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trash-gobby · 3 years ago

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∞ When You’re a Stranger ∞ - Chpt. 1

Summary: The Emerson family has been through enough in Santa Carla. With the looming threat of David's vampire gang hanging over their heads, the family flees to the cooler and hopefully quieter town of Hawkins, Indiana.

However, what they think is going to be a peaceful fresh start turns out to be anything but. New school, new life and a new terror waiting for them in Hawkins.

∞ Forward a chapter ---> Chpt. 2

Word Count: 2.3K

Pairing(s): Will be revealed as the story unfolds.

Character(s): Michael Emerson, Sam Emerson, Lucy Emerson, Laddie Thompson, Star, Steve Harrington, Nancy Wheeler, Jonathan Byers, Will Byers, Dustin Henderson, Lucas Sinclair, Maxine "Max" Mayfield, Billy Hargrove, Joyce Byers, Jim Hopper, Eleven/Jane Hopper, Mike Wheeler

Rating: PG

A/N: So I've definitely messed with the canon for both Stranger Things and Lost Boys. One of the major changes I made is to when the events of the Lost Boys movie took place and what happened to the characters. Events of TLB (Lost Boys) occured in the summer of 1984 instead of 1987.

Obviously the boys (from TLB) aren't dead in this scenario. I also aged Sam Emerson down from sixteen to fourteen so he can have more interactions with the gang in Stranger Things.

Warnings/Triggers ⚠️: Sibling fights, mention of past ab*se.

______________________________________________________________

It was a lot less sunny in Roane County, Indiana. A lot greener too. The kind of green marked by dense forests and underbrush that was filled with the kind of wildlife that would be featured in Disney’s Bambi. At least that’s what Michael thought derisively.

Although around late October the gloom of oncoming winter was starting to descend over the area. The season working its way from fall with some trees leaves already starting to turn from green to oranges and yellows. Although green was still the dominant colour of the surrounding scenery.

Michael's eyes roamed from the surrounding forest rushing by out the window and to Star sitting in the passenger seat up front with his mom in their dinky little family Volvo. She had a pair of headphones that he'd lended her so she could listen to Sam's walkman for a bit. Michael can just make out the sound which is bleeding softley. It's her favourite album of all time and tuned to her favourite song.

They have forgotten what binding they lack. Oh under those white street lamps-

The amount of times that the whole Emerson family has listened to that album, She's So Unusual, would be probably on beat the amount of kilometers they'd traveled. Michael didn't mind though, the songs on that album pretty catchy even if played over and over. At least Michael could handle it. However, Sam had reached the end of his rope when Star had suggested playing it on the cars cassette player. The compromise of borrowing the walkman was what Lucy had suggested in order to keep everyone happy. The last thing that they all needed was a nearly two day trip ruined by arguing the whole way over music.

Tensions were pretty high though. At least they were for the first half day of travelling. Lucy had hastily piled as much of their stuff as possible in the back of their trunk along with making sure there was enough space for Nanook to sit comfortably.

They'd left a lot of things back at Grandpa's in order to make space for Star and Laddie to come with them. Only the essentials and a couple of their most loved possessions were allowed to be packed up. The less they had to think about what to take, the sooner they could get the hell out of dodge.

After the events of that dreaded night, the final showdown... Michael didn't want to think about it. Not at the moment, possibly not ever again.

He wanted to forget it. There was already the pressure of starting fresh yet again in a new location with a town full of strangers. Possibly nosey strangers that would ask questions at these interesting group.

They'd definity stare at Star's strange handmade clothes and long gathered hippie style skirts. Her wardrobe was that of someone way to carefree for any common everyday folks. At least not yuppie townies. Her strange habits for foraging and creating artwork out of random things she'd find lying around might be off-putting to others.

Sam didn't really know when to stop talking or how to make his choice of wardrobe, reading and music quiet. Everything about his younger brother was loud and flamboyant. Fitting in with the general crowd seemed to be something he was allergic to. He'd never been terribly bullied, but Michael suspected that was due more to his intervention then because Sam was able to work his way out of anything himself. Michael often thought that if he wasn't there for Sam, things could have been much worse back where they lived before all this jumping from place to place.

Then there was Laddie. Lucy had tried to find his parents after the final battle. However, he'd insisted he'd never want to go back after what his family had done to him. The legal matter of holding onto a runaway was a whole can of worms Lucy wasn't prepared to handle.

That's when Grandpa stepped in to save the day. Or at least to admit that on top of taxidermy he was also knew a guy who could do some pretty convincing forgery of documents for a price. However, Grandpa was more than happy to help cover the costs and soon Lucy had to deal with the moral dilemma of what would be considered kidnapping. Michael thought she made the right choice by taking Laddie along, even if he did have to now go by a new name in order to not raise suspicion.

As far as Michael was concerned those abusive assholes could keep looking.

There was the matter of Laddie as a whole. Living with a den of vampires doesn't exactly encourage an environment for normal behavior. Laddie had spent a good amount of time being out of school and away from other kids his age. As a result he wasn't exactly well socialized and would often say things which while Michael and the others could brush off, might rub someone else the wrong way. Like suggesting that they should make some toys out of animal bones and play together. Not exactly something a normal kid suggests.

His sticky fingers were also a whole other deal which Lucy and Michael hadn't anticipated. Having been encouraged by David and the other members of his vampire gang when Laddie had lived with them, he'd developed the nasty habit of thinking stealing and picking pockets was a perfectly fine thing to do.

You wouldn't be able to tell looking at him sitting in the other window seat next to Sam who had been forced into the middle seat begrudgingly. His longer hair had been cut short into something less wild by Lucy, and dressed in a striped tennis shirt and a pair of cargo shorts. Looks can be deceiving, but Michael hoped that the little shrimp would be able to figure out the ins and outs of being in a normal school with a normal family.

"Look! We're almost there," Michael was pulled out of his thoughts by his mom pointing to the giant sign which marked the town of Hawkins, Indiana. Just another thirty minutes and they'd be there.

"Great 'cause I've really got to pee," Sam groaned while adjusting himself in his seat. He really did look uncomfortable.

"You always need to pee, it's like you don't have a bladder just made of pee."

"Laddie that's gross," Laddie giggled looking up from the colouring book he'd been working on at Sam's disgusted expression. Michael couldn't help but crack a small smirk at the little display.

"Why are you smiling? I can't help it. I have the bladder I'm born with."

"I didn't say anything Sam," Michael held up his hands in a defensive manner.

"You don't need to, I can see it on your face," Sam said shoving Michael's leg over, "and can you please stay out of my space, I'm crushed sitting here."

"The middle seat is the death seat in a car. Means your the most likely to die in a crash," Still working on his colouring book, Laddie weighed in.

"No it's not, that's the passenger seat dumbass."

"Sam, language."

"Yes it is."

"No it's not."

"Yes, it is."

"Christ! I can't take being in this car anymore with you, your so annoying," Sam groaned exasperatedly. Laddie looked over once again and blew a raspberry at Sam, which seemed to be the last straw.

Sam lunged over to Laddie's side of the seat and grabbed him, in the process kicking Michael in the shin and causing him to involuntarily knock into the back of Star's seat. Lucy jolted from the sudden burst of action in the back seat, slightly swerving the car on the road, nearly sending them into a patch of bushes alongside the road.

"Sam, what the hell!" Michael grabbed his brother and pulled him back from Laddie who was still giggling like this was somehow all a big joke he'd been responsible for.

" I swear to god, I'm gonna kill him!" Sam shouted struggling in Michael's grasp, kicking his shin again and causing him to grunt out.

"What is happ-" Star was cut off when the car came to an abrupt break-squealing halt, jerking everyone in their seats.

"That is enough!" Lucy yelled, causing everyone to fall silent. Turning in her seat to face the boys sitting in the back, all looking at her with slightly frightened eyes.

Lucy doesn't yell much, so Michael knew she'd just about had it if she was this angry right now.

"This behaviour is unacceptable. You've managed to sit with each other comfortably for most of the ride."

"Define comfortable," Sam grumbled under his breath.

"Sam. I don't want to hear it. Your supposed to be the older sibling in this situation, you don't attack your brother like that. Especially not when I'm driving!"

"Yeah, except he's not my brother," Laddie's eyes then became downcast. Michael noticed the now mischievous smile was wiped from his face replaced by something a lot darker. Michael didn't have a moment to really process this before Laddie had thrown open the door and ran out.

"Laddie!" Lucy called out after him frightened.

"Great, look what you did," Star said giving Sam a stern look before getting out of the car quickly to chase after Laddie.

Sam didn't say anything in response to this. Michael could tell that part of him felt conflicted with what he'd just said, but another part was to petulant to admit fault. Michael rolled his eyes and got out of the car to go after Star and Laddie, leaving Sam alone with his mom to get a stern talking to which he very much deserved.

Tensions had been high between everyone, but sometimes Michael didn't understand why Sam would say the things he would, especially when they all wanted the same thing. A normal life.

Star had stopped Laddie in the middle of the road. He'd run until she'd caught up to him and held him in her arms. As Michael got closer he could see that she was whispering to him, little things like that it was going to be okay and that he was her little brother.

Michael came around to face Laddie, crouching to be level with him. His face was already tearstained from when they started falling, most likely as soon as he ran out of the car.

"Hey," Michael said softly, giving Laddie a moment. Star slowly stopped whispering to him and looked over to Michael. He kept his focus on the younger boy with his painfully sad expression.

"Sam didn't mean it you know," reaching out, Michael brushed some of the tears from Laddie's face.

"He just doesn't know how to deal with not being the youngest, he's easily irritated and a bit of an ass."

"He did," it came out as a whisper, barely audible to Michael at first.

"He did," Laddie said a little louder. "He did mean it."

Michael didn't really know what to say to convince Laddie at this point. Sam really did sound like he meant what he said, and he rarely said something he didn't mean when he was angry.

"Look, Laddie, your my brother, and that's not gonna change," Michael watched as the boy slowly met his gaze.

"Give Sam time, he's just annoyed from being stuck in the car, he really does like you. You want to try going back to the car?"

"You can switch seats with me and sit in the front for a bit?" Star suggested, giving Laddie's shoulders a little hopeful squeeze.

"Okay," He said, using the back of his hands to brush the tears away from his face and sniffled. As the three of them made their way back to the car, Michael saw Sam now sitting in his window seat looking out into the endless dense forest.

Lucy had rolled down her window and leaned out looking down at Laddie with one of those sympathetic and genuinely concerned maternal expressions she was a pro at giving.

"Hey kiddo, you doing alright?" Laddie merely nodded in response.

"We were thinking he could sit up front with you for the rest of the ride," Star said.

"Great. You can hold the town map and help me navigate the rest of the way to the house. I know you're great with directions," Lucy smiled down at him, getting Laddie to return it with a smile just as enthusiastic, before bounding over to the passenger side of the car to get in and unfold the map. Before Michael could make his way into the back, Lucy stopped him by placing her hand on his arm as he passed her window.

"Michael, honey could you talk to Sam when we get to the new house. I think he could use a talk with you right now." As she expressed this Michael looked back over to his younger brother sitting in the backseat.

They'd all been through a lot, but Sam seemed to be taking really hard in a much more expulsive way. His fights with Laddie had only expounded these already existent cracks which Michael had started to notice in Sam's composure. Ever since their little adventure in Santa Carla, and Sam nearly losing Michael forever to the vampire gang he'd been seeing these cracks starting to form. The cracks that represented something which was slowly breaking his younger brother down.

Eventually Michael knew, he had to talk to Sam about it. However, how and when was going to be the real challenge. For now focusing on making it to their new home was what Michael wanted to focus on.

Please let this town be normal. Please let this be just what we need. Michael thought to himself. He was pretty sure there was going to be nothing which could be worse then their experience in Santa Carla. Nothing which could even hold a candle.

Hawkins was sure to be the perfect place to start fresh.

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edie-k · 4 years ago

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Legally Ginger - Chapter 3 "What, Like It's Hard?"

Title: Legally Ginger Chapter 3: "What Like It's Hard?"

Rating: Teen (I'm sorry Ron and I are equally fond of the f word)

Summary: Based off the movie Legally Blonde. Ron makes the move to Boston but his Harvard career is off to a rough start.

Author Notes: I do want to caveat that not everyone who attends an Ivy League school is a snob so no offense to anyone that did; it’s just a fun romcom stereotype.

Additionally, I felt the need to address that it can be a bit scary for anyone to stalk someone across the country but particularly a man stalking a woman across country is historically problematic. Unfortunately, given it's basically the entire plot of this story, we can't completely avoid it. So remember, this is a fun thing in movies but a red flag in real life.

And yes, I do crib more from the movie on the curriculum. I did not attend law school and can use the help. So I bolded the language that was either verbatim or heavily cribbed from the movie.

Chapter title is a movie quote.

Thank you so much to adnei for all of the beta help and feedback!

I've been so excited to share this chapter with all of you and I think when you get to the end, you'll know why. Let me know what you think!

Link to AO3 or read more below.

“All set then?” asked his dad, closing the back of the old Ford Escape Bill had passed off to him.

“I think that’s all of it,” Ron agreed.

“Well, I’ll go get your mother then to see you off,” Dad said.

The twins and Ginny were standing on the curb, having already loaded the boxes they carried in the vehicle.

“Well, in two days, you’ll be knocking on Astoria’s door to find out if this crazy plan worked.”

Ron laughed. “Not exactly. Hopefully I run into her the first week.”

George’s jaw dropped. “You spent 90k of Muriel’s cash and wasted the best party semester of your life to hope to run into her?”

He hadn’t gone the entire spring semester without seeing Stori. She’d sought him out a few times for a bit of, as she put it, mutual stress relief, but refused to discuss anything further about their relationship. She had bid him a teary goodbye at their commencement ceremony, where he had been evasive about his post graduation plans.

“The point was to be worthy of her, not scare her. Ginny, imagine you get drafted by the Red Stars and suddenly that douche you dated, Corner, is working there as the strength and conditioning coach. You’d be freaked out.”

“It’s a good point,” said Ginny.

“Look, I’ll show up, I’ll get to know everyone, make my connections, and charm the professors. She’ll know I’m there without me ever telling her.”

“You never faded into the background at CULA,” Fred agreed.

