Bird Kingdom

 I’ve been to Niagara Falls since I was kid, and then many times with my own kids – there are always different tourists attractions to see that are interesting to keep the crowds coming.

The White Water Walk was established as a safe yet exhilarating way to enjoy the wild rapids which have been clocked as the most ferocious in the world with a class 6 (according to the White Water Rapids Classification Guide).  Class 1 being gentle waves; 2- you might get splashed.  Class 3 – You’ll get wet Class 4 – you’ll get soaked; Class 5 – high adrenaline and Class 6 – non-navigable!  That in itself is scary enough.  For more on that trip – check out the White Water link here: https://mishylainescorneroftheworld.blogspot.com/search/label/White%20Water%20Walk%20in%20Niagara%20Falls

 This summer, we decided to go to Niagara on the GO train, which was inexpensive ($10/return trip!) and painless.  In fact we spent the trip talking, listening to music, reading, and watching the city go from Toronto to Niagara in about 2 hours at a clip of about 150/km per hour.

We agreed to check out the ‘Bird Kingdom” when we were there.  It’s located about a 20 minute walk from the GO Train terminal at 5651 River Road.  From the outside, it promised to be the World’s Largest Indoor Free Flying  Aviary and was a 4x Winner of Niagara’s “Attraction of the Year”!  How could we possibly miss on this?  Though I have to admit after paying $17 to enter through the darkened hallway I wasn’t really expecting much…boy was I wrong!

 

There are 4 levels in the building – the Main Aviary encompasses all 4 levels towards the back.  It opens up to a magical oasis much like a scene in Avatar.  A tropical paradise with a 40 foot waterfall filled with exotic birds of all different species and bright colours.  Rare ones like the Silvery-cheeked hornbill (which is you see it, you would almost feel sorry for it as it looks like half the beak is broken off – but in fact it isn’t.

Everyday in the Lorikeet Landing - there are daily feeding of sugar water to the Rainbow Lorikeets (which they love).  You will be the belle of the ball while they huddle around you and drink the nectar from your hands which is in a cup the attendants will give you.  My husband was able to attract half a dozen all over him.  I got the remaining 2 birds that peed on my arm and bit my hand (I tried to pet it , but apparently that’s not what you’re supposed to do).

In other attractions you’ll see hanging Egyptian fruit bats, talking cockatoos, parrots, Myna birds…all within metres of you.  There’s reptiles, and poisonous frogs and very large turtles!
We spent hours in there – something else that surprised me as I expected to be in and out in an hour.  Take some time and have some tea in the Javanese Tea House in the ‘Main Aviary’
It’s worth a visit, in fact since the lineups can be long in the summer time during peak season, the attendant at the Lorikeet Landing said that if you come in the Fall/Winter months you can spend more time with the birds as the traffic goes down dramatically.

One final thought as you debate the price of entry at the gate, all of these birds have been brought here by over-zealous previous owners that could not care for them, or brought in illegally or sick/injured through abuse or neglect.  So your money goes to help to support in the health and well-being in all these creatures in this well-maintained sanctuary.

We are going back again!

Happy travels!
 

The Power Plant (@Harbourfront centre)

We finally got around to checking out The Power Plant in the HarbourFront Centre.  The HarbourFront Centre's Power Plant was originally built in 1926 known as the 'Powerhouse"  The Powerhouse interestingly enough contained heating and refrigeration equipment for the Toronto Terminal Warehouse (which is now known as the Queen's Quay Terminal) and the 'Ice House" which is known today as the Habourfront Centre Theatre.

 In 1976, the site was renovated into an Art Gallery at the Bill Boyle ArtPort. and further construction years later formed "The PowerPlant" which opened it's doors officially in 1987.  

It's a Canadian charitable organization and completely free to enter at set hours.  It contains Contemporary Art, which I don't mind tell you I am not a fan.  There's a historical component to the artwork and for some, you may find displays to be interesting and for others not so much.

The site hosts major solo shows and group exhibitions as well as free public programs, educational events and workshops.  It has produced several artists books and have released more than 140 publications to date!

