national park. Exploring the ice-adorned limestone walls that make up the Maligne Canyon Ice Walk is a must-do, just be sure and wear all your layers as it gets pretty chilly while down there walking on (frozen) water.

Pro tip: Consider traveling to Canada in March when temperatures warm up and snow conditions for skiing are ideal.

Get Your Ice Sculpture on At Lake Louise

If you don’t Instagram yourself on a frozen Lake Louise, did you even visit Canada in the winter? Debatable. And while Lake Louise is pure pixie dust charm no matter the month of the year, why wouldn’t you visit during the annual Ice Magic Festival? It lasts for 12 days each January and spans dozens of ice-carving masterpieces.

I should mention that if you want to piece together the above ideas in any way, shape or form, Canada by Design can help you with that, too. The “design” part of the name is clutch—the crew there truly tailors all experiences to the traveler’s interests and budget. And I’ve never been on a vacation where everything went so seamlessly; Canada by Design sent us a booklet of vouchers in chronological order that included our train tickets, private transfers and attractions passes, and all we had to do was tear each of them off and present it to the driver or at the venue for check-in. So easy!

Looking for more tips to planning your winter trip to Canada? Check out my past posts:

Taking My Mom to Canada: A Dream Winter Vacation in Alberta

On the VIA Rail: A Train Ride Across Canada’s Rocky Mountains

Real-Life Narnia: A Guide to Jasper, Lake Louise & Banff in Winter

Thanks to Canada by Design for sending Mom and me on our dream trip last winter and for sponsoring this post. As always, all opinions and fun had are my own.

PIN IT HERE

Looking for a Winter Trip to Canada? Here are 5 Wonderland Getaways published first on https://medium.com/@OCEANDREAMCHARTERS

0 notes

waynebomberger · 6 years

Text

Looking for a Winter Trip to Canada? Here are 5 Wonderland Getaways

Note: Canada by Design frequently has early booking deals like the current offer of up to $400 off for couples who book before Dec 21 on select popular Rail & Coach winter routes.

A Rail Trip Across Canada

Hit the Slopes in Banff

Spend Christmas at a Fairmont Hotel

Experience Mother Nature in Jasper National Park

Pro tip: Consider traveling to Canada in March when temperatures warm up and snow conditions for skiing are ideal.

Get Your Ice Sculpture on At Lake Louise

Looking for more tips to planning your winter trip to Canada? Check out my past posts:

Taking My Mom to Canada: A Dream Winter Vacation in Alberta

On the VIA Rail: A Train Ride Across Canada’s Rocky Mountains

Real-Life Narnia: A Guide to Jasper, Lake Louise & Banff in Winter

Thanks to Canada by Design for sending Mom and me on our dream trip last winter and for sponsoring this post. As always, all opinions and fun had are my own.

PIN IT HERE

from Camels & Chocolate: Travel & Lifestyles Blog https://ift.tt/2AJZsXl

0 notes

mhsn033 · 4 years

Text

Americans, go home: Tension at the Canada-US border

Image copyright Getty Pictures

Image caption The Peace Arch used to be erected in 1921, to commemorate the Treaty of Ghent, which ended the War of 1812

As the pandemic continues to brush the US, Canadians are getting an increasing number of captivated with what American company shall be bringing with them over the border.

Built directly on the border of Blaine, Washington and Surrey, British Columbia, the Peace Arch is a 67-foot excessive (20 metres) testament to the finish ties between Canada and the US.

Inscribed on one aspect are the phrases “May well simply these gates by no methodology be closed”, a reminder of the simply about 8,891 km (5,525 miles) of un-militarised border that separates the two nations.

For nearly 100 years, these phrases were heeded – till the coronavirus pandemic successfully shut the border indefinitely.

The closure came into operate on 21 March, and used to be agreed upon by every governments. After being prolonged quite loads of cases over the summer season, it stays in operate till 21 August – though most count on it to be prolonged but again.

“I by no methodology understanding I would be sitting right here mid-August and that border continues to be closed,” says Len Saunders, a dual citizen who lives in Blaine.

“It unswerving appears to be dragging on and on and on with no cease in sight.”

