Leap Day CN Tower Memories

Leap Day 2024 was more memorable than I could have imagined. In a previous post, I wrote I wanted to experience my second memorable Leap Day after only having memories of Leap Day 2020. You can read it here.

I made plans to celebrate with a CN Tower theme, since I wouldn't be travelling like I did on Leap Day 2020. Sometimes, we can make plans for something special that doesn't work out like we hoped.

I booked dinner at the Writers Room Bar at the Park Hyatt Hotel which completely exceeded my expectations. I had a seat with a view of the CN Tower and the sunset. The food and the service were exceptional. A woman sitting a couple of tables from us shared a photo she took of me taking a photo of my husband with the CN Tower in the background.

It surprised me that the patio doors were open in the winter so we could go outside and take better photos.

I especially love this Toronto Skyline photo with the beautiful sunset coloured clouds.

This was a perfect prelude to our evening painting of the Toronto skyline at Pinot's Palette. I didn't think I'd be able to paint anything that resembled the Toronto skyline, but the instructor was amazing in walking us through and showing each step. We were in a roomful of beautiful Toronto skylines. Every painting I saw looked beautiful, whether a beginner or an experienced artist made it.

Earlier in the day, I completed the CN Tower gingerbread "house" that I had purchased at Christmas time and had frozen when we didn't do it during the holidays. Unfortunately, I should have trimmed two of the cookies for the base of the tower since one was shorter, but I only thought of it once I saw the challenge of putting it together. It ended up a little lopsided, but I still enjoyed doing it. I took a time-lapse of the process. I started by melting sugar to make the glue that would hold things together.

A few days before Leap Day, I started a Toronto Skyline 4D puzzle. I hoped to complete it by Leap Day, but it took a lot longer than I expected. 

This is a time-lapse of the puzzle making up to Toronto in 1989. 

I paused at this point to enjoy seeing Toronto as it was when we first moved here. I especially loved adding the condo building we lived in then. It's all by itself on The Esplanade near Front and Yonge. 

It no longer has the view it did and is now surrounded by many buildings I still need to add to the puzzle. I'll continue the puzzle in the next few weeks to complete it by April 16 or 4/16 to reflect Toronto's original area code (416). I'll also finish the photo book I started that was focusing on the CN Tower, but recognizing that the view from the CN Tower is Toronto, so it will be a perfect time to finish the album.

I love looking at the changes over the years which goes along with the 4D puzzle of placing the buildings in chronological order. I like looking at the same view from different times. This photo on the left is the building I lived in when I first moved here. It's one of my favourite buildings in Toronto being flat-ironed shape. I could see our unit window from the CN Tower when we took this photo in 2005. I can't imagine living there now; having lost the view of the CN Tower and Lake Ontario.

Other comparisons make for happier memories, like seeing a parking lot in the 1970s become the Roy Thompson Hall in later photos. It's interesting to see how much Toronto has changed in the last few decades, especially in comparison with the CN Tower and its views. My photo book will include photos I have taken from 1978 to Leap Day 2024 adding to my Leap Day memories.

If you read my original post about planning a special Leap Day, I hope I inspired you to experience a memorable Leap Day. If you're reading this at another time, I hope I inspire you to make what could be an ordinary day, like April 16th, into one that is a little more extraordinary.