I don't go to downtown Toronto very much anymore. I live in the west end of the city and don't really go east of avenue road most weeks. I used to work right downtown, across from union station, but I haven't been at work for about 6 months now. I don't really have much of a reason to head down there anymore, so I don't.
Working across from a train station brought a lot of hustle in the afternoon hours of the weekdays. I would see women in running shoes, power walking to catch their trains and men in nice suits piling into subway cars to go home.
Sometimes when I would begin my journey home, I would take an alternative route during rush hour, just to avoid being squished into the subway car. I couldn't imagine doing that every day as a routine. I would sometimes even take the streetcar, just to avoid the subway during rush hour.
Most times when I started work for the day it was either very early in the morning or in the afternoon. During each of those times, public transit was slightly empty and everyone minded their own business. I liked that I could have my own area to read and listen to music on my way to work
During the fall season of the past year, I would attend wine tasting classes on Tuesday nights. This lasted from September until December, until our classes went online for the remainder of the weeks. The school is on Richmond street, near John street, which is not close for girl living in Etobicoke.
I would take the Go train from Mimico station, since it took such a short time and there weren't very many passengers at that time. It was nice to get away from my neighborhood once a week, to see what was happened in the city.
When I would arrive at union station, it was around the time work used to end for most people in the downtown core. I would look around to see if people were still using the trains or walking around outside. I noticed there were no crowds. The offices seemed empty and so were the intersections.
Walking outside was nice, but most nights the weather was too cold to be comfortable outdoors.
The PATH system was something I used to use going from location to location when I finished work in the winter time. It helped me avoid the cold and got me from place to place, while still being warm. Five or six o'clock used to be prime time in the PATH for the working public to get to union station.
So naturally as I knew I would be arriving at union station and walking to queen street, I could go underground be sheltered from a cold walk.
The used to be full of people who were rushing to get home or pick up their dry cleaning. Many times people would almost bump into you if they did not like the speed at which you were walking.
When I was there this past time, there was no-one inside. The only human I saw for the first 10 minutes of my walk from union station to king street was a security guard. I'm not sure if the businesses were closed or if they now had limited hours, but at the time I was walking, the underground mall was completely empty.
While I was working in the downtown core, I remember the energy always being high. People were always doing something, always moving. People were talking and laughing and many times seemed to be in a rush to get to their next destination.
As much as I tried to avoid rush hour, I loved the energy of the city when it was busy. The city always looked alive. The windows of restaurants and bars were busy after work with citizens gathering and relaxing when they left the office. Cars were whizzing by pedestrians crossing the street as bikers weaved between crowds.
It's slightly sad when you see the the streets of downtown Toronto now. There aren't very many people on the street at five o'clock. Taxis are waiting for pickups from the train station, where people rarely come out of.
Most of the lights in the office towers are turned off and many people are not out walking past 6 o'clock at night. The lights in the restaurants and bars are off, unless there is a sign for takeout.
I look forward to the sunny days in the future and what the summer will bring for Toronto. The city and the people that live here are hurting and looking for normalcy. We are desperate to be together once again and be able to socialize and get out.
I hope one day soon I can walk downtown and see people smiling again. The noise of cars, trains and people conversing with one another. There is a chance that it may never come back to the way it was, but I hope this city can regain it's strength and breathe again.
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