“I’ll say hi if I see her but she’ll be knocking on my door by October,” Ron said confidentially.

“Oh yeah?” George’s voice was skeptical.

“You didn’t think I’d make it this far,” pointed out Ron. “It’s… it’s got to work.”

Suddenly, he felt his confidence drop. Was this a stupid plan?

“Best of luck, bro,” said Fred, giving him a one armed hug.

“Regardless of everything… Ron, you got into Harvard. Harvard. Don’t let them take that away from you,” Ginny said fiercely.

“Yeah, yeah, you sound like Mom now,” Ron said, brushing her off before his cheeks could burn. “Where’s she at? I’m burning daylight here.”

“I’m right here,” said his mom, walking out the front door of the ranch home he’d grown up in, holding a cooler. “I have some sandwiches to at least get you through the first day on the road,”

“First hour maybe,” George scoffed.

“Thanks Mom,” he took the cooler and stuck it in the car. When he turned back around, his dad had joined them again.

“Well, this is it,” he said awkwardly.

“Oh… Ginny, go pack a bag and join your brother. We’ll buy you a plane ticket home. Or I can come along,” his mom blurted out, nervously twisting her hands.

“Mom,” Ron groaned.

“Molly, he’ll be okay,” his dad said gently.

“Call me once a day,” Mom said. “Just during the trip,” she added, when Ron started to object.

“Okay,” he agreed. He drew her into a hug.

After he’d said goodbye to each of them, he whistled. “Pig, come on boy!” The pug ran across the yard and allowed Ron to scoop him up and put him in the passenger seat. He climbed into the driver’s seat and swallowed hard. Was this a big mistake?

“We’re so proud of you, son,” his dad said.

“We’ll see you at Christmas?” his mom asked.

Ron didn’t trust his voice so he just nodded and closed the car door. He started the vehicle and with one last wave, he backed out of the driveway.

**********************************************

Five days later, Ron’s alarm was blaring.

“What fucking time is it?” he muttered, slamming the sleep button. In response, Pig grunted and rolled over.

It had been four days of naps and showers at truck stops, coffee, Monster, and fast food but he’d arrived yesterday in order to get a decent night’s sleep before today’s orientation. He, however, had failed to calculate in the three hour time difference that combined with his driving fatigue, was wreaking havoc on his mind and body.

He sighed and went to a still packed box marked “clothes”. He immediately groaned. His khakis were wrinkled as hell. Should have hung them in the bathroom last night when he showered to at least get a little help from the steam.

Luckily, he had a couple dress shirts in the garment bag with his sports coat and two suits. During his brother Percy’s summer visit, he’d used one of Ron’s rare free days to take him shopping. Percy had gotten some advice from a friend of his that attended the University of Chicago on law school attire and had insisted Ron needed at least three suits.

Ron, who was expecting that this whole thing would be wrapped up by spring, balked at the idea but finally agreed to one new suit to go with the one he already owned, a blazer, khakis, and a few polo shirts. He had shirts and tie combos from various formal and semi-formal events, but doubted he’d need much of it. Percy’s friend had said classes were business casual and while his golf shirts were comfortable enough, Ron really hoped that by the second week, everyone was wearing hoodies in class.

He finished getting ready and then grabbed Pig’s leash. “Come on boy,” he prodded the slumbering pug. “If you don’t go now, you’ll be holding it all day.”

They walked the campus, enjoying the morning quiet. While it didn’t give Ron the ease and sense of belonging CULA did, it was an impressive campus. For a moment, he wished he’d taken his mom up on the offer to come out with him - she’d love to see this. He hated the loneliness he felt and was glad to see Pig do his business. Sooner he could get to orientation and meet some people, the better.

********************************

Orientation had been a mix of boring and interesting. He’d slipped in right at the last minute and sat in the back row to ensure he went unnoticed if he were in the same group of students as Astoria. Luckily, he didn’t notice her in the room. While he missed her terribly, he hadn’t come this far to destroy his plans now, and running into her before classes even started was not the plan.

Now they had moved into the social mixer part of the evening, which he was delighted to see that unlike undergrad, law school mixers included booze.

“Uh… you have anything local?” Ron asked the bartender.

“Nothing craft but I do have Dogfish Head,” the bartender said.

“That’ll do,” Ron responded, sticking a dollar in the tip cup. Had Astoria accepted his proposal, maybe he would have pursued the Boston Beer job and he’d have cases of this stuff in their kitchen. The bartender handed him a glass full of his other life and he wandered over to a small group of people, chatting.

“Hi, Ron Weasley,” he said sticking out his hand to the woman on his right.

“Uh, hi,” she said, sounding surprised but not unfriendly. “Lisa Turpin.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“Ernie MacMillan,” said a blonde man, standing next to Lisa. Ron shook his hand and then shook the hand of the man next to him who introduced himself as Jack Sloper.

“We were just discussing undergrads,” Ernie said. “Jack and I were both Princeton men, although I took a gap year in Europe so different classes. Lisa here was an Eli. How about you?”

Ron inwardly winced. This guy sounded so pompous. An Eli, really? Anyone who watched a few seasons of Gilmore Girls knew what that was. Ron took a deep breath. “West coast here. I graduated from CULA.”

“That’s a solid state school system,” said Ernie. It wasn’t an insult, but when he said it, somehow it sounded like one.

“Yeah, well, it got the job done,” he said, forcing his friendliest tone.

“What were your undergrad degrees in?” Jack asked the group.

“I’m afraid I’m a bit of a stereotype. Political science for me,” Ernie chuckled.

“Same,” said Lisa. “Although I double majored in French.”

“I was a double major as well. Economics and Spanish,” Jack responded.

“There just wasn’t time for a double major while I was student body president, I’m afraid,” Ernie said. “What about you, Ron?”

“Uh, yeah, just the one major for me. Food science,” he said self-consciously.

“Food science,” Lisa repeated, her tone again not unfriendly but certainly not welcoming. Ron’s whole body stiffened.

“Like cooking?” asked Jack skeptically.

“No, there are a few different concentrations but I was focused on food biochemistry and microbiology,” he explained.

“I think the only micro I’m aware of with food is microwaves or microbrewing,” Jack said, letting out a condescending chuckle.

“Actually, brewing was a big part of my internship last summer. I was at Anheuser-Busch working on their new sustainable brewing initiative,” he said.

“Interesting,” said Lisa. “Ernie, where did you spend your time abroad?”

“I assume you’re interested in whether I spent any time in France, which I can assure you that I did.”

“I hope when you say France, you don’t just mean Paris,” said Jack and Ron was glad to see his condescension focused on someone else.

Ernie laughed loudly in response. “Of course not.”

Ron took a big swig of his beer. This was going to be a long night.

***********************

Ron shifted his backpack as he carefully studied the room numbers next to each door. Everyone else looked so comfortable and confident and he wondered if all of his fellow students had mapped out their routes in advance of the first day of classes.

His eyes were so busy shifting from the left side of the hallway to the right that he failed to notice someone stopped right in front of him until he slammed into them.

“Ooof,” he said. “I’m sor - ”

“Ron?!”

Of course he had just walked right into Astoria.

Astoria stood there, mouth hanging open as she stared at him. Despite the gormless look on her face, she looked absolutely gorgeous with her blonde hair pulled back into a tight curled ponytail, the kind he used to love to pull out at the end of the day. Even though it was just barely September, she was wearing an orange cardigan and he thought about how she obsessively dressed in what she called “the colors of the season”.

“Hey there,” he forced out in what he hoped was a casual tone.

“What the hell are you doing here?” she asked, looking shocked.

“Going to class,” Ron responded. “Don’t want to be late; see you!” He took broad steps around and away from her.

Ron let out a sigh of relief as his classroom was the next one he spotted. He took a deep breath as he walked into the lecture hall for his first class. He spotted a seat near the middle of the room that felt like the right place for the impression he wanted to make.

“Hey,” he greeted the guy next to him. The guy nodded, not even looking up from his laptop. Ron shrugged and pulled his computer out of his bag and powered it up.

While it was sooner than he had hoped, Ron had played it pretty cool with Astoria during their chance meeting. Short and to the point, nothing dumb or embarrassing said. His most successful interaction at Harvard to date.

While he was congratulating himself, a severe looking older woman walked purposefully to the front of the classroom and cleared her throat.

“Welcome to the start of your legal education,” she said. “I’m Professor McGonagall.”

As the professor began to speak about the syllabus, Ron allowed his mind to wander back to Astoria. She hadn’t looked upset or angry to see him, merely surprised. Maybe a bit uncomfortable, which was understandable. She also looked phenomenal. It had been way too long since they had been together and he had almost forgotten how stunning she was.

“Can you tell us about Gordon v. Steele?”

Ron looked up with a start. “Huh?”

Professor McGonagall was standing right in front of him, looking annoyed. “Can you tell us about Gordon v. Steele as it relates to subject matter jurisdiction?”

“Uh…” Ron said, shocked. “It’s the first day of class.”

The classroom was now silently watching him.

“Did you not read the first fifty pages of the assigned text?” McGonagall asked.

“I didn’t realize there was an assignment,” Ron said nervously. He heard a snort behind him and his head whipped around to look at the source.

Professor McGonagall seemed to hear the snort too and shifted her focus. “And you, young man? You could answer my question?”

“Of course,” the smartass snorter said. He ran a hand through his hair and leaned back in his chair.

Oh, thought Ron. This guy is the worst.

“So would you support my decision to ask this student to remove himself from class until he’s prepared?”

Ron froze.

“Yes Professor,” said the cocky douchebag.

Professor McGonagall motioned to Ron. “Once you’re prepared, you will be welcomed back to class. Until then…”

Ron packed up his laptop, completely stunned. He gave a hard stare at the messy haired jerk, who smirked back at him as he stomped out of the room.

**********************

“You have to be fucking kidding me. Where the fuck does she get the right… and that fucking douchebag,” Ron muttered.

“Excuse me,” a voice rang out from behind him. “That’s more profanity than I care to hear in a week, let alone at 8:30 on a Monday.”

Ron looked up, irritated by the interruption to his own self pity. The reprimand came from a pretty curly haired brunette perched on a neighboring bench, a giant stack of books beside her. Despite her scolding words, she had a hint of a smile. A smile that actually looked friendly.

“Sorry,” he said, ears turning red. “I just… are they always that mean?”

“Mean?”

“Yeah, like, call you out like that. My professors have always liked me all right,” Ron replied, feeling quite embarrassed to explain this to her.

“Yes, they tend to do that. Socratic method,” said the woman.

“Ah,” he responded. He knew the name Socrates thanks to his philosophy major ex, but nothing of the method.

“Were you with McGonagall?”

“Yeah. She kicked me out!”

The brunette made a sympathetic noise.

“She ever kick you out?”

The woman now looked scandalized. “Never! But I had nightmares about her my whole first week. Who else do you have?”

“Uh, Sprout, Slughorn, Umbridge…”

“Umbridge likes when you speak up in class but make sure you always concede to her in the end. Slughorn’s kind of pretentious but if you make good use of your thesaurus for his papers, he’s easy to please.”

“Nice, thanks,” Ron said, nodding his head with a slight smile. She grinned back at him.

“This place is tough; don’t let one setback your first day throw you off,” she urged.

“I’m glad I picked this bench. So what year are - ”

“Ron? Can we talk?” Astoria was standing in front of him, looking a bit nervous.

“If you want,” he said carefully.

“Please,” she said, taking a few steps back. Ron lifted a hand in goodbye to the girl on the bench before approaching Astoria.

“So… you’re at Harvard,” she said nervously, rubbing her right hand over her left.

“I am,” he confirmed.

“And… you got into Harvard,” Astoria said.

“Clearly,” he answered, a bit irritated by her tone. She didn’t really think he was an idiot, did she?

“How was your first class? “

“It could have been better,” Ron admitted.

“That’s because you-you don’t belong here,” Astoria said. “Look, maybe I shouldn’t, but I’m trusting that you’re not here to, like stalk me or hurt me or something. Regardless, this just isn’t something you can do. The people that are going to be successful here… they’re like, bred for this. And it’s not you. I didn’t break up with you to be a bitch. This just isn’t something you’re cut out for.”

“Stori - ” he tried to interrupt.

“And Ron, it costs a fortune to go here! How are you even covering this? I still care about you. Please, just cut your losses now,” she pleaded.

“No way,” said Ron, feeling the fire to prove himself ignite. “Look, my first class was rough but it’s because I didn’t get it. I didn’t understand how all of this works. Now I do. Frankly, that asshole that got me kicked out did me a favor because - ”

“Stori, there you are.” Out of nowhere, the aforementioned asshole from class appeared and slung a possessive arm around Astoria’s shoulder.

“Oh, hi,” she said, biting her lower lip and no longer meeting Ron’s eyes.

“We haven’t properly met although, after that disaster in class, maybe it’s pointless,” chuckled the douchebag.

“Ron, this is Harry Potter… my fiancé.”

Ron clenched his jaw but he knew his ears were reddening in a dead giveaway. “Really?”

“Harry was my high school boyfriend. We reconnected this spring and it just felt… right,” Astoria answered awkwardly.

“Well… congratulations.”

“Thanks buddy,” Harry said, voice dripping in mock sincerity.

“I, uh, I’ve got to go,” Ron said. Summoning every ounce of self control he had, he quickly walked in the direction of his residence hall, Astoria calling after him.

#au romione #romionecom #romione fanfic #ron x hermione #ron weasley #ron and hermione #hp fanfic #harry potter au

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apparencies · 4 years ago

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15/08/2020

Just finished my first of two research papers for the summer and sent it to my boyfriend to proof-read! I’ve been absent recently, sorry, but I’ve been trying get into a new routine for my academic work and starting my new job has also had me a little frazzled.

I’m now going to think of a title for my paper, hand it in tomorrow evening and spend the rest of my time until then relaxing and enjoying the cooler weather! (Never thought I’d say that - it’s ten degrees Celcius colder here than last weekend and I’m still barely wearing clothes)

Then next week it’s off to find a topic of my statistics paper, which I’m sure will be an absolute joy. I aim to be done with that paper my mid-September since I’m going on a trip to Berlin with some friends on the 22nd and then want to register my Bachelor’s thesis (ah!!!) at the beginning of October so I’ll hopefully be done by Christmas. I honestly can’t believe how quickly getting my Bachelor’s degree has passed, it makes the idea of a two-year Master’s and then work seem absolutely crazy. But so it goes, and I’m excited for all of it!

