When a mayor asks you the way to city hall, there's only one thing to do: let him hitch a ride with you.
That's what Glenn Kubish did when he spotted Toronto mayor Rob Ford walking down Jasper Ave. with his wife Renata on Thursday. The former journalist was in his car and threw his hand out the window to greet the visiting mayor, according to a post Thursday on Kubish's blog:
"Mayor Ford," I said, throwing my arm out the window with a handshake offer, "Welcome to Edmonton!" He took the offer, and there we were, I was still fairly certain, shaking hands, he on foot, me in the driver's seat, at Edmonton's major intersection.
He asked me which way to city hall, and I started to explain the route, but then offered to give him a lift. At first, he politely declined, but I asked again and he obliged, and slipped into the backseat.
It was a safe move for Ford, who has been under fire in Toronto recently for being caught reading while driving.
Kubish, who now works for ATB Financial, drove Ford about five blocks to Edmonton's city hall, during which time, he says, the two talked about hockey, the Edmonton Eskimos, the construction cranes in the city, and the beautiful Alberta weather, among other things.
“He’s was praising the defensive corps of the Eskimos. I asked him his impressions of Edmonton and he said, ‘You’ve got a beautiful city here.’ He was quite impressed with all the construction cranes,” Kubish told the Toronto Star.
After his ride with the mayor, Kubish tweeted about his experience:
The mayor called Kubish's gesture 'western hospitality', he said in his blog.
Turns out Ford is in town on vacation with his wife, but is hoping to get some face time with Edmonton and Calgary's mayors while in the province. The Globe and Mail spoke to Toronto Councillor Doug Ford, who said his brother was also in Alberta to catch some CFL games on Friday in Edmonton and Saturday in Calgary.
The minor hitch to Ford's mayoral bonding plans: Both Edmonton and Calgary mayors Stephen Mandel and Naheed Nenshi are also on vacation -- out of the province.
Regardless, Toronto's mayor on holiday certainly made an impression on social media with his visit. Check out what the Twittersphere had to say about Rob Ford's visit: