Massey in May

[charlene]

for your viewing pleasure

House of Gord - May 6, 2007

[Claudia]

Hi Char,

great pictures!!

Just a couple of days ago I told my husband, that I definetly plan to go to Massey next year, not matter what happens Since it might be very well, that we're going back to Germany in June/July 2008, it most likely will be my only chance to see Gordon there and I'm looking very much forward to it.

Do you need to book the hotel very much in advance or is this not a problem? I've been only once in Toronto - for two rainy days in May two years ago when we needed to extend our visa for the States. I left husband and kids in a shopping area and went looking for Massey Hall, lol. It felt good only looking at it. It was bad timing that we were in Toronto at the wrong time.

But I'm determined to see him there next year and hopefully will meet a bunch of other 'Lightheads' - can't wait!!

[charlene]

I think most bookings were done 3 months or so before Massey.. You must have been shopping on Yonge and at the Eaton Centre which is 30 seconds from Massey on Shuter St.
Most folks stay at the Delta Chelsea on Gerrard (and Yonge) about a 7 minute walk north of the Eaton Centre.

Don't book yet!

I saw Ron Sexsmith at Massey on Friday night...he's a huge Lightfoot fan and I really enjoy his music. I heard Lightfoot and Paul McCartney (another influecne) in his songs/lyrics and guitar playing.
He came out on stage with no introduction after the 4 piece band took their places. He had on a white suit, shirt and shoes...like Lightfoot in the mid 80's!
It was a fun night seeing someone other than Lightfoot at Massey..no Lightfoot sighting tho..

[Claudia]

Yes, it was indeed just a few minutes walk. When we were at the lawyers office, I asked the secretary if Massey Hall was far away. She was very helpful and pulled up a map to show me how to get there. So at least, I was already standing in front of it - dripping wet but it didn't matter
I for sure would like to stay at the same hotel like most of us here. But we'll talk about it later, when the event comes closer. First I'm looking forward to Minneapolis & Duluth!!!

[RM]

A trip to Massey Hall to see Lightfoot....one can dream....

Is the area around Massey Hall considered a "high crime-rate" district ? A couple of the pictures seemed to show furtive figures lingering about.

[charlene]

along Shuter heading east several more blocks can be places you don't want to hang around..up and down Yonge even..like any large city of 2-3 million people the downtown core has it's places where crimes of all sorts happen..drugs, prostitution, gangs, robberies, murder..Toronto is safer than many cities but it has its troubles. The areas away from the downtown core in the suburbs also see crime.
Homeless people are asking for money outside of Massey, along the streets and in the subway stations. During the summer it's worse as Toronto attracts transients from all over the country.
In the courts right now is a case of a young girl murdered on Boxing Day a couple of years ago. Two gangs had an altercation/words in the Eaton Centre shopping mall on Yonge where Massey is and shortly after they ran into each other out on Yonge St. Someone fired a gun and this young innocent person out shopping was killed. Another case is a young man in a very affluent area killing his neighbour, hiding her body, then moving it where it was eventually found.(link below)
Toronto has it all like Newark, LA, New York, Dallas, New Orleans etc. just not in the quantities like other places...but it is still very disturbing to have even this amount.
you can check Toronto news at:
http://www.thestar.com/default and
http://www.torontosun.com/
tv station:
http://www.citynews.ca/

[BILLW]

Well I'm not scared. But FYI NYC and the last two mayors did a great job cleaning up. We spent the weekend there and I wasn't solicited once, not for money or anything. I used to live there so I can tell you it's better:





This is right around the corner from Town Hall where Gord recently performed.

Bill

The last picture is further downtown in Little Italy.

[charlene]

I was in NYC about 4 years ago and it was great..I guess all those folks who used to hang out there all moved up here!
lol

When visiting any big city anywhere in the world its best to keep yer head up and stay where you're supposed to..

Friday night, around 11 p.m., after the Ron Sexsmith show at Massey I rode the subway down to Union Station with my daughter, walked along Front Street heading west over by the Skydome to where we were staying. It was a beautiful night and I never felt scared or wary about anything or anyone.

c'mon up!! we've got a great Little Italy!

[BILLW]

Originally posted by charlene:
c'mon up!! we've got a great Little Italy!

Deal ! Gotta love calamari !

Bill

[Paul Farnham]

Isn't calamari the stuff that Red Wings fans throw on the ice at home games (:

[BILLW]

Fried Calamari is a popular seafood dish served in many restaurants. It is a relatively simple dish, which consists of batter coated, deep fried calamari, often fried for under two minutes to prevent the calamari from becoming too tough. It is a staple in many Turkish, Greek, Italian, and seafood restaurants, as well as a snack at some bars. It is often served as an appetizer, garnished with parsley, or occasionally sprinkled lightly with parmesan cheese. It is usually served with a dip of some sort, most often peppercorn mayonnaise, tzatziki, or in the United States, Marinara sauce, although other dips, such as ketchup, aioli, or olive oil, are sometimes served as well. Like many seafood dishes, it is served with a slice of lemon, to squirt the juice over the dish if desired.

The Red Wings prefer octopus, LOL.

Bill