.... is it just my imagination, or did everyone plant lilies this year ...

 

 

 

(.... just because I was technically "stranded" in Windsor, doesn't mean I didn't have time to mine the city and environs for blog fodder!!!!!)

The ultimate in branding/brand recognition/marketing???

There are two buildings dominating the skyline along the Detroit River.  Looking across from the Detroit side of the river, it’s Caesar’s Casino on the Windsor shoreline.  Looking across from the Windsor side of the river, it’s the General Motor’s worldwide headquarters buildings – a monument to motoring excess if I ever saw one.  

Clearly visible at the top of the middle tower is the blue and white GM brandmark. 

But it is no ordinary neon sign.  It’s some sort of LED screen ….. the image changes ….

Including the GM brandmark, I counted five different images ....

I have one question – other than the IT technician who programs the screen and the odd tourist like me (and I use “odd” here in it’s purely clinical definition), does anyone else really notice?  Do you suppose the “RU” atop the Library building scrolls through a series of campus shots and I never noticed….?


(....  if you look carefully - and zoom in - on the centre tower in the first shot, you can see that the "screen" is actually red.  I took this shot before I fully realised just what was happening ....)



 

.... you know, if you take your sunglasses off, stare directly into the noon day sun and squint a little - the University of Windsor campus looks exactly like the Ryerson campus .....

 

... there's a library ...

 

 

 

 

 

... a water feature ...

 

 

 

 

 

... an ivy-covered wall ...

 

 

 

 

 

.... a street piazza ....

 

 

 

 

 

 

... buildings of historical significance ....

 

 

 

 

 

... sculpture ....

 

 

 

 

... as well as a steel sculpture ...

 

 

 

 

 

... one of those "what were they thinking" buildings ....

 

 

 

... even a tribute to "brutalism" architecture ....

 

 

 

 

 

... and what self respecting university would be without

 the now mandatory hawk ...

 

 

 

 

But what Ryerson doesn't have ...

 

 

 

 

 

.... is a little house for their liaison and recruitment staff!!!

 

 

 

 

Once Upon a Time

ONCE UPON A TIME

Once upon a time, there were two little girls who, on the approach of Canada Day, thought it was their patriotic duty to get out and see first-hand, as much of this great land as possible.  An extended, four-day Canada Day weekend, however, made any long distance commitment just a tad impractical.  But an extended, four-day weekend made a road trip somewhere in the province of Ontari-ari-ari-o just about doable. 

But where?

“Windsor”, suggested one of our intrepid girl travellers.

“Windsor it is”, replied the other.

“We can push ahead across the 401 to London, then strike out into the bush and visit all of the major historical and tourist attractions between London and Windsor.”

“Windsor it is”, replied the other.

 

WINDSOR IT IS!

So on the appointed day at the appointed time, across the 401 our intrepid travellers went.

And it started to rain.

And it rained.

And it rained.

And it rained some more.

“Maybe striking out in the pouring rain into the bush and visiting all of the major historical and tourist attracts between London and Windsor is not such a good idea.”

“Windsor it is”, replied the other.

And that’s when everything started to fall apart.  Slowly and imperceptibly at first – then with a vigour and a zest that was truly impressive.  But more about vigour and zest later.

 PERHAPS A TIM`S IS NOT ALWAYS THE ANSWER

Upon arriving in Windsor, one of our travellers realises she has forgotten to pack a sweater.  A sweater is a good bet to hedge when watching various Canada Day events near a large body of water.  In this case, the Detroit River – those cooler, off-shore breezes, don’t you know!  Oh, well – will just have to make do.  (A statement soon to come back and bite.)

Our other  traveller soon discovers she has forgotten to pack a cell phone charger.  Oh well – how many people will she really have to call during the Canada Day weekend.  (A statement soon to come back and bite.)

Let us now fast-forward 36 hours – to the Petro Canada station at the corners of Ouellette and Eugenie Streets.

One of the best things going for the corner of Ouellette and Eugenie Streets in Windsor is, that besides a Petro Canada station, there is a Tim Horton`s.  Which is a good thing, a very good thing.

