GO…ing To Unionville

Last Friday was forecast to be another snow event. Doesn’t that weatherperson know that I have research to do on Fridays?

Peter and I had been thinking about a trip to Unionville, north of Toronto, well-known for its quaint shops and cozy restaurants. There is also a pond ringed with walking trails. Too Good! That’s the actual name of the pond. And friends who live nearby were celebrating a family birthday. Maybe we could make this a trio – walking, eating and celebrating.

But how could we do this in a snowstorm? GO Transit came to the rescue. With a simple transfer at Union Station, we could make this trip in just over an hour, at a cost for seniors of $1.97. We would save ourselves a lot of stress on slippery roads and expensive gas fill-ups too. We got bundled up in our winter gear. Peter wore his special winter hat – bought several years ago when we went to Chicago in late October with these same Unionville friends, and encountered a winter blizzard. We just knew our friends would love to see that hat again!

We had lunch at the Unionville Arms, a mainstay of the Unionville restaurant scene. While many other places have opened and closed, the Unionville Arms goes on and on. Since 1989, two brothers have owned the eatery, where residents and tourist alike feel welcome. Both brothers were there while we ate. The food is delicious pub-style fare with lots of choices, and there are TV’s everywhere if you happen to be on your own. It was a great spot to toast a birthday.

The walk around Too Good Pond did not seem to be an option, with the wind blowing snow in our faces and ice patches on the sidewalks. Instead we wandered along Main St. to see what we could find. What we found was a lot of shops and restaurants now closed, gone out of business during the pandemic. It was sad to see this once-vibrant community almost asleep. And in winter there are few other attractions to bring people to the area. We wondered if perhaps the pond could be frozen and turned into a giant skating rink. That would be Very Good!

On the way back to the GO station, our friends pointed out signs of hope: a brand new York University satellite campus, a large Amica seniors’ development, lots of high-rise condo towers under construction. Maybe this lovely little town will wake up again.

Our ride home on the GO was uneventful. And that’s a good thing on public transit. The trains are very clean, with plexi-glass partitions between the seats and leather headrests that can be wiped down with sanitizer. The service is constantly improving. In fact, the route we were on has recently added weekend service. And, if you get lost at Union Station, which is still evolving, there are lots of smiling customer service representatives to assist.

While waiting for our second train at Union on Friday, Peter went wandering off to find a washroom. As I stood waiting for him to return, a smiling rep approached me and asked if she could help. I told her I was looking for my husband. Without missing a beat, she turned and called out: “Any lost husbands around?” No eligible men came running, but I noticed a lot of wives giggling to themselves.

And then I spotted Peter – easy to recognize in his Chicago blizzard hat.

Sue