Margin Notes: Llamas, 10s, Radke, Random

What appeared to be a family of llamas wasn't moving very rapidly at the High Park Zoo in Toronto, Ontario early on 9-October-2010

TORONTO, ONTARIO - This weekend is the Thanksgiving long weekend in Canada, and people are spending relaxing time with their families--if reduced traffic levels in the early morning and people walking today along the Humber River amazed by the scenery are any indication. From a walk through the High Park Zoo early yesterday morning, the llamas seem to be having a similar weekend, not moving very much and lingering over breakfast.

* * * * * *

Those in the United States who listen to NPR received an introduction to Canadian Thanksgiving, courtesy of CBC satirist Rick Mercer. Mercer appeared on Weekend Edition Saturday yesterday, a nice nod by Scott Simon and staff toward their northern neighbour.

* * * * * *

Today is also 10-October-2010, or in simpler terms, 10-10-10. Numerologists are going a bit crazy about that arbitrary concurrence, with perhaps the largest phenomenon a large number of couples getting married on a "lucky" date--Toronto City Hall alone has twenty ceremonies today. I'm thinking the bargain was to get married on October 9th or October 11th this year.

* * * * * *

Speaking of "10s" (and, no, that's not a Too Beautiful to Live reference), Free Speech Radio News has turned ten years old. The independent half-hour news broadcast that started with a strike against the now-defunct Pacifica Network News has now demonstrated for a decade how much quality can be produced on a shoe-string, Internet-leveraging international newscast.

* * * * * *

Luke Burbank (of the aforementioned Too Beautiful to Live) isn't the only person from public radio make a transition to commercial radio, in particular KIRO in Seattle. Now, Bill Radke (once of KUOW, American Public Media, and Marketplace Morning Report) is leaving Los Angeles to do the morning news on KIRO-FM in Seattle starting 1-November-2010, co-hosting with Linda Thomas. Based on Radke's move, I'll now make a prediction, obvious from this item a couple weeks ago--John Moe will be on the KIRO-FM staff within in a year.

* * * * * *


The street sign at the east end of Random Street at Kipling Avenue in Toronto, Ontario was noted on 7-October-2010

If this entry ranging from llamas to John Moe seems especially random, perhaps that's because I live in Toronto--which even has a street in Etobicoke named "Random Street" that I first encountered last week, as demonstrated above.

* * * * * *


Steps leading to an escalator? The Broadview subway station in Toronto, Ontario could use more accessibility work as seen on 2-October-2010

One of the most random things I saw in Toronto in the past week was an escalator at the Broadview subway station that could only be accessed by going up three steps--what exactly were the people at the Toronto Transit Commission behind that thinking?

Margin Notes: Lower Bay, Google, KIRO-FM

This view was obtained as a detouring Bloor-Danforth subway train pulled up to a red signal at Lower Bay in Toronto, Ontario on 22-May-2010

TORONTO, ONTARIO - It may be the first long weekend of the summer in Canada, as we celebrate Victoria Day tomorrow, but TTC subway crews are at work all weekend. Serious track work is taking place on the Bloor-Danforth line which is causing a weekend-long diversion of that subway line through the long-closed and usually bypassed Lower Bay station. I couldn't resist trying to get some photos while riding a detouring train, but they didn't turn out nearly as well as when Lower Bay was open during Doors Open 2007... and as a reminder, Doors Open in Toronto is next weekend.

* * * * * *


One of the famous adjustable-arrow Canadian traffic signs was noted on the Bloor Street bridge over the Humber River on 21-May-2010

Another local transportation project that is just getting underway is the refurbishment of the Bloor Street bridge over the Humber River, originally constructed in 1924. As I walked across the bridge on Friday, I noted the adjustable-arrow sign used by construction crews, and realized I'd never commented here about these signs. There is no such thing in the United States--people would change the direction of the arrow. Here, I've never of that happening, and few construction signs don't have an adjustable arrow.