Whereas the border closure has had basic economic and inner most repercussions for the tens of millions of these who’re dwelling along it or maintain cherished ones on the more than a few aspect, the overwhelming majority of Canadians want it to cease shut.

Image copyright AFP by the usage of Getty Pictures

Image caption The US-Canada border has been closed since March

A July ballotby Ipsos Reid came all the procedure by that eight in ten Canadians wanted the border to cease closed till no decrease than the cease of 2020.

And because the pandemic has persisted to spread all the procedure by the US, so maintain tensions between American drivers and Canadian residents.

Whereas non-very basic experience back and forth is forbidden, commercial drivers turning in goods and these that work all the procedure by the border in very basic products and services are accredited to frightful.

Other folks with American licence plates maintain reported being careworn and having their autos vandalised, even in the event that they’ve every lawful to be on the Canadian aspect.

Mr Saunders, an immigration attorney who has many patrons who frightful the border on a typical foundation in suppose to work, says many contributors are afraid.

“They’re all greatly surprised of driving their autos in the decrease mainland thanks to vandalism, dirty appears to be like and unswerving getting treated as some ‘frightful American’,” he informed the BBC.

One in every of his prospects, an architect who used to be allowed to practise in Canada for the duration of the shutdown, says he used to be informed to “return dwelling” thanks to his vehicle.

The tensions are so excessive that British Columbia Premier John Horgan instructed that Canadians with American licence plates must bag the bus or tear bikes as an replace.

In the Muskoka location of Ontario, where many contributors maintain summer season homes, the hostility has garnered police consideration.

Ontario Provincial Police dispute a Canadian in town of Huntsville filed a complaint after two men allegedly accosted him over his Florida licence plate.

“Most lately this weekend, there used to be a gentleman up in direction of Huntsville getting gasoline in his vehicle, and two gents approached him and acknowledged, ‘it’s possible you’ll maybe well perchance be American experience dwelling.’ And he acknowledged, ‘I’m Canadian. I are dwelling right here.’ And so that they actually acknowledged, no, we produce now not imagine you point to us your passport,” Phil Harding, the mayor of internal reach Kuskoka Lakes, informed CP24.

“It unswerving turns into somewhat bit aggressive, and they terror for his or her lives somewhat bit.”

Tightened border security has also led to a pair distinguished arrests.

In Abundant Forks, British Columbia, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police spent over two hours chasing a man, who allegedly had crossed illegally in a stolen vehicle on 24 July, down a river. The “experience in conjunction with the drift crawl” ended where the river narrowed, when police, with the support of bystanders, were in a situation to wade into the river and escort him wait on to shore.

Image copyright RCMP

Image caption The ‘experience in conjunction with the drift crawl’ suspect

Costs are pending, but anyone caught breaking the border restrictions can even be fined up to C$750,000 ($566,000; £434,000) and be sentenced to six months in reformatory, or C$1m and three years if their actions “scheme off threat of impending death or excessive bodily wound”.

Those hefty fines are now not unswerving for wilful rule-breakers.

On Wednesday, police warned American citizens collaborating in an annual experience in conjunction with the drift down the St Claire River strategy the Michigan border that even accidentally crossing into Canada may maybe maybe well result in a hefty swish. In 2016, for the duration of additional carefree cases, Canadian police congenially escorted about 1,500 floaters wait on to the US aspect after winds blew them off beam.

Aloof, the results of the border closure on the cramped towns along either aspect have to now not insignificant.

Sooner than coronavirus, around 300,000 folk crossed the border every single day, in conjunction with Canadians who mechanically made daytrips to score a deal at US outlet malls or petrol stations, and American vacationers exploring the surprise of Niagara Falls.

Since March, non-commercial land border crossings to Canada maintain dropped by simply about 95%, in step with the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA).

“It be going to decimate all the pieces up there,” Mr Saunders says.

Nevertheless the commercial influence of closing the border to travellers is nothing when put next with what would occur to Canada if one other wave of coronavirus forced a second shutdown, says Ambarish Chandra, a professor of economics at the College of Toronto.

“This experience back and forth does maintain quite loads of economic influence on the communities where travellers experience to,” he says.

