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Out and About
Jun. 4th, 2020 12:58 pmYesterday I took the bus - for the first time since March 11. I wanted to find out what bus travel is like these days, how frequently the buses would be running and how easy (or not) it would be to practise physical distancing on public transit.
I planned the trip for a Wednesday on purpose. Seniors ride for free on Wednesdays and we do not swipe our Presto passes on the bus (unlike the LRT). I didn't want to travel during rush hour (to the extent that there still IS a rush hour), nor did I want a long trip. So I decided to take the no. 88 along Baseline, just up as far as the Centrepointe and Pinecrest Cemetery area. The weather was overcast and showers were predicted, but it was a comfortable temperature for walking. I figured that if I felt really uncomfortable at any point, I could get off the bus and walk at any point along the way.
I left the house just after lunch. I didn't have to wait long for the bus. It was one of the big long ones which meant there were two doors you could board by, and even with the front part roped off, there was plenty of room. I wore a mask, as did most of the other passengers.
At Algonquin Square (I think that's what they call it now, though I always still think of it as Shoppers' City West), quite a few shops are now open, although with some restrictions. The dollar store actually had a physically-distanced line-up outside, of perhaps 7 or 8 people. The sports store was open, as were maybe half the clothing stores (one even had a sign up stating that they accept all forms of payment, including cash).
I only went inside two stores: the drugstore and the LCBO, and neither was especially busy. There were the now-standard markings on the floor and in the LCBO, arrows on the aisles indicating which direction to approach them from. At the LCBO, there was someone standing outside who asked if I felt ill or had had any symptoms of illness in the past couple of days; he also handed me a newly-sanitized shopping cart.
On the way home, the bus was a little busier than the one I had taken to get there. I ended up on one of the sideways seats inside the accordion part of the bus - certainly not my preferred spot, but at least the journey was a short one.
I had only been out for maybe an hour and a half, but I couldn't believe how tired I felt once I got home. Am I getting old and out of shape from too much sitting around at home? Maybe. I think a lot of it is just the mental effort of all the logistics involved in planning even a short outing. The other thing is that in the pre-Covid era, if I got tired while out and about, I would just pop into a Bridgehead or Second Cup and sit down for a while with a cup of coffee and a good book. Nowadays that's not an option.
I hope some of the more interesting venues open up soon. Frankly I don't understand why somewhere like the National Art Gallery can't open up, at least partially. They have some wide open spaces there where physical distancing shouldn't be a problem. They also have a large cafeteria and a decently sized gift shop which would bring them some no doubt much-needed revenue! Maybe they could even stage small outdoor concerts or appropriately distanced dramatic events on their terraces and other parts of their grounds? Certainly events in the auditorium or children's day camps probably need to be postponed or adjusted for now, but I'm thinking they really don't need to stay closed off completely. If they can hold an anti-racism protest (as is planned for tomorrow) along Sussex Drive even during a pandemic, surely there's room for the arts as well?
Anyway, I'm hoping that in a week or two, maybe I'll be able to plan a slightly more adventurous outing!
I planned the trip for a Wednesday on purpose. Seniors ride for free on Wednesdays and we do not swipe our Presto passes on the bus (unlike the LRT). I didn't want to travel during rush hour (to the extent that there still IS a rush hour), nor did I want a long trip. So I decided to take the no. 88 along Baseline, just up as far as the Centrepointe and Pinecrest Cemetery area. The weather was overcast and showers were predicted, but it was a comfortable temperature for walking. I figured that if I felt really uncomfortable at any point, I could get off the bus and walk at any point along the way.
I left the house just after lunch. I didn't have to wait long for the bus. It was one of the big long ones which meant there were two doors you could board by, and even with the front part roped off, there was plenty of room. I wore a mask, as did most of the other passengers.
At Algonquin Square (I think that's what they call it now, though I always still think of it as Shoppers' City West), quite a few shops are now open, although with some restrictions. The dollar store actually had a physically-distanced line-up outside, of perhaps 7 or 8 people. The sports store was open, as were maybe half the clothing stores (one even had a sign up stating that they accept all forms of payment, including cash).
I only went inside two stores: the drugstore and the LCBO, and neither was especially busy. There were the now-standard markings on the floor and in the LCBO, arrows on the aisles indicating which direction to approach them from. At the LCBO, there was someone standing outside who asked if I felt ill or had had any symptoms of illness in the past couple of days; he also handed me a newly-sanitized shopping cart.
On the way home, the bus was a little busier than the one I had taken to get there. I ended up on one of the sideways seats inside the accordion part of the bus - certainly not my preferred spot, but at least the journey was a short one.
I had only been out for maybe an hour and a half, but I couldn't believe how tired I felt once I got home. Am I getting old and out of shape from too much sitting around at home? Maybe. I think a lot of it is just the mental effort of all the logistics involved in planning even a short outing. The other thing is that in the pre-Covid era, if I got tired while out and about, I would just pop into a Bridgehead or Second Cup and sit down for a while with a cup of coffee and a good book. Nowadays that's not an option.
I hope some of the more interesting venues open up soon. Frankly I don't understand why somewhere like the National Art Gallery can't open up, at least partially. They have some wide open spaces there where physical distancing shouldn't be a problem. They also have a large cafeteria and a decently sized gift shop which would bring them some no doubt much-needed revenue! Maybe they could even stage small outdoor concerts or appropriately distanced dramatic events on their terraces and other parts of their grounds? Certainly events in the auditorium or children's day camps probably need to be postponed or adjusted for now, but I'm thinking they really don't need to stay closed off completely. If they can hold an anti-racism protest (as is planned for tomorrow) along Sussex Drive even during a pandemic, surely there's room for the arts as well?
Anyway, I'm hoping that in a week or two, maybe I'll be able to plan a slightly more adventurous outing!