#personal

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nancypullen · 5 years ago

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Ides of August

We hit the middle of August and we are inching closer to the “ber” months - my favorites! There’s a light at the end of this hot, steamy tunnel. The mister arrived home last Thursday and on Saturday morning we decided to beat the heat and get to the Wilson County Fair when the gates opened at 10am. By beating the heat, I mean that we went while the temps were under 95. Ugh. We had a great time, though we didn’t stay more than a couple hours. Our first stop was at the photography exhibit to see how Mickey’s photos were received. He had four ribbons, I don’t remember the breakdown - two firsts, a second, and a third? Something like that. He wasn’t satisfied with the outcome, but what can you do? I thought it was a pretty darn good showing. My photo of the grandbaby did not win a ribbon, nor did I expect it to - there was nothing technically perfect or exciting about the picture. I just wanted Wilson County to see how cute she is. I didn’t break any of her parents’ rules, her name wasn’t on it and mine wasn’t either, but plenty of people stopped to say, “Awww.” Mission accomplished. This picture was a ribbon winner in the Candid Children division and I loved it.

You’ll have to forgive my picture of a picture, but everything about the original snap was adorable. Imagine my surprise when we had a first place ribbon by default. Last summer the owner of a beautiful spread called Three Pines Ranch agreed to add my girls to his flock of about twenty chickens. They fit right in and his little boy especially loved my handraised, affectionate girls. He posted videos on Facebook of his kids hugging the hens and though I really miss having chickens, I love the free range life that they have now. The farm that they live on has everything from miniature donkeys to goats and pigs, and they’re all loved by a couple of curly-haired, blonde tots. That’s a long-winded way of saying that we saw one of our girls at the fair! Even better, I later received this notice on Facebook.

“ Nancy Pullen - Levon wanted to enter some of the hens in the fair this year. This lady won best of breed. Thought she may look familiar. “ Poppy, one of our Speckled Sussex girls won Best in Breed! That’s some chicken! We couldn’t leave the fair without eating some treats and watching some clogging, so that’s what we did. We found a spot with some shade and enjoyed watching other people kick up their heels, literally. The little guy on the far left was killin’ me!

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All in all, a very satisfying trip to the fair. We left as the heat really cranked up, ran our Saturday errands, and worked up just enough energy to put a frozen pizza in the oven for diner. It was just too hot & sticky to do anything else. As of this writing we are 73 days from Halloween, which means it’s a mere 57 days until we jet off to Maine and and hopefully much cooler temperatures. When we get home it should be cooling off here in the south - and by cooling off I mean we will no longer be able to bake cookies on the driveway. We will, of course, be making a side trip to Salem which has me in a tizzy. I. can’t. wait. October will be FUN. After our trip the world’s cutest grandbaby will arrive in November for a quick visit so that month will be absolutely wonderful too. Oh, and how could I forget? In September I get to celebrate being alive for another year! Told ya’ the ber months are promising. If we can just slog the rest of the way through August we’ll have it made. On that note I think I’ll eat an ice cold plum and start chopping stuff for tonight’s salad. Too hot to cook anything substantial and going out would require a bra. Not happening. Stay cool, we’re almost there!

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tommygunhazard18 · 6 years ago

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The Road To Europe: Part Two

October is one of the best times of the year, as the air becomes cooler in the mornings, the leaves start to turn from green to golden.

This October will be special.

As of today, there is only 9 more days until I finish my last shift at work before vacation, triple check my belongings and hopefully get some sleep. I always have a backpack ready to go in case of an “emergency road trip”, but it is easily transformed into a travel bag. I always have the essentials ready, which usually includes:

- Clothing; At least 3 pairs of socks, 3 underwear, 3 shirts and one pair of shorts.

- Bathroom accessories; Hair comb, tooth brush, tooth paste, nail clippers, 100 ml bottles of shampoo and body wash (you are only allowed up to 100 ml in carry on baggage).

- Electronics; European USB plug in for charging, a few extra memory cards, charging cables for my devices.

It may sound like a lot, but if you pack efficiently and methodically you can make it all fit in a backpack the size of a school bag. I have always had a bag like this since I started traveling around Europe and Canada, just to make sure that everything essential is packed and ready to go.

It doesn’t feel like it’s a little over a week away until I leave the country again, but all I know is that this is going to be a busy adventure. From what is planned for me, each day will be jammed packed with adventure, and hopefully everyday there will be a new experience.

When I travel, I like to set minor goals for myself so I not only enjoy the time away, I can grow as a person. Last time my goal was to try something new each day which was for the most part successful, and this time will be similar.

The goals for this trip will be as followed:

- Try to make a new friend in each country.

- Try an exotic food.

- Be as cost efficient as possible.

Now each one of these goals could be easy, but again the purpose of these goals is to have something to stride for. If I don’t get a chance to try a new food, or make a new friend, it’s not the end of the world.

As the days get closer and closer, the more surreal it will feel, and no matter if it’s driving to the airport, saying my goodbyes to my parents, or hitting the runway, it will finally sink in.

Eurotrip 2018 will begin.

More to come ...

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raven-blog-life · 3 years ago

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Autumn Equinox & The Libra Season - "Creating Balance"••• Hello, Enchanted Ones! Well it's the Autumn Equinox here in the states and the start of Libra Season for everyone. Here's a little post I put together.⋘ ──── ∗ ⋅◈⋅ ∗ ──── ⋙

Autumn Equinox Associations:

•Astrological Timing: Autumn Equinox marks the waning point of the Sun.

•Spiritual Focus: Accomplishment, Balance, Death, Equality, Equilibrium, Goals, Gratitude, Grief, Harvest, Healing, Love, Preparation, Sharing, Success

•Suggested Workings: Concentration and Study, Balance, Preparation, Transition

•Tarot Keys: The Empress, The Hanged Man, Wheel of Fortune, The World

Libra Associations:

•Duration: September 22nd to October 23rd.

•Zodiac Symbol: The Scales

•Constellation: Libra - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HEy3iJwoW4

•Element: Air

•Modality: Cardinal - Initiates the beginning of the four seasons. They are known as visionary leaders and self-starters.

•Ruler: Venus - Governs courtship and adoration, as well as personal taste and aesthetics. Venus represents your values, including your relationship with finances and material possessions, as well as pleasure.

•House Ruled: 7th House of Partnerships & Marriage

•Tarot Keys: Justice & The Queen of Swords

(Image From Myself) ⚖ The Season of Creating All The Balance ⚖ "Balance is not something you find, it's something you create." - Jana Kingsford On our trip around the Sun, we have reached the halfway mark...

The start of Libra Season coincides with the Autumn Equinox, making it a powerful point of transition & liminal energy in the year. We have spent the past year planting our seeds of intention and nurturing their growth, all in the hopes of harvesting our goals and dreams. And now with the long Summer days behind us, we may be feeling a bit overheated, exhausted, and are ready for the cooler, crisper, and pumpkin-spiced days of Autumn. Either way, with the Sun leaving virtuous Virgo and entering charming Libra this change has us taking in a cosmic breath of cool exhilarating fresh air.

Libra is a cardinal sign (the initiator) and with its peace-loving and diplomatic vibe, this season is great for enhancing our romantic relationships, allowing our social connections to develop, initiating new beginnings/setting forth in a new direction, and bringing more balance & equilibrium to our daily lives. It is a time where we may start thinking about where we have landed and what changes we may wish to make. We can’t go back, so we must keep moving forward, heading towards a new and hopefully brighter, chapter of our lives.

All of this energy combined makes the first few days of this season an especially magical time where we can really connect, tune in and balance ourselves with the rhythms of Mother Earth.

Libra is represented by The Scales, which if we look on a deeper level shows just how much we are a part of life as it is a part of us. This season reminds me so much of the Ouroboros (the snake that eats its own tail) with its symbolic concept of "no beginning and no end", and recognizing & being mindful of this allows us to create the ultimate balance between the energy of who we are and the energy of the Universe... balancing our inner & outer worlds.

During Libra Season, it is important for us to evaluate the things & relationships we are keeping in our lives and if they are helping us to create a balance between the giving of and receiving of energy, or if they are just pushing us out of alignment altogether. Deep questions to ponder under this Libra Sun & Autumn as we journey through the weeks ahead:

•Do you like what you are choosing to spend your energy on?

•Do you feel supported by the people around you?

•Do you feel like you are giving and receiving your fair share?

⋘ ──── ∗ ⋅◈⋅ ∗ ──── ⋙ My Thoughts: This Libra Sun & Equinox brings to mind a tarot card most look over or wouldn't associate with Libra or the Equinox... The 6 of Pentacles.

(Image From Pinterest) In a general context, the 6 of Pentacles represent gifts, wealth, kindness, sharing, and prosperity, but on that deeper level, this card embodies more and is the very fabric of the Libra/Autumn energy of giving & receiving... balance!

With Autumn here and with us taking stock of all the abundance & accomplishments we are harvesting from all our hard work & giving thanks, combined with Libra's energy of creating balance & interacting more harmoniously with others... it really makes me stop and acknowledge the universe with an "I see what you did there" moment.

Everything in the universe operates through dynamic exchange and this makes me ponder... Are we truly abundant based on the things we personally obtain or are we abundant based on the things we are able to give? For me, I think it is one and the same. Every relationship is one of give and take because giving and receiving are different aspects that make the flow of energy in the universe, just like the symbolism of the Ouroboros. If we stop the flow of energy, we interfere with nature’s intelligence & rhythm. We must give and receive in order to keep abundance & balance circulating in our lives.

The intention behind giving and receiving is: When the act of giving is from the heart, then the energy behind the giving increases many times over... That whole saying "You gotta give, to get" comes to mind. However, if we give grudgingly, there is no energy behind that giving, then the balance is off and the abundance given will surely not be paid forward.

Giving and Receiving is simple: If you want love, learn to give love; if you want attention and appreciation, learn to give attention and appreciation; you get the drift. The more you give, the more you will receive! In your willingness to give the abundance that which you seek, you will keep the abundance of the universe circulating in your life.

Abundance can take the form of many things, but what is really circulating is consciousness. Even the thought of giving or the thought of blessing has the power to affect others. Giving and receiving is the flow of life and life unfolds in the same way. Everything that comes to you isn’t something you earn, but a gift freely given by the universe, which means it comes from a deep awareness of what you need.

This Libra/Autumn Season I challenge you to think about the flow of giving and receiving in your life, especially with the things that have been freely given to you without having to ask for them. Also, think about all the things that you do & give that creates balance & merges with the life force that you are and that you bring to the world. Mother Earth & the Universe supports our every need & desire, oftentimes giving to us freely by providing us abundantly with material needs, support, and placing the people we need in our lives oftentimes without us even knowing and/or without a simple "thanks" in return. And that Enchanted Ones, is the purest form of giving & receiving from the heart to be truly grateful for this time of year!!

(Image From Myself) ♎Libra Season Astrology♎: •9/27: Mercury Retrograde in Libra•10/6: Libra New Moon + Pluto Direct - On the same day as this New Moon, Pluto also goes direct after being in retrograde since April. This is a power day in the Pluto cycle. Pluto is the planet of transformation, so we may feel we have reached a powerful point on our journey of transformation.

•10/7: Sun Conjunct Mars - Mars aligns with the Sun. We can feel motivated, productive, and have a surge of energy that inspires us to take action. However, be mindful of pushing too hard and too fast, for burnout can also be a manifestation of this planetary union. Mars energy can also trigger heated emotions like anger and frustration.

•10/9: Sun Conjunct Mercury Rx - This alignment represents a crystal clear moment of clarity where we may start to receive & process the messages of Mercury Retrograde with greater ease.

•10/10: Saturn Direct - Saturn goes direct after being retrograde since May. This will be a power day where we may really feel the weight of its lessons and energy. To get a deeper understanding of what lessons Saturn may have for you, think about what themes were brewing for you around the end of May 2021. You may find that whatever lessons were present at this time may be revisited in some way or resolved once and for all.

•10/17: Mercury Direct - Mercury goes direct, not to go retrograde again until next year. Any messages that Mercury wants you to know will now be uncovered in the coming days. Things will feel clearer and any mental fog will start to lift.•10/20: Aries Full Moon - This will be an intense Full Moon! There is a lot of energy to unpack under this Aries Full Moon, but just know that leading up to this time, things may begin to feel extra heavy or heated. The focus of this Full Moon is likely to be on our relationships, so it could be that a relationship comes to an end or perhaps a relationship dynamic begins to crumble. On a global level, this Full Moon energy appears to be linked to protests, outrage, and growing hostility. It could manifest in people pushing back or resisting something. Some of the alignments under this Full Moon have also been linked to violence, volatility with governments/leadership, and extreme weather patterns.

•10/23: Sun exits Libra for Scorpio - Libra Season comes to an end as the Sun moves into the watery, intuitive, and deeply transformational sign of Scorpio.

All of this energy combined makes the first few days of this season an especially magical time where we can really connect, tune in and balance ourselves with the rhythms of Mother Earth.

•Do you like what you are choosing to spend your energy on?

•Do you feel supported by the people around you?

•Do you feel like you are giving and receiving your fair share?

Autumn Equinox Associations:

•Astrological Timing: Autumn Equinox marks the waning point of the Sun.

•Spiritual Focus: Accomplishment, Balance, Death, Equality, Equilibrium, Goals, Gratitude, Grief, Harvest, Healing, Love, Preparation, Sharing, Success

•Suggested Workings: Concentration and Study, Balance, Preparation, Transition

•Tarot Keys: The Empress, The Hanged Man, Wheel of Fortune, The World

Libra Associations:

•Duration: September 22nd to October 23rd.

•Zodiac Symbol: The Scales

•Constellation: Libra - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HEy3iJwoW4

•Element: Air

•Modality: Cardinal - Initiates the beginning of the four seasons. They are known as visionary leaders and self-starters.

•House Ruled: 7th House of Partnerships & Marriage

•Tarot Keys: Justice & The Queen of Swords

All of this energy combined makes the first few days of this season an especially magical time where we can really connect, tune in and balance ourselves with the rhythms of Mother Earth.