“Nevertheless given the pandemic in the US, and the replace of cases there, it makes sense to ban experience back and forth to the US – potentially indefinitely.”

Prof Chandra says government must give aid to frame towns whose economic system relies carefully on foreign tourism, but defend actual with the border closures till the pandemic is over.

“In the long term it be system more cost effective to bail out all of Niagara Falls, Ontario, than to finish down Toronto for even one other three or four weeks,” he says.

After months of shuttering most firms, Canada’s coronavirus cases are shedding and the nation is in the guts of re-opening its economic system. Each day cases maintain dropped from a excessive of two,760 on 3 May well simply to a pair hundred.

Eating areas and retail outlets were originate for at least a few weeks in most significant cities, and to this point, cases are tranquil trending downwards.

Meanwhile, the US is attempting to tame its outbreak, which reached a top of 75,821 on 17 July and is seeing about 40,000 fresh cases a day.

Coronavirus: US vs Canada

Those numbers are what’s fuelling the unease many Canadians maintain with American travellers.

“Montana is directly south of us, is having a second spike of cases lawful now, and I produce now not feel sorry for any one which will get stopped at the border, let’s attach it that system,” says Jim Willett, the mayor of Coutts, Alberta.

“I’m afraid if we opened up the border too soon, we would maintain extra of a enviornment admire what’s happening down south.”

His town is one in all the 5 border towns where US residents travelling to Alaska can enter Canada, since the CBSA cracked down on the so-called “Alaska loophole” at the cease of July.

Since Alaska shares no borders with assorted US states, American citizens want to drive by Canada, hence the “loophole”.

After the border closed, many maintain expressed effort that drivers were exploiting the loophole to explore some of the nation’s most scenic areas, admire Vancouver Island and Banff, Jasper, and Lake Louise.

In June, RCMP issued seven tickets price $1,200 ($906, £694) every to American citizens who broke the foundations by sightseeing in Alberta.

“Construct now not experience experience. Trot directly to Alaska,” Premier Horgan acknowledged for the duration of a news conference in July.

Image copyright Getty Pictures

Image caption American vacationers were spotted in scenic spots admire Banff Nationwide Park, despite the border closure

Complaints relating to the loophole and the shortcoming of enforcement led to the crackdown.

On the cease of July, the border authority presented that Alaska-certain travellers had finest little parts of entry, must bag the most enlighten route to their vacation situation, and may maybe maybe well also advise tags in their vehicle figuring out them as US drivers going to the northern stammer.

They also are little to a “cheap duration of cease” in Canada, and are forbidden from visiting nationwide parks, leisure sites and various tourist destinations, with rule-breakers going by the stiff penalties.

For the reason that tougher principles were enacted, Mr Willett says he’s now not “too alive to” relating to the web explain visitors coming over the border.

“[We] bag a entire lot of folk by all cases of the day and evening. Most of them are somewhat co-operative,” he says.

from WordPress https://ift.tt/3akkoFK via IFTTT

#IFTTT #WordPress

0 notes

hudsonespie · 4 years

Text

Port of Vancouver Receives Longest Wind Blades to Enter West Coast US

VANCOUVER, Wash. – The Port of Vancouver USA received a shipment of wind turbine components on July 22 that included the longest wind turbine blades ever to enter the West Coast of the U.S. and transported across North America, to-date. The delivery is a joint effort between the turbine manufacturer Goldwind Americas and the wind project owner Potentia Renewables.

The port received a total of nine wind turbines including blades, nacelles, generators, hubs, tower sections and other sub-components.

Eight of Goldwind’s GW155/4.2 MW turbines arrived on the MV Star Kilimanjaro. There are four complete turbines featuring Goldwind’s 76-meter blades and four additional turbines of the same model with blades arriving on later shipments. These are the longest blades ever transported across North America. Measuring nearly 250 ft. in length, the blades are nearly as tall as the Statue of Liberty.

The remaining components on this vessel include one set of 67-meter wind turbine blades for the same 4.2 MW rated power capacity wind turbine.

