Scotiabank Nuit Blanche 2009

For a while there with all the rain we've had this weekend, I didn't think Nuit Blanche would've been a go, but thankfully the weather held nicely, at least for the time I was out. Much like last year, when all is said and done, I must say that I didn't really enjoy the exhibits themselves, and had a much better time simply hanging out with my friends.

To say that I was disappointed with Nuit Blanche is an understatement. The turnout seemed larger this year, so there were _huge_ lines for everything, and I have little patience for long lines. My friends and I were out for about 5 hours, from 8:00 pm to 1:00 am, and we certainly didn't see anything overly thought provoking. The Ice Queen in the Eaton's Centre was kind of cool, simply because of the coordination it takes for someone to do that without being distracted by all the people. We saw a circle of people dressed as ghosts reading poetry in different languages, which would have impacted me more if I could have understood what was being said. The pulsing CN Tower was good, but City Hall was a complete and total letdown (concept pictured above). What a bad homage to retro-'70's sci-fi films, or at least that's what I thought the giant letters being red as words represented.

The walk unto itself was fun, as we walked all over the downtown area beginning at Yonge and Bloor. We ultimately stopped off for a fun, greasy poutine dinner (I still feel gross from it), and went to enjoy the Bay Street Carnival. Like everywhere else, the lines were horribly long, so while a few other friends went and waited to get on the Avalanche ride, the rest of us relaxed and walked around a little more. The energy of the crowds was certainly in a good mood, and you could feel the excitement all over.

So, like last year, I felt the exhibits themselves were quite poor, and for the most part all questionable decisions for the grant money, but the overall atmosphere of the event itself, and the wonderful social aspect of it, was a great time. And I suppose that was the primary goal of Nuit Blanche all along.

And yes, I did purchase one Tim Bit, and only one Tim Bit for desert. Gotta keep some traditions alive.