Return to Pearson Airport
February 19, 2017
Yesterday, I made another voyage to the universe's center, this time making a return trip to Pearson Airport, the place I first touched down as a new Ontario resident following my momentous defection from the SPRM more than two and a half years ago.
Bright and early, as always, I boarded the #12 bus at Fairview Mall for the all too familiar trek to Burlington. It turned out to be a perfect time to go, since there were so few people on the bus and traffic was so light on the QEW. At least on the way there.
The dungeon leading to track 3.
It would go up to +15 on this day, yet they still apparently needed the proverbial ton of salt. You can never, it seems, put down enough salt in this part of the world. Sometimes I wonder why the salt trucks aren't out in the middle of July.
As the Lakeshore West train was pulling up to the platform, I couldn't help but laugh when I saw a 20-something woman shivering as if it was -45, like they had in the Old Country this winter. These people just don't know how lucky they are not to have suffered through such bitter cold. And on two wheels, like I have.
Aboard the train was this highly offensive ad from CBC Radio. It wasn't the ad specifically, but the fact that it came from one of the world's leading purveyors of left-wing political propaganda. I certainly hope GO reconsiders and refuses to accept advertising from such revulsive sources.
From Union Station, following a short break, I made for the subway station.
The entrance to the subway station.
Union, like all the other stations in the system, now accepts PRESTO cards, but for those who don't have one or haven't heard of PRESTO, you can pay with cash at the booth.
Waiting for the subway.
Minutes later, the subway came, and I got off to change to the #2 line at the St. George station. For the benefit of those who haven't taken the subway and need to transfer to a different line, there is always an announcement to that effect when approaching a connecting station.
From there, I proceeded down the escalator, where the #2 was waiting for me. Yes, there are multiple levels underground. I know of at least one reader who is bothered by that concept.
Aboard the #2 line, I made myself comfortable as it made its way westward toward the Kipling station, the western terminus of the line.
Back up at street level, there were platforms for many bus routes, including one for the 192 Airport Rocket, an express route to Terminal 1 at Pearson Airport. There was even a bus waiting, but first, I took off on foot to get some highway pictures of 427 a short distance away.
During my hour-long diversion, I managed to avoid getting accosted by some Jehovah's Witnesses who were canvassing the area around Bloor Street and got some excellent shots, soon to appear on a website near you.
I then returned to the Kipling station and caught the Airport Rocket bus. All TTC buses now accept PRESTO and, like many OC Transpo buses in Ottawa, you can even board in the rear if you are paying with PRESTO. Being at the Kipling station, however, you can't even get to the platform without paying, so it was all academic.
As the name of the route suggested, after putting on his seat belt, the driver then rocketed north on 427 before meandering around the airport until reaching ground level at Terminal 1.
While there, I toured around at got some pictures. When flying to and from the universe's center in the past, I had only been in Terminal 3, so this part of the adventure was all new.
Of note in this shot was the booth for the Peel Regional Police. For those who are not aware, Pearson Airport is actually located in Mississauga, not Toronto.
Next, I followed the signs to the link train, a free service which takes passengers to and from Terminal 3 and the attached Sheraton Hotel.
There are two sets of tracks and seats inside each car for the short trip between terminals. As shown in the first shot, the arrival times are pegged to the second.
Inside Terminal 3, I toured around before stopping for a break, not coincidentally, by the Niagara Airbus check-in desk by Door C.
There, I could not help but think back to the 2013 trip when I came St. Catharines for the first time to investigate the possibility of relocating to the city. It was in front of this desk where I sat wondering lay in store and whether or not this dream would ever become reality. As loyal readers are well aware, less than a year later, it did.
Following the break, I returned to Terminal 1 via the link train, then took the much-heralded UP Express train back to Union. At $9 for PRESTO users, it is a little more pricey than the $3 subway fare, but it gets you back to Union in only 25 minutes, and without having to change subway lines.
Inside, there are special luggage storage areas, plugs and complimentary Wi-Fi. There are even pull-down trays, just like on an airplane. Regrettably, announcements are made in Canadian and Quebecese and, unlike the case on GO trains, staff come around to verify tickets. In the case of PRESTO users, they scan your card to check that you did indeed tap on before you boarded.
Leaving Terminal 1.
Once at Union, simply follow the signs to guide you through the maze. In addition to the walkway to catch a GO train, VIA train or TTC subway line, there is also a walkway to the Toronto Convention Center.
Before returning home, I needed to visit a couple of places, so I exited via Front Street, where I spotted a pair of homeless people sitting on the sidewalk holding a sign that read, "Homeless and hungry, any little bit helps." They didn't have money for food, but they did have money for cigarettes. But, as someone once said to me, I just don't understand the real issues behind poverty.
Moving on, I returned to Union and caught what was a crowded Lakeshore West train back to Burlington in enough time to catch the 2:54 #12 bus back to St. Catharines.
As you can see, I was certainly not the only one waiting for the bus. Maybe one of these days, GO will increase the frequency of this route. Though our mayor seems convinced otherwise, I'm not sure the daily train service to Niagara will become reality any time soon.
Decompressing after a long day, what was probably the most humorous part of the trip began when a retired steelworker with a faint odor of alcohol on his breath got on at Stoney Creek and sat next to me. We began talking and when I told him I was originally from Winnipeg, he began talking about his relatives in Chilliwack, BC, almost as if I was supposed to know them. As I've observed more than once since moving here, "out West" is just some small place on the fringe of the Earth where everyone more or less knows each other. In many respects, people from Southern Ontario are like Americans, whose only knowledge of Canada consists of Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, and assume every Canadian lives in or near one of those three cities.
It got even funnier when I was mentioning the bitter cold in Winnipeg, which he began to equate with the climate in Chilliwack. Of course Winnipeg and Chilliwack have the same climate. Didn't you know that? I'll take this opportunity to pause and allow you to finish laughing hysterically before proceeding.
As we got closer to St. Catharines, as part of his life story, he mentioned that his father has “Altheimer's.” Well, whatever that is. I hope it's nothing like Alzheimer's.
That conversation certainly proved to be the perfect way to cap off what was an interesting little mini-holiday.
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