This is Blackpool Tower:
Look closer:
Look down:
I can handle that, but the scary part is if you lie face down on the glass.
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The CN tower had the glass floor thing when I went. Scary, but not as bad as that outside thing you posted!
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In a sense, yes. Here. That way my satisfaction is two-fold. I enjoy the writing. But I also enjoy the knowledge that what I’m writing is being read. And appreciated. And I mostly (ahem) enjoy the interaction.
I don’t have a private journal.
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Yes, the vaccine passport kicks in in Ontario today, so the bulk of the things you’ll be doing will require proof of vaccination.
And the CN Tower still has the glass floor, as well as a very helpful chart showing you how many Canadian geese or beavers the floor would be strong enough to support without sending a shower of beavers over the residents of Toronto.
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You’re a great writer and storyteller, Matt! I’d read your book, if you would write one 
I can’t wait to follow along on this journey! Your childhood memories brought tears to my eyes. You have a way with words, my dear.
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I didn’t know about this but it’s terrific news and really puts me much more at ease about my Canadian adventures.
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Actually, why does it? Vaccinated people can catch COVID and spread it, right?
So why only admit vaccinated people? To “nudge” people into being vaccinated?
Maybe, ahem, vaccinated people are more, er, sensible and more likely to respect mask requirements and social distancing.
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They are trying to get our 70%+ vaccination rate up to 90% I guess, same as childhood vaccines. Canada is one of the most vaccinated countries in the world.
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FIFY
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I grew up near a glorified fun fair that’s referred to as Scotland’s Theme Park. The last time I ever went on a ride there was when I saw that a really dense guy from my class at school was operating it!
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Seeing this brought back a flood of memories from my childhood and my only trip to Niagara Falls in 1972 IIRC.
We ate dinner in the Skylon Tower, had wear jacket and tie for the fancy dinner.
Afterwards we bought a gag Newspaper headline photograph of my sister & father trying to save my brother & I as we are hanging on for dear life dangling over the edge of the tower still wearing a suit & tie, I still clearly remember my father’s face as he could not stop laughing during the photo session.
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Any recommendations from my Canadian cousins for Toronto islands? Which one to aim for? How long to stay? Where to eat?
I’m so glad you were able to get into Skylon Tower. I was going to suggest an alternative if things were all booked up (although I guess tourism is down on the whole)
We couldn’t get a reservation a couple of years ago, so we ended up at Prime Steakhouse in the Crowne Plaza Hotel. Although the views were not as high up, they were lovely and it was a wonderful meal.
Also I can’t recall your feelings on Ice Cream, but right over there is Sweet Jesus - a truly wonderful ice cream parlor with ridiculous ice creams.
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Yes, but the likelihood is significantly different.
Vaccinated people have something like 1/8 the risk of becoming infected. And their bodies on average clear the infection much faster so they have a shorter window when they’re infectious. (Studies are still a bit scattered, but in general, they seem to be circling to this.)
It’s still unclear whether they are just as infectious during that window or not. (Some studies have shown their viral load to be just as high, which should correlate to some degree with infectiousness, but not necessarily directly).
So the likelihood of someone vaccinated being infectious is going to be something like, I dunno, 1/16 maybe, of someone who is unvaccinated?
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Ah. Thank you. That’s good to know. Obviously, it’s not COVID per se that I fear, but testing positive prior to flying to Orlando.
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This is where you want to go : https://www.torontoisland.com/images/toronto_island_map.pdf. TBH, there isn’t much there in October - it’s typically a summer getaway. The ferry ride can be nice if weather is good. It’s about a 5k walk/bike to do the full round of the island. You can even walk to Billy Bishop airport from the waterfront via a recently opened tunnel. Bike rentals are plentiful, both in Toronto itself and on the island.
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Casa Loma also has fun Halloween events:
It’s in the evenings and showing good availability…Casa Loma is also reportedly haunted but what old mansion isn’t…and yeah, it isn’t old (or big even) compared to England by a long shot but I have enjoyed visits there. There is a good audio tour (that may or may not be available because COVID).
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I was going to say the exact same, that little if anything would be open. The ferry schedule is probably much reduced after Thanksgiving, if it wasn’t after Labour Day. It’s still pretty but I wouldn’t call it a “must see”. Especially if you don’t cycle. If you do, that might bump it higher. At least you won’t be run over.
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