Doors Open Toronto 2012

Another excellent weekend at doors open.

We started on Saturday, my mom and I, and went first to the waterfront.  There was supposed to be 15 historic boats on display that you could tour and two buildings with historic photos and archival material.

We had seen the Harbour Commission building last year so we FINALLY found the right place (it was not really marked on signed) and the second building turned out to be a hallway beside Sobey's where they hung photos from the ceiling.  They looked cool but were a bit hard to see. 

The 15 boats turned out to be 8 per day, but we did get some excellent tours of the boats on the Mariposa Cruises ships. We plan to come back for their weekend brunch cruise, a 2 hour tour of the harbour and a buffet brunch for $49.

My mom is on the lamb from the feds, but here she is driving one of the boats.  No face!

Afterward we went to the Roundhouse at the base of the CN Tower.  We had a ride on their cool figure eight train and then went to some of the nearby buildings.

This set of switches was used to direct trains along the tracks.

 This is the Roundhouse itself.  Inside was a cool train show.

 Me going round on the Roundhouse.

 The Toronto Railway Museum was full of really nice people and I enjoyed meeting and talking to them.  They had some cool artificats set up on display.  They mentioned their museum is in danger of being closed and advised me to pass on their website at savethemuseum.ca

 This is a button from a conductor's coat.  I think it's the coolest button I've ever seen. I submitted this photo and the one two above with the train car in the middle to the Doors Open TO photo contest. I also submitted one for my mom of the pews which is here later on.

 This is 1 King St West.  A beautiful banquet hall now, it was once a series of bank tellers.

 At over 100 feet, this is the longest bar in Canada.  It was originally a wall of bank tellers.

This is the vault in the basement.  That door is CRAZY, I have never seen a door so thick.  They said you could close it with two fingers.  They also drilled a series of passages underneath the vault to prevent people tunneling in.
Some facts from the sheet they handed out:

• Built directly into the bedrock in 1913
• 4 1/2" thick and 7' 6" opening
• Weighs 40 tonnes

 You can click to enlarge these staff rules.  Apparently a law was passed for better working conditions and they are outlined here.  The bank called them "Utopian".  Such conditions included 11 hour days, no talking, no smoking, utopia!

 These were built in 1847 at the Church of the Holy Trinity behind the Eaton Centre.  Cool pews.

Totem pole inside College Park.