* * * * * *

There used to be a real distinction between the US and Canadian Google home pages. After the recent overhaul of the Google interface, the "Search Only Pages from Canada" button on the Google.ca version of the home page disappeared. Sure, the option is still available through the left results menu, but I rather liked the old arrangement, where I could easy pick whether I wanted the world or just Canada before executing the search. I guess this way they receive more ad revenue.

* * * * * *

Anyone that doubts Google's Stanford heritage needs to look no farther than the code name for the latest Google cell phone operating system (Android 2.2), Froyo. Anyone at Stanford in the 1990's and beyond will remember having FroYo (frozen yogurt) at the CoHo (Coffee House). It may be a Google convention to name their operating systems after desserts, but I'm sure they could have found something with less Stanford connection (Fondue comes to mind as a potentially more direct successor to Eclair).

* * * * * *

One person likely not thinking much about dessert right now is KIRO-FM's Gregg Hersholt in Seattle. According to his Facebook page, this will be Hersholt's last week with the station after 26 years, and it wasn't voluntary. I first heard Hersholt as the news anchor with Dave Dolackey on the afternoon news, and remember him making a comment in the early 1990's when working Christmas day about "troopers like us being rewarded some day." Hersholt was eventually rewarded by becoming the morning anchor upon the retirement of legend Bill Yeend. Considering that Yeend ended up un-retired on KOMO and the revolving door that seems to exist between KOMO and KIRO right now (Hersholt's former co-host Jane Shannon is now on KOMO), don't be too surprised to find Hersholt show up on the KOMO staff before too long. As to what will happen with the KIRO-FM morning show, I'll go out on a limb and predict that it goes all-talk (Kirby Wilbur is available and experienced in the time slot, amongst other possibilities)--which would be a sad day for those who remember the quality news blocks that used to be a staple of the station in the 1980's.

Margin Notes: Selling Out, Red Robin, Gelato

A sign with a very strange message was found on Dundas Street West in Toronto, Ontario on 17-March-2010

TORONTO, ONTARIO - I have to admit I never really understood the phrase "keeping it real," as "real" is just too hard to define. In light of the above sign seen at an art gallery on Dundas Street West here in Toronto, I think I've lost all hope of understanding what it means to anyone.

* * * * * *

Maybe my sanity would have been intact had I taken the subway home that day instead of walking. A subway train I was on yesterday on the Yonge-University-Spadina line apparently had a new automatic stop announcement system, using a male voice instead of a female one, that included the street names on the University stations, announcing, "This is Osgoode station, Queen Street West" instead of "Arriving at Osgoode, Osgoode station." It didn't seem to be a live operator doing the announcements. I like the idea of including the street names, but if this proves to be a permanent change, I will miss the more pleasant old voice.

* * * * * *

Residents of Seattle are mourning the closing of the original Red Robin restaurant near the University Bridge. I never actually ate there, but I found it refreshing that while the chain is closing that location, they solicited memories of the establishment and are quite forthcoming about its origin as a tavern on their history web page. For a family-friendly restaurant, that's pretty honest.

* * * * * *

After eating a burger, it's time for dessert, and increasingly across the world, that means gelato. People keep encouraging me to go back to school but I don't think what they had in mind was Gelato University. Yes, there's actually a university in Italy for learning the business of gelato. Unfortunately, I think the market for gelato in Toronto is close to saturated.

Margin Notes: Go Canada, God Talk, PC, CSM

A TTC Orion VII hybrid bus working the 35 Jane route was displaying "Go Canada Go" on 21-February-2009

TORONTO, ONTARIO - Toronto may be 3,200 kilometers away from Vancouver (that's 2,000 miles), but even here those games starting with an "o" there are an unmistakable presence. If one's routine involves interaction with TTC buses, it isn't possible to forget, as their route signs display "Go Canada Go" in tandem with their normal information, as shown above.

