Island Fever

The Toronto city workers strike ended this past week and it seems like every person in the GTA has a case of Island Fever.

With the ferries now back up and running, and yesterday's temperatures in the comfortable mid-20s, it seemed like everyone and their uncle, and their aunt and three small children with a stroller for each, wanted to head to the Toronto Islands.

For $6.50, you can get a round trip fare with boats leaving every 15 minutes during the week and each half hour on weekends and holidays.

There's a load of things to do once you get to Centre Island. The obvious choice for many is to spend hours at Centreville, the island's amusement park that is kind of modeled after an old mining town, a strange homage considering the target demographic is 10 or under. The only feature not targeted for just children, I maintain, is the mini putt. Although it's seen better days (the mini sand bunkers are filled with dirt, leaves and little bits of garbage) the course is a good way to visit Centreville without getting stressfully immersed. Plus, there's no height restrictions. You're never too tall to play mini putt.

The rest of the island is accessible by foot or by bike, which you can rent out near the pier. We chose the ubercool two person quadracycle which also seemed to attract a large number of foreign tourists for some reason. We pedaled, side by side, on the boardwalk out to Ward's Island where the beach was packed in the sunny weather this city has been lacking.

We didn't play the island's frisbee golf course but we did drive through it which I'm fairly sure you're not supposed to do if only because it's near impossible to pedal a quadracycle on grass.

There's no shortage of other sights to see - the lighthouse, the marinas, playgrounds, the clothing optional beach (which for some may be a sight, others a final destination). The parks are filled with people reading or picnicking or showing off their beer bellies and it's easy to spend a full day there and want to stay.

Luckily the amazing view of the Toronto skyline is a reminder that this oasis is not too far from the city. And with the regular ferry schedule now back on, it's a view that should not be missed.