Toronto, Day 1

Toronto is everything I hoped it would be. Clean, modern, full of nice people and good ideas. From the moment we stepped off the plane you could see the difference. The airport was light and spotless. As we exited the plane and hopped on the moving sidewalk there was a janitor squatting down cleaning this shiny little corner of the handle. Jon and I looked at each other and laughed.

Jon is very happy with the hotel because it has wifi, movies, and video games. I’m pleased with the excellent location (Theatre District) and price. This evening Jon stayed in and I went around the corner to see Urinetown the Musical, a show about a place where, after a drought, a huge corporation starts making people pay to pee and bribes the politicians to make going anywhere but pay toilets illegal.. Although I had tickets in the balcony, the ushers encouraged me to scoot down and I ended up in the 6th row, LC.

The musical was really well done. I think the Broadway shows that come to Toronto are basically exactly what you would see on Broadway with a B+ cast. Great singing, choreography, and costume. There was an interesting narrating device in the show of Little Suzie and Police Office Lockstock. In between scenes they would provide details of the story while discussing the structure and expectations of a musical. Kind of like Scream or Scary Movie. Making fun of the musical parts of the musical. Also surprising was the fact that it had a lot of moral ambiguity and no happy ending, but no tragic ending either. At the end Little Suzie and Lockstock joke about a musical with a bad name with the theme of unsustainable living having no chance of success.

Then afterwards, I was hungry for a snack and stopped at “Movenpick Marche.” This was almost as exciting as the musical. It was the food experience I have been dreaming about. It’s a combo grocery/restaurant with food stations all around. All the foods are made with the freshest ingredients, which you can buy whole if you want. Everything is to go or to stay and all made to order. Some of the stations: stir-fry/Asian, crepes/waffles, bakery/bagels, salads/soups, grill with raw meats on display, rotisserie, seafood, sushi, omelets, potatoes, wine, smoothie, coffee, and more. And it wasn’t like a big salad bar; it was more like a restaurant. Lots of healthy options. I got this simple garlic toast with tomatoes and cheese, and it was AMAZING. I just went to their website and they are slowly expanding to the US, but no where in Texas. I’ll just have to wait for the new whole foods.