* * * * * *

My Sunday routine includes listening to KGO's God Talk hosted for almost two years now by San Jose State professor Brent Walters. While it airs from 6-9 am Pacific, I usually listen later using the Internet archive. It's almost like attending a college-level class on religion (after all, it is hosted by a professor), and now there are resource materials to go along with the program. The God Talk web site is now on-line, which contains a tremendous amount of interesting information related to the show's weekly topics. For those interested in a historical take on religion, it's worth perusing.

* * * * * *

My Sunday routine of late also involves a stop at the grocery store. Especially with my current limited budget, I almost exclusively purchase generic and store brands. A prominent store brand in Canada is President's Choice, available at Loblaw's and affiliated stores like No Frills. I had been familiar with this brand while living in New England, as it had been carried by Star Market until it was acquired by Shaw's. In any event, as a cheaper brand, I had been a regular customer, but now it seems to be going through a process of "up-scaling" the brand out of my range without noticeable improvement. Toasted O's have increased in price by $0.70 per 575 g box locally, so now I'm only buying Corn Flakes, which only increased by $0.10 and don't seem to have been modified. The Swiss chocolate I used to buy for $4.49 (on sale for as low as $2.99) was off my list anyway lately, but I may never buy it again as the regular price is now $6.99. So far, the salsa hasn't increased in price, but it was clearly reformulated so now I'm worried about that and all their other products... I sure hope they don't touch the generic No Name brand!

* * * * * *

I have a more positive opinion of recent changes at the weekly Christian Science Monitor. They didn't ask me, but apparently they asked readers what they thought of the paper, and more international news was demanded. Instead of being approximately half the 48-page weekly, it's now about 32 pages. There is a possibility of positive change in the world!

Margin Notes: Winter Views, Cards, Emergency

Osgoode Hall was visible at the end of York Street in Toronto, Ontario, as viewed from the Skywalk between Union Station and the CN Tower on 30-January-2010

TORONTO, ONTARIO - The disappearance of leaves in the winter reveals a variety of views that cannot be seen the rest of the year. Despite having walked through the Skywalk between Union Station and the CN Tower dozens of times in the winter, I had never noticed that one can look north up York Street and see Osgoode Hall in the winter. Yesterday, the sun was shining on the headquarters of the Law Society of Upper Canada so that it was hard to miss.

* * * * * *

I am intentionally missing the fact that this is my 600th blog post, seeing as I haven't found anything insightful in the past 200 posts worth writing about. Maybe there will be something to say by the 750th post, which at the present pace will come sometime in late spring or early summer.

* * * * * *


Some of the temporary track work on the Toronto's Bloor-Danforth subway on the Keele viaduct was noted on 23-January-2010

By that time, the Bloor-Danforth subway in Toronto should be operating at speed again over the Keele viaduct. Trains have been operated at restricted speed over the viaduct since structural problems were discovered last summer. Repairs are well underway, but the temporary track work intended to reduce the weight of the structure remains in place, as shown above. I was especially amused that the plywood-against-structure technique used to hold the tracks in place was the same method we had used in constructing portions of the miniature railway in Roundhouse Park.

* * * * * *

We're not doing much work on that miniature railway in the middle of the winter. The end of January is the time I put away my holiday card materials for the year, figuring I shouldn't have to re-send any additional returned cards (though last year I did get one returned well into February). The final tally this year is 97 cards sent, two returned to sender. I received just 22 cards, but that doesn't count reply e-mails, and I don't care if someone takes until the summer to check in with me, as a former boss did last year. I appreciate hearing how people are doing any time; thank you for writing!

* * * * * *

I can appreciate amusing radio at any time, too. Someone alerted me this week to a bit of hilarity from radio history, before I was born. The Emergency Broadcasting System apparently had a bad day on 20-February-1971, resulting in this amusing air check from Bob Sievers on WOWO in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Transport: Un-Canadian TTC

TORONTO, ONTARIO - The Toronto Transit Commission has not even officially decided to raise fares yet. It may at a meeting on Tuesday. However, on 4-November-2009, after rumours had been swirling for some time, the TTC made the highly un-orthodox move of issuing a press release that it was going to recommend a fare increase of about 10%. Furthermore, the press release announced an intention to increase the "multiple" for pass prices from 48 rides to 50 rides, making the price of a standard adult "Metropass" over $125.