“Wind manufacturers have kept us busy this spring and summer moving wind energy components,” said Julianna Marler, CEO of the Port of Vancouver USA. “We couldn’t do this work without incredible partnerships with companies like Goldwind, as well as ILWU Local 4, Local 40, Local 92, and the river and bar pilots who are still at work every day moving cargo. In this challenging COVID-19 environment the port has been functioning well, and I am incredibly thankful for everyone’s dedication in making this possible,” she added.

“Our customers know we can handle this large cargo with our heavy lift cranes, acres of laydown space, highly-skilled workforce and dedication to renewable energy,” said Chief Commercial Officer Alex Strogen. “We also want to thank Jones Stevedoring, Totran Transportation Services and the ship MV Star.

Kilimanjaro operated by G2 Ocean. This is their second visit to the Port of Vancouver with wind components from Goldwind. Their talented staff and crews, expertise and hard work are integral to the port’s continued commercial success.”

The blades for Goldwind’s GW155/4.2 megawatt (MW) turbines, each 76-meters in length (250 ft.), were manufactured in and shipped from China. Goldwind Americas, the company’s North American subsidiary headquartered in Chicago, IL, specializes in the sales, supply, operations and maintenance of Goldwind’s Permanent Magnet Direct Drive (PMDD) wind turbine generators. The North American company employs over 100 local individuals and currently operates 26 wind farms across nine U.S. states, Canada and the Republic of Panama. Globally Goldwind has 60 gigawatts, approximately 35,000 wind turbine units, operating in 24 countries on six continents.

“The arrival of Goldwind’s 76-meter wind turbine blades to our shores signifies an important next step in wind power technology in North America. As a result of our expanding portfolio of wind turbines, Goldwind is able to maximize project economics with larger, scalable technologies to fit an array of wind projects,” said David Sale, CEO of Goldwind Americas. “Leading the industry in delivering turbines of this size presents many new challenges, which must be met with a great deal of planning and expertise. Goldwind is pleased to be working with the Port of Vancouver USA, Totran Transportation Services, Jones Stevedoring and G2 Ocean to safely bring such large components across the U.S. and into Canada.”

“Congratulations to the Port, workers and others for the safe and successful receipt of the largest turbine equipment to date,” said Jeff Jenner, Chief Executive Officer of Potentia Renewables Inc.

The wind turbine blades and components will travel to Assiniboia, Saskatchewan, Canada to Potentia Renewable’s Golden South Wind Energy Project located on 34,000 acres of leased-agricultural land. Potentia is a Toronto-based developer, owner and operator of solar and wind energy assets. The Golden South Wind Project will utilize Goldwind’s latest PMDD turbines and will generate approximately 900,000 megawatt-hours of electricity and will significantly reduce CO2 emissions compared to a coal-fired plant. The carbon reduction is equivalent to eliminating the pollution from half the vehicles in Regina or Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The project broke ground in 2019 and is expected to open in 2021.

Once unloaded from the ship, the wind turbine blades and other major components will be moved to laydown space at the port’s Terminal 2 and Terminal 5. From there, they will be transported by Totran Transportation Services over the span of several months to Saskatchewan, Canada.

The port will eventually handle a total of 50 full turbines, a combination of the GW 136/4.2 and GW 155/4.2 MW models, for the Golden South Wind Project. Four additional ships carrying turbines will arrive later this summer and fall. In total, Goldwind will import more than 750 large-scale components through the Port of Vancouver USA.

The Port of Vancouver USA has long been a leader in the port industry in supporting renewable energy projects and is one of the West Coast leaders in the movement of wind energy components to support new and existing wind energy projects.

from Storage Containers https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/port-of-vancouver-receives-longest-wind-blades-ever-to-enter-the via http://www.rssmix.com/

0 notes

marilynngmesalo · 6 years

Text

No spike in pot-impaired driving after legalization: police

No spike in pot-impaired driving after legalization: police No spike in pot-impaired driving after legalization: police https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

VANCOUVER — Canadian police have not seen a spike in cannabis-impaired driving one month since legalization, but there needs to be more awareness of laws around storing marijuana in vehicles and passengers smoking weed, law enforcement officials say.

The Canadian Press canvassed police forces and provincial and territorial Crowns across the country and while some said it was too early to provide data, others said initial numbers and anecdotal impressions suggest stoned driving isn’t on the rise.

