A trip into the city and a ride on the Go train!

  I thought this might be of interest to people who are considering greener alternatives to travel but have little experience with mass transit and are intimidated by the prospects of venturing into the big city and trying to coordinate with buses, subways, street cars and trains. The whole experience seems daunting if not bewildering. In this story, the city I'm referring to is Toronto, Ontario and we are traveling from the Kitchener-Waterloo, Guelph region. 

  I've often traveled by bus within cities, between cities and across countries, since I was quite young if I include the school buses I've ridden in! It's always seemed a practical mode of transportation to me and almost always I've felt quite safe and comfortable on my travels. On a rainy day in September John and I planned to venture to Toronto to attend a birthday party for our 5 year old grand daughter. The location of the party was near Exhibition Place, a well known landmark near the lake shore.

I learned we could hop on the Lakeshore West line of the Go train from Union Station, on Front Street downtown right to Exhibition Station, near the entrance to the grounds. This seemed a fun opportunity to hop on the Go train and experience what it's like to ride the train in Toronto. We even got to find seats on the top level of the train. From Exhibition Station we had to walk the equivalent of several blocks to arrive at Medieval Times where 12 seats were reserved for our family to cheer on the Red Knight!

This turned out to be a fun adventure for John and I and it gave me the chance to see what the trains where like. How the connections worked and if it was easy to board, etc. I have worked as a ticket agent and I've always wondered what the Go trains were like. Over the years I've  been on Via through parts of Canada, plus trains and Metros in Denver, Montreal and New York City. I'd ridden the subway in Toronto and love taking the streetcars when I have the excuse, but hadn't ever tried or needed GO to get anywhere I guess.

Our ride into Toronto was via Greyhound and was a very pleasant, uneventful ride. Traffic was good the weather was fair and we arrived at the front doors of The Royal York Hotel in downtown Toronto, right on schedule. This first stop, on Front Street is across from Union Station where we connected with our train to Exhibition. Union Station is a hustling, bustling place and it's been years since I'd been there, pre-Go years I think...I found the Go extension to the building and the construction around Union Station difficult to maneuver around. I also discovered there where lots of stairs to climb and descend. As a result I don't recommend this route to anyone with a physical limitation making walking or climbing difficult.

Our return trip was almost the opposite except that we had to make our way to the terminal at Bay Street. We decided to take our time and walk from Union Station up Bay Street to Dundas where we'd be able to catch our return Greyhound bus.  It's a great walk if you're able or have the time. There are many interesting and historic buildings along the way, bringing you right near the Eaton Centre and Nathan Philips Square, Toronto's City Hall. The ride home was rainy outside, warm and sleepy inside and John and I both agreed it was a great idea that we decided to take mass transit to make our trip stress free. It worked well for us and helped us reduce our impact on our environment at the same time.