Because the car is dead. 

 

It tried to cough itself to life a couple of times.

But the consensus now is that the car is dead.  Sitting beside the pumps at the Petro Canada station at the corners of Ouellette and Eugenie Streets in Windsor.

But upon further consideration, perhaps not even a Tim`s is going to make this situation bearable – which is saying something.  It`s Sunday of the Canada Day weekend.  Tomorrow – Monday – is Canada Day.  It`s going to be Tuesday before anyone at any garage anywhere in Windsor is going to be able to do anything to get the car back on the road.

(Now watch things go downhill with the vigour and zest mentioned above.)

The car is eventually towed to a garage, thanks to the CAA.  But as you may have already surmised, the owner of the car is the traveller who has forgotten to pack a cell phone charger.  Now there are people to call and a cell phone that very soon, is going to be as dead as the car!

 

 

AND STARBUCKS ISN`T THE ANSWER EITHER!

While our one traveller ponders the dead-like state of her car and cell phone, the decision is made that our other  traveller had better cut her loses and head for home.  After all, there is no guarantee that the car is going to be back on the road by Tuesday, or even Wednesday.

Home by bus is the decision that is made.

Now to find the bus station.   The Windsor tourist information desk assures our travellers that the bus depot is indeed, ``downtown``.  The only problem – judging by the rusty streaks on the wall where the `Greyhound`` sign used to be – the bus depot is not in the building they have been directed to.

Back to the street map on the pole in front of Tim Horton`s to get their bearings and our travellers are off again, this time successfully.  The bus station is located, a schedule is procured.

With no other means of transportation at their disposal,  it`s now down to the waterfront to spend the evening.

Now for the math portion of our story.  What do you get when you add a Starbucks iced coffee to a wobbly-cracked-uneven bit of sidewalk?  You end up with the traveller not going home by bus sprawled face first on the pavement.  The result – a humongous amount of embarrassment, a scrapped palm and a scrapped and bruised knee.

 

Can this day get any better?

JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT IT WAS SAFE TO GO BACK INTO THE WATER

Everyone get their programs out, because now it starts to get tricky –

Our homeward bound traveller arrives at the bus depot at the appointed hour to catch the 11:30 a.m. bus …

it`s now 11:45 a.m.  …..

now it`s 12 noon …… 

The bus eventually leaves the Windsor depot at 1 p.m. (A mere 90 minutes late!  You have to know this is not going to end well!)

Meanwhile back in Windsor, it has started to rain – heavily.  There is nothing more depressing than a waterfront, on Canada Day, in the rain.

But it is Canada Day after all.  Surely there is something to amuse oneself.  You would’ve thunk, wouldn`t you.

 Never mind that it`s Canada Day – it`s Monday. 

The Windsor Art Gallery is closed.

 The Windsor Community Museum is closed.

And the $13.00, one-hour riverboat tours are only offered on Friday and Saturday evenings during the Riverfront Festival.

And the nearest Tim`s is a 15-minute walk from the hotel.  

At least the hotel cable gets the Oprah and GameTV networks.

 

 

MEANWHILE – BACK ON THE BUS

And that`s the problem. 

No one is on the bus.

The bus has broken down.

In Hamilton.

The only up-side here is that our bus traveller has borrowed a sweater from the car-owner traveller, so she is not freezing to death on the side of the road in the rain.

HOMEWARD BOUND, FINALLY

The cost of cab ride to the garage and of a new fuel pump ….. it’s Wednesday morning and our remaining traveller is on her way home!  (Some mechanic`s kid can now afford to go the University of Windsor this fall.)

….. and between Windsor and London – the only thing on the car radio is morning drive shows ….

From Detroit …..

 

 

 

I swear on a monthly Ryerson pension cheque and a Tim’s double double that all of the trials and tribulations I have related above are true.  Only the names have been changed, mainly because any mention of Canada Day and road trips now triggers a spasm of ugly facial tics and an uncontrollable desire to beat oneself about the head and ears with the Windsor Tourist Guide in our two, anonymous travellers.