“Even before the legislation we were catching a lot of high school kids because marijuana has seemed to be kind of mainstream forever,” said Sgt. Joe Cantelo of the Kennebecasis Regional Police Force in New Brunswick.

“In our department, there’s certainly no rise in impaired driving by (marijuana).”

Police forces in Vancouver, Regina, Newfoundland and Labrador, Yukon, Truro, N.S., and Kensington, P.E.I., all said they hadn’t noticed a significant change in driver behaviour since pot was legalized on Oct. 17.

ONE TOKE OVER THE LINE: Many Canadians are driving high, according to new StatCan cannabis data

CANNABIS 101: Bud basics for beginners

Cannabis legalization crunch time: Handling of high drivers, border crossers still being ironed out, feds say

Liberals approve first saliva screening roadside test for marijuana

Cantelo said there were three impaired driving charges in his community over the last few weeks and they were “strictly older adults with alcohol.”

Manitoba RCMP conducted three cannabis-impaired driving investigations in the three weeks since Oct. 17, compared with one such investigation in the three weeks prior to legalization. There were about 50 alcohol-impaired driving charges laid during each of the same periods.

Const. Jason Doucette said Vancouver police have issued 18 violation tickets under provincial cannabis laws since Oct. 17. The majority of traffic-related tickets were issued because pot was not properly stored or passengers were consuming weed in the vehicle.

During one roadblock campaign, he said Vancouver officers noted six events specific to cannabis impairment, which led to four 24-hour driving suspensions.

“As expected, we haven’t seen a dramatic increase in cannabis-related offences,” he added.

Provinces and territories established their own laws around cannabis storage in vehicles, but generally weed must be in closed packaging and out of reach of the driver. Manitoba took a step further and required pot to be in a secure compartment, such as the trunk.

In Newfoundland and Labrador, there have been at least six charges related to open or accessible cannabis in vehicles, RCMP said.

Obviously drivers can’t consume weed, but many provinces, including British Columbia and Ontario, have banned passengers from toking as well. A joint-smoking passenger in Saanich, B.C., was slapped with a $230 fine a day after legalization, police said.

As for cannabis-impaired driving, some police detachments and Crowns don’t track it separately from impairment caused by other drugs or alcohol.

The B.C. Public Prosecution Service said it doesn’t classify impaired-driving charges by intoxicant, but in the three weeks after legalization it approved 43 such charges, while in the three weeks before legalization it approved 52 charges.

Toronto police said they’d had 58 drug-impaired driving incidents in 2018 to date, including two after pot legalization, and 824 alcohol-impaired incidents. That’s compared to 60 incidents of drug impairment in drivers and 1,154 instances of alcohol impairment in all of 2017.

//<![CDATA[ ( function() { pnLoadVideo( "videos", "KsfT13bv_og", "pn_video_627246", "", "", {"controls":1,"autoplay":0,"is_mobile":""} ); } )(); //]]>

In Halifax and the Northwest Territories, there were no cannabis-impaired driving arrests in the three weeks before or after legalization, while in Nunavut, there were five general impaired-driving charges during both periods.

Sgt. Joyce Kemp said Quebec provincial police made 252 arrests for drug-related driving impairments between Jan. 1 and Sept. 17 of this year, compared to 319 for all of 2017 and 310 in 2016.

“A lot of people seem to think this is something new,” she said. “But the numbers speak (for themselves), we’ve been doing this for quite a few years now.”

Some police detachments, including Edmonton, Regina, Yukon and Nunavut, have purchased or are planning to purchase the federally approved roadside saliva test, the Drager DrugTest 5000, but have not used it in the field. Others have decided to rely on standardized field sobriety tests and drug recognition experts for now.

Kyla Lee, a Vancouver-based lawyer who wants to file a court challenge of the Drager test once it’s used on a driver who wishes to dispute it, said she hadn’t heard of it being used anywhere yet.

She said she’s impressed so far with the police approach to enforcement, particularly in B.C.’s Lower Mainland.

