Layover In Toronto

[mcorrea]

Hello forum members.

 

I have noticed that there are quite a few members from Toronto. I want to take advantage of that.

 

I will have a 12 hour layover in Toronto on December 13th. Any advice on pen-related stuff to do? Also how to get from the airport to the city? Any other fun stuff you recommend I do? I was in Toronto with my father many many years ago, but this will be my first time in over 30 years.

 

Thanks in advance,

Matias

[Ergative]

Laywine's! It's a lovely pen store in the heart of downtown, walking distance from the subway (which goes to the airport, I believe), and filled with knowledgeable people. Their new pen prices are pretty high, but they have some beautiful vintage pens on consignment at quite reasonable prices, all of which are refurbished and ready to write, and they'll let you dip-test anything you want. Their testing equipment is Lamy Blue and Lamy paper, so if you want a better sense of how something writes, bring your own little vial of ink and your own paper.

 

When I was there a few months ago I got to dip-test some of those exquisite Parker vacumatics that I've coveted and admired for so many years, and discovered that I didn't like how any of them wrote. Too scratchy. So instead I walked out with a gorgeous Sheaffer Snorkel that I was using in my diary just this morning.

[mcorrea]

Thanks, I will check them out for sure. Perhaps they'll change my mind regarding vintage pens. I have not had much luck until now.

 

Matias

[dennis_f]

Hi there Matias...

 

Take a look at this link. It's a thread from a few months back on the same subject.

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/309905-1st-time-in-canada/

 

12 hours isn't a lot of time, but if you do end up in the Laywine's area (yorkville), you're very well situated for experiencing most of the downtown core (if you take a look at a map, downtown runs pretty much from the water's edge to a few blocks north of Bloor St. Laywines is just above Bloor).

 

As for getting downtown from Pearson, there are three ways:

1. Take a cab. Upside: it's direct to wherever you want to go. Downsides: if there's traffic, you can be stuck in it. At it's worse (ie typical rush-hour timing) expect a trip from the airport to downtown to take about 40 minutes. At it's best, if you're heading right to the water, maybe 20 minutes.

 

Rush hour is between 3pm and 6pm, give or take.

 

Cost: depends on time of day, but expect 50-60 dollars CDN.

 

The cab is still the go-to method for business travellers, and anyone who holds a professional job and is used to getting where they want to go directly.

 

2. Take the TTC (our transit service). You probably don't want to do this, since you're inexperienced with our busses and subway system (you'll be required to change from the bus to the subway (easily done), and then from one subway line to another line (less easy if you're new to the city and in a rush).

 

3. The UP Express train. This is a new service that runs from Pearson Airport directly to Union Station (our train station), right at the water's edge; ie, at the base of downtown (if laywines is the northern border, Union is the southern one).

 

From Union you can walk north to Laywines (about 40 minutes, but you'll take in all of our downtown, the financial district, the shopping, our city hall, the UofT campus, and finally Yorkville). This could be risky in mid-December, given our weather... but it could also be a beautiful day (it's hard to tell lately).

 

Or you can cab north to Laywines (about 20 dollars cdn, and about 20 minutes, given the traffic). Or you can jump right onto a subway line at Union, and be in Yorkville in about 15 minutes (this would be the preferred method).

 

The UP Express is about 12dollars cdn. The price came down after the owners realized no one was taking the train because the cab was more cost efficient (since it delivered you directly to your door). Now that the price has been lowered, I understand that it's become one of the favoured methods of getting into the city. The only issue is that once you're at Union, you still have to get where you want to go.

 

 

BTW: with only 12 hours to spare, you could take the train directly to Union, get out there and do a walk around of the core and the financial district, take a cab to Yorkville and visit Laywines, do a walk-around of the Yorkville area and have a coffee or visit some boutiques, then have a fine meal in the area... and you'd have had a pretty good visit in Toronto.

 

Almost forgot: the Montblanc boutique is one block (5 minutes walking) from Laywines, right on Bloor St.

 

I hope that was clear, and I hope it helps. Any other questions, feel free to ask,

D.

 

ps: I'm not sure what you've heard about our weather, but winter in our core can be quite lovely. It's a bit more sheltered than outlying areas, the snow is more actively controled (ie: the sidewalks should be cleared), and christmas lights will be out in all the shops. Evenings in December in the Yorkville area can be quite nice.

D.

Edited August 19, 2016 by dennis_f

[Ecriveur]

Take the train from the airport to union station, then take the subway from union station up to the Museum stop. Laywine's is a short walk from there. Union station is pretty darn confusing, so include some time for that.

 

I'm not sure that 12 hours is enough time to check out Wonder Pens, which is a bit east of downtown last time I was up there, but definitely check it out if you have time. It's well worth a visit for any fountain pen fan.

[elysee]

I have fond memories of a tobacco store in a mall in downtown Toronto (opposite Tower Records) at which I purchased my first Elysee pen. I was in Toronto to present a paper at a conference. After a day of listening to various presentations as well as presenting my paper, I walked downtown looking for a place to buy dinner. I found a Red Lobster in a mall and placed my order. While I was waiting for my order to be prepared, I walked around the mall. As I was looking around, I noticed a sign on the counter in a store -- the tobacco store -- which displayed the Elysee name and logo. So, of course, I went into the store to look at the display. In the display, I found an Elysee En Vogue lapis blue ballpoint pen. This was their last Elysee pen, and the model was one that I had wanted to purchase for years during graduate school. I spoke with the sales woman about Elysee pens and pens, in general. We had a nice discussion and she very kindly gave me a discount on this lovely pen as well as gave me two pencil inserts for the pen; Elysee ballpoint pens can be converted into pencils using a pencil insert. This was the first Elysee pen that I ever purchased and it is a highly prized member of my pen collection today. Being able to buy this lovely pen while I was in Toronto made the conference all the more enjoyable and memorable. Of course, I used my new Elysee pen during the rest of the conference. : )

[tinta]

Hello Matias!

Though I haven't been to the "Big Smoke" for quite a while, I'm sure that Laywines is still there, in the "Yorkville Village" part of town. Quality pens, pencils, ink & stationary with a friendly & knowledgeable staff.

This reminds me that I need to visit them soon or have them send me some stationary.

Enjoy your stay.

István

 

[mcorrea]

Thanks a lot to all for your helpful tips. Looks like the train + walkaround downtown + subway + Laywines would be fun for the time I have. I am arriving very early in the morning (around 5:30) so traffic should not be an issue, but also I would not be in a rush. I'll probably take the train and look for a place to have breakfast around downtown.

 

Thanks again and I'll share my experience after the trip in December.

 

Matias

[tinta]

I used to like having breakfast or lunch at Pusateri's Fine Foods (marche) on Yorkville, which is right around the corner from Laywines. That area has many fine restaurants & boutiques. You won't go hungry.