Re: Visiting Glenn Gould's Toronto

[Joanna Ente <bananapeel25@juno.com>]

On Fri, 13 Jul 2001 23:49:45 +0000, Kate Clunies-Ross
<goldbergs@TALK21.COM> wrote:
>Just out of curiosity (and because I am an incurably nosy person, I guess)
>how many people have made Gouldian trips to Toronto? And how far did they
>have to travel?

Two weeks ago my family and I made the pilgrimage to Toronto and Ottawa to
see the Gould sights.  We drove from NYC.

We visited his childhood home (to the present owners, please take down the
Christmas lights), his St. Clair apartment building, Fran's Diner on St.
Clair(which is now closed - bankrupt), and of course his grave site where
we left him Arrowroot cookies and Poland water.  At the Glenn Gould Studio,
the manager let my 11 year old daughter play the Steinway that is on the
stage and Glenn's Chickering piano.  She is still gushing over this.  We
also saw his Yamaha piano at Roy Thompson Hall.  The biggest surprise was
seeing his shoes on display at the Bata Shoe Museum.  They were well worn
and old. (calm down everyone, let's not start writing about GG and the Foot
Fetish)

In Ottawa we visited the National Library and saw CD318 which is no longer
in the lobby.  It is in a room off the lobby.  It was very dusty and now
our finger prints are all over it as we touched practically every part of
that piano.  We also saw his famous chair and in person it is quite small.

Well, just thought I'd share.

Joanna