//<![CDATA[ ( function() { pnLoadVideo( "videos", "q_4acoCyH8A", "pn_video_618593", "", "", {"controls":1,"autoplay":0,"is_mobile":""} ); } )(); //]]>

“I was worried when the law changed … that this sort of panic around cannabis-impaired driving was going to lead to a number of false arrests and bad investigations. That’s not what I’ve been seeing,” she said.

There still needs to be more awareness among Canadians, especially youth, of the dangers of cannabis-impaired driving, said Andrew Murie, CEO of Mothers Against Drunk Driving Canada.

“The problem we were having, especially with young people with cannabis, is they didn’t see cannabis as dangerous, (we) didn’t see them upholding the same type of behaviours they would around alcohol,” he said.

“We had a problem of perception that it’s less dangerous and that’s the biggest battle we’re fighting right now.”

— With files from Holly McKenzie-Sutter in St. John’s, Morgan Lowrie in Montreal, Nicole Thompson in Toronto, Steve Lambert in Winnipeg, Ryan McKenna in Regina, Bob Weber in Edmonton and Bill Graveland in Calgary

Click for update news Bangla news https://ift.tt/2PzbBZK world news

#metronews24 bangla #Latest Online Breaking Bangla News #Breaking Bangla News #prothom alo #bangla news #b

0 notes

thebestintoronto · 6 years

Text

Spending Two Perfect Days In Toronto

Toronto’s condominium boom is no secret — just try snapping a photo of the city’s skyline without including a crane or two — but these rising glass towers are ushering in more than sky-high residences. They’ve also helped create an influx of luxury hotels and restaurants that make the already dynamic destination a newly alluring place to visit. Though you could spend weeks exploring the changing landscape of Canada’s largest city, Toronto is also an excellent choice for a walkable two-day getaway. Hit the highlights, both classic and new, with this itinerary.

Day One

Choosing a Toronto hotel is no small task when the city’s bumper crop of properties includes some of Canada’s most luxurious. The Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star Trump International Hotel & Tower Toronto; Four-Stars The Ritz-Carlton, Toronto, Park Hyatt Toronto, Shangri-La Hotel, Toronto and The Hazelton Hotel; and Recommendeds SoHo Metropolitan Hotel, Toronto, Thompson Toronto and Templar Hotel all delight with their service and amenities. But on our most recent trip, Four Seasons Hotel Toronto fit the bill. Opened in late 2012 as the Toronto-based brand’s new flagship, this Five-Star, 55-story Yorkville stunner is home to 259 sleek guest rooms and suites outfitted with floor-to-ceiling windows, iPads and custom Etro bath products. Its restaurant and spa are among the best in town — but you’ll get to those later.

After checking in and freshening up in your impossibly large bathroom, it’s time for a pre-lunch walking tour of the Yorkville neighborhood. This tony corner of Toronto, a 10-minute drive north of downtown, is also a cornerstone of the city’s fashion scene, and the best way to see all the boutiques its quaint alleys have to offer is with The Refinery’s Wendy Woods, a local style expert. As Woods explains, shopping in Toronto is pricey but unique; because the city has relatively few big-box stores outside of Holt Renfrew and Hudson’s Bay, there’s an opening for local designers to thrive, and a plethora of their combination boutique-studios dot the city. Woods’ tour, which can be customized for men or women, will lead you through her favorite hidden gems and the signature items in each. If you opt to explore Yorkville on your own, don’t miss Pink Tartan to shop tailored women’s clothing in a historic building; Teatro Verde for two floors of one-of-a-kind gifts and a fittingly orange-yellow room dedicated to Veuve Clicquot products; Ça Va de Soi for luxe basics like sweaters woven with rare Karnak Menoufi cotton; Karir Eyewear for high-end, artistic frames; and LeatherFoot for bespoke or prêt-à-porter men’s shoes from European designers such as John Lobb and Gaziano & Girling.