The need for a fare increase, while pathetic if viewed from the perspective of where the TTC's funding comes from (a topic for another day), is not widely questioned. In current economic times, the options are basically to reduce service or raise fares, and on that point the TTC staff are probably correct that the public would prefer a fare increase to the rollback of service improvements.

However, the TTC's actions since reaching that conclusion are at best sloppy and at worst inexcusable. By announcing their fare increase proposal in a press release, they made it seem like a sure thing and created a run on tokens, which currently cost $2.25 when purchased in bulk. As a result, it is now impossible to buy tokens (no station I've visited in the past four days has had any), which means that all non-pass holders must pay the full $2.75 cash fare. That's more than multiple-ride users will be paying ($2.50) once the fare increase goes into effect. In fact, that's an immediate double fare increase, when no fare increase has even been approved. And who uses tokens? Mostly the poor, who cannot afford the major cash outlay or a Metropass each month, or who do not take 48 rides to justify such a purchase. In other words, the TTC has decided to take out its financial frustrations on those who can least afford it.

While a fare increase is likely, some of the details may not actually play out as the staff recommended. TTC Chairman Adam Giambrone has already gone on record as saying that he does not wish to increase the "multiple" on a Metropass, which is already higher than those on most North American systems (in Boston, for example, the multiple is about 35 or lower, depending on how it is computed). As transit activist Steve Munro has repeatedly pointed out, penalizing the system's best customers, the pass holders, is counter-productive on several levels.

Frankly, in a country more concerned with equality and the environment (by its citizens, if not its government) than most, it is un-Canadian of the TTC to take advantage of the poor and penalize its most active customers. I'm not usually one to call for firings at public agencies, but it is clear that at least someone on the TTC staff doesn't understand the transit agency's mission, and needs to be replaced for what has happened in recent weeks.

Margin Notes: Don Rowing Club, Lancers, Cosby

The Don Rowing Club's boathouse on the Credit River in Mississauga, Ontario didn't look terribly appropriate on 10-February-2009

TORONTO, ONTARIO - Some scenes that look quite natural in the summer look rather ridiculous in the winter. A case in point is the Don Rowing Club's boathouse, located along the Credit River not far the GO commuter rail Lakeshore Line in Mississauga, Ontario. With the river frozen over, it looked far more like a skatehouse than a boathouse in the photograph above.

* * * * * *


A 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart was on display in the Skywalk between Union Station and the Convention Centre in Toronto on 7-February-2009

Because of the cold, this is a time of year for indoor events. Ever since I moved to Toronto, Mitsubishi Motors has sponsored "canvas" advertising in the Skywalk between Union Station and the CN Tower, mostly located where the pedestrian corridor crosses the railway corridor. For the Canadian International Auto Show running through next weekend at the Convention Centre (no, I didn't go, and why would I?), Mitsubishi has decided to park a pair of Lancers in the Skywalk, one of them a racing variant. It's a little disconcerting to walk over fake skid marks on the pedestrian walkway.

* * * * * *

When I was growing up, my parents mused about getting me a Dodge Lancer after I got my driver's license, but I was never interested. There was overlap between Mitsubishi and Dodge use of the "Lancer" nameplate from 1985 to 1989 (funny how nobody has ever tried to sell me on a Mitsubishi)--I can't think of any other non-numerical name shared amongst automakers off the top of my head.

* * * * * *

Turning to other forms of transportation, I have been outspoken on this blog about a lack of satisfaction with Air Canada's partner airlines in the United States through the Star Alliance. Somehow, I completely missed the fact that Continential Airlines announced last June that it was withdrawing from the Skyteam alliance and joining the Star Alliance. It hasn't happened yet, but at least there's some hope on the horizon--I'd rather fly Continental than either of the two airlines that I have heavily criticized here.

