MidReal Story
Subway Secrets: Toronto's Underground Adventure
Scenario: I'm traveling in the Toronto Subway. I can stop at any station and can explore its environment.
Create my version of this story
Emily Carter
curious traveler, friends with other protagonists, short with curly brown hair, adventurous and empathetic
Marcus Lee
local historian, collaborates with Emily, tall with glasses and a scholarly look, analytical and reserved
Sarah Jennings
subway employee, guides Emily and Marcus, petite with a bright uniform, helpful and witty
The Toronto Subway is a traveler’s paradise.
It’s a place where you can explore the city’s diverse neighborhoods, all from the comfort of your seat on the train.
But what if you could get off at any station and explore?
What if you could wander around, take your time, and really get to know the city?
That’s exactly what I’m doing today.
I’m on a spontaneous adventure through Toronto’s underground network, and I can’t wait to see where it takes me.
I’ve already visited a station that was built in 1966, and another that has a beautiful mural on the wall.
Now I’m at a station that was built in 1954, and it’s one of the most historic in the city.
I step off the train and look around, taking in my surroundings.
This station is so different from the others I’ve visited today.
Unlike some of the newer stations I’ve visited, there aren’t any bright colors or funky designs here.
It’s a little plain, sure, but I appreciate the simplicity of it all.
It’s almost like I’ve stepped back in time, and left the modern world behind.
I take a deep breath and smile as I look around.
I love being surrounded by history, and this station is no exception.
I’m admiring the architecture when I notice a man standing on the platform.
He looks like he belongs here, with his tweed jacket, glasses, and scholarly look.
He even has a leather satchel slung over his shoulder, and it looks like it’s been well-loved over the years.
He’s standing very still and looking around the platform, as if he’s searching for something.
I can’t help but wonder what he’s doing here and what he might be looking for.
Is he a local historian, perhaps?
Does he know a lot about the history of this station?
There’s only one way to find out, and that’s to go over and talk to him.
I take a deep breath and make my way over to where he’s standing, trying to look as casual and nonchalant as possible.
The last thing I want to do is startle him or make him think that I’m up to something shady.
“Hello,” I say when I reach him.
“Hi,” he replies with a smile.
His eyes are kind and curious, and they crinkle at the corners as he looks at me.
“Can I help you?”
“I was just wondering what you were doing,” I say with a smile.
“I’m not from around here, so I don’t know much about this station or its history.”
His eyes light up at my words, and he nods his head in understanding.
“Well, you’ve come to the right place,” he says with a chuckle.
“My name is Marcus Lee, and I’m a local historian.
I’ve been studying this station for quite some time now, and there are still a few things that I haven’t figured out yet.”
“I’m Emily,” I reply with a smile.
“It’s nice to meet you.”
“It’s nice to meet you too,” he says with a nod.
“How long are you in town for?”
“Just for the day,” I reply with a shrug.
“I came in on the train this morning, and I’m planning on leaving later tonight.”
“That doesn’t give you much time to explore all that Toronto has to offer,” he says with a chuckle.
“I know,” I reply with a sigh.
“That’s why I’m trying to make the most of it while I’m here.”
2
“Do you work at the university?”
He shakes his head and chuckles.
“No, not quite,” he says.
“I’m not affiliated with any university right now, but I have worked as an academic in the past.”
I nod my head in understanding.
“That’s very interesting,” I say with a smile.
“What kind of work do you do now?”
“I’m a local historian,” he replies with a smile.
“I spend my days researching and writing about Toronto’s history, and all of the forgotten stories and places that have been left out of the official records.
It’s quite fascinating, really.
There’s so much history here that people don’t even know about.”
“That sounds amazing,” I say with a smile.
“It must be so interesting to learn all of these things and share them with others.”
“It is,” he says with a nod.
“And it’s also quite challenging at times.
Some of the stories and places that I research are very difficult to find and verify.
There are times when I think that they might not even exist at all.
But then I stumble across something that proves otherwise, and it makes all of the hard work worth it in the end.”
“That’s so cool,” I say with a smile.
“What are you working on right now?”
He smiles and his eyes light up at my question.
“Well, right now I’m researching Toronto’s forgotten architectural gems,” he says with a nod.
“There are so many beautiful buildings in this city that people walk by every day without giving them a second thought.