When you’ve worked up an appetite, wind your way to Sassafraz for lunch. A Yorkville institution, Sassafraz consists of a restaurant and a more casual café, both set inside a yellow house where it’s not unusual for famous clientele, from Matt Damon to Bono, to outshine the farm-fresh, French-inspired cuisine. Request a spot on the restaurant’s rearmost banquette for the best vantage point; you can survey the entire dining room from this perch under a glass atrium. After appetizers, such as a baby spinach salad piled high with blackberries and Ontario sheep feta, and a hearty main — the smoked-chicken torchietti with cubed andouille sausage and kale pesto is a warm comfort on a cold Canadian day — finish with the trio of crème brûlée. This dessert flight — with ramekins of white-chocolate-Oreo crumble, Baileys with peppermint crunch, and maple with ginger snap — is just the thing to fuel your trip to the Art Gallery of Ontario or Royal Ontario Museum.

Both have world-class permanent collections — at the Art Gallery of Ontario, work from the last two millennia, and at the Royal Ontario Museum, natural history and cultural articles — and are impressive from the outside in. Daniel Libeskind created the ROM’s incongruous crystalline entrance in 2007; Toronto-born architect Frank Gehry added the AGO’s curved-glass façade in 2008. The one at which you spend your afternoon wandering is your choice. Exhibitions include “Francis Bacon and Henry Moore: Terror and Beauty,” featuring more than 130 pieces from the British art titans at the AGO through July 20, and “The Forbidden City: Inside the Court of China’s Emperors” at the ROM through July 1, along with various retrospectives throughout the year to celebrate the museum’s 100th anniversary.

Recover from your travels to and around the city back at your hotel, where The Spa at Four Seasons Hotel Toronto beckons. At 30,000 square feet, this Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star retreat is the largest luxury spa in Toronto, and it’s filled with serene spaces in which to unwind before you even hit the treatment room. Be sure to spend ample time in the relaxation area where you’ll wait for your therapist; curl up with a fuzzy gray or brown blanket as you browse the music menu and select one of six channels — perhaps “spa chill vibes” or “spa spiritual” — to enhance your massage. For the ultimate pampering with a sense of place, choose one of the spa’s Toronto-inspired treatments: The Cultural Mosaic of Canada blends spa traditions from India, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Europe; We Are Yorkville pays homage to the neighborhood’s 1960s hippie past with a foot bath, hemp-seed scrub, honey-arnica wrap and patchouli hemp oil massage.

You don’t have to go far for a special dinner at Four-Star Café Boulud Toronto, Four Seasons Hotel Toronto’s Daniel Boulud-helmed restaurant. Head to the eclectic second-floor space, filled with celebrity portraits by Banksy protégé Mr. Brainwash, to taste the passion that chef de cuisine Tyler Shedden and wine director Drew Walker have for Ontario-sourced menus. Dishes such as roasted Grandview Farms chicken with ricotta gnudi, white onion, porcini mushrooms and sage jus, and wines such as Norman Hardie pinot noir from Prince Edward County, show off both the area’s bounty and Boulud’s French traditions, and the personable staff discusses local ingredients with Portlandia-style precision. For dessert, the grapefruit givré is a must — so dramatic as to require two hands to eat it with any grace, this blend of grapefruit sorbet, grapefruit compote, rose loukoum and halva crumble, with a towering crown of sesame-seed-dotted halva floss, is as delicious as it is striking.

Day Two

St. Lawrence Market in Old Town Toronto has been home to a thriving city smorgasbord since 1803, so what better place to do some fun foraging for breakfast? The food market is open Tuesday through Saturday, with Saturday heralding in an Ontario farmers market in the North Market building. Start there and wind your way through dozens of stalls heaving with everything from kale to currants before arriving at Cathy Roncetti’s Oodles of Strudels and buying one of her fruit strudels or seasonal loaves — her tropical colada is moist and flavorful. Or pop into the South Market, where two floors house more than 120 permanent vendors specializing in prepared food. Stop by the famed Carousel Bakery, known for its peameal bacon sandwiches, and Anton Kozlik’s Canadian Mustard, where any number of mustards — clobbered cranberry, triple crunch, amazing maple — and pastries may seduce your senses.

Once you’re sated, it’s time (10 a.m., to be exact) to meet historian Bruce Bell for a tour of the market and its environs. (Reserve a spot on this popular tour ahead of time.) Bell has a noted knack for making history come to life during his 90-minute excursions, and there isn’t a question about his beloved Toronto that he can’t answer. As Bell guides you from St. Lawrence Hall, a meeting place since 1851, to Toronto’s first jail, you’ll begin to notice plaques marking these as historic buildings, with the label “a Bruce Bell history project.” Throughout the city, Bell’s historical prowess is rather set in stone.

