Thru Wind & Snow & Unanswered Cab Calls...Gaga!

08Feb (posted now, just because, but I'll still catch you up on January happenings...)

It started to snow late yesterday afternoon just as we were finishing up in the Treadmill Room. It continued while we had our coffee and a visit with Mark’s daughter Jess. It continued while we made our way home along with all the “what’s-this-white-stuff” drivers, cyclists and pedestrians. It continued thru the night...and snowed all day today. 

Claire (the meteorologist on CBC) even said she had many tweets from people offering to contact the military to help the city - a throwback to the huge storm that hit here in 1999, when the military did indeed provide assistance. The people of TO themselves would provide the most help by just getting off the roads so the clearing crews could get their job done. In fact, to try to make this happen, many businesses closed just after noon so people could try to make their way home.

This weather makes me miss my snowshoes!

Tonight though, a small group of us have to go out...to the ACC...to attend Lady Gaga’s  Monster Tour. Jess and I worked this out a few weeks ago - her friend Lindsay is gaga for Gaga and Jess found some reasonable cheap tickets to the sold out Friday night concert. We decide to get 4 so we can ask our friend Shilpa to join us, and she does! This is to be a secret for Lindsay...shh.

We agree to meet at her place and on Wednesday, Jess had booked a cab for 6:30 pick-up tonight and her place, just to be sure we’ll a) get a cab and b) arrive early enough to enjoy the build-up. Go plan...goes awry! With the storm we’re experiencing, cabs are at a premium and she gets a call from Beck Dispatch saying “with the weather the way it is we may be early or on time, or we may be late”. Turns out, “we may not bother to show up at all” would have been perfectly accurate. They called about 6 times, extending the eta for our cab by 1/2 hour each time. We decide to brave the elements and try to hail a cab on the street - and every one of the cabs that goes by - is full!

We return to the lobby of Jess’ building where she and Shilpa can stay warm and I head out to the other corner to see what I can find...there were lots of cabs on Jarvis when I walked to Jess’. 

Ready to roll...Shilpa, Lindsay, Pamela & Jess
(thanks go to Ryan, Concierge, for capturing the pose)

As I round the corner, I see a Co-op cab pulling into the gas station up the block and head that way in hot pursuit. Alas, he is done for the night and won’t take a fare. A second cab (Royal) pulls up and when I ask the driver if he is for hire, he pauses and I’m sure he’s done for the night too...but then he asks, “where are you going?”  I tell him, the ACC and explain our situation. He was going to fill up and go home but sees our plight and agrees to take us!

I wait while he fills up, then we head around the block to pick up the Gurls and we’re on our way! While the roads are a mess, the storm brings a bit of a bonus...when we arrive, there are no lines to wait in, we just walk right in and head way, way, way upstairs to the 300 sections where we will be seated to watch the concert from our lofty perch!

I’d tell you Jess was excited but think it best if you judge for yourself...

This is a woman, who 2 months ago faced an almost unsurmountable challenge just to walk this same corridor to watch the Raptors defeat Brooklyn Nets - and now she dances! 

It took a while for the seats to fill and there were many left unoccupied due to the travel conditions outside but Lady Gaga did not disappoint! She thanked the crowd many times throughout the night - her first song went to number one in Canada before it did in any other country, so she calls Canadians her real fans and gives us just over 2 hours of nonstop entertainment.

Me, Shilpa, Jess & Lindsay

The "Born This Way Ball" Tour set!

A great time was had by all...now, about getting home!

We make our way around the building to the York St. exit and out to the traffic circle where there are always hundreds of cabs vying for passengers. Ahem, well, apparently always does not include tonight, there is one lonely cab and when I ask the driver he tells me he has a pre-arranged pick-up. We are each given a box of Valentine heart candy and a nail file by two brave souls out promoting the movie Safe Haven - thanks! Then make our way to the corner - gotta be cabs on the main drag...just what 30 other concert goers are thinking. 

I leave the girls at the corner and cross the street heading south, find a good spot clear of traffic, climb up the waist high snow bank and wave my mini Gaga poster at the passing traffic. I looked so Hawt up there atop my snow mountain that the first available-for-fares cab that drives up, pulls into the curb. He’s hired, we pick the girls up at the corner and make our way back to Jess’ in record time - traffic is lighter than we’ve ever seen it. We drop Jess & Lindsay and Shilpa and I stay in the cab to continue on to my place.

An hour later, I’ve returned from driving Shilpa home and am telling Carman about the concert and showing him the photos we’ve taken. Meanwhile, he has been busy all evening texting with Kristy and Derek (snowbound in Montreal), Kyle (snowbound in Rhode Island) and Dj (snowbound in Ottawa). Must be winter...