•Do you like what you are choosing to spend your energy on?

•Do you feel supported by the people around you?

•Do you feel like you are giving and receiving your fair share?

•10/9: Sun Conjunct Mercury Rx - This alignment represents a crystal clear moment of clarity where we may start to receive & process the messages of Mercury Retrograde with greater ease.

•10/23: Sun exits Libra for Scorpio - Libra Season comes to an end as the Sun moves into the watery, intuitive, and deeply transformational sign of Scorpio.

(Stolen post from A rare breed of blood. On amino)

#amnio #pagans #witch's #studying #a world of Magick #a rare breed of blood #not mine #stolen #equinox #libra #pagan witch #pagan worship #paganism

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onthebridle · 3 years ago

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Eight Questions With.. Graham Pavey

A quick blink and the Summer has passed us by. The heat continues further into the autumnal months than ever before but whilst we roast in the afternoon sunshine, there is still the icy crisp blast on your senses first thing in the morning. The shiver, the stiffness in your ears, the tingle in your fingertips. It’s September and winter is creeping down from the North meaning that all roads in France are now leading to the biggest race of them all; the Qatar Prix De L’Arc De Triomphe.

It is our right to enjoy the sunshine whilst we have it, some crave and worship it whilst others choose to swerve, dodge and avoid it as best they can. The nights will soon begin to draw in and we will be plunged into the darkness that the artful dodgers mentioned above will take pleasure in welcoming in. One nation is tied closer to the sun more than most and in the Land Of The Rising Sun there are two horses that are looking to rise to the occasion in Paris in October and complete a feat that would bring joy to both the cravers of the sun and the welcoming winter folk.

As is courtesy in Japan, I bow to welcome in Graham Pavey (@LongBallToNoOne) to Eight Questions With and I also bow to his knowledge and expertise on Japanese Racing and thank him for his time and effort. So without further ado, this is Eight Questions With.. Graham Pavey!

AH (Andrew Humphrey) - How did you end up making your way to Japan?

GP (Graham Pavey) - My father had an association with Japan from the early 1970s and I was a regular visitor from quite an early age. I didn't start living here till 1999 however when my wife Keiko and I decided to bring our (then) two young children over from Australia to live in Japan for "a couple of years". We are still here 21 years later.

AH - What makes Japanese racing so special to you and the nation?

GP - Fans here love and idolize the horses, the jockeys are heroes, they follow the breeding side closely and they are extremely passionate about the dramatic theatre produced on race day. The JRA (Japan Racing Association) over decades have created an exciting, ultra competitive pattern of racing and have marketed racing cleverly (with very little or no push on the betting side) to maintain excitement for existing fans as well as attracting hordes of fresh young fans each year, particularly 20-35yo women. The combination of exciting, high speed, competitive world class racing combined with these extremely passionate, respectful and knowledgeable fans is what makes JRA racing special.

AH - For those of us not involved with Japanese Racing, can you explain the race calendar to get to this point for the horses due to run in France?

GP - DEEP BOND (DB) and CHRONO GENESIS (CG) are JRA horses so I will talk about the federal government overseen JRA calendar that races on weekends (as opposed to the local council NAR circuit who race daily all over Japan on Dirt). There are 24 JRA Group 1 races throughout the year, two of which are raced on Dirt. The main Group 1 racing seasons are the spring - early summer and then again autumn - early winter conducted at racecourses in the most populous areas of Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya. Racing continues throughout summer however moves to northern racecourses to avoid the heat and humidity. There aren’t any Group 1 races at all between the G1 Takarazuka Kinen run in late June through to early October when the G1 Sprinters Stakes kicks off the autumn Group 1 season.

CG won the June 27 G1 2200m Takarazuka Kinen and DB ran 2nd in the May 2 G1 3200m Tenno Sho, neither has raced since. Both spent the summer spelling and pre-training up north in the cooler climate of Hokkaido. If the pair weren’t racing the 2021 Arc then, typically, they would be setting up for key Group 1 races in Japan in October-November -December. Races such as the 2000m (1m2f) Tenno Sho, 2400m (1m4f) Japan Cup, 2500m (1m4.5f) Arima Kinen. The latter two have purses equal to The Arc (or greater than depending on the exchange rate!).

AH - What can you tell us about Deep Bond, what should we expect in the Foy and the Arc after?

GP - DEEP BOND is a two time Group 2 winner and Group 1 placed in Japan. He is a big strong good looking horse that races best around 500kg in body weight. DB is a very tough dogged stayer that can run along on or just off the pace then sustain a long sustained spurt to grind down his rivals. He was unplaced behind JRA Triple Crown hero Contrail four times as a 3yo last year however wasn’t too far behind him in the Japan Derby and Japan St Leger.

As a 4yo this year, he has won a Group 2 over 3000m in March then finished 2nd in the Group 1 3200m Tenno Sho on May 2nd.

If the Foy or The Arc become tough staying tests then his chances should improve, he lacks a turn of foot to sprint quickly off a slow pace however. I would like to see him running on the speed, hitting the line well and finishing in the top 5 or 6 in the Prix Foy to be considered any chance at all in The Arc.

AH - Chrono Genesis will be familiar to many for finishing 2nd to Mishriff in Meydan and winning next time out, how are the feelings behind her chances?

GP - CHRONO GENESIS (CG) career is 15: 8-3-3 and over €9M earnings with four Group 1 wins so obviously shows she is a very high class and consistent mare. She thoroughly deserves her shot at The Arc before she has to retire at the end of the year.

CG is very athletic and has gears, she ran her last 3F in a sizzling 32.8 when just beaten by Almond Eye in the G1 2000m Tenno Sho last October where she displayed most of her gears. She has also proven that she can stay by winning the G1 2500m Arima Kinen in December last year as well as the 2nd to Mishriff in the G1 2410m Dubai Sheema Classic in March.

On the Dubai run Jockey regular Yuichi Kitamura commented “When they picked up at the third bend, she was able to keep up but just after that she couldn’t respond immediately and she tired in the end. She wasn’t able to show her signature closing speed in the stretch." CG was flat compared to her usual self when asked to extend in the straight. She was just beaten by a tough race fit horse in Mishriff who went on to win a Group 1 in the UK recently and Loves Only You who ran 3rd in Dubai won a Hong Kong Group 1 at her next start.

This international formline looks solid enough and CG and her team would have learned a lot from the Dubai trip, her first race overseas, and should have been able to tinker and tweak things to make her more competitive in The Arc, hopefully she doesn’t tire as in Dubai and can show her signature closing speed this time and be right in the finish.

I don’t know the form of the Euro / UK horses much at all so can’t honestly tip for or against either JRA horse in The Arc however do feel CHRONO GENESIS is the best of the two Japanese horses and better equipped than many of the JRA horses that have ran in The Arc.

AH - Both Japanese horses look likely to have European based riders, is there a reason/why we aren't seeing C. Lemaire make the trip on horses he knows well?

GP - Oisin Murphy (CG) and Cristian Demuro (DB) are outstanding jockeys to have on your horses in The Arc at ParisLongchamp, the connections of both horses were astute in booking them early.

Murphy and Demuro have ridden a lot in Japan and have a strong association with the connections of the two horses. I don’t know the exact reason why Christophe Lemaire isn’t riding, possibly the COVID situation and the associated quarantine requirements meant that he would miss too much of the JRA season however we would have to ask Christophe to get the definitive answer!

AH - Can you put into words what it would mean for the Japanese racing community to have an Arc winner?

GP - Firstly, I do think the media love to overplay it a lot on Japan’s desire to win The Arc.

We aren’t kept awake each and every night here for weeks or months worrying about how Japan can somehow win The Arc, we only miss sleep for a night or two in reality (!)……. then it is back to sleepless nights worrying about how to or who will win the Japan Derby, Arima Kinen, Japan Cup, Tenno Sho and Yasuda Kinen!

It would be fantastic for the aforementioned fans that make racing in Japan so special to see CHRONO GENESIS, DEEP BOND or even Japan bred SNOWFALL win the 2021 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe as it is considered by most here to be the greatest horse race in the world.

Japanese bred horses regularly win races all around the world including prestigious classic races in Europe and the UK, they have proven they have the class to win the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. Finally achieving it would be met with huge excitement, pride and celebration for sure.

A huge thanks again to Graham who can be found on Twitter as @LongBallToNoOne for the detail in his answers and the time taken to put them together!

Back again soon with another Eight Questions With...

Images: France Galop, APRH, Sky Sports, Graham Pavey.

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usfwspacific · 7 years ago

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Stories of Service: From a Fear of Fish to a Career in Conservation

By Olivia Williams

Blogger’s note: Olivia Williams is presently a Washington Service Corps Americorps member serving with our staff in Lacey, Washington. Our dedicated interns and Americorps Service Members have some pretty cool experiences during their time with the Fish and Wildlife Service are often inspired to write about them. Be sure to catch up on the rest of the series by reading the other Intern Adventures and latest Stories of Service!

Photo: Me with my first fish!

It was my first fish. I was 8 years old fishing with my dad and sister in Michigan. While I had a blast putting marshmallows on the hook, casting, hooking and reeling it in, the second it came out of water I felt pure terror. Every time the fish wriggled, an expression of panic flashed over my face. After that experience, I had very little interest in fish until a high school field trip introduced me to biological assessments and electrofishing. You could say I was “shocked” at my new found love for fish.

Six years later, I graduated from Mount Holyoke College with a degree in Environmental Studies with an Ecosystem Science concentration in May 2016. While an undergraduate, I collected and processed sediment samples, performed fisheries biological assessments and conducted crocodile research on the Connecticut, Ohio and Mekong Rivers, respectively. I also worked on Block Island, Rhode Island collecting marine monitoring data. Collectively, these experiences provided me with ample opportunities to see a gamut of ecosystems and fall in love in with horseshoe crabs, gar and red maples, while seeing how different organizations protect ecosystems.

Photo: Me with salmon now enjoying them! Pic Credit: Carlisha Hall

My current adventure has landed me as an AmeriCorps service member at U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service in Lacey, WA! I love spending time in the field as there is nothing like being waist deep in waders in the pouring rain sampling an estuary with a seine net in search of whatever is hiding below the surface. Since the beginning of my service term, I have been involved in various projects with multiple partners. I have been supporting the National Fish Hatchery program as well as collecting fisheries field data for several species including: Olympic Mud Minnow, Kokanee Salmon, and Pacific Lamprey. No day as a service member with USFWS has been the same; I could be on an urban stream in Seattle one day and then on a remote river on the Olympic peninsula the next. It makes for busy scheduling, but I would have it no other way!

Photo: A beautiful day sampling at the Elwha. Picture Credit: Ruthie Aldrich

In addition to collecting field data, I have also been able to support stewardship educational programming. Throughout my various summer internships, I have realized the importance of education as a tool of conservation. My position gives me ample opportunities to continue to explore various styles and techniques in public outreach. Since October, my AmeriCorps team mate and I have educated over 230 people. My favorite educational activity has been performing salmon dissections. From the second you pull the fish out the cooler, the kids are captivated. There is nothing more rewarding than reaching into a salmon cavity and successfully pulling out an inflated swim bladder or seeing kids’ eyes widen when you remove the eye and extract the lens. I know that no matter what the kids learn about fish anatomy, they will always remember their first fish dissection. Hopefully learning about the relationship between pollution and the liver health, for example, will motivate these students to be active stewards in their community.

Photo: Salmon Dissection. Picture Credit: Ruthie Aldrich

I no longer squirm when I hold fish, but rather pick them up eagerly with bare hands to show students or to measure for research. I marvel at the abilities, beauty and adaptations of fish. I hope I can inspire the next generation of conservation advocates and professionals through my story and passion for conservation. I am so fortunate to be able to travel around the Olympic peninsula and Seattle to collaborate with passionate people who are engaged in innovative projects. Being from Ohio, this immersion into the ecosystems of the Pacific Northwest has been an incredible learning experience. I am excited for the coming year of service and the opportunities to be exposed to even more species and field experiences!

#womens month #womens history month #career in conservation #fish #fish and wildlife #fws #usfws #fishing #cool job #internships #americorps

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wandanvision · 7 years ago

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The One

part three - the one with mouse ears and turkey dinner

The transition from October to November wasn’t a difficult one.

Everyone was putting away their Halloween decorations and putting up the Thanksgiving ones. Everyone was out in stores buying their pumpkin flavor cookies and coffee creamers. Everyone was even going out of their way to get the pumpkin spice latte everyday from Starbucks.

Evie wasn’t into that whole trend, the everything has to be pumpkin spice. In fact, Evie didn’t even like the flavor of it, finding it too sweet for her liking. However, she ate pumpkin seeds like no other. Normally, she’d be making homemade, but this time it was store-bought.

The fall time was Evie’s favorite. She learned to love it when she was back in Seattle and when she moved to Chicago for school. She learned to love the colors and the cold felt like home. Not to mention all the outfits that fit that season, it was amazing.

Of course, in Los Angeles, there wasn’t much of a fall season. Sure, the weather was cooler, but it wasn’t as cool as it would be in Seattle or Chicago. To Evie, that was the biggest culture shock when she came to the hustling city. In fact, when she experienced her first fall and winter season in Los Angeles, she almost moved back to Chicago.

But, at the same time, the transition was difficult.

This whole month had been quiet without the presence of Niall. Her phone had gone off a few times a week, text messages talking about his plans for the following day and how much he had missed her. Evie wasn’t going to lie, she missed him too. Granted, she had only spent one night with him and that was over drinks. What she really missed was the smile and his laugh.

She hadn’t told him about her fight with Helena, because in her mind, she felt that he would back himself away from her. And that was the thing that Evie didn’t want to happen.

Niall called her a few nights too, and she would vent about work. Again, Evie didn’t mention the fight, because it was useless. But, Niall had seen the photos too, promising that when he got back to the States, they’d talk more about it.

Evie never asked how long until he came back. She was letting him do his thing like he had done so before. She didn’t want to intrude into his career, wanting him to come back when he had so much going on. If everyone had known better, they’d see that she was trying to be patient, despite her getting antsy as every day passed.

“Evie?”

