OH TORONTO NO

Thank god I fled the city this weekend. Good lord.

From CBC's Amber Hildebrandt, who has been in the crowds speaking to the protestors and the curious:

Beyond the masses of protesters and police and media, there is the contingent of curious onlookers, both citizens and tourists alike, who either get caught up in the madness or seek it out.

Finding it is not hard. Not only because following Twitter makes it exceedingly easy to track down the hot zones, but also because the entire downtown core has become a demonstration or standoff waiting to happen. Listen closely and you will hear the cop walkie talkies screech the latest news or you'll see a protester waving people in the "right" direction.

Among the people I have met are a 16 year old who secretly came down to the protest by the security fence and an 80 year old woman on Bay who asked the riot police to let her through to go to the pharmacy (the answer was no). She simply sat down on her walker to wait it out, unperturbed by the protesters shouting expletives at the riot police in front of her. She mumbled something about them not having money, but having too much time.

I also met a trio of tourists from Cincinnati in Toronto for three days, who had no idea the G20 was here... Until they arrived this afternoon and noticed Pearson airport was abuzz with unusual activity.

Joan Blumberg, 71, said she came down with her friend Nancy and Nancy's daughter, Martha, for a fun-filled weekend and decided to check out some of the action at Wellington Street and Simcoe, where police were evacuating folks away from the fence.

"I keep thinking about the criticism the police are gettig for not taking charge. But it doesn't look that way to me. I appreciate the restraint," said Blumberg.

Viola Baker will have a lot to tell her friends on Monday morning. The nine-year-old got to watch the action on Queen Street as riot police rushed to cordon off the streets leading north.

Standing on Beverley Street with her dad, Jeff, she said, "it's kinda scary but exciting at the same time."

Her dad, who works in film post-production, says he wanted to bring her out to show what a protest was really like. They live nearby on Grange Ave. and were just leaving a birthday party when they decided to drop by.

"(My dad) wants me to know what a real protest looks like so he's just trying to teach me," she said.

Baker, 47, said he wouldn't have brought his daughter if he felt they were in danger. "As soon as they start coming I'm outta here."