Oh, Canada…
A total transit nightmare, eh?
I have many great qualities. Being spontaneous isn’t one of them.
I’m the kind of person who makes hour-by-hour itineraries for trips and who plans my life out at least two months early. And then I send those plans around by email so folks know I’m going to be busy. I’ve even taken to color-coding everything. I like schedules! I like lists! I like finding order where life could otherwise turn to chaos! I’m a little bit of a control freak and it’s fine.
There are many ways this works out well. It reduces decision fatigue, for starters. It also assures while traveling that I get the chance to see and do all of the things I want. However, it doesn’t leave a lot of space for error, something I realized the hard way this weekend.
My partner and I flew from New York to Canada to attend the wedding of a friend of mine from graduate school. We started the trip with a day in Toronto. This all went precisely according to plan. Our stay at the Westin Harbour Castle was wonderful—we got upgraded to a waterfront view—as was the boat tour we took that morning to kick things off where we learned fun facts about Toronto. Later we toured the Hockey Hall of Fame then stopped into the nearby hockey-themed Tim Hortons (when in Canada…). The afternoon was spent snacking our way around the St. Lawrence Market followed by some drinks and Olympics viewing in the Distillery District.
Mind you, we got through all of this in less than twenty-four hours. When my schedule works, it works hard. I would highly recommend stealing this itinerary for yourself.
We ended the day heading back to the airport for another flight to Thunder Bay. It’s a city located on Lake Superior that’s known for panoramic views of the water, Sleeping Giant Provincial Park, and generally great opportunities to get outdoors. A number of people on the plane were, like us, heading to northwest Ontario for weddings. One man from Florida, however, announced to anybody who asked that the purpose of his travel was hiding from his wife after having served her with divorce papers. That should’ve served as my first clue this leg of the journey would be a bit weird.
Our first night in Thunder Bay was less than ideal. Despite booking a lake-view room, we were checked into one with a stellar view of the nearby train tracks (apparently, the city is a major railway hub), which we heard early in the morning. I fell asleep in tears thinking about how much everything cost; how this was not on the itinerary. It felt particularly frustrating because we’d had such a beautiful time in Toronto.
I woke up and tried to be positive. This is not my strong suit. However, the day was better. The hotel manager managed to move us into the correct room, and we followed it up with a walk along the waterfront before a delicious Italian lunch at Nook, where I ate a goat cheese pizza I’m still thinking about. Of course, the main event was the best: seeing someone I adore marrying the love of her life in front of the lake at her grandmother’s house in a very meaningful ceremony. We followed this up with dancing to disco and dining on the most delicious strawberry vanilla buttercream cake from Swell Bakery. It was a beautiful night.
We didn’t get back until late, but managed some sleep before heading to the airport on Sunday for the last leg of our journey returning to New York. I had a strange feeling from the start. I tried to chock it up to the check-in line taking a long time. I tried to think nothing of our flight not showing up on the departures board. I tried to convince myself that once it did appear with a half an hour delay we might still make our tight connection to Newark.
Then it was delayed by forty-five minutes, seventy-five minutes, almost two hours… Flights scheduled after ours took off. Once we boarded the plane, there was a maintenance delay.
The flight touched down in Toronto City around 7:45 PM, more than five hours after our scheduled arrival. Needless to say we didn’t make our connection. We also couldn’t get a spot on any of the other packed planes heading back to the tri-state. All the airline offered were seats on the 6:45 AM departure the following day, and a night at a local hotel. Our minds were spinning, mine especially. My jam-packed Monday schedule scrolled through my brain. I didn’t have time to keep living my Sunday plans; not when I had so much else going on. Anxiety threatened to swallow me whole. But there weren’t any other options. We took our voucher, our bags, and our tired bodies to the free shuttle, preparing ourselves to experience an event very much not on my meticulous itinerary.
Even if it wasn’t where we’d hoped to be, our complimentary room at the nearly one hundred year old Fairmont Royal York was quite nice. Before slipping into the comfortable bed, we popped in for dinner at REIGN, a restaurant, bar, and bakery located inside the hotel. Over burgers and classic cocktails, my partner and I recapped the events of our adventure so far. Then he raised his glass for a toast. “To making the best of a bad situation.”
This, like spontaneity, is also not something I’m good at. But I was trying. We both were. Doing it together is probably how I managed not to let the stress strangle me. So while it wasn’t in the plans, I figured it was worth a little celebrating. I lifted my gimlet glass, too, and touched it to his Negroni with a clink, adding, “And to a pretty good trip.”
Rachel’s Weekly Recs…
The last nine days have been filled with late nights and little sleep, and my undereyes are really showing the exhaustion. More than ever they need some help recovering with these Grace & Stella Eye Patches, “an energy drink for your eyes.” I put them on every morning while brushing my teeth and the results are refreshing.
I’m currently reading Clickbait, the debut novel by Holly Baxter about a woman trying to sort out her shit following a messy divorce and demotion at work. If you’re not afraid of an unlikeable protagonist, this could be for you. Pick up your copy from Bookshop.org today.
It may very well still be summer, but that doesn’t stop brands from rolling out their Halloween goodies. I’m particularly a fan of Betsey Johnson’s latest kitsch collection, including jewelry, shoes, and this So Gordeous Crossbody Bag. Trust me: it will go with everything.