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I arrived at the Hamilton GO Train Station this morning, and there was no train. The platform was empty. A switching problem meant the 7:04 AM train service from Hamilton was canceled. Bus services was being offered to the Aldershot station, but a quick examination of the bus platforms revealed a great many people and a scarcity of buses. Rather than battle the crowds, I elected to take the 7:20 bus.
To pass the time, I ducked into the Time Out cafe in the station and ordered a bagel and tea from Renee Luffman, the charmingly optimistic author of Fairy Kisses. I say that about her because she self-published a children's book about where freckles come from, and sells it from behind the counter while working at a bus station coffee shop.
7:15 rolled around, and I finished off the tea and ambled back to the platform. It was still packed with people, and not packed with buses, and visible clouds of commuter rage were rising here and there. So, I studied the schedules and decided to take the 8:05 bus to Aldershot. Please note that the 7:20 AM was the last scheduled direct bus to Toronto, or certain facts that arise later in my tale will not seem wonderful or strange at all.
To fill the gap in time, I directed my steps outward once again to downtown Hamilton. Downtown Hamilton at 7:30 AM in late December is not a very exciting or hospitable place. There are perhaps four or five establishments open at that hour downtown, and one of them is a peep show.
There are a few spots of light and warmth and nourishment for respectable sorts, and one of them is Christopher's, an all-night (last I checked) diner. Once the haunt of bus drivers and cops, it is now mainly frequented by middle-aged people on social assistance. The interior is battleship grey and the cutlery is plastic.
But, the coffee is hot, and the food is perfectly edible.
I got back to the bus station around 7:50 AM, and found a bus sitting at the Toronto platform. I assumed it must be the 8:05 shuttle to Aldershot and hopped aboard. I thought it odd that it pulled out before 8:00, but didn't really care. I fell asleep shortly after, and awoke to find myself on the 407, well past Aldershot, and en route for Toronto.
This express bus exists on no schedule... a mystery!
To pass the time, I ducked into the Time Out cafe in the station and ordered a bagel and tea from Renee Luffman, the charmingly optimistic author of Fairy Kisses. I say that about her because she self-published a children's book about where freckles come from, and sells it from behind the counter while working at a bus station coffee shop.
7:15 rolled around, and I finished off the tea and ambled back to the platform. It was still packed with people, and not packed with buses, and visible clouds of commuter rage were rising here and there. So, I studied the schedules and decided to take the 8:05 bus to Aldershot. Please note that the 7:20 AM was the last scheduled direct bus to Toronto, or certain facts that arise later in my tale will not seem wonderful or strange at all.
To fill the gap in time, I directed my steps outward once again to downtown Hamilton. Downtown Hamilton at 7:30 AM in late December is not a very exciting or hospitable place. There are perhaps four or five establishments open at that hour downtown, and one of them is a peep show.
There are a few spots of light and warmth and nourishment for respectable sorts, and one of them is Christopher's, an all-night (last I checked) diner. Once the haunt of bus drivers and cops, it is now mainly frequented by middle-aged people on social assistance. The interior is battleship grey and the cutlery is plastic.
But, the coffee is hot, and the food is perfectly edible.
I got back to the bus station around 7:50 AM, and found a bus sitting at the Toronto platform. I assumed it must be the 8:05 shuttle to Aldershot and hopped aboard. I thought it odd that it pulled out before 8:00, but didn't really care. I fell asleep shortly after, and awoke to find myself on the 407, well past Aldershot, and en route for Toronto.
This express bus exists on no schedule... a mystery!
