For over 7 years I have been extolling the virtues of using public transit in a big city like ours. But last weekend it let us down.

We had a great weekend planned. On Saturday we were going to take the GO train for 15 minutes to Union Station where we would catch the Stratford Festival bus. We would have lunch in a local pub. Then we would see Saturday, Sunday, Monday, a play with a Italian theme, which Peter would love. On Sunday we would take the GO train in the other direction to St. Catharines, my home town, for lunch and a reunion with old friends and neighbours from my childhood. The weekend seemed busy but lots of fun.

On Friday night as I was checking the timing for the GO trains we would need, I got the first piece of bad news. The Lakeshore west line was closed for track work ALL Weekend. This information impacted both trips. The visit to St. Catharines was basically out, unless we wanted to spend over 7 hours and make at least 3 bus transfers. And our Saturday trip to Stratford meant that, instead of taking the GO train for a 15 minute ride to Union Station where the Stratford bus would be parked, we had to take the subway line 2 to St George and then line 1 to Union. This trip would take almost an hour, going backwards towards the centre of the city and then forward again to Stratford. Could we do it?

We decided to take a chance. We set the alarm to give ourselves plenty of time to drive to the subway on Saturday morning. We left with coffee mugs in hand. And there, on the subway station door was the sign everyone dreads: Subway closed. Shuttle buses willl be running.

We climbed aboard the shuttle bus with crowds of other unhappy passengers. Peter had to stand, but I guess I looked unhappy enough, or old enough, that I got a seat. We held our breath as we slowly made our way to Union Station and the still-waiting Stratford bus.

Once in Stratford, we enjoyed our lunch at the pub. The play was well-done, although Peter said his Italian family had never argued as loud as the actors on stage. HA. But the bus ride home was tough. It seems that all the regular GO passengers had taken their cars instead and were heading home at the same time. The traffic on the QEW was awful. We didn’t get home until 9:30 pm. Dinner was snacks from the fridge and then it was time for bed.

Are we discouraged? Yes. Will we give up? Never! Besides, now we have Olivia Chow to help us. One of her big campaign promises is to work on the TTC.

Sue

PS Book Launch Reminder:

The Ultimate Adventure; Aging in the 21st Century.

194 Park Lawn Road, just north of the Queensway.

Saturday November 7th, 3-5 pm Hope you can join me.

• Book on sale for $20, with $5 from each sale donated to the food bank.
• Book exchange: bring a recent favourite novel and trade it for another.
• Refreshments will be served. Come and socialize with like-minded readers.