Evie had looked up from her desk, eyeing someone at her door. Evie leaned back in her seat, crossing her arms and gave a nod, signaling for them to come in.

“It’s late, why are you still here?”

“Because it’s a Friday night and I have to finish off this plan before the meeting tomorrow?” Evie mused, looking over at the clock as it read ten PM.

“Or is it because you’re trying to keep yourself busy from thinking about lover boy?”

“You guys have fun messing with me about this, don’t ya?” Both girls had giggled by then.

“We’ve never seen you with a guy, that’s why we do. When does he get back?”

“Dunno.”

“Guess we’ll know when he does by your expression that day.” The girl winked, causing Evie to scoff.

“Don’t you got to go home or something?” Evie teased.

“Yes…. But don’t stay late, yeah?” The girl spoke, standing up from her seat as she made her way to the door, leaving Evie behind.

“Have a good weekend too, hopefully your boyfriend comes home.”

“He’s not -.” But it was no use, the girl was gone already.

Evie huffed, moving her attention back over towards her desk, the swatches of paint colors and patterns sitting in front of her. On her left, she had three idea booklets prepared for her meeting tomorrow, and she was working on her fourth. On her right, she had two cups of coffee and take out from an hour ago.

While playing with color swatches again, her phone buzzed. Evie reached out, bringing the phone in front of her and smiled at the name. She slid her finger on the screen and brought the phone to her ear.

“Hello sweet girl.” Evie sighed in relief, setting the paint swatches down and leaned back in her chair.

“Hey… Isn’t it late over there?”

“No Evie Burke, it’s six AM here.” Niall mused.

“Oh…. so what are your plans for the day then?”

“Hanging with my cousin since its one of me last few days here.” She could only imagine him shrugging his shoulders right now.

“Guess you’ll have to tell me all about your trip when you get back.”

“So go on, tell me about your day, Evie Burke. I’m dying to hear it since I haven’t talked to ya in a little bit.” Evie snorted then.

“Let’s see, it’s Friday night and I’m still at work figuring out paint swatches that would match together. I’m on my third cup of coffee because I can’t figure out what goes well together. I don’t want to go home without this not planned…. Do you think gold and light grey go together?”

“Is this for a wedding? And if so what season?” Niall asked.

“Yes and it’s to be determined. They want color schemes to help them choose. So for the springtime I have peach, gold and green. For the summertime I have navy, coral and gold. For fall, I have cranberry, orange and ivory - which is my favorite by the way. And i’m working on winter right now. Hence why I asked about grey and gold.” Evie sighed, running her free hand through her hair.

“Why not use copper or whats the word? Platinum? You have too much gold and oranges by the sound of it. Copper and uh…. Navy? Do they make such things? I’m not sure, Evie Burke. I’m guessing here.”

“I like the copper part…. I’ll go hunting for colors that match with copper. Thank you. I’m sorry you get to talk to me while i’m stressed like this.” Evie sighed, not liking how short this conversation was sounding.

“It’s kind of cute, to be honest. I’m imagining a frustrated scowl on your face and some hair strands out of place. But look, i’ll be home on Thursday and we’ll meet up then, okay?”

“That’s fine, I need to keep busy anyways. Thank you for letting me vent.”

“You’re welcome, sweet girl. Have a good night and I’ll see you soon.”

Once he had hung up, Evie sat her phone to the side again and went back looking through the paint. Copper, that was the main color that Evie was going to go with, but as for the other two, that was a different story.

She went through the reds, and yellows, and greens until she stopped at the blues. Niall had said something about navy, but what about a lighter color instead? Inbetween baby blue and sky blue, aqua was sitting right in front of her.

With determination on her face, Evie searched for another color to balance the copper and aqua. She went through the colors again, only this time she looked through the colors that no one else would think of. Meaning, that Evie went towards the browns and tans instead of the ideal colors. Throughout looking at the colors, the ultimate decision came down to mahogany. While it was unusual, Evie liked it the more she looked at it.

At the glance of the clock, Evie finished up the last booklet and packed her belongings. Her meeting was set up at a cafe, that way they could discuss and meet somewhere private. Evie cleaned up her desk and turned off the lights and locked her door.

“Hey… Evie?”

Evie had looked up from the stack of papers on her desk. It had been a good week so far, she didn’t have to stay late at all these past few nights. And her clients loved the winter booklet that she created - of course with the help of Niall. Not that they didn’t like the others, but her clients loved the look of the colors together and how unique they were.

She sucked in a deep breath as Helena entered the room and closed the door behind her.

They hadn’t talked in a while after the tiff they had; the silence that Evie had felt in her life from not talking to Helena had been killing her. She knew that there had been no harm, but the attack wasn’t pleasing when it happened.

“Can we talk? I mean… Can we clear the air? Or whatever that should be said?”

Evie exhaled and folded her arms together. She had mentally agreed, they needed to talk and figure out the animosity that was here in her office.

“Look, I’m sorry I attacked you verbally. I was frustrated that you didn’t tell me ANYTHING. I was hoping that it would be you telling me rather than the news and Twitter.” Helena ran a hand through her hair.

“You know, I was going to tell you the following day.” Evie scoffed, standing up from her chair and moved around the desk until she leaned on it.

“I know -”

“But, you came to the attack and I didn’t like that at all. You listened to every news outlet for the truth, and yet you decided to trust them instead of waiting for me to tell you.”

“And I get that, but -”

“No, you don’t get that. Knowing that you believed some news outlet that isn’t always reliable isn’t the greatest feeling in the world. I cried, Helena. It sucked, because instead of letting me share the news, I had the world tell it. It felt so normal and so nice that I wasn’t even out with a popular musician, I was out with a down-to-earth guy.”

She wasn’t going to lie, it was honestly one of the best dates that she’d gone on. She couldn’t compare this to her dates from college or high school. But nothing was going to be able to beat what she had felt that night. She got to meet Niall Horan, the boy who enjoyed talking about music instead of the boybander that everyone knew.

There was the elephant in the room, both girls could sense and feel it. The silence was even louder, both of them unsure where to begin to speak.

“So… is he a good kisser?”

Evie’s stone-cold look on her face turned into a little smile and a shrug from her shoulders.

“He is! Oh my god, Evie!” Helena cried of joy.

“I don’t know, Helena! I only kissed his cheek!” Evie’s hands flew to her face, hiding the rosy color on her cheeks.

“How do you not kiss on the first date!? Did he text you after a day? Come on, Evie, time for the actual details!”

Evie moved from her spot, going back around towards her chair behind her desk. She moved the papers out of her way and brought the coffee cup up to her lips, only to set it down a second later.

“Because I don’t play that way. And no, not right away.” Evie laughed a bit.

“Not right away?”

“He was on a plane. He hasn’t been back here in a month or so. Off touring that song of his, but I’ve kept in contact with him.”

“When’s he coming back?” Helena raised an eyebrow.

“Tomorrow. I’m really excited actually. I’m thinking we might get together on Friday, because he’d need the day to recuperate from the jetlag.”

“And… you know the holiday is coming up. Why not invite him?”

Evie hadn’t thought about that. While it would mean nice time with him, it also meant weirdness with her family and the fact of him not celebrating the holiday.

But, she was nominated last year to have the family over this year. Everyone, except Britt, would be at her place and that was already something that was stressing over.

“He doesn’t celebrate an American holiday, Helena. Plus that whole idea of meeting the parents? No way.”

“But, he’s your friend and thats how you should put it.”

“But, my family has also seen the news like you and already put together that we’re together.”

“And are you two together?”

“I don’t know? You normally don’t get into a relationship after the first date. I mean, we’ve talked a lot about each other, but I don’t know? A better word ]is seeing each other.”

“Just, don’t do that stupid instagram official thing.” Evie laughed.

“Okay, enough boy talk, you got work to do, go on now!” Evie laughed more, pointing over at the door.

Helena got up from her seat, going around the desk and pulled Evie up for a hug. At first, it surprised Evie, but after a moment of realizing what this was for, Evie hugged her back. It was better for them to hug out what had happened and to move on with their lives.

“Just ask about Thanksgiving and make sure you two talk! Okay, bye.”

Despite him coming home on Thursday, Evie convinced him to meet up on Friday. That way he could sleep off the jetlag. While he had protested, he gave in.

Evie had taken the Friday off, claiming it was for her to focus upon her house and get herself mentally prepared for the holiday. Honestly, everyone knew that it was actually for Niall, but they let Evie believe the story that she made up.

When Evie was fighting him and his jetlag, she suggested places to go like the zoo or Universal Studios or whatever he wanted to head off too. Before their conversation had ended, Niall had agreed to Disney instead. That way they weren’t going to be bombarded by people wanting photos or gossip.

That’s where Evie was this morning, standing at the entrance at Disney. Being that it was November, it was cooler outside and there weren’t that many lines to get into the park or even the rides.

Evie had to look dumb standing there, her legs crossed as she looked around looking for him. Maybe he was already there, but not noticed. Or he was walking up and she didn’t see. Hell, he could already be inside and didn’t tell her anything.

While that kept her distracted, she didn’t realize that someone was sneaking up on her. That had all changed though when Evie felt a pair of arms wrapping around her. Evie yelped, jumping away from the arms and turned to find Niall chuckling, not noticing the look of panic on her face until it finally clicked.

“That wasn’t funny! Don’t do that!” She smacked his shoulder.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” Niall apologized, reaching out for her hand.

She had a slight pout on her face, still reeling into the surprise attack. Niall, while still holding onto her hand, pulled her closer to him and wrapped his arms around her for a hug.

It was the sense of comfort that reminded Evie that she had missed him. From the way he tugged her with his hand on hers, and the scent of his cologne that reminded her of the two nights they were together. It made the whole idea of him being back in Los Angeles feel much more real.

“Missed ya like crazy, Evie Burke.” Niall admitted, letting her out of the hug but still held onto her hand.

“Doubt it, you had tons of fans and your family. I bet you hardly thought of me.”

“That doesn’t mean I didn’t miss ya. With a huge timezone change, it was horrible. Plus, I rarely got to talk to you so.”

Together they walked into the park, blending in with the crowd. Niall made sure he had sunglasses on, covering his face from people as Evie showed her face. No one was going to recognize a girl they’ve only seen once with him.

And that was okay with her, because she didn’t want people to notice them.

“The real question, is if you missed me, Evie Burke.”

“Meh.”

“Ouch, sweet girl. That actually hurt.”

“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t.” Evie spoke, looking over at him with a grin. Without her even seeing, Niall smirked.

They weren’t smart when it came to getting fast passes, so they had to wait in lines. They were, however, lucky because the lines weren’t long and they were able to move quickly.

One by one, they did each ride that came into their view on the one side of the park. The crowds were moving smoothly, Evie not having to apologize every time she elbowed someone. Niall would chuckle, hearing Evie apologize when she would.

Evie stopped at one point, earning a look from Niall in confusion. Her eyes wandered the place, looking around until she spotted a restaurant. Niall, still with confusion on his face, looked towards where she was looking at, and then understood what she meant. She was hungry. And not to his surprise, so was he.

The pair went to Harbour Gallery, grabbing some food while sitting near the back. It was by Niall’s request to sit back there, so that no one could see and look at them with wide eyes.

“Are you having fun, Evie Burke?”

“A lot of fun, actually.”

“Good. Told ya our next adventure would be fun.” Niall winked, causing Evie to let out a laugh.

“And what about the next one?” Evie asked.

“Would you like to go on another one? Even if it might be chilling at the house?”

“As long as I’m with you, anything is fun.”

“Guess i’ll have to figure something out then. Which reminds me, how did that meeting go?”

Evie wiped her face with the napkin, setting it aside before shrugging her shoulders like it was nothing.

“They liked every booklet I made. It was difficult for them to choose because I did an incredible job. Ultimately, they loved the winter booklet. Thank you again.” Evie smiled.

“You’re welcome… Was I right though? You had that frustrated look on your face? I would’ve killed to see it.”

“I did, just about cried had you not called.”

“I’m glad it all went well though, serves them right for choosing you and liking one of your options. They won’t be disappointed after what I’ve seen you pull off.”

Evie’s cheeks turned a few shades of pink, having to hide her face with her hands.

She wasn’t used to much compliments, the compliments of loving her stuff and that she was the best at what she did. Sure, she got them from her friends who helped her build the idea. But from Niall? That made her feel embarrassed - in a good way of course.

“Anyways, theres a few more things we need to do, sweet girl.”

She peeked through her fingers, blinking as she wondered what were the few other things they had to do. She knew of the teacups, because thats what she was excited for the most. Niall reached out for her hands, lowering them from her face and sat them down on the table, holding onto them and smiled at her.

“We need to find you some Mickey Ears and go on more rides.”

“I’ll get Mickey Ears if you get Mickey Ears.”

“Deal, now lets go Evie Burke.”

They left their spots, heading off to find more rides and whatever else they could get into. Along the way, Niall would stop and let Evie get in line to get her photo taken with whoever was walking around. She was such a child when it came to this, letting the inner child-like feelings come through. This was something she hardly got to express, but being in Disney of all places made her feel at peace.

She returned back to him, kissing his cheek as they went on. Evie had looked high and low for a shop that sold the Mickey Ears. When she did, she nudged her shoulder and pointed in the direction of the shop (“Evie Burke, hasn’t your mum ever told you not to point”).

Entering the shop, Niall found simple black pair, nothing with a bow on it or nothing too ridiculous looking. Evie, took her time looking at each one, playing eeny meeny miny moe to choose the right one.

In all honesty, Niall found this to be cute. He imagined this is what she looked like when she worked, playing the choosing game, the one to figure out what she liked more. The determination on her face was telling him that this wasn’t the first time she had that look.

“Okay, do you like this one? Or do you like this one?” Evie held up two different ones; one was an Alice in Wonderland themed as the other was the official Mickey Ears, but with sequins on the ears and the bow.

“If you’re trying to hint for the teacups, then the Alice… but, if we’re considering that I’ve got plain ears here, get the shiny one.”

Niall paid for them both, and helped Evie get her ears on straight. He laughed at the face she made, giving a short nod before continuing off on their day.

“You’ve got some fans eyeballing you.” Evie whispered.

“How can you tell?”

“Theres some girls over there with their phones out, and one looks like they’re about to cry. Look.” Evie made a motion for Niall to look in the direction she was looking at.

