Downpour fails to put damper on visitors' plans to explore city

By WALLACE IMMEN, The Globe and Mail
Saturday, July 27, 2002

Realizing they had only two days left before heading home, many tried to see as much of the city as possible.

"It's been a busy day, but we want to see it all," said Tom Brennan, one of the leaders of a group of 50 young Roman Catholics from Somerset, Pa. He wore a shirt that said, "Young at heart."

After listening to music at the youth festival, dampened visitors toured Eaton Centre and the Royal Ontario Museum, then walked the length of University Avenue that was closed to traffic for the dramatic Stations of the Cross.

The group of 206,000 youths registered for the event kept growing through the day.

Stirred by Pope John Paul's message on Thursday, Melanie Mullen, 19, and her sister, Faye, 16, drove from Niagara Falls yesterday to sign up for the weekend events.

"I was crying watching the Pope on TV," said Ms. Mullen, who was decked out in a red-and-white hat with "Canada" on it. "Everyone who is visiting is waving flags. People see us and say, 'Oh, Canada.' "

As light drizzle turned to downpour, Vickie Marsden, who lives in Sydney, used an Australian flag as a rain hood. "I'm happy just to be here," she said on King Street.

Some other people were noticeable because they were not downtown. The fear of traffic chaos evaporated as many workers apparently took a long weekend or worked from home.

However, using transit became a stacking problem as youthful visitors chose riding streetcars over walking in the rain.

Laughter erupted spontaneously as a streetcar on King Street, packed with delegates, lurched forward and stopped quickly.

"The streetcar's going to get a little more crowded. So, please, could you take off your backpacks?" the driver announced as he neared a crowded corner.

In the crush, Pilar Perez, of Asuncion, Paraguay, turned to a friend she met this week and said in English: "Toronto; it is beautiful."

City officials hope visitors take home that message.

The city estimates that the event injected $110-million into the local economy, said Eva Pyatt, the city's co-ordinator of World Youth Day.

That represents not only spending by pilgrims and their families, visiting clergy and news-media members, but it includes payments made by the organizers for catering, supplies and equipment.

Large groups packed downtown restaurants, Ms. Pyatt said. The CN Tower had such crowds it closed at midnight rather than 9 p.m.

"Part of our strategy was that what people see here will make them want to return and will recommend it to their friends. It's a good age group. They'll be back," Ms. Pyatt said.