North America by Train

3 week circle trip with main stops in Toronto & W. Lafayette Indiana Read more

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North America by Train Sarah McCabe
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Day 7
Saturday, October 8, 2022 at 11:30 AM
⛅ 48 °F
Altitude: 299 ft
Canada Western Gap 43.640421, -79.39607743°38’26” N 79°23’46” W
Sat Oct 8, 11:30 am: Eggs Masters
October 8, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 48 °F
Our first breakfast in Toronto, Al and Shirley made their own version of Eggs Benedict they like to call Eggs Masters. Which makes sense when you know that's their last name.

They were a success and a great start to our first day.

But first we had to do a little redecorating in the apartment. There is a big window from the dining room to Al & Shirley's bedroom. When we arrived, there were these very sheer curtains. It was not at all private. Fortunately, we discovered some very thick red curtains in a cabinet and so we swapped out the sheer ones for the light blocking ones.Read more
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North America by Train Sarah McCabe
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Day 7
Saturday, October 8, 2022 at 3:00 PM
⛅ 50 °F
Altitude: 289 ft
Canada Nathan Phillips Square 43.652117, -79.38348243°39’8” N 79°23’1” W
Sat Oct 8, 3:00 pm: Toronto by bike
October 8, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 50 °F
We started our trip with a bicycle tour of downtown Toronto. We find that is a great way to get an overview of a new city.

Toronto has so many skyscrapers and so many more are under construction. It was the weekend, so the streets weren't that crowded, but the parks had plenty of people. It feels like it may be a very dense city. More dense than San Francisco, but not as bad as New York City.Read more
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North America by Train Sarah McCabe
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Day 7
Saturday, October 8, 2022 at 8:30 PM
⛅ 50 °F
Altitude: 282 ft
Canada Niagara 43.643333, -79.39833343°38’36” N 79°23’54” W
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Sat Oct 8, 8:30 pm: Dinner at Marben
October 8, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 50 °F
Russell had done some pre-searching to find restaurants and picked out a very nice place for our first real dinner in Toronto. It was an easy walk from our apartment.

The food and the ambiance were both wonderful. The restaurant was pretty quiet, but once the Blue Jays game ended, it started to fill up since the stadium was nearby, so we skedaddled.Read more
Traveler Looks like a great time . We are on the road in Amarillo texas.
10/13/22Reply
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North America by Train Sarah McCabe
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Day 8
Sunday, October 9, 2022 at 1:00 PM
⛅ 59 °F
Altitude: 285 ft
Canada St. Lawrence Market 43.649235, -79.37271143°38’57” N 79°22’22” W
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Sun Oct 9, 1:00 pm: Omar & Katyn
October 9, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 59 °F
We joined Omar and Katyn for brunch in their apartment and got to meet baby Zoya. It was fun to see the inside side of a. Toronto apartment that is actually lived in, as opposed to an apartment that's just used as a vacation rental. Their apartment was large by Toronto standards, in part because it was built 40 years ago.

Before we headed out, I made a quick trip to the nearby grocery store where I had to take a picture of the milk as it was sold in bags.

On the walk there we saw this cool fountain of dogs.Read more
Traveler That is so cool !
10/15/22Reply
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North America by Train Sarah McCabe
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Day 8
Sunday, October 9, 2022 at 3:00 PM
🌧 57 °F
Altitude: 387 ft
Canada North Toronto 43.680354, -79.37269143°40’49” N 79°22’22” W
Sun Oct 9, 3:00 pm: Hiking & Shopping
October 9, 2022 in Canada ⋅ 🌧 57 °F
After brunch, Russell, Al, & Shirley headed off by subway to meet up with a coworker of Russell's who recently moved back to Toronto. He took them hiking in a ravine. Even though it is in the middle of the city, it seemed incredibly isolated and rural.

