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| - The Ex has changes so much and yet, it is still so much the same as it always was...
I make sure I go every year and even thought I don't go on the rides like I did when I was young, it is still always a great experience...
I always come back with something cool.
In the past, the whole fair used to center around a chosen country and events would happen around that nation. It was a great educational tool and brought in some very unique entertainment...
The rides were a lot of fun as a kid, even though I can remember almost falling out of a few of them and the shopping always proved useful. You can find very nice cheap gifts for everyone on your list and the international flair is still present in the shopping pavilion. All kinds of stands selling goods from each country... I got a wicked African drum there one year for $30. You can always haggle in the shopping pavilion. It has the feel of an old school out door market.
Then there is the food building. And what stop to the Ex would be complete without the joy of warm, fresh made, mini, Tiny Tom Donuts? I have defiantly been there, done that and, quite literally, bought the t-shirt. The food building has everything you can think of and them some.
The main draw for me is that every building on the CNE grounds is open. These are some great old buildings with a lot of history and to have to opportunity to go back and have a stroll through part of Old Toronto is great.
The best scenario is if you have a ticket for a great show at the Amphitheatre... If you have a ticket, you are granted free admission to the Ex with it as well as your show...
Nothing beat this last summer when I walked through the Prince's gates with my friend, had a wicked day chilling at the Ex and made our way down to see Radiohead that night.
The Ex is a Toronto institution.
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