After your tour, enjoy a 15-minute walk down the tree-flanked Esplanade to the Distillery District and sit down to lunch at El Catrin. The design firm Munge Leung, the visionary behind Vancouver’s Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star Rosewood Hotel Georgia and the new Whiskey Down at MGM Grand Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, conspired with Mexican street artist Oscar Flores to create a kaleidoscopic smiling-skulls motif for the space. The team delivers high drama with a two-story Flores mural, a two-story bar and a giant brick patio that glows under black-metal chandeliers. In contrast, chef Olivier Le Calvez’s menu is simple, perfectly spicy comfort food: tacos, burritos, tortas and ceviches, with a weekend brunch menu (10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday) full of savory and sweet stick-to-your-ribs treats, such as chilaquiles verdes with pulled chicken, or 24-hour-soaked vanilla challah with mango, ancho chili mascarpone and mezcal-maple syrup. Wash it all down with any of the flavorful aguas frescas — the hibiscus-spiked flavored water is particularly refreshing.

You no doubt passed some of the galleries and boutiques that line the Distillery District’s red-brick, pedestrian-only lanes on your way to lunch. Now learn about the history of these 47 Victorian industrial buildings that once constituted the Gooderham & Worts Distillery. Segway Ontario, a short walk from El Catrin on Gristmill Lane, runs entertaining 30- and 60-minute tours of the neighborhood that stop at several historically notable corners and, if you’re up for it, tastings at Soma Chocolatemaker and Mill Street Brewery. A five-minute training session on your Segway gives you a ticket to ride in a single-file line between two guides while they regale the group with tales of living, working and drinking in Toronto during the 19th century.

If it’s your first time in Toronto, the CN Tower is worth a quick stop for panoramic views of the city and Lake Ontario. If you’ve already ascended to the 113th-floor, glass-floored observation deck before, consider upping the ante with the 116th-floor, hands-free EdgeWalk (the season starts April 14) that has been thrilling daredevils since 2011. Even just watching the jumpsuited, harnessed participants lean over the edge of tower — which was the world’s tallest freestanding structure until 2010 — is enough to make your palms sweat or your spirit soar, depending on your point of view. Less adventurous visitors may prefer the tower’s new next-door neighbor, Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada, but be sure to reserve tickets ahead of time, as we spotted lines around the building on a recent Saturday afternoon.

You’ll also want to book a table for dinner at one of Toronto’s newest (and most talked about) culinary imports. Ramen ace David Chang brought his New York City-based Momofuku empire to University Avenue in 2012, opening five concepts in a single three-floor glass cube. The ground floor houses Momofuku Noodle Bar; the second level is home to Nikai, a lounge that serves noodle dishes and bigger plates. Dessert mecca Momofuku Milk Bar is also on the second floor, inside its own glass box in which wire baskets overflow with cookies and truffles. And the third level is dedicated to Daisho, where the menu mixes shareable plates with large-format meals such as bo ssäm (a pork shoulder dish and the namesake of a Chang restaurant in New York), and Shoto. Reserve your spot at the intimate Shoto counter between Tuesday and Saturday to enjoy a tasting menu of about 10 courses, or stick with Momofuku Noodle Bar and experience a ramen revelation over a bowl of pork, chicken or vegetable noodles.

Toronto is one of only three cities to lay claim to the famed Second City comedy troupe, so don’t miss an after-dinner show at its intimate downtown theater, where the tables are close together and the jokes even closer. The Second City’s alumni list is a who’s who of Canadian comedians, from Gilda Radner to Martin Short to Mike Myers. Shows last just less than two hours, and you’ll want to catch the last performance, as it’s followed by free improv — the actors’ wheelhouse — every night but Friday. The ensemble’s latest sketch show, Sixteen Scandals, kicked off in March and is the perfect ending to your whirlwind tour north of the border.

This post " Spending Two Perfect Days In Toronto " was first seen on Forbes Travel Guide by Michelle Doucette

Naturopath Toronto - Dr. Amauri Caversan

0 notes