Meanwhile, I went off shopping to look for cheap swimsuits for me and Russell. I hadn't thought we would need swimsuits in Toronto in October, but Al pointed out there was a hot tub in our apartment building that might be nice to check out. I successfully found something for Russell, but came up empty for me.Read more
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North America by Train Sarah McCabe
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Day 8
Sunday, October 9, 2022 at 7:00 PM
⛅ 57 °F
Altitude: 305 ft
Canada Niagara 43.645325, -79.40058243°38’43” N 79°24’2” W
Sun Oct 9: Dinner at Chubby's
October 9, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 57 °F
Russell had made reservations at a Jamaican restaurant for tonight. This was Shirley's first time eating jerked chicken.

Once again all the food was delicious, but the restaurant was a bit loud.
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North America by Train Sarah McCabe
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Day 9
Monday, October 10, 2022 at 11:00 AM
⛅ 52 °F
Altitude: 289 ft
Canada Western Gap 43.64, -79.39666743°38’24” N 79°23’48” W
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Mon Oct 10, 11:00 am: Window washer
October 10, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 52 °F
Woke up to see a window washer hanging off the building across the street. You can see how high up he is, if you zoom in on the first picture.
Traveler Scary!
10/15/22Reply
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North America by Train Sarah McCabe
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Day 9
Monday, October 10, 2022 at 12:00 PM
☀️ 54 °F
Altitude: 322 ft
Canada Chinatown 43.651667, -79.39833343°39’6” N 79°23’54” W
Mon Oct 10, 12:00 pm: Chinatown
October 10, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 54 °F
We decided to spend today wandering Toronto by foot and exploring some of the neighborhoods we visited by bike in a little more depth.

First stop: Chinatown. Toronto Chinatown had the obligatory statue of Sun Yat-sen.. I think Bruce Lee looked cooler.

Today was Canadian Thanksgiving. Which is evidently a different sort of event than American. While some shops were closed, a lot were open and people were working some places (like the window washer we saw earlier).Read more
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North America by Train Sarah McCabe
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Day 9
Monday, October 10, 2022 at 12:30 PM
☀️ 55 °F
Altitude: 348 ft
Canada Kensington Market 43.655, -79.40166743°39’18” N 79°24’6” W
Mon Oct 10, 12:30 pm: Kensington Market
October 10, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 55 °F
Kensington Market is a neighborhood with eclectic shops and restaurants. When we passed through on Saturday, there were a whole bunch of street vendors out as well and the place was very crowded. Today, it was much more deserted.

While we were walking around, I spotted this really old Ford truck. Al mentioned that he could identify what year that truck was from. I was really impressed with his Ford identification skills, until I saw the license plate.Read more
TravelerVery interesting market !
10/15/22Reply
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North America by Train Sarah McCabe
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Day 9
Monday, October 10, 2022 at 1:30 PM
⛅ 55 °F
Altitude: 348 ft
Canada University of Toronto 43.665, -79.39666743°39’54” N 79°23’48” W
Mon Oct 10 1:30 pm: Universty of Toronto
October 10, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 55 °F
Our next stop was the University of Toronto. This campus was huge, but not as huge as one might expect, based on the fact that there are almost 100,000 students. Evidently most of them live at home and commute to campus. Which makes the Canadian college experience somewhat different than the American one. In America, college is also the time when you figure out how to live away from home, as well as all the learning that you do in class. I don't know if one is necessarily better than the other, but they are different.

There was a ton of construction happening on the campus, but then again, there was a ton of construction going on in the entire downtown.Read more
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North America by Train Sarah McCabe
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Day 9
Monday, October 10, 2022 at 3:00 PM
☀️ 55 °F
Altitude: 213 ft
Canada Air Canada Center 43.641667, -79.37543°38’30” N 79°22’30” W
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Mon Oct 10, 3:00 pm: Street Scenes
October 10, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 55 °F
After a very filling lunch at a shawarma shop, Russell, Al, & Shirley headed back to the apartment by subway and by streetcar. Then they headed out to play some tennis. Al & Shirley brought rackets and had scoped out some local courts in advance. They had a nice time playing rounds of 2 on 1. Let's just say that Shirley's new nickname is Serena Williams, but she did let them win one round. A good time was had by all.