* * * * * *


An Orion VII hybrid bus worked the 82 Rosedale bus at Maclennan Avenue on 5-February-2009

Perhaps I am being elitist about my airline choices, but it seems to me that the Toronto Transit Commission is being a bit elitist in its bus assignments. The 55 Warren Park in my neighborhood and the 82 Rosedale (serving one of the most affluent portions of the city) both require one bus. I have taken some delight in seeing historic "Fishbowl" buses on the 55--but that indicates that it is getting very old buses. In contrast, the 82 had a nearly-new Orion VII hybrid bus when I rode it recently. Is that really fair?

* * * * * *

Comedian Bill Cosby seemed very concerned with fairness when he was interviewed on KGO's Brian Copeland Program out of San Francisco last Sunday. Wondering how this impacted his viewing habits, Copeland asked him, "What do you watch on TV?" The response was classic Cosby:

I don't know. At age 71, it's not even important... the Weather Channel. The Weather Channel is dramatic, it changes every half hour, there's nobody swearing even when the weather is terrible, and we have black weather people who aren't walking with a swagger and bopping back and forth --- you know, it's the weather channel, period. It's very, very fair.

Margin Notes: Winter, Inauguration, Bags

Even in Toronto! An enclosed walkway between the Rogers Centre and the Convention Centre was deemed necessary during a cold spell on 24-January-2009

TORONTO, ONTARIO - Yes, it's still cold here. In fact, it's so cold that the Metro Toronto Convention Centre decided to set up an enclosed walkway to the Rogers Centre sports arena by 24-January-2009, something I had never seen before but apparently happens on occasion each winter. Sure enough, a few minutes after taking the above photograph I ran into a woman in the Skywalk between Union Station and the CN Tower asking where the Convention Centre entrance was located; she called the Skywalk "a dead end." "It's not really a dead end," I noted as I guided her to the indoor walkway. "But I would have to go outside!" she protested. Once she was safely on the escalator in the heated Convention Centre entrance, I proceeded back outside from the Skywalk to my next destination.

* * * * * *

She was likely going to a jewelry convention, but there were a number of events in Toronto this weekend to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the birth of Scottish poet Robert Burns, starting with the dinner put on by The Robert Burns Club of Toronto on Friday night. On Saturday, a bunch of us were trying to figure out why they didn't schedule it for his actual birthday which was today, January 25th. We decided it must be that, with all the other events this weekend, they wanted to be first to make certain that people would still be willing to eat haggis.

* * * * * *

I didn't see any haggis at the Loblaw's grocery store this week, but I did happen to be at Loblaw's on 12-January-2009, the very day when they started to charge five cents for each plastic bag requested. I've been bringing my own bags to the store since shortly after moving to Toronto, so this didn't represent a change for me, but many more affluent customers at the Humberview Loblaw's did seem annoyed. When she saw my bags, my checkout clerk stated, "I see you're a good boy." It's been a long time she I've heard anything like that.

* * * * * *

I bet Associate Justice of the US Supreme Court John Paul Stevens hasn't heard anyone call him a "good boy" in a long time, either, but he looked pretty good compared with Chief Justice John Roberts after Stevens correctly led US Vice President Joe Biden in his oath-taking, whereas Roberts started what turned into a meltdown in the oath-taking of President Barack Obama to the extent that it was felt wise to have Roberts and Obama repeat the whole procedure later. Stevens, now 88, will likely step down during the Obama administration, so this will be the last time he will serve in this capacity, and it was great to see him on stage. As for Roberts and Obama, I thought the episode was a nice reminder that they are both human.

* * * * * *

An apparent highlight of the inauguration ceremony on Tuesday was the performance of "Air and Simple Gifts," composed by John Williams and performed by Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, Anthony McGill, and Gabriela Montero. The symbolism in the diversity of the performers was stunning, and as I practically cried over the fact that such a team could only be put together in the United States, I found it all the more remarkable that these musicians could pull off such a great-sounding performance in the weather conditions. As now has been widely reported, it turns out that they didn't. The musicians were pantomiming to a recording that they had made in more ideal conditions. After all the controversy and accusations against the Chinese for faking aspects of the Olympic Opening Ceremonies last year, I didn't find this revelation amusing at all. The whole theme of the beginning of the Obama administration was that the nation's lofty goals could be achieved while following our principles. Apparently, those principles include faking emotional performances which doesn't bode well for more important things to be done by the administration.

