Today is the 25th Anniversary of my first trip to Toronto!
My Fairy Godfather Mark (who's originally from Michigan) was going to Toronto to meet a friend of his Paul who was traveling there from Michigan. He asked me to go along, cause he said three to a room would be cheaper than two. I had never thought about Toronto, never thought about going there, but it had been several years since I'd taken a vacation anywhere, so I said, eh, what the hell?
So we packed up and off we went: a four hour ride through PA, a four hour ride through upstate New York, crossed the border and then a two hour trip on he QEW and we were in Toronto!
And I was almost immediately in love. I was certainly in love by the time we left four or five days later. We checked out a bunch of stores in gay ghetto along Church Street, ate at several restaurants in the downtown area, visited several gay bars, and had fun at the big strip club. And I had insatiable desire to return.
Which I did. I made it to Toronto 20 times in the last 25 years...although since I bought the house 13 years ago I've only been there twice (2009 & 2016). So in 12 year I went 18 times, and that seems about right since I was going twice a year, usually in April and October. (can't go as often now because I have a mortgage and such).
Anyway, I went through my Toronto Photo Album and found some photos. The first batch are from my first trip there, 25 years ago in 1997.
The Hotel Selby, where we stayed. It was in an old mansion with a bunch of additions to it. It was kinda run down and had seen better days, and it was several blocks north and east of where any action was, so I never stayed there again. But it was fine for a first visit. After going through several different changes, the mansion part is all that remains and it's a fancy-schmacy French restaurant called the Masion Selby.
The red brick part and the concrete part too are the additions made to the hotel to expand into. Our room was in the concrete part in back, along the street on I think, the third floor. Underneath both of these was a huge gay dance club opened in the 80s and open until the early 2000s called Boots Warehouse. Unfortunately, now, everything you here has been torn down and some high rise building is there going up many many stories. I think it may be a Clarion hotel, but it may also be a business building...not sure.
While we were there, we stumbled upon a Caribbean Festival behind the Ontario Legislature building. Lots of music, food, smells, and eye candy.
The Eaton Centre, that huge shopping mall, four or five stories on an entire block of downtown Toronto. Have always had a great time there, even if I never bought anything.
We made it to the CN Tower, although I could never go up to the top. Mark and Paul did. I stood on the ground and took this pic.
Next to Mr. Sub, is Remington's, imo, Toronto premiere gay strip club. Spent lots of time (and money) in there over the years. This as well as everything else on this block, is gone now. Google street view shows me that there's not a high rise apartment building or office building or something like that here instead.
And see that rhino on that tarpaulin over those steps? That's the entrance to Woody's Bar, the premiere gay bar in Toronto. Spent lots of time in there too over the years. It's also, incidentally, where they did some filming for the American version of Queer As Fold 20 years ago, as was also done in a lot of other areas of Toronto itself.
After a couple years of the ten hour drive straight through, Ag, my travel companion, changed out route to go through Bradford PA, where Johnnie was attending college. and it also cut our entire one way time down to 8.5 hours. And we spent the night in Bradford both going up and coming back and it broke the long trip up.
In Bradford, we found two great places to ear: Beefeaters, which is where one can eat the BEST DAMN STEAK OF THEIR LIFE! I guarantee it. And then the next morning, we have a great breakfast at the European Pastry shop.
Beefeaters
European Pastry Shop
And I also found pics of my friends who accompanied me to Toronto over the years. (I could not find one of Mark and Paul on this first trip, I assume I didn't take any pics of us. And Ghostie went one time, but I can't find any pics of him there either. I assume I took those with my digital camera and they were on some computer that has since died and I was not able to get the pics off beforehand).
Ag, God rest her soul
In, I think, 2001, a group of us went: My Fairy Godfather Mark, me, Ag, and Johnnie
One trip, Poodle went with Ag and I (his real name was Scott and I worked with him at Borders, but we all called him Poodle)
And in 2009 and 2016, Michelle went with me (and in 2009, she and I went to another Toronto landmark: Casa Loma)
In Toronto, I met two famous people.
On one trip, I met Shawn Ashmore (Iceman of The X-Men movies). I met him on the street, he actually stopped and we had a short conversation: about the X-Men movies, about Toronto, and Canada in general, where I was from, etc. He was very nice and pleasant. And he even allowed me to take a photo of him when I asked. Great guy.
And on the 2009 trip, Michelle and I got to meet Canadian, Puntabupeep, and all around great gal, Tam, and her purple iPod.
And also, in Toronto, hooked up with many MANY people. (Ag and I would always say since everyone was so cute and sexy in Toronto, people that were fat and ugly like us were desirable here!) A few of them I hooked up with on multiple trips there. And I got pics of those too.
Sam. He was Iragi, he got me into some gay clubs without paying because he knew the bouncers, he took me to both the apartments he lived in both times we hooked up, and was a voracious bottom!
Ed was Philippino, but had grown up in Canada. He worked as an International Banker. He and I hooked up on several trips. He was planning to come visit me on his trip down the East Coast, but then 9-11 happened and he canceled the trip.
Fizul was of Indian descent. He worked in his father's import-export business. We met up on two trips and then just by total chance, I ran into him on the 2016 trip more than 10 years later. His father had passed and HE was running the business now and was doing VERY well.
But all of this stuff I talked about happened on subsequent trips. Twenty five years ago, in 1997, I just had a very fun time with Mark and Paul (and by myself) and fell in love with the city.
It boggles my mind to think it's been 25 years!!
POLT
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