In Training

I don't write about my train trips between Ottawa and Toronto because I'm usually working on my laptop or listening to music. But on a recent trip I had extended chats with my seatmate, something I haven't done in years.

Both were older women around my mom's age. After years of work and raising a family, they were enjoying their retirement. They seemed to be in excellent health. The one heading to Toronto on Friday to visit her daughter and grand-kids in St. Catherines (after 2 years because of the pandemic) was an active walker as well as cyclist in her Lincoln Heights neighbourhood. That area is currently under major construction but it does have numerous cycling trails to scenic parts of Ottawa.

She confided that she was likely to move back to Duluth with her childhood sweetheart (now husband) in a few years. I guess that would make visits to her daughters (Brockville and Ottawa) less frequent. I told her that her 18-year-old grand-daughter should move to the downtown Toronto campus next year. What's the point of moving to the big city to study at the suburban Scarborough campus?

On my Sunday trip back to Ottawa, I commiserated with my fellow passenger because we were both bumped by Via Rail to a later trip. She actually had a "2 hour delay" because without access to email, she didn't realized that the original ride was canceled. So she had shown up bright and early at 9:30 a.m. to sit for hours in the departure area.

This lady seemed perfectly suited for Toronto. In Ottawa, she was renting an apartment in the Ottawa South area for its walkability. For this trip, and previous ones, her daughter would rent her an AirBnB spot in a vibrant neighbourhood. This allowed her to do some exploration on her own. This time around, it was The Junction around Keele and Dundas. She often went to Toronto to see Arts and Crafts show like The One of a Kind exhibition or The Distillery District with her daughter.

I suspected that a smaller nest-egg (and more familiarity with the Ottawa Valley) might be dissuading her from considering a move to The Big Smoke. But everything from food to transportation is actually less expensive in Toronto with the exception of rent or real estate. But it is possible to even keep that cost down by having roommates. She had an older sister (who really should be moving out of her Etobicoke house) and a daughter living there. On the other hand, both had spouses so that would complicate cohabitation. In any case, I kept these musings private and just recommended The Bloorcourt area for her next stay. As an avid pedestrian and lover of small businesses, she would love Bloor St. from Lansdowne to essentially Yonge, a walk of some 30 blocks full of interesting sights.