I've just gotten home from 4 days in Ontario. I taught 6 classes over 2 festivals. It rained most of every day. I'm not a person who has a good sense of direction inside buildings or outside on cloudy or rainy days. I need to see the sun, and figure it out from there.
I arrived in Toronto at 2, and was amazed by the amount of construction going on, and the traffic was heavy. I pulled up in front of the hotel, and started to unload. I went inside, and the desk clerk told me there was no parking at the hotel, but there was some 4 blocks away. I drove to the suggested parking lot, and noted that it said, among other things, that it was parking for the Metro Toronto Convention Center. "Great" I thought, because the MTCC is where I was supposed to teach later in the day. I walked to the elevator from my car, and ended up deposited in a lobby I didn't recognize. I stopped at the information desk, asked directions to my hotel (I was all turned around from driving around in the parking deck.) I was given bad directions, and walked 6 blocks in the wrong direction, still in the rain.
When I finally checked into the hotel, I decided I should go to the MTCC to get my classroom set up. The MTCC is the largest non-sports arena building I've ever been in. It's over 5 city blocks! I entered at the far end from my class. 5 blocks and 8 floors later, I found my classroom. I signed in, got my official materials, and then it was time to set up my room. I asked the Workshop Coordinator where the parking deck was. "Which one?"
Um, -? "I parked in a deck that said it was parking for the MTCC. I assumed it was connected to the building. Where is that one?"
"Well, there are several for the MTCC. What street was it on?"
I had no idea. Because of the rain and the lost, all I could remember was wet pavement and the inside of my umbrella.
In the North building (I was in the South) I remembered there was a concierge. I thought maybe he would have a map. I walked 5 blocks indoors back to the concierge. After 5 minutes and 2 maps, we figured out that I was parked 3 blocks away. Back out into the rain.
I got back to the car, drove to the garage, and parked. I taught my class, walked back to the hotel in the rain, and started again the next morning.
During the lunch hour, I needed to get back to my car. I asked how to get to the parking deck. I went down and looked for my car. I walked the whole deck twice. No car. As it turns out, there are two parking decks under the building, and I was parked in the other one. The security guard tells me that I can't get to the other garage from inside this garage. I walked outside 3 more blocks in the rain.
I got to the other garage and found my car. It turns out I was parked directly under my classroom, and that I had gone the extremely long way to class yesterday. Oh well. I guess I got my cardio in!
I arrived in Toronto at 2, and was amazed by the amount of construction going on, and the traffic was heavy. I pulled up in front of the hotel, and started to unload. I went inside, and the desk clerk told me there was no parking at the hotel, but there was some 4 blocks away. I drove to the suggested parking lot, and noted that it said, among other things, that it was parking for the Metro Toronto Convention Center. "Great" I thought, because the MTCC is where I was supposed to teach later in the day. I walked to the elevator from my car, and ended up deposited in a lobby I didn't recognize. I stopped at the information desk, asked directions to my hotel (I was all turned around from driving around in the parking deck.) I was given bad directions, and walked 6 blocks in the wrong direction, still in the rain.
When I finally checked into the hotel, I decided I should go to the MTCC to get my classroom set up. The MTCC is the largest non-sports arena building I've ever been in. It's over 5 city blocks! I entered at the far end from my class. 5 blocks and 8 floors later, I found my classroom. I signed in, got my official materials, and then it was time to set up my room. I asked the Workshop Coordinator where the parking deck was. "Which one?"
Um, -? "I parked in a deck that said it was parking for the MTCC. I assumed it was connected to the building. Where is that one?"
"Well, there are several for the MTCC. What street was it on?"
I had no idea. Because of the rain and the lost, all I could remember was wet pavement and the inside of my umbrella.
In the North building (I was in the South) I remembered there was a concierge. I thought maybe he would have a map. I walked 5 blocks indoors back to the concierge. After 5 minutes and 2 maps, we figured out that I was parked 3 blocks away. Back out into the rain.
I got back to the car, drove to the garage, and parked. I taught my class, walked back to the hotel in the rain, and started again the next morning.
During the lunch hour, I needed to get back to my car. I asked how to get to the parking deck. I went down and looked for my car. I walked the whole deck twice. No car. As it turns out, there are two parking decks under the building, and I was parked in the other one. The security guard tells me that I can't get to the other garage from inside this garage. I walked outside 3 more blocks in the rain.
I got to the other garage and found my car. It turns out I was parked directly under my classroom, and that I had gone the extremely long way to class yesterday. Oh well. I guess I got my cardio in!
No comments:
Post a Comment