Niall looked in the direction, making it seem like he was actually looking around the place with his eyes. He could see what Evie was on about, letting out a sigh before he looked at her.

“We’ve been busted.”

“No, more like you got busted. You can go talk to them if you’d like. The line for the teacups is a bit long, so you know where to find me.” Evie squeezed his hand before she let go, heading off towards the teacups.

Evie pulled out her phone from her pocket, checking the time. She wasn’t the one for social media -aside from Instagram, so she didn’t have much of the updates to see. However, she did check her email for clients or if work needed her.

As fast as she checked her phone, she placed it back into her pocket. She looked around, spotting Niall walking back towards her, a small grin appearing out of his that had to be because he found her.

“So, how was that meeting thing?”

“Asked if you were the girl I was with weeks ago and if this was a date.”

“What did you say?” Evie asked, biting down her lip.

“Said yes to both. I asked them though to not post anything until tomorrow.”

Evie turned that nervous look on her face to a smile. She felt better knowing that he was considering this as a date and he asked to not post anything, for the fear he’d get bombarded some more.

They spent the rest of the day doing different rides, from Evie screaming to Niall laughing at her. They stayed until it was after dark, watching the light show and everything glow throughout the park and in front of them. What Evie didn’t know, was that Niall had asked someone to get their photo taken from the behind, that way they couldn’t see their faces. Just as sneaky as Niall asked that, he got his phone back like nothing had happened.

“So, I know you don’t celebrate the holiday, but on the 24th would you like to come over for dinner?”

“Isn’t that a family thing? A family dinner thing?”

“Well yeah, but I thought… you know, if you wanted some dinner and company for a night, you can come over.”

“No, Evie Burke. The offer is nice and all, but I don’t celebrate an American holiday that isn’t even a good holiday and its a family thing more or less.”

“Alright, thought I’d ask.” Evie went quiet shortly after that.

“Now, do you need a ride home?”

“No… I drove Henry.”

“Henry?” Niall asked, looking at her weirdly.

“Yeah, my car.”

Evie walked Niall towards her car. He was proclaiming it was to make her safe knowing she got there, but, Evie wanted to prove she had a car in the first place. She leaned against her car, smiling at him for the longest of time.

“Goodnight, Evie Burke. Drive home safely, yeah?”

“Yes, Dad.” She giggled, causing Niall to shake his head.

“I’ll talk to you soon, alright?”

Niall stayed in his spot as Evie got into her car and he watched her drive away. Content that she was on her way home, Niall went to his own vehicle and drove back his place. His mind pondered on the thought of what she had asked before, if he wanted to come over for Thanksgiving. He scoffed then, shaking the thought out of his mind and traveled home, dead silence in the car.

Evie’s house was in complete ruckus.

All three of her guest bedrooms were in use, her two bathrooms were filled with other peoples toothbrushes and other things Evie didn’t want to know. Her refrigerator was completely stocked up with different foods and drinks, and her drive way was completely packed. But most importantly, her mind has gone off its chain.

Her mom and dad were in one room, Dan and Tori were in one room, her grandparents were in the last guest bedroom and Mitch was on the couch. Ginny was in Evie’s room, luckily. And since everyone had came over, Ginny had stayed hidden, despite Evie calling her name.

At night, Evie, her brothers and Tori would go outside in her backyard and play volleyball while her parents and grandparents sat by the firepit. This was their fun for the holiday, and each of them complained about Britt not being there. And late at night, it was always Evie and Mitch talking about everything, because everyone else had that “im going to bed at 8 PM feel”.

No one had brought up Evie being in the news. She had taken that as a sign that no one noticed or even cared. The anxiety over having to explain that was out the window.

With her family, Evie was able to let go and act silly. Like she was with Niall at Disney, she was able to be childlike and bring out that sassy Evie like when she was younger. There was even one point that Mitch and her went to the store just to buy onesies and wear them. If she was being honest, Mitch was her favorite brother, because he was only a year older than her.

“Evie, enlighten me on something.”

“Yeah, Mitch?” She looked up from her phone, raising an eyebrow at him.

“I wasn’t going to bring this up around family, since we’re here for another four days, but what’s with that guy you’ve been seen with?”

“Just someone I’ve been seeing. No big deal.” It was, very much a big deal.

“He’s famous, from that boyband and he’s gone solo. It’s a big deal, Evie.” Mitch shrugged his shoulders.

“And your point is?”

“Just to know what’s going on.”

“Nothing, we’re just… seeing each other.” Evie made sure her voice was serious.

“Is he your boyfriend? C’mon, Evie, we havent talked like this in forever.” Mitch was pleading.

“No, and you’re sounding like my coworker, Helena. Why are we discussing me, anyways? What about you?”

“Oh no, don’t change the subject. I’m not in a relationship with a famous person.” Evie glared at him, to which he started laughing.

“So, when do we get to see him?”

“Never.” Evie crossed her arms.

“Oh come on. Not even for a hey?”

“No, now if you don’t mind, I’m going to bed. We’ve got a long day tomorrow and I’m not going to get yelled at for being cranky.”

Evie got up from the couch, smiling widely at her brother before chucking a pillow at him. After that, she made a mad dash towards her room, closing the door so she wasn’t in the attack zone.

“C’mon Ginny, time for bed.”

The cat climbed her way onto Evie’s bed and onto the pillow that was for her. With a sigh, Evie got into her bed, shut the light off and went to bed.

But by the morning, Evie was already hearing people scramble in the kitchen. She got up from the bed and made her way towards her bathroom, and from there into the kitchen. Everyone was in there, eating their breakfast and trying to get ahold of Britt.

Evie made herself a cup of coffee and sat moved around to make some toast. As much as she loved her spacious house, people seemed to cram into the kitchen and her dining room.

“Calm down, you guys, she could be in class.” Evie muttered, rolling her eyes.

“How would you know?” Her dad asked, turning to look at her.

“The Spanish doesn’t celebrate Thanksgiving, Dad.”

“Someone’s chipper this morning.”

Evie rolled her eyes again, spreading the jam on her toast. She watched as everyone gave up on calling Britt, hoping that she’d call them later instead. One by one, Evie watched as they trailed to her living room, turning on the TV and gone straight away to football as some went to change. All of them had decided to not dress up, but to be more laid back and casual since they weren’t trying to impress anyone. That even meant Evie, changing into jeans and a t-shirt.

As the day dragged on with more football and snacks, Evie and the rest of the women stayed in the kitchen. Between the four of them, they were bustling around to make everything ready for dinner.

Her dad helped out with the turkey, because Evie refused to touch it (“Evie… its already dead… its not going to squawk at you.”).

“Mitch, can you help me set up the table, I’m going to stab myself at this rate of carrying all the knives.”

“That isn’t the answer to everything, Evie.” Mitch mocked, coming over to Evie to take the knives.

“And what is the answer to everything?” Evie asked, raising an eyebrow.

“What we talked about last night.” She glared as he smirked right at her.

“Never going to happen, Mitch.” Evie scowled while placing the plates on the table, Mitch following suit with the knives.

“You two are acting like you’re four and five again.” Dan leaned against the counter, watching the two of them.

“You’re acting like you’re eight again, being bossy as usual.” Mitch shot.

“Oldest is the bossiest, remember?” Dan teased.

“Here goes his ego.” Evie remarked, smirking at her brother.

“Watch it, Evie.” Dan warned as Evie stuck her tongue out.

“Calm down, you three. It’s time for dinner.”

“Yes, Mom.” All three of them said in unison.

Everyone bustled into Evie’s kitchen then, fighting over seats until they settled. One by one, Evie started bringing the food onto the table, giggling as her mom swatted everyone’s hands away. As soon as everything sat on the table and Evie sat in her seat to say Grace, her door knocked. Evie sighed as everyone questioned it.

“It’s probably Ms. Newby bringing over something for us. Hang on.”

The girl got up from her seat, setting the napkin down on the table and headed to the door.

“Hang on, Ms. Newby, I’m coming.” Evie yelled as she opened the door to not finding Ms. Newby, but Niall instead.

“You’re not Ms. Newby.”

“No…. I’m not. That’s your neighbor, isn’t she?” Evie only nodded her head.

“What are you doing here? Not that its a bad thing, I … remember you saying no.”

“I did say no. But, I thought about it… You said something about free meal and company, so I just… gave in I guess.” Niall shrugged his shoulders.

“You could’ve told me, I could’ve gotten a plate ready for you… whats that your holding?”

“Uh, this is Toffee Pudding and Guinness because I know you probably have shit beer. So, is it okay to join you, then?”

Evie smiled then, moving out of the way for him to enter into the house. Niall followed behind her as she made her way to the kitchen to join everyone again.

“So… I… uh.. I invited Niall a couple of days ago to join us, and he agreed to accompany us. Family, this is Niall and Niall, this is family. Except Britt isn’t here, because -”

“She’s in Spain, I remember you saying that.”

Evie smiled, biting down on her lip before jumping onto her next thought.

“Okay, I’ll take those from ya and follow me to get a plate.” Evie took everything from Niall and set it on her counter, him following behind her as she reached out for a plate. From a side glance, Evie looked over at Niall and smiled, only for him to grin back at her.

“Alright alright, I have a big enough table for people to make extra space, no one bites here.” Evie brought the extra chair over, sitting it down next to hers. From a glance up, she could see the smirk growing on Mitch’s face, making Evie turn away quickly despite him seeing the rose color on her cheeks growing.

“Alright Dad, you can say Grace.” Evie looked over at her dad, a little nod thrown at him. Her Dad stood up, looking around at everyone before giving his own short nod.

“Grace. Now lets eat.”

Niall looked over at Evie, raising an eyebrow at her. Evie laughed, looking on as plates started flying past them.

“Dad’s never been the Grace type. Just always said it, really. But there’s turkey, mash, cranberry sauce, stuffing, rolls, corn, green bean casserole and whatever is for dessert on the counter. Grab and go.”

“Did you make any of this?”

“The cranberry sauce and the stuffing. Mom did the mash and casserole and gran did the desserts.”

“Don’t try it, she’s not the best.” Mitch teased.

“Yeah? And what did you make here? Your plate thats what you made.” Evie shot back, making her own plate.

One by one, each dish passed and each of them were eating. Some even went back for seconds. She couldn’t help the seconds that she’d glance at Mitch and he’d keep smirking at her, and she flipped him off a couple of times.

“Can I ask how you met Evie? Not that its our business or anything, but I’m curious.”

Evie’s eyes turned wide and she tried to hide her face as Niall started laughing. Wiping whatever remaining crumbs off his face, Niall looked over at Evie, a cocky grin forming on his face.

“Yeah, Evie Burke, how did I meet you?”

“I bumped into him… with a glass of wine… and ruined the suit.”

“How do you bump into someone, Evie?”

“By drinking not only yours, but Helena’s white wine. It wasn’t my proudest moment.” Evie sighed.

Evie got up from her seat then, starting to take some of the bigger dishes off of the table. Tori had helped her while her mom and gran helped set up the dessert with little plates on if anyone wanted something. Everyone dispersed after that, leaving Evie in the kitchen and Niall sitting on the counter.

“Is this how you normally spend after dinner?”

“What? Doing dishes while everyone else does their own thing? Most times, but it’s my place so I feel like I should clean up.” Evie spoke, turning to the side and looked at him.

“Did you want to try a bite of this? I called my mum all the way from Ireland for this recipe and the first thing she says is ‘Are ya tryin to impress a girl’.” Niall handed a spoonful of the dessert towards her, letting her take a bite.

“Tell your mom i’m impressed.” Evie laughed.

“But really, you guys do this sort of thing? Just sit for dinner and then disperse?”

“The boys and Tori do football, my mom and gran sit in the dining room and talk. Normally, Britt and I are outside, but since she isn’t here, I’m stuck being a lost girl.”

Evie wiped her hands off then, setting the towel down by the sink and moved closer towards him, jumping her own way to sit on the counter next to him.

“So.. does this count as our next adventure?” Evie asked.

“It does, actually. Guess i’m back onto the drawing board.”

“Did you wanna borrow one of mine? I have six of them, five at work and one here in case I bring work home.”

“Funny, sweet girl, funny.”

Evie and Niall stayed in the kitchen for a little while longer, talking about aimless stuff that was brought up. Evie had warned him not to plan anything for December. That this was the worst month at her job with all those Christmas events. Niall had made a face, agreeing to the terms since he had his own busy schedule in December before heading home for the holidays.

Her family had bid Niall a goodnight and that it was nice to meet him. Evie had walked him outside to his car, leaning against it with her arms folded and a smile on her face.

“I’m really happy you came tonight… You didn’t have too and yet.”

“Your family gave me some good laughs.” She made a face and he laughed, reaching out for her hands.

His hands moved from her hands towards her waist as he brought her closer to him. He turned the both of them so that he was leaning onto the car and she was still wrapped up by him.

This silence was likeable. Both of them made faces at each other, earning laughter from both of them. This had to be Evie’s favorite sound, his laugh. She wondered if he’d say the same about her, and knowing him, it was.

What Evie didn’t realize was that both of them were getting closer, so much that their breaths were shorter and their noses were ready to touch. Niall was the one to close the gap, going in for the kiss. It wasn’t sloppy or wet, but dry and had the mixture of a guinness and toffee taste. Evie’s arms wrapped around his neck, resting on his shoulders with his hands still on her waist. It wasn’t a long kiss, but it also wasn’t a short kiss either.

Evie was the one to pull back, shades of pink forming on her cheeks. She looked away for a few seconds, trying to regain her composure and her breathing. When she looked back at him, he had a small smile on his face.

“I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?”

“Okay.” Evie breathed, nodding her head at the same time.

The place that Niall was holding onto felt bare once he let go. Her eyes watched as he got into his car and he left. She stood outside for a few minutes, letting her mind figure out what the fuck had happened.

When Evie went back into the house, she was greeted by Mitch with a smirk on his face.

“Wasn’t ever going to meet him?”

“Fuck off.”

Evie moved past him, sitting on the couch with everyone else. Her facial expression said she was paying attention, but her mind was somewhere in the clouds.

