Saturday dawned bright and clear. We rose and dressed and went to the City Hall Plaza where the Zombie Parade was starting to form up with some great characters dressed 'to kill'.
On a more somber note, some retried military personnel formed an honor guard at the war memorial in front of Old City Hall to pay their respects for the fallen soldier in the Ottawa Parliament incident.
Brunch called so we took the streetcar east to a small restaurant called Lady Marmalade which came highly recommended. Guess what? We weren't the only ones. There was a line outside waiting for tables at the small storefront on Queen Street East in the Leslieville section of the city. We waited about half an hour before a table opened up but although the weather had turned cloudy and threatening it was not cold. During this time we met and chatted with a couple of ladies one of whom lived here and one who was visiting and agreed that if a table for four came up we would combine and that is what happened.
The brunch was really good and we had a couple of different versions of Eggs Benedict both of which were excellent and easily justified the wait to get in. After brunch we embarked on the streetcar once again and headed back west to City Hall where we explored some of the extensive underground passages, mostly shopping malls, in the area. When we surfaced the Zombie parade was fully underway.
We strolled home via a roundabout route which took in the plaza of the Courthouse with its effective statues on equality and legal protections
In the evening, we went again to the Distillery District and had dinner at a seafood restaurant called Pure Spirits which is housed in one of the old distillery buildings. The restaurant was very pleasant and the food very nice too. I had mussels and MAC some Lake Erie pickerel.
After dinner we walked to the Young Peoples' Theater where we saw a superb production of 'To Kill a Mockingbird' which was produced for students but very satisfying for adults as well. The acting was excellent although the play had been abridged from the original novel, the main issues of the play were put in clear for the younger part of the audience and the language which is disturbing in places was not censored. At the end, a facilitator asked for questions from the audience, especially the younger members and some of the cast answered them. This was such a useful and well-thought-out show which could be copied elsewhere. I have written to congratulate them and also to the local New Victory Theater here in New York to tell them of the production and encourage them to emulate this. There was a full house and much very warm applause at the end. I think this is a wonderful way of bringing out many issues which young people can think about and evaluate. Live theater just trumps movies and TV all the time.
We walked home after a great evening out.
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| And above....preparations for the Toronto Zombie Parade in City Hall Plaza |
On a more somber note, some retried military personnel formed an honor guard at the war memorial in front of Old City Hall to pay their respects for the fallen soldier in the Ottawa Parliament incident.
 |
| Honor guard for Cpl Cirillo who was killed in the Ottawa Parliament attack |
Brunch called so we took the streetcar east to a small restaurant called Lady Marmalade which came highly recommended. Guess what? We weren't the only ones. There was a line outside waiting for tables at the small storefront on Queen Street East in the Leslieville section of the city. We waited about half an hour before a table opened up but although the weather had turned cloudy and threatening it was not cold. During this time we met and chatted with a couple of ladies one of whom lived here and one who was visiting and agreed that if a table for four came up we would combine and that is what happened.
The brunch was really good and we had a couple of different versions of Eggs Benedict both of which were excellent and easily justified the wait to get in. After brunch we embarked on the streetcar once again and headed back west to City Hall where we explored some of the extensive underground passages, mostly shopping malls, in the area. When we surfaced the Zombie parade was fully underway.
 |
| AAaagh!! Canadian Zombies!!!!!!!!! |
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| Freedom of Religion |
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| Gender Freedom |
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| Statues in Court House Square |
In the evening, we went again to the Distillery District and had dinner at a seafood restaurant called Pure Spirits which is housed in one of the old distillery buildings. The restaurant was very pleasant and the food very nice too. I had mussels and MAC some Lake Erie pickerel.
 |
| My mussels at Pure Spirits |
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| The welcoming wall hanging at the Young Peoples' Theater |
After dinner we walked to the Young Peoples' Theater where we saw a superb production of 'To Kill a Mockingbird' which was produced for students but very satisfying for adults as well. The acting was excellent although the play had been abridged from the original novel, the main issues of the play were put in clear for the younger part of the audience and the language which is disturbing in places was not censored. At the end, a facilitator asked for questions from the audience, especially the younger members and some of the cast answered them. This was such a useful and well-thought-out show which could be copied elsewhere. I have written to congratulate them and also to the local New Victory Theater here in New York to tell them of the production and encourage them to emulate this. There was a full house and much very warm applause at the end. I think this is a wonderful way of bringing out many issues which young people can think about and evaluate. Live theater just trumps movies and TV all the time.
We walked home after a great evening out.
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