But they all have a story to tell, and I’m trying my best to uncover those stories and share them with others.”
“That sounds amazing,” I say with a smile.
It must be so rewarding to share these stories and help preserve the past’s memory for future generations.”
“It is,” he says with a nod.
“And it’s also quite fascinating to learn about the people who built these buildings and the reasons behind their creations.
Each one has its own unique history and purpose, and it’s amazing to think about all of the work that went into creating them.
If only they could talk and tell us more about themselves.”
“I know what you mean,” I say with a smile.
“It’s like they have their own personalities and stories to share.
And it’s up to us to uncover those stories and learn more about them.”
“Yes,” he says with a smile.
“Exactly.”
We stand there for a moment in comfortable silence as we look around the platform.
I can tell that he’s lost in thought and trying to figure something out, and I don’t want to disturb him.
But at the same time, I don’t want to leave just yet either.
I’ve been having such a great time exploring the subway and meeting new people along the way.
And Marcus seems like such an interesting person to talk to.
I can tell that he’s passionate about what he does, and that he truly cares about preserving the past’s memory.
This is exactly the kind of experience that I was hoping to have when I set out on this adventure today.
3
“So, what do you think is the most challenging part of your work?”
I ask after a moment.
He looks at me with surprise at my question, as if he wasn’t expecting it.
“Well, there are many challenges, to be honest,” he says with a small shrug.
“But I think that one of the biggest challenges is the fact that so much of Toronto’s history has been lost over the years.
Many of the historical records were destroyed in fires or simply never documented in the first place.
So it can be quite difficult to uncover those forgotten stories and share them with others.
But with a bit of hard work and determination, it can be done.”
“That makes sense,” I say with a small nod.
“I can see how that would make your job much more difficult.
But it must also make it quite exciting, to be able to uncover something that no one else knows about and share it with others.”
“Yes, it is,” he agrees with a smile.
“You never know what you’re going to find when you start digging into the past.
Sometimes it seems like I’m looking for a needle in a haystack, and I wonder if I’ll ever find it.
But when I do, it’s always worth it in the end.”
“I can imagine,” I say with a smile.
“I’m so glad that I met you today, Marcus.
You seem like such an interesting person, and I’d love to hear more about your work sometime.”
“Well, I’d be happy to tell you more about it,” he says with a smile.
“Maybe we can go for coffee sometime and chat some more.
But for now, how about I show you around this station and tell you more about its history?”
“That sounds great,” I say with an excited nod.
I’ve been wondering what this station is like and what kind of stories it has to tell ever since I first set foot on it.
So this is the perfect opportunity for me to learn more about it.
And who better to show me around than someone like Marcus, who has such an incredible knowledge of Toronto’s history?”
“Great,” he says with a smile.
“Then how about we start with a walk along the platform?
That way I can show you some of the original features that are still intact.
You’ll be amazed at how well they’ve been preserved over the years.”
“That would be wonderful,” I say with an excited smile as I take his arm and link mine through his.
This is going to be so much fun!
I can’t wait to see what kind of stories Marcus has to share with me and learn more about this station’s past.
After all, this station has been around for almost seventy years now, so I’m sure that it has seen and heard many interesting things during that time.
And now that I have Marcus by my side, I’m sure that those stories will finally come to light.
I can’t wait to find out what they are!
We begin our tour by walking along the platform and admiring some of the original features that still remain from when this station first opened back in 1954.
The ticket booths are still intact, complete with their original glass windows and wooden frames.
What station is this?
“This is the St.
George Subway Station,” Marcus informs me.
“It opened on February 28, 1963, and was the first station to open along the University subway line, which runs from Union Station downtown to Wilson Station in North York.
It’s also one of the busiest stations in the city, with over 100,000 people passing through it every day.”
“Wow, that’s incredible,” I say with a small gasp of surprise.
I had no idea that this station was so busy.
“It sure is,” he agrees with a smile.
“And it’s also one of the most important stations in Toronto’s history, as well.
In fact, many people consider it to be the most important station in the city.”
“Really?”
I ask with surprise.
“Why is that?”
“Well, you see, Toronto was one of the first cities in North America to build a subway system, back in the early 1950s.
