Only a few days after arriving in the city last May, I was preparing to take my first solo trip downtown to meet my fiance for lunch. There was NO WAY I was driving my car anywhere at that point, which meant I would have to rely on the TTC. 'What the HECK is the TTC?!' That question had me flummoxed for quite a while whenever I heard my fiance refer to it. The Toronto Transit Commission - or TTC - is an expansive network of buses, streetcars and rapid transit designed to move a huge amount of people over a large geographic area, QUICKLY. Having lived in Brandon, MB for seven years, I had a lot of experience riding city buses, but the rest of the TTC scared the beejeezus out of me. I had never ridden on a subway train. I knew that people did all the time, in the same way I know there are people who go bungee jumping. It was fine for them, but I couldn't do it!
I handled my fears and insecurities about travelling around Toronto unaccompanied the same way I handled moving to Toronto. Together with my fiance we planned every step of the trip. We travelled the route together a couple times. I jotted down point form notes for myself on my smartphone: "Take bus #86 or #116 to Kennedy Subway Station, go down escalator and get on any train, ride train until Bay Station, get off at Bay Station..."
That morning, I gave myself an hour and a half to get from our apartment to my fiance's work. He had said the trip should only take me about an hour, but I wanted extra time in case I got lost which, as anyone who knows me will agree, was not only possible - but likely. I gathered up my tokens, checked my notes once more to be sure of my first steps, and out I set.
Tokens - the currency of the TTC
Catching the bus was easy. There are several bus stops right outside our apartment, being at the junction of two major streets and the bus that I catch goes straight to the subway station - no transfer needed. If I miss a bus it's no problem either. There is always another one on it's way shortly. Conveniently, each stop along routes of the TTC is announced before arriving, so as long as I know where I'm supposed to get off I won't ever miss my stop. What I didn't care for, and still don't, is the overcrowding of passengers on Toronto city buses at almost anytime of the day. It's very seldom that I've gotten a seat on a bus. Most of the time I find the bus that picks me up is already almost full to capacity with standing people and strollers in the aisle, and we are all crammed together like the proverbial sardines. This crowding usually gets worse as the bus approaches the subway station. There is no place for 'personal space' on a city bus. The most you can hope for is a pole or handle strap to hold on to for dear life so you don't get hurtled into Joe Blow each time the bus breaks.
Catching bus #116 outside our apartment, on its way to Kennedy Station
Arriving at the subway station, I made my way inside and 'followed the crowd' down the escalator and onto the subway platform. A person doesn't need a transfer if they are taking a one-way trip. The subway stations where they all convene are cleverly designed so a passenger can go straight from the bus to a subway train - and vice-versa - without passing through a toll booth. The pick-up/drop-off areas are fenced or otherwise sectioned off and the general public can't access these entrances. At the public entrance, there are toll booths and electronically monitored gates where individuals must either pay a token, pay with correct change, or show their transfer, or they don't get in.
Kennedy Station
Kennedy Subway Station, the closest station to where I live, is also the furthest east the TTC subways currently travel. That means any train leaving Kennedy Station is always going west - pretty simple, hey?
Kennedy Station platform
I was worried when I first moved here that trying to 'catch' the subway would be like trying to jump into or out of a speeding vehicle; fast and scary. I envisioned throngs of angry, rude people pushing and shoving, everyone speeding towards a narrow doorway that would only be open for a split second. Me and my wild imagination! For one, the doors of the subway trains are open for a very reasonable amount of time, so there's no need to rush. There's even a warning bell that rings a few seconds before the doors close. And, while there are days that one may feel like a creature of the bovine persuasion being herded through the chute, I'm happy to say that most of the time fellow passengers are respectful, courteous, and if not always the most patient, at least I don't feel scared that I'm going to witness and violent/disturbing encounter everytime I get on the train (which was one of my fears at the beginning).
'All aboard!' Heading west from Kennedy Station
I never had to worry about missing my stop on the subway either because, just like on the bus, each stop is announced one location ahead of time. If I know the name of the subway station I want to get off at, I won't miss my stop - that is unless I fall asleep. ;)
Make sure to take something to read if you're going downtown!
There are easy to read maps of all the TTC's subway lines in every station and every train. The 'line' that I travel most often is called the Bloor-Danforth line. It runs both directions, east and west across the city, from Kennedy Station west to Dundas Street West and Kipling Avenue. The Bloor-Danforth line connects with the Yonge-University-Spadina (north-south) line at Bloor-Yonge, St. George and Spadina Stations. These are called 'inter-change stations' because passengers can catch a train going in any direction. When I was working downtown, I would ride the Bloor-Danforth line to St.George Station and transfer to a southbound train, riding it two stops to St. Patrick Station (less than a block from where I worked).
Map of the subway lines
To meet my fiance, I rode the subway east until I reached Bay Station. There I got off, and went upstairs. Up one level from the trains, there are usually four exits to choose from depending on what side of the city block you want to arrive at (north-east, north-west, south-east, or south-west). This is where my less than stellar sense of direction likes to lead me astray. There are many times when I've 'come out' to street level only to realize I have no idea where I am because I took the wrong exit and I'm either on the wrong side of the street, or the wrong side of the entire block! That's not to say there aren't signs. There are clear signs posted everywhere. Riding the subway really is very user-friendly, for those who take the time to read the signs (blush).
Getting lost seems to be one of my charming little quirks. I can be given the clearest, simplest directions and somehow wind up in the total opposite direction. Don't ask me how, it's a gift. I can't count the number of times I have wound up lost, with no clue as to where the heck I was. I have been lost as close as 2 miles, and as far away as 15 miles, from home. A few times I even had my hapless step-son in tow. That's when my readiness to talk to strangers has proved very beneficial. I have asked convenience store clerks, bank tellers, receptionists and random people on the street where I am and how to get to where I was going. Perhaps the funniest instance of me getting lost when my mother came to visit in October and, attempting to 'show her around Toronto' I got us lost in residential China Town. I was absolutely mortified with myself, but Mom said it was the most fun she'd had in a long time. "I got to see a part of Toronto I otherwise may never have seen," she grinned. Sooooo embarassing. We eventually wound up in our desired location, Kensington Market, after over an hour of wandering. We had a great day, despite my initial embarassment and now looking back I have to agree with Mom. I have discovered some of the coolest places here in Toronto, thanks in large part, to my aimless wandering.
Riding the TTC is one of the most easy, straightforward ways to get around Toronto. Granted, it can be very crowded and a person has to steel themselves against getting upset when they are standing cheek to cheek with other passengers, but it's relatively quick, safe and allows everyone in the city access to all the wonderful sights, sounds and tastest this city has to offer.
As for me, I knew I had finally 'arrived' in December when a young man stopped me on the street on my way to work downtown. "Excuse me, can you tell me how I would get to the Eaton Centre," he asked. "Sure!" I said with a friendly smile and proceeded to give him the CORRECT directions!
