@Real_EstateInfo Hilarious, but so very wise!
Archive for January, 2010
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Friday, January 29th, 2010
Vespa love affair
In 2009 there was a huge surge in the number of scooters and electric bikes we saw cruising around Toronto streets. You may have detected that quite a few of the drivers are fifty-plus – not only young people – and there’s a good reason for that. It’s more efficient. It’s also a lot more fun than steaming in a hot car in traffic.
Our streets are choked with cars, we just love the automobile don’t we? It takes a ridiculous amount of time to navigate Toronto streets now, so much so that I avoid taking the car out unless I have to transport large amounts of stuff, or heavy items. Despite the criticism it draws, TTC is – in my humble opinion – a great, inexpensive option. Having lived in London, England for 10 years, even though the London Underground has a staggeringly extensive reach to north, south east and west, a trip ticket costs you big time. You couldn’t travel the entire system for $2.50 (using tokens), as we have the great fortune to do in Toronto.
And for times when the TTC routes are too cumbersome to be efficient, you’ll see me and many other two-wheeled motorists passing you as you sit in traffic, cutting our journey times in half, at least. You’ll also see us parking free anywhere on Toronto city streets that parking is allowed. You just pull in to a space, give the parking wardens a cheery wave, and stroll into the cafe or store that happens to be your destination. It gets better. Filling the tank costs about $7, and my Vespa merely sips gas, making it a truly economical ride.
Though many ride through the winter, I’m too old and too much of a wimp to brave these chilly days. However, I am wishing away the few short weeks between now and March, so the red machine can join the growing number of Toronto people who are choosing the faster, cheaper and more efficient option to get around this beautiful city of ours.
I haven’t quite mastered the hair style angle yet. Helmet head rules.
Tags: driving in Toronto, easy commuting, free parking, Humber driver training, scooters, tempo toronto, two wheeled transport, vespa
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Lobby on Bloor Street – jaw dropping prices
Wednesday, January 27th, 2010
The most expensive martini in Toronto?
Ever wondered how bars set their beverage prices? It’s a mystery to me, but I think we may have found the most expensive martinis in all of Toronto, with the surliest service to boot.
Buoyed up after hearing Arianna Huffington speak at Advertising Week, two Tempo Toronto team members stopped off in the Lobby on Bloor Street just across from the ROM for a cocktail. It was crowded, noisy but full of communications types in good spirits, and the energy our side of the bar was excellent. We were in good company.
At the bar, “Hello! Two vodka martinis, straight up, Grey Goose please.” (Note how polite we are.)
“Belvedere.” (OK, that’s not a sentence, but I assumed she meant “I am sorry, we don’t have Grey Goose, would Belvedere be OK?”)
“That’s fine, thank you. And lots of olives, please.”
I’ll gloss over the sloppy service, the flinging of liquor into glasses, the splashes onto my clothes, the thimbleful of vodka in each glass. No matter that one drink had olives thrown into it and the other a tiny shard of lemon (no one asked for a ‘twist’). I didn’t react to the rudeness – after all, they were busy, and I’m understanding. We also talked ourselves into thinking that the large size of the glass made the so-called “2oz” martini look smaller.
Then the bill came.
$42. We mentioned that we were buying two drinks, not drinks for a group. “Yes, that’s $42. And I don’t decide the prices here,” was the rude retort.
Forty two dollars for a drink so small that if we hadn’t drunk it quickly, it likely would have evaporated. I’m not averse to paying premium pricing for premium brands, but it’s reasonable to receive commensurate quality, quantity and level of service.
Yorkville prices? … I don’t think so. Last time we had cocktails at the Four Seasons the libation was generous, the service was oustanding, and the price was fair.
Tags: 50 plus, bar prices, Lobby on Bloor Street, martinis, over fifty, overpriced drinks, surly service, tempo toronto
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