In the meantime, I managed to find a swimsuit for me and then I wandered quite a bit exploring the lakefront areas near downtown.Read more
Paul McCabe nice photo
10/16/22Reply
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North America by Train Sarah McCabe
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Day 9
Monday, October 10, 2022 at 8:00 PM
🌙 52 °F
Altitude: 331 ft
Canada Western Gap 43.640374, -79.39609143°38’25” N 79°23’46” W
Mon Oct 10, 8:00 pm: Happy Thanksgiving
October 10, 2022 in Canada ⋅ 🌙 52 °F
As I mentioned, this was Canadian Thanksgiving, so rather than trying to find a restaurant dinner, we cooked dinner at the apartment. Shirley had packed all the fixings for a great pasta dinner. It was delicious.Read more
TravelerLooks like great fun ! Hello to Russell.
10/15/22Reply
TravelerPaul and I thought of you all night long. We are in Gallup New Mexico where the train runs through the town about every 15 minutes. But I actually like the sound !
10/15/22Reply
Sarah McCabeSounds fun! I am not hearing trains much these days, but will soon
10/15/22Reply
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North America by Train Sarah McCabe
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Day 10
Tuesday, October 11, 2022 at 12:30 PM
☀️ 64 °F
Altitude: 351 ft
Canada Homer 43.166667, -79.20166743°10’0” N 79°12’6” W
Tue Oct 11, 12:30pm: Lunch near Niagara
October 11, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 64 °F
We got up bright and early (-ish) and headed off for Niagara Falls. Russell and I have never been, even to the American side, so this should be quite exciting.

Before we got on the road, I checked the map and I was SHOCKED to find out that Niagara Falls is pretty much south of Toronto. I thought it was pretty much east. And yes, I did take the train through there just the other day. I just hadn't looked at a map.

When I say I am geographically challenged, I am not kidding.

Just before we got to the falls themselves, we stopped for lunch. I got a combination of two Canadian specialties: poutine with peameal bacon on it. Poutine is traditionally french fries covered with cheese curds and brown gravy. Peameal bacon is pork loin rolled in cornmeal. I'm not sure it is any better than other ham products, but it's kind of a big deal in Toronto, so I wanted to try it. It was incredibly filling and pretty tasty.

Once we were all fueled up for the trip, we tried to leave, but we had to wait for a cargo ship to pass the drawbridge that was open. After a short delay, we were on our way.Read more
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North America by Train Sarah McCabe
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Day 10
Tuesday, October 11, 2022 at 1:00 PM
☀️ 64 °F
Altitude: 430 ft
Canada Horseshoe Falls 43.078333, -79.07833343°4’42” N 79°4’42” W
Tues Oct 11, 1:00 pm: Niagara Falls
October 11, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 64 °F
The falls were every bit as impressive as described. The sheer mass of water zooming by was hard to comprehend.

Thanksgiving is the official end of the summer season here, so the crowds were very thin, compared to summer.

We spotted on of the tour boats that goes up to the falls. You can see how close they get.

We had to feel bad for the people on the American side. They completely miss the American falls, since they are viewing them from the wrong angle.Read more
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North America by Train Sarah McCabe
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Day 10
Tuesday, October 11, 2022 at 2:30 PM
☀️ 68 °F
Altitude: 367 ft
Canada Niagara Falls 43.086667, -79.07166743°5’12” N 79°4’18” W
Tues Oct 11, 2:30 pm: Niagara by Boat
October 11, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 68 °F
Soon it was time to board the boat that will take us up close to the falls.

The weather was absolutely beautiful and warm, so we resisted putting our ponchos on until after we were boarded and ready to be underway. Unlike every other single passenger on the boat.

We got a pretty good spot on the boat. We did have to look over other people, but we were on a little raised platform.