#good afternoon #i literally got on my laptop for this #therell be a jump for the next one #like not too much but a small one #anyways i hope you enjoy #theone #niall horan #niall fics #niall fanfiction #niall fic #niall horan fanfiction

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torontotravelblog · 5 years ago

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27 Toronto Tourist Attractions That You Shouldn’t Miss

These Are Some of the Top Toronto Tourist Attractions!

Want to explore Toronto like a local? Toss TripAdvisor aside, you got a Canadian right here at Penguin and Pia! Eric is from Ontario and grew up north of Toronto. As for us together, we lived in the city for the better part of a whole year and had amazing adventures in Toronto. Let’s just say that there is certainly no shortage of unique things to do in Toronto when you want to play tourist yourself!

We’ve already covered when the best time to visit Canada (and Toronto) is in another post. In short, for Toronto May is great and cooler, July is hot but there are patios, October is beautiful with colours, and January is cold but there’s skating. If you are looking for seasonal activities for the summer for the winter in Toronto, you’ll see below which ones are which!

So, if you are looking for fun activities in Toronto for adults, with the kids, or even today, we’ve got you covered. Let’s play Toronto tourist! Oh, and if you planning an entire Toronto visit or you are looking for other places to visit in Ontario – we’ve got lots more about the city and the province!

First Time in Canada? Important Need to Know like Visas, Currency, and Culture!

Wondering what to Pack? Here’s our Canada Packing List for all Seasons!

Here are 9 of our Favourite Coffee Shops in Toronto!

Find a Place to Stay with this Toronto Neighbourhood and Hotel Guide!

Discover Niagara on the Lake Wineries or Learn How to Rent a Cottage in Ontario!

Getting Around Toronto

Since there is so much to see and do in Toronto, doing it all will take some planning. It’s possible to see Toronto in a day – but it would be a busy one! While the city is basically all flat and walkable – the distances between attractions can be a little daunting.

You can hop on the TTC (Toronto Transit) by using the streetcars, buses, and subway lines to get around. You can consider buying Presto card (the rechargeable card you just tap) and just loading it with money at a machine.

The TTC is actually moving to Presto-only in the near future (early 2019?) so the infrastructure will hopefully be caught up for visitors to easily get their Presto and go. It wasn’t easy in years prior…. trust us.

Toronto Sightseeing City Tours

That being said, there are lots of tours that are organized for you to explore the most without planning anything at all. You can go on the classic bus tour of Toronto and buy a hop-on-hop-off bus Toronto tour ticket. These are good for different lengths of time to suit your trip.

Another popular way to get around Toronto in by bike – and there are lots of great Toronto bike tours that will show you the way! Biking is actually a great way to get around because Toronto downtown core traffic can be an absolute nightmare.

Obviously, bike tours only run in the warmer months but definitely something to consider. You can’t beat a local guide, exercise, and a faster mode of transportation!

Finally, if you just want to say screw it and do it all – you can do an ultimate day tour that includes a boat cruise on Lake Ontario. Being able to see the skyline from the waterfront is something that Eric hasn’t even done!

Toronto Tourist Attractions

But that’s enough tour talk now – let’s dive into the top attractions around Toronto! You’ll notice that they are in no particular geographical order. That said, we did our best to give you the general locations/directions.

CN Tower

The Canadian National Tower (also commonly known as the CN Tower) is like the crown jewel of the Toronto skyline. Built back in the 1970s, the CN Tower was the tallest man-made structure! Standing at 533 metres tall, the views from the top are absolutely incredible. You can see for many miles and even into the United States!

Once you ride one of the speedy elevators to the main deck, there is lots to do up there! There is a famous glass floor for those brave enough to walk on. The view down to the ground is pretty dizzying.

There is a restaurant up there – 360 Restaurant – that is known for serving high-class dishes with local ingredients. The coolest part? The restaurant makes a full rotation every hour so you truly get views of all over the city!

The CN Tower is known for the Edge Walk – a thrill-seeker experience of hanging off the edge of the outside of the building. Lastly, you can take the elevator to the Sky Pod – one level higher for views of the city. Comes at an entry cost, though so plan accordingly! Here is the official website for the CN Tower.

Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada

As a relatively newer attraction to the city’s line-up of awesome things to do, Ripley’s Aquarium has certainly made a splash in a short amount of time. See what we did there? Gotta love our aquarium puns!

The Aquarium is home to the longest underwater glass tunnel in North America – it extends through “Dangerous Lagoon”. This is where you come face-to-face with some scary predators like sharks and eels.

In all, there are 9 different galleries and over 400 species to check out. You are sure to find something you enjoy! The place is so popular – they recommend visiting before 10 am for after 3 pm to beat the crowds.

Pro Tip: If you are planning a visit to Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada and know which day, consider a Ripley’s Aquarium “After Hours” ticket that is valid for a night visit after 7:00 pm. Crowds can be smaller and admission is actually reduced from the daily fare.

The Distillery District

Do you like beer, history, good food, and great photo spots? Great – it sounds like a visit to the Distillery District is for you! Located to the east of downtown, this old industrial area was once the home of many distilleries in the city – hence the name!

These days, the odd distillery still exists and is mixed in among the many shops, restaurants, coffee places, and breweries that have moved in! You can do a Distillery District walking tour to learn about the rich history of the red-bricked factories.

The Distillery District is full of interesting art installations that draw crowds and make great photographs. In the winter, the District is home to amazing light displays and a winter wonderland of Christmas Market stalls.

The District is also home to one of our favourite classic breweries – Mill Street. Known for their Signature Mill Street Organic Beer, you can even sit outside and have a flight of beer for a great price!

Pro Tip: If beer is what you are into, Toronto has a crazy vibrant beer scene. You can check it out on a Beer and History Tour of the city. The good news? You’ll end in the Distillery District!

Kensington Market

You might have heard about this hip and alternative area that you have to walk through? It’s likely Kensington Market – and you should definitely check it out.

Kensington is located to the west of Spadina Avenue, north of downtown, between College and Dundas Streets. It’s close to Chinatown if you want to see that too – we mention it below! This urban jungle of graffiti, cool clothing shops, amazing restaurants, markets, almost certainly has something for everyone.

You don’t even have to be looking for anything – just a wander through to experience the neighbourhood is enough. You can’t miss things like the Garden Car – you’ll know it when you see it. Trust us.

Pro Tip: Kensington is a uniquely old and multicultural neighbourhood with a fascinating immigrant history about it. So, it’s fitting to learn more about the history of Kensington Market through an amazing food tour!

Bata Shoe Museum

Do you like shoes? Like, do you REALLY like shoes? Would a museum full of shoes make you happy? If so, the BATA Shoe Museum might be for you to check out!

Located on Bloor Street just north of downtown, the museum has done an amazing job of collecting and showcasing footwear from all around the world.

We’ve never been but walked by many many times and always thought it looked super interesting. If you want to visit, you can buy a BATA Shoe entrance ticket here.

Woodbine Beach

Ah, Woodbine Beach – what can we say? It’s “home”. The beach is located in the neighbourhood called “The Beaches”. The Beaches are in the city’s east end – and it’s actually exactly where we lived for the better part of 2017 when we lived in Toronto!

Woodbine Beach is a massive (and massively popular) sandy and rocky beach with access to swim in Lake Ontario. There is a boardwalk that runs for kilometres through Ashbridge’s Bay, other walking trails, parks, dog beaches, and wooded areas.

As for things to do, the summertime is busy with paddleboard renters, swimming, sunbathing, a few patios, and beach volleyball. The autumn is great for fall strolls along Lake Ontario.

The neighbourhood area along Queen Street East is full of restaurants, bars, and shops that you should check out. It’s funny – the Beaches is where we worked on Penguin and Pia in the early days! How times have changed!

“The Toronto Sign” at Nathan Phillips Square

Travelling to Toronto and wanting to snap a photo for Instagram? Of course you do! Head north from Lake Ontario to Nathan Phillips Square. Located at Queen Street West just west of Yonge, it’s here that you’ll find Toronto City Hall and the famous “Toronto Sign”.

During the day, the sign of often themed for various festivals or occasions. At night – it’s all lit up! Nathan Phillips Square is quite the gathering spot in the city. At New Year’s, the Square is filled with concert stages and party-goers – Eric has even been a few times.

In the winter, the fountain you see in front of the sign turns into an ice skating rink which is free to use (or costs a few dollars for a skate rental). There are street food trucks and lots of tourist buses park here since it’s a great place to start any Toronto sightseeing adventure.

Fort York

Are you into learning about Toronto’s role in military history? Want to learn about how we beat the United States in the War of 1812? That’s a true story – and you can learn all about it at Fort York.

The grounds are located to the west of downtown – pinched between the Lake and Liberty Village under the Gardiner Expressway. The historic site is actually one of the largest collection of 1812 Wartime buildings.

They even have cannon firings and daily tours that run frequently. Some of the park ground are free to roam through but the exhibits and museums are entered for a fee. To learn more about visiting Fort York and the exhibits, visit the official Fort York website.

St. Lawrence Market

The St. Lawrence Market is definitely a must-see if you are visiting the city. We visited the Market “playing tourist” when Lisa was visiting before she moved to Canada and it was an amazing experience.

The current building where it is located was opened in 1902! Inside, there are two floors – the main floor stretches the length of the main hall and the lower floor is just a portion of the length. You’ll find a selection of fresh produce, fresh meats and seafoods, cheeses, prepared food, wine, trinkets, you name it!

There are samples at various counters and places to grab lunch so you definitely shouldn’t leave hungry. If you are looking for very tourist Canadian souvenirs, there is also a place to buy them here. You can learn more about the Market and the area of Old Toronto on a historic food and Market tour of the area!

Pro Tip: -The Market is located just to the east of downtown on Front Street – and you can check out The Gooderham Building for a great photo. The Gooderham is that historic red-brick flatiron building at the intersection of Wellington Street and Front Street!

Steam Whistle Brewery

All aboard the Steam train… to Steam Whistle Brewery! Located very close to Ripley’s Aquarium, the CN Tower, and the Rogers Centre, Steam Whistle has been a tourist magnet and popular brand in Toronto and Canada for two decades.

Founded back in 1998, Steam Whistle finds its home in the Roundhouse – an old red-brick railway repair depot used back in the day.

These days, you can tour the brewery or just belly up to the bar for a pint of the classic pilsner that has made them one of the most well-known beers in Canada. To check out the Brewery or to book a tour, check out the official website of Steam Whistle.

The Toronto Islands

Looking to get away from the hustle and bustle of downtown Toronto? Check out the Toronto Islands – that might help! Located in Lake Ontario just off the shore across from downtown, “the Islands” as they are known are popular for their beaches, walking trails, and the historic Centreville Amusement Park.

The Islands themselves actually have inhabitants – and to get to them there is a ferry that leaves from the Ferry Terminal located on Queens Quay between Yonge and Bay Streets. You can check out the Toronto Island ferry schedule here.

Alternatively, if you want a smaller tour of the harbour and surrounding islands, check out this Toronto Harbour Boat Cruise. You have to get off on the islands so the tour doubles as a water taxi – and amazing photos of the skyline are basically guaranteed!

Casa Loma

It’s a house? It’s a castle? No, it’s Casa Loma! Built in the early 1900s and located in Toronto’s midtown, Casa Loma is a top tourist attraction for so many reasons.

This Gothic dream home was built by a wealthy Toronto businessman – Sir Henry Pellatt. After decades of history, the estate is now owned by the city and revered for its many art pieces and rich history.

Because of the grand size of the estate and gardens, Casa Loma is also the place for many events, festivals, and even weddings throughout the year.

If you are visiting, you can buy a ticket to enter and hop on a guided tour to learn all about one of Toronto’s most famous attractions! Here is the official Casa Loma website!

Hockey Hall of Fame

You can’t go to Canada and not discover the rich history of hockey! So, you should take a trip to the Hockey Hall of Fame! Located downtown on Front Street, the Hockey Hall of Fame is a great museum/exhibit with tons to do and lots to learn about.

The coolest part is that you will be able to see the Stanley Cup (the biggest trophy in hockey and one of the oldest sports trophies in organized leagues worldwide).

Eric went as a kid many many times since it was always a great place for a school to plan a field trip to. That said, there is plenty to do for adults as well. Hockey is a huge part of Canadian culture and so a stop by is definitely worth your time! You can learn more at the official Hockey Hall of Fame website.

Dundas Square

If you are looking for the “Times Square” but for Toronto – Dundas Square is it. From the street performers to the lights at night, the corner near Yonge and Dundas is a great place to experience Toronto in full swing in the evening.

Besides malls and restaurant, there isn’t much to do there, but you would certainly pass through to snap a few photos in the evening! It’s probably good to mention that the southwest corner is where you enter the Eaton Centre – a top attraction but not good enough for its own place on the list.

It’s just a very nice mall that is pretty big and features some very popular shops. There are fountains and at Christmas, they have a tree and giant reindeer!

Royal Ontario Museum

The Royal Ontario Museum (the ROM, for short) is located at Bloor Street and Avenue Road and has a history of displaying just a little bit of everything! However, this makes sense – the ROM is the largest (and most visited) museum in Canada and one of the largest in North America.

With around 6 million pieces, the numerous galleries and exhibits feature things from spiders to art, culture to dinosaurs, and Rome!

Eric went as a kid years ago and remembers having an amazing time at the ROM! If you are getting there by subway, you can get off at – you guessed it – Museum Station!

Pro Tip: You can buy a ROM General Admission ticket in advance here if you choose!

Scotiabank Arena – formerly Air Canada Centre

If you are into sports, Toronto is an amazing sports city with very passionate fans across the professional leagues. At the Scotiabank Arena (formerly called the Air Canada Centre) the Toronto Maple Leafs play ice hockey and the Toronto Raptors play basketball. The Arena is located closer to the water, just south of Union Station.

Leafs tickets can be very expensive but are definitely worth the experience of watching professional level hockey in Canada. Raptors tickets can be less expensive if you don’t mind sitting farther up in the stands!

Even watching the game in any of the sports bars nearby is an experience worthy of a visitor to Toronto! Here is the Scotiabank Arena website if you want to check out ticket availability and prices.

Art Gallery of Ontario

The Art Gallery of Ontario (or AGO, for short) is located on Dundas Street West between Spadina and University Avenue and is definitely an art lover’s paradise.