* * * * * *


A beaver swam down the Humber River in Toronto on 20-January-2009

I assure you there is no fakery involved in the above image. While its tail wasn't visible in this view, there was a beaver swimming in the Humber River near Dundas Street for a brief time on Tuesday afternoon. This marked the first time I have a seen a wild representative of the national symbol during my time here in Canada, and it was a sight to behold; I hope I see it again.

* * * * * *


TTC "Fishbowl" bus #2419 turned left from Dundas Street onto Old Dundas Street in Toronto on 20-January-2009 while working the 55 Warren Park route

In the past, I've made a point of taking about how happy I am to see any of the TTC's aging "fishbowl" buses, some nearly as old as I am, still in service, especially in my neighborhood. The above photo is proof that they continue to be assigned to our local 55 Warren Park run. Long live the fishbowls!

Margin Notes: TTC, Airports, Minneapolis

SUNNYVALE, CALIFORNIA - The Toronto Transit Commission significantly expanded its bus and off-peak streetcar service on December 1st, implementing 30-minute headways on virtually all routes as long as the subway is operating. Most affected in my neighborhood was the 55 Warren Park. Previously a rush-hour-only route, it now runs every half hour essentially all-day, every day. Surprisingly, there appears to have been latent demand for the service. Even on Sunday afternoons, I have seen the bus as much as half-full heading up the hill on Old Dundas Street out of its destination neighborhood, not just on Jane street where it supplements the often crush-loaded 35 Jane service. While I'm sure a few runs are almost empty, this appears to be a classic case of "run it, and they will ride."

* * * * *


Two TTC "Fishbowls" at Lawrence and Jane in Toronto on 19-October-2007

As a result of the increased service, bus assignments have changed in interesting ways. The 5 Bay service now often runs with GM "fishbowl" buses. I believe Toronto is the only major transit system in North America that has rebuilt and kept its "fishbowls" in service--and now the buses that appear to be straight out of the 1970's are runing through the heart of the tourist areas. It makes sense from a utilization perspective, though--the non-wheelchair lift-equipped "fishbowls" are appropriate for a route that is paralleled by accessible subways. And, as I left for the airport today, imagine my surprise when I saw a "fishbowl" running on the 55 Warren Park through my neighborhood!

* * * * *

Of all the "home" airports of my life, I think I have the fewest complaints about Toronto's Pearson International Airport. While transit links certainly could be improved, the "Airport Rocket" is certainly adequate and the airport itself is well-organized and quite functional since expansion of the new Terminal 1. Today, I departed out of Terminal 3 through the satellite "A" concourse, previously reached by shuttle buses. Now, there is a long walk to reach the "A" concourse along moving sidewalks beneath the tarmac.

* * * * *


A Northwest Airlines A319 arrived at the Minneapolis airport on 14-July-2008

This trip likely represents my final trip on flights branded as Northwest Airlines, as the merger with Delta will swallow the Northwest name. I will have positive memories of Northwest. Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, one of the most memorable jingles of my youth was "Northwest Orient Airlines... the World is Going Our Way." Furthermore, I have enjoyed making connections and visiting the Northwest hub of Minneapolis.

* * * * *


Two Hiawatha light rail trains met in Minneapolis on 1-June-2007

The Hiawatha light rail line in Minneapolis has Bombardier light rail vehicles with horns that approximate the finest of traditional diesel locomotive air horns, though not as loud of course. While riding the light rail, I could close my eyes and imagine that I was really riding the Amtrak Empire Builder across the Minnesota countryside instead of an urban rail vehicle through the suburb of Bloomington.

