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Showing posts from September, 2011

Switch and Bait

Today I went canoeing. I met my friend Fred at Finch Station, and when we were done he dropped me off at Finch Station. Subway to Bloor & Yonge; subway to Kipling. Up the stairs to the bus terminus, recall that the 49 Bloor bus no longer parks HERE; it parks THERE about 3 buses further along. No bus present, so I sit on a bench and wait. Head in book. Bus rolls up; I climb aboard. Head in book. Bus starts off, up Auckland Drive. I become aware of pressure in my bum as we turn sharply to the right. Why are we turning to the right? Well, the 49 Bloor West now shares a bus bay with the 30 Lambton donchaknow. And yes, I probably should have known that and checked the bus. But in my 30th year of climbing aboard the 49 Bloor West, when it’s been the only bus in the bay, comes naturally to me now. So the driver lets me off on Dundas Street to catch the next bus back to the subway station. Which 30 Lambton Westbound bus does arrive. I present my transfer ticket stamped “F...

Trip Planner - the Long Way Around

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Today is Friday; tomorrow I am to meet my friend Fred at Finch Station. (See! I already know not to call it “Finch SUBWAY station”). I live at 4340 Bloor Street West, on the corner of Bloor and Mill Road. There is a bus stop on the diagonally-opposite corner. TTC Trip Planner understands my request as: From: 4340 BLOOR ST W, ETOBICOKE To: FINCH STATION, YONGE ST TTC Trip Planner suggests: Leaving at 7:19am from MARKLAND DRIVE AT BLOOR STREET WEST FARSIDE Using these routes 49 BLOOR WEST towards KIPLING STATION BLOOR-DANFORTH SUBWAY YONGE-UNIVERSITY-SPADINA SUBWAY Arriving at 8:24am at FINCH STATION - SUBWAY PLATFORM Which seems to jive with my memory - I’ve caught the 7:20 a.m. bus on a Saturday before. But Wait!! What’s this bit about “Markland Drive”? Markland Drive is a circle that surrounds me. I live dead-centre of the clock-dial, and why would I walk to the circumference when the bus travels right through the centre of the dial, right past where I live? The TTC Trip...