John- Men’s Rooms? Say what? Dave, you’re right as a a few years ago a British group chartered a PCC and toured around town. I met a friend of mine who was with the tour and I got to ride around and see some track that is not normally used in service. I think the TTC has two PCCs available and yes, around ten years ago I saw a Peter Witt car tooling around town. I think that one is kept at the museum in Halton region, the PCCs are kept at the Connaught streetcar yard. I also remember two PCCs on flatbed trucks heading for the States, where, I don’t know.
Interesting video Paul, but I’ll tell you what, I don’t want to dress up like a goofball, I just want some good beer/liquor and food and a good ride. Quite honestly, I think the folks on that streetcar are too old for that stuff, and I’m 59, so I think I’m qualified to critisise. But what the hell, they’re having fun.
In Toronto (I don’t know about other Canadian cities) a Men’s Room is (or used to be) a bar where only men are served. It is not what Americans would known as a Men’s Room.
No, Men’s Rooms are a thing of the past. Here’s something else, years ago you could not have a drink in a bar unless you had food. The bar would give you a plate with a stale sandwich on it to keep in front of you in case the liquor inspectors came in. You did not, nor were you expected to eat it as it was only for show. This was back in the 50s and early 60s I am told. I do recall going to a bar, ordering a drink at the bar and attempting to take it to my table. That was not allowed, the waiter had to carry it for you. That was the rule in 1989. My friends say that a typical old-time Ontario bar had no windows (and there are still a few of these but they are dying off) and no actual bar as such, but merely a serving counter. The various legion halls (there are many) still operate this way. About legions, anyone can join whether you served or not (most are not like the American Legion but are smaller, regimental specific) and they are cheap places to drink and in a smaller city such as Kingston, it would be the only place open on Christmas day. Who wouldn’t need a drink after the presents for screaming kids, family angst and all the other “love” at the holidays.There used to be a bar east of the downtown that had an old sign above one door that said “ladies entrance,” but that’s long gone.
But, back to streetcars, I know that in many cities in Germany you can rent one set up for a rolling party with beer taps, music, a galley kitchen. Usually this would be a vintage model restored for this kind of service. The Harz narrow gauge railway has an open car sort of like a gondola with benches and a bar in the middle. Now, that is the way to travel! I know because I’ve done it. German beer, beautiful scenery and coal smoke!
yes, Firelock, I would not dress like that either, even if it is New Orleans!
The short answer is YES. I won’t say more, yet…
Everyone in New Orleans enjoys good food and good drink. And everyone, regardless of age, enjoys dressing up for Mardi Gras. Some people spend the entire year making their Mardi Gras costumes.
I don’t guess Toronto is much like Germany.
Nein!
If I’m not careful I’ll try my college German and embarrass myself.
Yeah, one time in Munich I was at this restaurant. The waiter says, “Vee thank you fur ordering in Cherman, but you did order a deep-fried telephone book, und here it is.” I do remember that I ordered it broiled.
Actually I think English is a Germanic dialect.
I told Juniatha once I took German in High School but only know enough of it now to get in trouble. I’ll tell you, if I watch a movie like “Das Boot” or “Der Untergang” or even “Battle of Britain” I thank God for the subtitles, I can’t understand a word the German actors are saying!
I probably could have kept up with it but, well, you know how it is.
I’m not gonna say I’m proficient in German but I speak and understand it enough to get by in Germany as far as ordering a train ticket, meal, hotel room and beer is concerned. Especially beer. Funny, one ethnic group in Toronto that’s kind of under the radar are Germans. There’s one German restaurant in the whole city that I know of and one in Hamilton. There’s a large sausage factory with a factory outlet store that’ s always busy, but there is no “Germantown” here.
Somebody has probably done a version of the Hitler bunker ‘meme’ regarding the scrapping of the F40PHes… like this:
but more specific.
The one thing wrong with these is that they leave the original German undisturbed. That should be fixed too. If anyone here remembers the Monty Python supersonic-sheep sendup – yes, the French seems to be a fairly realistic description of the aerodynamic issues with supersonic sheep. This makes it FAR more funny. (Twain covered this very, very well in his essay on the German language, which I shall not cite in deference to Juniatha’s finer sensibilities…)
Hals- und beinbruch,
RME
We’re Americans! We don’t talk none of them fancy schmancy furrin langwidges. Let them speak our langwidge!
No, we’ll just do what we’ve always done: take the best parts of each ‘invading’ language and spice up what we have. ;-}
Some (including TR) think that we’ve kept far too much weird stuff along with the spice. But I say (as a card-carrying honoree of the NCTE… look it up) that even the odd grammatical stuff is fun. (And it keeps the scruffy furriners on their toes!)
On various British-run rail trips to east Germany that I’ve done over the years, one common thing that you hear from the Brits is “Whatever you do, don’t mention the war.” From Fawlty Towers, I think. I asked a group of people on a tour in Trier about why the track numbering in the station started with track 5, one guy said, “I think the RAF did a little urban renewal.” Quiet laughter all round.
I think the one who nailed it best was Tom Lehrer in MLF Lullaby:
“We taught them a lesson in 1918, and they’ve scarcely bothered us since then…”
(Song and its context are recommended!)
I always enjoyed Young Frankenstein. Just be sure to get off at Transylvania Station.
For razzin’ the nazzys, go to Youtube and see if you can play Spike Jones and the City Slickers “Der Fuhrer’s Face.” Also, enter in Youtube, “Germans marching to Lambeth Walk.” A British made film that made Josef Goebbels foam at the mouth when he saw it. Hermann Goering had a chuckle at it. What a guy. What Hitler did is not recorded. Who didn’t enjoy “Young Frankenstein?” No one I know.