Featuring 95,000 works over 45,000 sq metres of space, this makes the AGO one of the largest galleries in all of North America. The AGO was originally founded in the year 1900. Over the years, it has seen expansions to the current size and number of galleries.

The AGO hosts exhibitions and has many permanent galleries featuring everything from Canadian artwork to African sculptures to Baroque-era paintings. You can learn more here at the official AGO website – keep in mind the AGO is closed on Mondays!

Chinatown

There are many amazing Chinatowns around the world (San Francisco, for example) – and Chinatown in Toronto is no exception! If you want to experience Chinatown in Toronto, head over to Spadina between College Street and Queen Street West.

You’ll find open-air shops with all sorts of goods, amazing restaurants (with really good dim sum), and other places to grab sweet treats.

Chinatown itself is a neat experience and conveniently placed along Spadina. This makes it easy to wander through on the way to another attraction. Toronto is a city that prides itself on its multiculturalism and ethnic diversity so check it out!

Rogers Centre

Still thinking about sports? How about catching a baseball game? The Blue Jays play at the Rogers Centre – located physically at the base of the CN Tower.

The Jays are the only Canadian team playing in Major League Baseball so if you’re in Toronto anytime from April to September, Toronto is your only chance to catch baseball north of the border!

The nice thing about Jays games is that the summer weather means a great time out in the sunshine. The other great thing about tickets at the Rogers Centre is that that they are still relatively inexpensive.

You can go to a game for cheap and enjoy the game from decent seats! Unlike at Scotiabank Arena, you can show up on game day, wait in line, and get tickets! It’s a franchise that isn’t too expensive yet (cough, the Leafs). Here’s the Jays website for tickets.

Queen Street West

Queen Street West is certainly where you can get some shopping done! Located – you guessed it – along Queen Street West west of Yonge Street and extending well past Bathurst Street, Queen Street is also home to many amazing restaurants, hip bars and pubs, and coffee shops.

One of our favourite ramen places in on Queen Street West and Lisa misses it dearly from when we used to go for ramen lunch! Mmmm, noodles.

Harbourfront Centre

If you are looking for things to do down near the waterfront, head to the Harbourfront Centre! The Centre itself is actually an area of the pier described as a “cultural hub”. This means that there are walking paths, performance stages, exhibits, restaurants, coffee shops, and much more.

There is always something going on down at the Harbourfront Centre. You can get great photos down by the lake, and the proximity to Amsterdam Brewhouse is also nice! Learn more about what’s on at the Harbourfront Centre at the official website.

University of Toronto

As one of the oldest universities in all of Canada and the oldest in Ontario, the University of Toronto has a great reputation on the world stage for academics.

Founded in 1827, the main campus (St. George Campus) is often like stepping into a time capsule. This university has a massive main campus that sprawls for blocks and blocks between College Street and Bloor Street.

You can walk through, hop on a campus tour, and you might even find football going on at their Varsity Stadium!

Attractions Located Just Outside of Toronto

While this article is about Toronto tourist attractions that are mainly located downtown or very close by, the reality is there are a handful of awesome attractions that you might be interested in checking out!

So, here are five. We want to make it clear: these are NOT in downtown Toronto. It would be in your best interest to have a rental car to reach these attractions given their distance. That said, you’d definitely consider these on a weekend trip in Ontario if you’re up for it!

Toronto Zoo

Located out in the north end of Scarborough, the Toronto Zoo is renowned for its number of species – over 5,000! The zoo itself is divided into 7 “areas” what showcase all different climates/regions where animal groups exist in the wild.

The Toronto Zoo was originally opened in the 1970 and today enjoys very high visitor numbers because of their commitment to research and ecological sustainability. You can learn more about directions and admission prices at the official website of the Toronto Zoo.

Scarborough Bluffs

If Woodbine Beach and the parks in that area weren’t enough, you could drive out to Scarborough (far east of the city). Along the water’s edge, you’ll find large white cliffs – these are the Scarborough Bluffs.

The cliffs draw in a number of visitors to the nearby parks and beaches in the summer. Notably, you can plan a visit by heading for Scarborough Bluffs Park Beach or Bluffer’s Park Beach.

Canada’s Wonderland

Wonderland is the biggest and best amusement park in the country. Located about 40 minutes north of downtown Toronto, Wonderland features roller coasters that crack numerous top 10 lists in the world for tallness or speed, among other things. Just Google “Leviathan” – it’s the tallest in Canada and the 9th tallest in the world!

Eric grew up about 20 minutes north of Wonderland and so as a kid (and as a teenager, too) he would go to Wonderland on summer evenings when the crowds had died down. You can also go in the spring or fall at reduced hours. These days, the place is busy and expensive – but definitely worth it if you like thrills and decent attractions. Check out the official website for Canada’s Wonderland!

Ontario Science Centre

Want to be entertained and learn a little bit, too? The Ontario Science Centre is where you should go! Located to the northeast of the city along the Don Valley Parkway in North York, the Science Centre is known for the featured exhibits, interactive science displays, and IMAX theatre.

They even have a rainforest area which is climate controlled to help grow different plants to discuss ecology.

All in all, the Science Centre is a great way to kill a few hours or entertain the kids if you want more ideas! Check out the official website for the Ontario Science Centre for directions and prices!

Niagara Falls

Let’s be clear – Niagara Falls shouldn’t be on this list because it’s not “only a 45 minutes drive” from Toronto like the others. Niagara Falls is about 2.5 hours from downtown Toronto, traffic depending.

So, if you want to explore Niagara Falls, you can book a Niagara day trip from Toronto to make things easy if you didn’t plan on heading down on your own.

We’ve written a whole guide on things to do in Niagara Falls, Canada as well as where to stay in Niagara Falls (including hotels for the best “Fallsview”)!

And there you have it – 27 of the best Toronto tourist attractions that are out there! Obviously, there are a few things that we didn’t mention – but those “hidden gems” are for another post. Toronto is an amazing city, a place we also call home, and a welcoming city for people of all backgrounds, colours, and languages! We’re confident that you will have an amazing time exploring Toronto when you visit! Have you been before? What did you get to see or what did you miss? Get in touch and let us know!

As always, Happy Toronto Attraction Waddlin’, – L&E

The post “ 27 Toronto Tourist Attractions That You Shouldn’t Miss “ was seen first on Penguin and Pia

Dr. Amauri Caversan - Toronto Naturopathic Doctor

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vacationsoup · 5 years ago

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New Post has been published on https://vacationsoup.com/weather-zion-bryce-or-north-rim-grand-canyon/

Weather and The Five Seasons of Southern Utah

What is the weather like?

The very first question that generally comes to our minds when planning our next vacation is - Weather!

“ What is the weather going to be like at Zion, Bryce or North Rim Grand Canyon?”

When visiting the national parks of Southern Utah it may be an even more important question to ask. Unlike the rest of the state, that has four seasons, Southern Utah has five. Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, and Monsoons!

Our little town of Kanab Utah sits in the middle of a Grand Circle. -Bryce Canyon National Park to the North -Zion Canyon National Park to the West -Lake Powell/GlenCanyon National Recreation Area to the East -North Rim Grand Canyon National Park to our South.

We get ALOT of Park visitors. Most are only there for a few days, so our diverse weather can be hard to plan for, and have a big impact on their experience. But every season has its positives. So just be aware, and have a great time no matter what time of year!

SPRING and FALL

Spring and Fall are ideal times to visit Southern Utah and the national parks. Oftentimes, as early as March the weather turns lovely. May is a peak season for us in Kanab. There will be Spring rains, but I always tell my guests to be sure and go in the rain! They will see waterfalls around the canyon that are never there any other time. Beautiful!

September starts cooling down nicely and we have enjoyed beautiful days well into November and often including Thanksgiving. Crowds are thinning out and Autumn colors show in October.

In a nutshell April - May and Sept.- Nov. are just pretty darn fine!

SUMMER

Summer is hot. Beautiful but hot. Makes for great water sports time at Lake Powell and on our own small Jackson Flat Reservoir.

Photo credit of Jackson Flat reservoir and kayak rentals from http://alltournativeadventure.com/

Hiking is OK, just stick to the early morning hours or later in the evening.

The biggest secret to remember here is water! Drink a lot more water than you probably normally would. One gallon a day is recommended - and salty snacks! You need to replace the salt that you perspire out, keeping the sodium balance up in your blood. Take water everywhere with you. This is a very dry climate that will suck your body of moisture without you even knowing it. July is generally the hottest month.

Desert dwellers know there's a very good reason for mid-day siestas, avoiding blasting sunlight and hot temperatures.

National Park visitors don't always understand the need to avoid the heat of the day, which is why dehydration, heat exhaustion, heatstroke and hyponatremia (low sodium blood level) can put a damper on activities, or even send visitors to the hospital.

Perspiration is how your body regulates temperature, so if you don't have enough water, your body will overheat. Minor dehydration triggers thirst, but as dehydration becomes more serious, the body starts to lose its ability to regulate temperature. Symptoms of heatstroke include disorientation, combativeness, and hot skin. The remedy is to find some cool shade, rest and re-hydrate.

Winter

Zion and Bryce Canyons are both open year-round but North Rim Grand Canyon amenities are only open until October 31. November 1 through December 1 the North Rim will be open for day use only (no overnight parking) unless snow closes Highway 67 prior to that date. Once the snow closes the road, North Rim does not open again until the middle of May.

Zion during winter (November- February) months the park is slow but it is still open and draws visitors. Rain and snow are common so bring plenty of layers and something windproof and waterproof. If you have been to Zion in the summer you know wait times on popular hikes can be long, Not in the winter! It may be chilly, but much more peaceful.

The Park shuttle will generally run thru November. December is the coldest month of the year.

I love Bryce in the winter!

White snow on the red rock formations and blue skies. It is a wonderful kind of beautiful!

Long winter nights show off Bryce's beautiful dark skies to perfection. Winter Astronomy is growing in Utahs SouthWest. Kanab has recently made lighting changes that have made the city eligible for International Dark Sky Community status!

Cross country Skiing - Snowshoeing- Ice skating and Hiking can all happen on the same trip.

Don't have your own snowshoes? No worries, The Bryce Canyon Snowshoe Program is designed for all levels of experience, from beginner to expert. These Ranger-guided outings introduce visitors to the wonder of Bryce Canyon in the winter. Check out their Full Moon Snowshoe Hikes and other winter activities here: https://www.nps.gov/brca/planyourvisit/winter.htm

You can also rent all your equipment from Ruby's Inn right at the entrance to the Park https://www.rubysinn.com/

My girlfriends and I have a long-standing tradition of spending several days at Bryce every winter.

Check out my Post on Cross country skiing Bryce here: https://mystarvr.com/cross-country-skiing-at-bryce-canyon-national-park-utah/

Kanab does get snow at times but seldom lasts the day. It gets about 14.8 inches of precipitation thru the year, mostly rain.

MONSOONS

The most interesting season is monsoons. Late July thru August and the first part of Sept. the climate changes dramatically from the dry arid climate of May and June to one of humidity and seasonal rains. This is what we call The Monsoon Season.

This weather change is important to consider when planning a visit to the Southwest.

During these hottest months of the year, the desert bakes under intense solar radiation. Hot air rises as fast as 50 feet per second, creating an area of low pressure that draws warm, humid air from the Gulf of California and the Gulf of Mexico.

As the hot, humid air rises it comes into contact with cooler, high-altitude air. This forms enormous heavy clouds that grow dark and ominous as they rise thousands of feet. Eventually, the clouds burst, producing torrential afternoon thunderstorms.

This is our rule of Thumb - If the weather report predicts 20% chance of rain - It is really 100% chance of rain, just a 20% chance that you will be standing under it!!

Monsoons are vital to the environment in the Southwest. They keep wildfires in check and provide an important water supply to the people and animals who live in the deserts. Visiting the desert during the Monsoon season is a great way to see another lesser-known side to the Southwest. It is the perfect time to adventure and explore with somewhat cooler temperatures and abundant flora and fauna that come to life.

The most common hazards of monsoon storms are lightning strikes and flash floods. Head inside during a lightning storm. Remember: When thunder roars, go indoors. If no substantial shelter is nearby, get in your car and wait out the storm.

Don’t forget the 30-30 rule. After you see lightning, start counting to 30. If you hear thunder before you reach 30, go indoors. Suspend activities for at least 30 minutes after the last clap of thunder.

Storms are most common in the afternoon but they can happen at any time. And they often blow over in an hour or so leaving the ground and the air refreshed, but hopefully not flooded!

Hiking in Grand Canyon, Zion or the many other Utah or Arizona hiking trails near us requires greater caution in monsoon season, but with proper preparation, monsoon weather is nothing to be scared of.

Floods

The intensity of the monsoon season varies from year to year. In the last couple of years, we have had several “Two hundred year storms”. Meaning - A storm like this only happens once every Two hundred years. I think we have had three of those in the last two years.....!

Flash Floods are for real, but are amazing to see! Just do it from somewhere safe! Just remember - Never, ever be in slot canyons when there is rain in the forecast anywhere in the area.

You can stay out of trouble by never crossing moving water either on foot or in your vehicle (like in this photo!) and always check the weather forecast before hiking into any canyon. It’s important to also check the weather in areas “upstream” or up the canyon from where you will be hiking. It is possible to have blue skies overhead but a canyon may still flood due to heavy rains upstream.

I love this blog post from “Wild Girl Writing” about Monsoon Season

She lists 5 Tips for Surviving Monsoon Season in Southern Utah

1) Be weather aware.

2) Know where you’re going.

3) Be cautious about where you take shelter.

4) Hire a local guide.

5) Enjoy the show from somewhere safe.

Please check out the entire Blog. Really good advice. I really like #4, as a local guide WILL keep you safe and WILL make sure you see some amazing backcountry no matter the weather.

photo credit: Kanab Tour Company https://kanabtourcompany.com/

Know before you go! - Weather and trail Conditions for Zion, Bryce or North Rim Grand Canyon

Bryce Canyon National Park Weather updates - https://www.nps.gov/brca/planyourvisit/weather.htm

Zion Canyon National Park Weather updates - https://www.nps.gov/zion/planyourvisit/weather-and-climate.htm

Grand Canyon National Park Weather updates (look specifically for North Rim) - https://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/weather-dangers.htm