The ponchos were very necessary, and even with them, we got quite soaked

Still it was totally worth it. Don't let anyone tell you different.Read more
TravelerThat looks like a blast ! Great trip narrative and pics . We have enjoyed your travel log . Thanks !
10/16/22Reply
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North America by Train Sarah McCabe
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Day 10
Tuesday, October 11, 2022 at 3:30 PM
☀️ 68 °F
Altitude: 673 ft
Canada Horseshoe Falls 43.081667, -79.08166743°4’54” N 79°4’54” W
Tue Oct 11, 3:30 pm: Beer after boat
October 11, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 68 °F
After the boat ride, we headed off to a brewpub for a celebratory beer. Unfortunately, the "brewpub" turned out to be just a bar inside a casino, so the ambiance was a bit lacking.

However, we did get to take a funicular down almost directly to where we had parked the car.

Shirley got to drive three sleepyheads all the way back to Toronto through rush hour traffic. She did an amazing job and we all got little naps.Read more
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Day 10
Tuesday, October 11, 2022 at 7:00 PM
🌙 61 °F
Altitude: 341 ft
Canada Niagara 43.644099, -79.40085243°38’39” N 79°24’3” W
Tues Oct 11, 7:00 pm: Dinner at Baro
October 11, 2022 in Canada ⋅ 🌙 61 °F
As we were driving to Toronto, Russell realized that the dinner reservations he had made for tonight were actually for tomorrow as that restaurant was closed on Tuesdays. So we had some quick re-shuffling and got a reservation at Baro for this evening.

It was a Latin American/Asian fusion menu.

This was hands down the best food we had in Toronto, but boy was that place LOUD. Each night the restaurants had gotten louder and louder and we could barely hear ourselves shout.

We ordered a plate of shishito peppers and there were only two really hot ones in the batch. Shirley and I won (lost?) the pepper lottery. Whew were they hot!Read more
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North America by Train Sarah McCabe
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Day 11
Wednesday, October 12, 2022 at 12:00 PM
⛅ 61 °F
Altitude: 272 ft
Canada St. Lawrence Market 43.648333, -79.37166743°38’54” N 79°22’18” W
Weds Oct 12, 12 pm: St. Lawrence Market
October 12, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 61 °F
Al & Shirley headed off to see a play at a real live theater.

Meanwhile, Russell & I got Toronto Share Bikes and headed off to the St. Lawrence Market for another meetup with Omar.

We had lunch at the market. I had the infamous peameal bacon sandwich, while Russell got an octopus poboy.

After Omar left, we went upstairs in the market to find a cool little art gallery. There was one piece that was basically embroidery on paper that was very intriguing.Read more
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North America by Train Sarah McCabe
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Day 11
Wednesday, October 12, 2022 at 2:00 PM
☁️ 63 °F
Altitude: 226 ft
Canada Sugar Beach 43.65, -79.36166743°39’0” N 79°21’42” W
Weds Oct 12, 2:00 pm: More Street Scenes
October 12, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 63 °F
As we were leaving the market, Russell noticed that the bike share app kept texting him to return his bike (you are only supposed to have them checked out for 30 minutes and it had been a couple hours by then). Except he had returned it hours ago. So we headed back to where he had left it and discovered that the docking station he had left it in was broken. So the bike was not locked into place.

Fortunately, we figured out a solution and got that cleared from his record.

After we left the market, we did some more walking/biking around and ended up back at the Distillery District for an afternoon beer.Read more
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North America by Train Sarah McCabe
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Day 11
Wednesday, October 12, 2022 at 9:00 PM
☁️ 64 °F
Altitude: 279 ft
Canada Niagara 43.644613, -79.40002443°38’41” N 79°24’0” W
Weds Oct 12, 9:00 pm: Happy Anniversary
October 12, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 64 °F
We had planned to make tonight the fancy dinner to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary. But we also wanted some place quiet enough to have a conversation. And we wanted a place within walking distance. And we wanted a place that still had tables available this evening.

All of that proved too much. So we tried one place that had no available bookings, but they did say "walkins welcome." So we tried walking over there. But they could only take us if the existing reservations didn't show up.

So we stood out on the street, searching on our phones for some place nearby. I found a place on the 44th floor of a nearby (10 min away) building. So we headed over there thinking at least the view would be nice. They had a reservation available about 30 minutes away and so we got there and waited for about 15 minutes.