You can easily spot the Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery from Queens Quay by the prominent smoke stack which stands out from the Harbour off of Queens Quay in Toronto.  As I mentioned earlier it is a Canadian Contemporary public art gallery mandated exclusively to a diverse and advanced artistic culture.  It is supported by and to a diverse group of living artists while engaging equally diverse audiences in their work. 

Keep your eyes and ears out for exhibitions, lectures and symposia that encourage debate and further understanding; invitations to visitors to question, explore and reflect upon their experiences.  

Since 25th anniversary in 2012, the gallery introduced ALL YEAR, ALL FREE, offering free admission and open access to the public to all exhibitions. 

In 2022, The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery is celebrating its 35th anniversary by introducing new ways to engage with diverse audiences through a brand new website, new communications channels, and the return of Power Ball in 2023.

Today, general admission to the PowerPlant is still FREE.

Don't wait as long as I have if you live in Toronto or visiting.  The Harbourfront Centre's PowerPlant is a unique experience.  You may find yourself coming with a little more understanding and a lot more cultured in Contemporary Art!

Ripley's Aquarium - Toronto Canada

Just down by the water of Lake Ontario at 288 Bremner Blvd which has become quite the hub of Toronto's tourism is the Ripleys Aquarium.

It situates itself somewhere between Toronto's iconic CN Tower and the Rogers Centre home of the NBA champions and has always been the least intriguing attraction to me since it's opening in  October of 2013.

Particularly because I have a strong belief like most of us that aquatic animals should not be held in captivity (or any animals for that matter, unless of course they are already domesticated).  This belief was about to change though -- well not for Marineland but for at least here.

This evening all started because recently my husband received a gift card from family for the COPA (Copacabana Ridizio) so we enjoyed a dinner of an all you can eat meat from bacon wrapped filet mignon to parmesan infused prime rib to top sirloin, lamb, shrimp and chicken.

Afterwards he wanted to make it a date night out of it, so we went to the Ripley's Aquarium which was about a 10 minute walk away (since it was his birthday, I was obliged to go).

I absolutely loved it! I totally felt like a kid again.  At Ripley's, you will see everything from sharks to swimming green sea turtles and jelly fishes to eels and the most beautiful colourful tropical fishes and marine life you'll ever get a chance to see otherwise unless of course you have thousands to spend visiting the tropics.
 
Although they are in fact in captivity, I can't imagine a more beautiful home than here.  Designers and engineers have painstaking designed every aquatic aquarium tailored to the marine life here.  Either fresh water or ocean floors making sure the surrounding were like home to the animals right down to the temperature of the water as well as the water's content.

The aquariums are spotless clear and cleaned and are monitored by computers and high-compression drums and gauges by skilled employees in marine biology.  There is even a section where you are able to view this for yourself.

Here swims, floats and flutters any species of the underground world you can imagine and they all get along perfectly respecting one another space.  They clearly are all being fed well or you would see a much different picture in the water.

Highlights for me were the blue lobster (which incidentally I never knew were rarely blue).  In fact in a BBC news article, dated may 26, 2016 (cited: https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-36369687, BBC News: How rare are bright blue lobsters?) notes how rare they really are.

  I also loved the touch and feel tanks where you can immerse your hand in shrimp tanks where little shrimps will crawl over to take little pieces of dead skin from your hand (you might not know they are there, but they do!) and I found it so cute and it tickles!  The other highlight was to put your hand in a very large tank of stingrays and they will sense your heart beat and swim by you so you can pet them.  As you might have thought they feel very slippery and smooth.  I also petted the top of a baby shark and a giant eel.  

I was so happy to see how well they are living and looked after, although it was very costly getting indoors, we went after 7:00 at night, which is called 'Sharks After Dark',  you can stay as long as you like up until 11:00.  It is $7 cheaper than the usual price but you can still see all the exhibits so it's worth it.

I won't be going back again only because I have seen it already, but I highly recommend this place to go at least.  Costs are steep at $39/each for adults, but check their website for up to date prices for kids and seniors and discounts.

