http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/OTS/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from OTS en-us Tue, 22 Dec 2009 23:55:18 +0000 Tue, 22 Dec 2009 23:55:18 +0000 The last 23 months have been full of surprises in my life some fun some not so great. But overall things are well. Here's a short list Moving to my new apartment down the street and having to furnish it I now officially HATE moving Missing family friends in Chicago Trying to adjust to Toronto and not succeeding at first Beginning to succeed in adjusting to Toronto Missing my train to M http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/Ontario/Toronto/blog-347080.html I still can't believe that there's a hemp store right on Yonge street. I'm waiting for someone to tell me they sell tea products or hempderived hair products which do exist or fashion items representing the smoker culture. But that hasn't happened yet so I'm still left to believe that they sell mostly hemp products bongs etc and probably some cannabis under the table. They're not shy a http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/Ontario/Toronto/blog-325374.html My first impressions of the cityIrsquom starting to really like Toronto. Itrsquos not ldquolike Chicagordquo as a lot of people told me. Itrsquos quite different actually. My Citibank banker said they call it ldquoMini Manhattanrdquo. Thatrsquos TBD. The streets are a mix of North American and European cities. For example it has just as many oneway streets as Paris. It als http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/Ontario/Toronto/blog-321419.html I landed in Toronto on Wednesday August 6 at around 915am aboard United Airlines flight 1100. I didnrsquot have much sleep over the past two days and I was very irritable. The flight landed 10 minutes early probably a first for me. I didnrsquot bother to question why an international flight from Chicago should take off andor land on time while domestic flights are so unreliable. I slep http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/Ontario/Toronto/blog-319528.html Tough times in Toronto Aug 913Irsquom now completely in favour of free market economics notice how my laptop corrects the spelling of favor. This is because I have witnessed how monopoliesoligopolies can squeeze customers here in Toronto. Anyway the three most frustrating things about Toronto so far have been1. The day I realized that most banks here charge you a monthly fee or transa http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/Ontario/Toronto/blog-319518.html