Birthday Party
My friends, Scott and Lil, called me to say they were headed back to the Ex today, so I decided to tag along with them again.
On my way from the Dufferin Gate to the TTC stop to meet them, I arrived at the Kids’ World Stage in time to celebrate Al-Ex’s birthday. It was a cute celebration with mascots, jugglers on stilts and cupcakes for all the kids.
First stop was the Food Building. We got there just a bit before 12 and it was still quiet. We were able to get food and a table without standing in line. A few minutes after 12 and the place was packed.
Lil is a great bargain shopper, so we hit the warehouse sales first. Divide and conquer seemed to be the best approach, so we fanned out, looking for the sizes and styles Lil wanted. She managed to find quite a few things to fill out her fall wardrobe. I was glad of the benches and babysat the bags after the first couple of stores.
Scott and Lil have their own tricks for getting the most out of the Ex. They showed me where the lockers are outside the Direct Energy Centre. All the purchases were safely stowed and we were off again.
We hit the midway and played just about every money game going. Every time I was down to my bottom dollar I managed to have a few wins in a row to keep me going. We were at it for hours.
We worked up enough of an appetite for a second lunch, so back to the food building again. We shared some of our favourite deals. I showed them where to get corn for $2 and they showed me where to get bottles of water or soda for $1. After our second lunch we went in search of dessert. Scott and I decided to try a deep fried Mars bar. We found a booth on Princes’ Boulevard and ordered one. The bar was dipped in batter and really deep fried. Once it was done it was coated in icing sugar. Yikes. We were handed the bar with a warning about the hot melted caramel inside. We both tried it but Lil could not be tempted in the least to taste it. It was very sweet, interesting, but one was enough for me, for this lifetime.
All that food was weighing me down, so it was time to head home. As I headed out the Dufferin Gate I was handed a $5 Subway card and a peach. Dinner and dessert for another day.