It was loud and once we got seated we discovered we had no view. And the menu was expensive. And the food didn't look that good. And the service was abysmal (one waiter who was way overworked). So after a bit we just got up and left.

We headed off to another restaurant Russell had pre-scouted (Gusto 101) and so we were reasonably certain that at least the food would be good. Sure enough it was REALLY LOUD but by this point we were too hungry to care.

Russell ordered 3 bottles of wine for the table, so in short time we were feeling no pain. The food was very good and once the other customers cleared out, we could actually talk.

So in the end it was a lovely dinner, but getting there was a bit of a struggle.Read more
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North America by Train Sarah McCabe
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Day 12
Thursday, October 13, 2022 at 10:00 AM
🌧 54 °F
Altitude: 591 ft
Canada Toronto Pearson International Airport 43.681667, -79.61333343°40’54” N 79°36’48” W
Thu Oct 13, 10:00 am: Leaving Toronto
October 13, 2022 in Canada ⋅ 🌧 54 °F
We had an early morning to get up and packed and out of the apartment.

It was a cold and rainy morning that suited our mood. We were so sad to be leaving this city and our friends.

Al and Shirley dropped us off at the airport on their way out of town. The only thing that saved us from a tearful farewell was the knowledge that we will see them in less than a month when they visit California.

After we had checked in and cleared all customs (US incoming customs can be cleared at Toronto airport, which makes it easy) we had plenty of time to explore the airport, shop the duty free liquor, and get all our electronic devices charged before it was time for boarding.Read more
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Day 12
Thursday, October 13, 2022 at 1:30 PM
⛅ 52 °F
Altitude: 659 ft
United States Chicago O'Hare International Airport 41.978906, -87.90144741°58’44” N 87°54’5” W
Thu Oct 13, 1:30 pm: Flying to Chicago
October 13, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 52 °F
Leg 7: Toronto -> Chicago by air

This is my only flight on this trip of planes, trains and automobiles. We left a little late, but arrived on time.

I took advantage of the flight time to try to get some of the Toronto entries edited and ready for upload. We were having so much fun on the ground, I didn't have time to update this blog.Read more
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Day 12
Thursday, October 13, 2022 at 5:00 PM
⛅ 54 °F
Altitude: 823 ft
United States Gravel Hill 40.635443, -87.38125740°38’8” N 87°22’53” W
Thu Oct 13, 5:00 pm: Driving to Indiana
October 13, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 54 °F
Leg 8: Chicago -> West Lafayette by car

It took us about an hour to get our luggage and rental car and get on the road.

The first hour of the trip was kind of nerve wracking fighting Chicago traffic and road constructionand big trucks. The recommended route was constantly shifting as was our ETA in W. Lafayette.

We drove through a gigantic wind farm where there were windmills literally as far as the eye could see in all directions.

Once we got out of the city, the roads through the small towns could be quite picturesque.Read more
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Day 12
Thursday, October 13, 2022 at 8:00 PM
🌙 48 °F
Altitude: 581 ft
United States Wabash River 40.418333, -86.89166740°25’6” N 86°53’30” W
Thu Oct 13, 8:00 pm: Bistro 501
October 13, 2022 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 48 °F
After a long somewhat harrowing drive, we finally arrive in Lafayette to join Patricia and Stuart at one of their favorite restaurants. We had a lovely dinner, but I was so sleepy after the long day that we had to call it an early night.Read more
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Day 13
Friday, October 14, 2022 at 12:30 PM
☀️ 54 °F
Altitude: 581 ft
United States Wabash River 40.418333, -86.89166740°25’6” N 86°53’30” W
Fri Oct 14, 12:30 pm: Lunch with Stuart
October 14, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 54 °F
Russell and I had a lazy morning and barely managed to get ourselves up and out in time to meet Stuart for lunch at the Bistro Market, a nice little lunch place associated with the Bistro 501 restaurant next door.Read more
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