"... a pattern so grand and complex"
My final chance to get some more places ticked off my Rush pilgrimage. I managed to get to Danforth and Pape, which is in the heart of Greek Town. The cross section itself is cornered by 3 banks and an ice cream parlour. Why Alex would have nightmares about it I have no idea [1]. I was disappointed that there wasn't one post with both the Danforth Avenue and Pape Street signs on them, so that I could photograph them like the Haight Ashbury sign. I think a few of the locals thought I was bit odd photographing traffic lights. I then made my back on the subway and stopped off at Maple Leaf Gardens. In later years Rush played here, but I recently heard it was to be demolished, so wanted to at least see it before it disappeared. As I rounded the corner, I was stuck by the completely unassuming appearance of the building. I had thought it would have a lot of character about it, much like Massey Hall, but you could easily walk past and miss it. It was a shame to see the place in a bit of a derelict state. Still I got to see it while it's still standing.
That was it for my Rush trail. I know I missed out on quite a few things, but hopefully I will make it back to Toronto another time, probably with the family, as I did enjoy wandering around. It's a very clean and a very non-threaten city. Although I do think city centre maps need to explain the districts better though. Trying to find a shop that was open at 11am on Saturday morning was a pain. It turned out that the financial district is closed at the weekend. Seeing as it is on the way to the CN Tower it did seem like a missed opportunity. I also found it strange regarding the distinct lack of tourist features around the CN Tower. In fact I don't recall even seeing a dodgy street trader trying to sell postcards and plastic towers. Though that perhaps is a good thing. It would have been nice to do a few things together within walking distance.
Toronto now though reminds me of Birmingham about 5 years ago, just after they'd flattened the Bullring and were starting to rebuild the city as part of a multi-billion pound investment. There are lots of new skyscrapers in the making, and perhaps a few more tourist attractions, so next time I see the city I expect the skyline will have changed somewhat. Maybe I'll get to see a member of Rush next time too. Now that would be cool :)
[1] La Villa Strangiato is supposedly music drawn from a series of nightmares about monsters Alex Lifeson had.