* * * * *

On board the light rail car, I overheard one woman telling another, "I'm so excited that I'm going to the library. I really look forward to Tuesdays and Thursday when the library is open until 8." What could be more appropriate in a city that ranked in 2007 as the most literate city in the United States?

* * * * *

And why was I riding light rail if I was just changing planes in Minneapolis? I realized on the way to the airport that I had forgotten to pack something, so with 90 minutes between the gate arrival of my inbound flight and the boarding time of my outbound flight, I decided to duck out of the airport and procure the missing item at the Mall of America. Not only did I pull this off--and item was on sale at Sears for 50% off--but I still had time to grab Godfather's Pizza for dinner before heading to the gate, finding that my outbound flight was delayed by about another 90 minutes.

* * * * *

The delay was because of inclement weather, as it was cold and snowing in Minneapolis. As we departed Toronto in above-freezing conditions, we were warned that the wind chill was -27 C in Minneapolis. Indeed, after landing, I tuned in Minnesota Public Radio and discovered that the ambient temperature was -1 F. Unsurprisingly, it was +43 F upon landing in San Francisico.

Transport: New Flyer Memories

TTC New Flyer D40-89 #6457 worked the 55 Warren Park service on Dundas Street in Toronto on 23-October-2008

TORONTO, ONTARIO - I did a double-take during the afternoon rush hour yesterday. Traveling down Jane Street was TTC bus #6457--a New Flyer D40-89. The coach was running on the 55 Warren Park service, which runs from the Jane subway station to the old Lambton Mills neighborhood, mostly via Jane Street and Dundas Street, and requires only a single bus to handle the run.

It had been months since I had seen a New Flyer in this service. As of April, there were about 40 such New Flyers in operation (of a fleet of nearly 100 that existed when I moved here in 2006), and the fleet has clearly declined further since then as more of the modern Orion VII hybrids enter service. It was clear that this might be the last time I see one in my neighborhood.

The New Flyer D40-88's and D40-89's (which is to say, a 40-foot, diesel-powered bus built by New Flyer in either 1988 or 1989 as described on the Transit Toronto web site) had been in the 112 West Mall service when I first started commuting to work in Toronto, along with the similar Orion V's. It was the New Flyers that captivated me, though, because they reminded me of the first transit buses that I remember riding.

The connection I made wasn't crazy. In 1979 and 1980, Metro Transit (which at the time ran essentially all bus service in King County around Seattle) purchased 224 Flyer D10240C's, a predecessor of the New Flyers that the TTC acquired a decade later. Numbered 1600-1823, these 40-foot coaches took over the 226 route between Bellevue and Seattle. It would be these buses, later also operating on the 235 route that ran right by my house, that would provide my earliest memories of taking the bus into Seattle, and would dominate all transit service that I took during high school on the Eastside of Lake Washington. Flyer D10240C's played a significant transportation role in my life. They were retired in 1996 and 1997, after I had left the region, as documented on Busdude's web site. One, the 1675, was preserved by the Metro Employees Historical Vehicle Association.

The New Flyer D40's in the TTC fleet were strongly reminiscent of Metro Flyers in a variety of details, from the style of grating used on the heaters to the shape of the panel behind the driver. Sure, the TTC buses had different seats (the TTC standard) and the rear doors opened when one stepped on them which the doors in the Metro buses never did, but my commute on the 112C West Mall bus was somewhat like re-living my youth every time a New Flyer appeared. Besides the nostalgia value, I also found that the New Flyers rattled a lot less than the Orion V's, which I came to dread.


One of the few remaining GM/MCI "Classics", TTC #6272, dead-headed down St. Clair Avenue on 6-October-2008

By the time my job on the 112C route ended, Orion VII's were already starting to encroach on the New Flyers, and they will probably all be gone by end of this year. The new hybrid Orion VII's buses are leading to retirement of all pre-1990 buses except the rebuilt "Fishbowls"; I was pleasantly surprised to catch a MCI classic running down St. Clair earlier this month as they will soon be gone as well.

With the New Flyers disappearing, a piece of my childhood is disappearing, and for that reason it was nice to catch one last coach in service.