Toronto Islands - Hanlans, Centre and Ward

One of my  favourite tourist attractions in Toronto would definitely be visiting the Toronto Islands. Any time of year, there is something so magical about living on an Island away from the big city. Even when I was a young woman I would envy the Islanders for their idyllic lifestyle.

One of the first inhabitants to live all year long on the Toronto Islands were the Hanlan Family (Hanlan's Point), who settled at Gibraltar Point in 1862. Several years later the City of Toronto owned the islands after it was transferred from the federal government in 1867. The City divided the land into separate lots to allow for cottages, amusement areas and even resort hotels to be built.

The Toronto islands developed by eroded stone from the Scarborough bluffs as they were carried westward by the currents from Lake Ontario.

To get here you take the Island Ferry located on the Queens Quay in Toronto, otherwise known as 'The docks.' For a minimal fare you board a large barge which carry people and bicycles to the island and back again within a set time frame. No one is allowed on the island after 9 P.M.

It's almost like taking a mini-vacation. When you first get off the ferry, you land on the Island's 'centre-point' otherwise known as Centre Island which is between Hanlan's Point and Ward's Island.

Ward's Island, is located at the easternmost point of the island and is named after the Ward family who first settled there around 1830.

David Ward was a local fisherman who raised seven children. His son, William, built the landmark Ward’s Hotel in 1882, just south of the ferry docks at Channel Avenue. Originally the building had two floors and a central, third story tower, but in 1922 the tower and upper floor were removed after the structure deteriorated. The remaining building operated as a grocery supply and ice-cream parlour until its demolition in 1966. The hotel, in addition to Wiman’s Baths, built in 1881, created a pleasant resort that attracted many visitors.  Today,  Ward's Island is where the residents live.  

The west side of the island, commonly known as West Point, rapidly became a resort destination for the citizens of Toronto; the first summer cottage community was found here. In 1878, a hotel was built by John Hanlan at the north-west tip of the island and soon after the area became known as Hanlan’s Point.

Centre Island amusement park and a baseball stadium for 10,000 spectators was built in the 1890s-1910. Babe Ruth hit his first professional home run here!




Today, there are no more hotels, and the local residents enjoy peaceful seasons, and I've been told resent the hub-bub that summer months bring with the amusement parks. They try to keep to the themselves, but I'm sure they look forward to the quieter times of the year when they can have the island to themselves again.

If you prefer to get around by bicycle like the locals do here, there is a place to rent bicycles on the island, but we bring our own bikes across the ferry with us. It's a wonderful flat ride and not too busy either. Lots of beautiful homes here, which gorgeous gardens in the summer. You can rent kayaks or standing boards for recreation in the lagoon.



On the islands, there are lots of places to get lost and be alone, or sneak a peak at the Toronto skyline across the lake. It's a home away from home and when it's really hot in the city, there's always a balmy breeze off the lake to waste the day away.

Everyone knows the Centre Island Amusement park with its free concerts, expansive picnic areas, petting zoos, amusement rides, bumper cars, scrambler ride, ferris wheels, and mini putt golf. Truth is when I come here, I almost never go to there.


While here, you'll want to check out the Meany Maze which is a maze of shrubberies lots of fun to test your sense of direction. Of course I was hopeless and decided to follow others out. It was either that or I would sit in a corner and just wait to be found.


The Lake Light Marker is located near Gibraltar point, is the earliest Lighthouse on the Great Lakes, which stood in 1808, shaped like a hexagon, topped with a wooden cage housing a whale oil lantern for light. It stood 52 feet high. It was later raised to 82 feet in 1832 equipped with a revolving light. The lighthouse has a reputation of being a haunted building since the disappearance of its first lighthouse keeper, J.P. Rademuller in 1815 and a later discovery of a partial skeleton nearby.



On a lighter note, there is also a slew of elderly boat and yacht owners who coop in their water vessels all year long on Mugg's Island. It's a way of life for them by the water and they've sold their northern cottages for a trip across the lake a lot closer to home. Sounds like a great idea to me!