The original line, which runs from Union Station to Eglinton Avenue West, opened back in 1954 and was a huge success right from the start.
In fact, it was so successful that the city quickly outgrew it and needed to build a second line to accommodate its growing population.
This station, St.
George, was the first station to open on that second line, and it marked a turning point in Toronto’s development.
For many people, it symbolized the city’s aspirations to become a major world city, one that could rival New York, Chicago, and other great cities in North America and around the world.”
“That’s really interesting,” I say with a small nod.
“So what happened next?”
“Well, after St.
George opened, the city began work on building another line that would run from Bloor Street to Eglinton Avenue West, which is known as Line 2 today,” he explains.
“This new line would be built mostly underground, with a few sections above ground in order to save money.
And St.
George was one of those sections.”
“That makes sense,” I say with a small nod of understanding.
It must have been quite expensive to build this new line, especially since it would be mostly underground.
“And how long did it take them to build it?”
“Well, construction began in 1966 and was completed in 1978, so it took them about twelve years to finish the entire line,” he says with a small shrug.
“It wasn’t easy, but they managed to get it done.
The city spent a lot of money on the project, and many people thought that they were crazy for doing so, especially since the original line had been built just ten years before.
But the truth is that Toronto had no choice, really.
The city was growing so quickly that it quickly outgrew its original subway line, and it needed to build a second one in order to accommodate that growth.
Otherwise, the entire system would have collapsed under its own weight, and that would have been a disaster for everyone involved.”
“I can imagine,” I say with a small nod, mentally picturing the chaos that would have ensued had the subway system shut down.
“But I guess that’s one of the challenges of living in such a big city, isn’t it?
You have to be prepared to deal with growing pains and other challenges that come your way, even if they’re not always easy or convenient.”
“Exactly,” he says with a smile of agreement.
How far East and West does the subway extend to?
“It runs from Kipling Station in the west all the way to Kennedy Station in the east,” he explains, gesturing to his left and then his right as if to indicate the path of the subway line on a map.
“And there are several stations along the way, including Union, St.
Andrew, Osgoode, Queen’s Park, Museum, Wellesley, College, Yonge, Bloor-Yonge—which is where the two lines intersect—Rosedale, Castle Frank, Sherbourne, Bloor, Dufferin, Lansdowne, Dundas West, Keele, High Park, Runnymede, Jane, Old Mill, Royal York, Islington, Kipling, Kennedy, Warden, Victoria Park, Main Street, Woodbine, Coxwell, Greenwood, Donlands, Pape, Chester, Broadview, Castle Frank, Sherbourne,” he repeats with a small smile as he continues to walk along the platform at a leisurely pace.
As we continue to walk along the platform, I can’t help but notice how he manages to effortlessly weave history into our conversation, as if the two things are somehow connected.
Or maybe they are, I think to myself as we pass by the original ticket booths that were built over sixty years ago.
They’re just sitting there, gathering dust and cobwebs, waiting for passengers to buy tickets from them as they did all those years ago.
And if the city wanted to, they could easily restore them and put them back into service, as they’ve done with many other old buildings across Toronto.
But for some reason, they haven’t.
I wonder why that is.”
“I was just thinking about something,” I say to Marcus as we walk along the platform.
“You mentioned how the city built its second subway line in order to deal with the problem of urban sprawl and a growing population, right?
But I’m curious to know what other challenges the city faced at that time, if you don’t mind me asking.”
“That’s an excellent question,” he says with a small smile, looking down at me with kind eyes.
“Let me think for a moment…”
As he ponders my question, I can’t help but notice the way he looks when he’s deep in thought, his eyes narrowing slightly behind his thick glasses as he stares off into the distance, as if he’s trying to find the answer in his mind.
It’s a look I’ve seen him give many times before, especially when we’re doing research together, and it never fails to make me smile.
But this time, I manage to keep a straight face, not wanting to distract him or interrupt his train of thought.
After a moment, he takes a deep breath and continues.
“Aside from urban sprawl and a growing population, one of the main challenges that the city faced in the 1950s was finding ways to pay for the second line,” he explains.
“It was a very expensive project, as I mentioned earlier, and the city didn’t have enough money in its budget to cover the cost of it.
So they had to come up with other ways to raise the funds, such as raising taxes, borrowing money from banks, and getting federal grants.
