Even the Escalators are Friendly

1 hour and 9 minutes later and I am in Toronto, Canada impatiently waiting for my sister’s flight to land from DFW.

After turning down the many friendly suggestions made by the passport control man at the connecting gate to go out and explore the city, I am hunkered down with a coffee (gotta stay up to get tired for the big flight…if that makes sense) after making the same friendly passport man promise to keep an eye out for my sister.

Big sister habits die hard, what can I say…

Despite having to turn down an opportunity to explore this hella-cool looking city (the skyline, as viewed from the plane window, was beautiful!) I am going to be bold enough to point out some nice, albeit stereotypical, quirks that I’ve appreciated about Canada thus far…

Ok, ok…so maybe “Canada” is a bit of a stretch. How about things I’ve appreciated about the Toronto Pearson airport? Way more accurate. Can’t generalize too much. Points for journalistic integrity!

1. The people I have interacted with really are that friendly. Adam and I always noted that of all the folks we meet on our travels, Canadians are without a doubt the most friendly and eager to talk. So far here, it’s still holding true. And my, what friendliness can do to your traveling spirit! Here I am, eating mediocre lunch food, staring down the start of a whopping 5 hour layover, and I’m giddy! I have a smile on my face! Coincidence? Canada doesn’t think so…

2. The customer service desk actually provided customer service that didn’t end with someone wanting to pry their eye out with a dull spoon. He even turned the computer around to show me which seats were available instead of huffing and puffing and – we’ve all had this happen – direct us to the gate of departure instead. Points for Canada airline staff!

3. Wi-Fi. It’s everywhere. And it’s FREE.

No, literally everywhere – and yes, that is a bathroom stall – (Did I mention Free?)

4. The escalators are friendly. How does one gauge the friendliness of an inanimate object you ask? One side goes normal speed, and one side goes much much slower. For those of us who be it caused by jet lag, old age, new walkers, or too much baggage you have time to catch up, instead of just being thrown willy-nilly down to the lower floor. Not that this has ever happened to me before…please knock on wood for me!

5. I’ve thought, several times, about asking the nearest friendly person to watch my luggage so that I could take the above picture without losing my sweet table spot…and then didn’t. But I’ll bet if I did, my luggage would be in tip-top shape and not the least bit stolen or tampered with.

Ok. Enough with the stereotypes. Let’s just leave it at this: I am impressed. I want to return for real. And at a hour and 9 minutes air time I’m going to have a hard time finding excuses not to…