It was a beautiful day today: partly cloudy with plenty of sunshine. It was pretty much ideal conditions for outdoor activities, unless of course, you’re left standing out in the heat all day long for eight hours straight. Although all that heat was soaked in while I got to see first hand what all the fuss surrounding the Honda Indy was all about.

As a first time spectator to this sport—I rarely even watched it on TV, only catching a glimpse or so whenever it was on—I was actually entertained with the event and all its adrenaline rushing performances of the Indy cars. When you see it up close and person as I did today, you get to appreciate all the work that is involved in such a sport. The entire pit crew works hard and fast as every second counts in this race.

Standing right outside the pit area in the Gold Grandstand section, I watched intently as each car came into their respective pits. Pit changes were quick and efficient. The drivers were off in no time.

At the beginning of the day as I watched the practice rounds, I realized exactly how loud Indy racing really is. It’s piercing to the ears and although there were several people without earplugs (including myself), I would strongly recommend them. I eventually got used to the cars’ vroom, vroom, and the crowds cheering every time, but those earplugs or noise-cancelling headphones will do you wonders when you’re so close to all the action.

Ashley Judd made her cameo appearance—right in front of my section, coincidentally—as she is married to Dario Franchitti, who came in second place today. I was always fond of her and it was great to see her in person, albeit from a distance.

After 85 laps and vroom, vrooms, it was a great adrenaline-filled day. The Indy car races were followed by the Trans Am race, which still maintained a respectable crowd all over the Exhibition grounds

As an usher and ticket checker at the Gold Grandstands (likely the most coveted grandstand on the grounds with tickets in excess of $200), you encounter a myriad of issues. I was confronted with several tasks including denying people access to the grandstands, “shooing” people off the landings, picking up fallen objects from above, directing people all over the place, dealing with irate customers since their tickets were doubly booked, and even having to reject a bribe from some people from Georgia as they wanted access to the seats with their General Admission tickets. Sorry folks!

In any case, although it was exhaustive out there in the sun, it was still an entertaining volunteering experience where I will yet again have to consider if this event is worth adding to my list of festival to volunteer at each year. We’ll see next year—the 25th anniversary of the Toronto Honda Indy!

Luminato

It’s that time of year again when the arts and creativity comes to Toronto. As a third year veteran volunteer to the festival, this year I opted to be a mentor to the newly minted photography program for the youths. I really didn’t know what I was getting myself into at the time of applying, but as it turns out, it’s quite fun. Seeing the kids so energetic and enthusiastic about photography and being able to impart your knowledge of the topic to them is quite satisfying. Seeing them learn based on what you’ve taught them is a gift in itself.

The first day, I had two shifts, each which brought me to two different places: Nelson Mandela Park Public School in the morning, right before it rained, and to Yonge Dundas Square in the evening for the latin dance party starring none other than INDIA, the leading lady of salsa and soul.

Two more shifts coming up this weekend, which will see me at Queen’s Park where the 1000 tastes of summer and a host of other free events will overtake the park grounds. Come join the fun if you’re in town!

One of the great things about Toronto in the summer (spring too) is that there are no shortages of things to do. Come (officially) summer, there is something to do every weekend, keeping everyone’s agenda busy, busy, busy.

Just recently, Toronto had its door’s open, and I took this chance to see inside one of the buildings that I’ve always wanted to see for myself. At first sight inside the Commerce Court North building, I thought it was quite small. I was expecting something more dramatic and epic, however, I soon remembered that I was in little old Toronto, Canada.

Despite my original thinking, I soaked in what was in front of me and ended up liking what I saw. With the intricate details seen even from the floor, it was in fact quite a spectacular site to see. I made sure to have my wide angle with me that day, so I took some quick snaps.

If you ever encounter a Door’s Open in your hometown or visiting town, be sure to take advantage of it by visiting some of the city’s historic and interesting buildings… and don’t forget to take your camera with you too!