Hi Everyone,
If you can go to see, The Art of Banksy, go. I highly recommend it. Not only is the exhibit fantastic, the audio guide has some hidden gems in it. Of course the the most challenging part of the exhibit is getting a ticket and not for the reasons you may think. This is what I mean.
The exhibit is in the industial section of Junction District of Toronto which means it is in the middle of no where. The box office is off to the far side of the exhibit’s entrance and the exhibit is not wheelchair accesible. Well, that may not be entirely true. If you were in a wheelchair, the only way that I could see you getting into the exhibit would be to enter at the end of it and wheel yourself to the beginning. But first you would have to get a ticket. That’s the tricky part.
When I went this past Monday afternoon there was barely a line up. Once at the box office I asked if there was a discount. I mentioned the SAVE25 to the guy behind the counter hoping to save 25% off Banksy tickets. That discount had expired.
Me–“So is there another discount?”
Ticket Guy–“I’m not sure.”
(Super long pause)
Me–“Could you check?” I asked. I was disappointed not to get the 25% off the ticket price of $34.99 which did not include the $5 charge for the audio guide. I know I am not the only one who would like to save $10 for a ticket not incuding the tax of $1.30.
Ticket Guy–After he pushes some keys on his cell phone and looks up at me, he asks the girl behind him. She giggles as she pushes her chair closer to the computer monitor and says no to the discount. I am rather certain she was giggling at bright colours on the monitor and not me.
Me–“Is there a senior’s discount,” I asked for my friend behind me.
Ticket Guy–“Yea.”
Me–“How old is a senior for this?”
Ticket Guy–“Sixty-five,” he says as he gives me a suspicious look. In my head, I thought this is not a trick question. Different organizations have different ages for seniors.
Before you go to the exhibit bring lots of cash because you can’t pay with your debit card. If you want to pay with a credit card be prepared to pay an extra 3 or 3.5%, I can’t remember which yet I am leaning towards 3.5%, to cover their costs of your using your credit card. If you are looking to save even more money, don’t bring a knapsack or a duffel bag because you have to bag check it and that will cost you $2. The tax is included in that.
Me–“The surcharge for using a credit card isn’t on the website,” I said.
Ticket Guy–He says it is and I don’t push it. There was no shade and no awning. Just a patch of sandy, dirt to stand in as I handed over my cash. I wanted to use my debit card but they don’t take them as a form of payment probably beause there is a surcharge that they can’t add to the price of the ticket without making them look REALLY cheap.
Once I had my ticket I took a picture. At the entrance I gave my wallet to my friend. As she had her handbag searched I handed over knapsack and my $2. I got ticket stub #168.
The audio guide was amazing yet my friend said it was only available in English. So there’s a head’s up if your English isn’t strong. All of the signs, tablets with great information are also only in English along with the dialogue on all the TV monitors from the curator, Steve Lazarides. Again, there’s your head’s up. You can take as many pictures as you like as long as you don’t use the flash function. They are very strict about that. Trust me.
I could suggest you leave your debit card at home but I won’t. The Drake Commissary is down the street. I got there when there was a staff meeting between 3-5 pm so I didn’t get a chance to check out the Bakery, Bar or Larder. The House of Anansi Press and its bookstore is attached to the front of the Drake Commissary. The Henderson Brewing Company is on the side of it too. If I didn’t have an obligation later I would have had a beer. The middle of nowhere is starting to sound like the centre of somewhere.
The Art of Banksy Exhibit was very good and I do highly recommend you go if you can and get the audio guide too. Just remember to either bring cash if you aren’t prepared to pay the extra money to use your credit card. The exhibit ends on Sunday September 2, 2018.
My General Admission ticket for the exhibit is dated, Wednesday June 13, 2018 with the time of 11:00am printed on it too.
Thank you for reading, A. Rebel’s Rant! ;D
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