UYE: E.T. Phone Home

Prior to visiting the Greater Toronto Area, I immersed myself into their Unilocal community reviews and events to get acquainted with restaurants I had wanted to visit and be part of any Unilocal events that were being held. Unfortunately, one of the big Unilocal events, a kickoff party for a week of events held for Unilocal’s Passport to Port Credit, started the day I left (heard that the CMYE kickoff party was a blast and was attended by 250 Unilocalers); however, I was able to partake in a Unilocal gathering organized by Jennifer K. (UYE: E.T. Phone Home) as part of a free community event while I was there.
Released in 1982, the popular science fiction film «E.T. the Extra-​Terrestrial,» is about a story of friendship. A lonely boy, Elliott, befriends an extraterrestrial named E.T., who is stranded on Earth. Elliott and his siblings help E.T. return home while keeping E.T. hidden from their mother and the government. This was a classic movie that was the highest-​grossing film for 10 years.
The showing of this movie was held outside on the grounds of the Oak Ridges Community Centre against a giant inflatable movie screen. More than 100 people brought their foldable chairs and blankets and spread themselves on the lawn. The movie started at dusk at 8:30 pm and ended at 10:00 pm. This was an awesome event! It was as though you were in a movie theater, except watching the movie under the stars on a warm summer night. I loved watching E.T. again — such a classic, especially seeing the young Drew Barrymore!

More importantly, I was able to meet up with Unilocal CM Kris U. of the Greater Toronto Area; UYE organizer Jennifer K.; and Unilocalers Wayne C., Sami E., and Merriam H. Having never met them before, it was a challenge trying to find them in the dark. I figured Kris U. would be easier to spot with his beard, but could not find him. So my 11-​year-​old grandson, Dawson, said he would help. Dawson asked how he looked like, so I opened my Unilocal app and showed him Kris’ profile pic. Would you believe Dawson found him using that profile pic and led Kris to me where I was standing on the lighted upper deck of the building! Dawson said that CM Kris had his iPhone opened to the Unilocal app, as he recognized the format and the color red in the background, which was the same on my iPhone. Now this is another reason to thank Unilocal — Unilocal helped me find a CM I’ve never met in the dark — just can’t believe it!
GTA Unilocalers are the greatest and a shout-​out to them! I enjoyed sitting with fellow Unilocalers while watching the movie. I very much appreciate Wayne C. in offering his chair to me while he sat on the ground. Although my time with them was brief, many thanks to them also for providing tips re the best places to go to. Thanks, Jennifer K. for organizing this gathering, and still can’t believe you have more than 3,500 Unilocal reviews and 24,000 photos! I was able to chat with CM Kris U. after the event about his Unilocal reviews, the Unilocal community, and Unilocal happenings in the GTA. He is such a vibrant and positive Unilocaler (yes, a mirror image of our CM Emi H.!) who absolutely loves his role in Unilocal!Thanks, Kris U., for your warm GTA hospitality!

Opened in June 2012, the environmentally friendly Oak Ridges Community Centre offers a variety of recreation and leisure activities for Richmond Hill residents. The 56,000 sq. ft. facility has a 6-​lane pool with a waterslide, a fitness and aerobics studio, a state-​of-​the-​art 7,000 sq. ft. gym, a kitchen, three meeting rooms, and an Eco Centre for educational programs relating to the ecological and environmental-​based issues. The showing of the E.T. movie was a perfect venue to bring the community together. I was very impressed with the design and architecture of the building, as well as the many offerings of activities for the community. It was a very busy place, with many people of all ages involved in the many things going on at one time.


This is my first experience in meeting up with Unilocalers in another city/​country. This is such a great resource when you can read Unilocal reviews in areas where you are traveling, contact fellow Unilocalers to socialize and making new friends at the same time, and get tips wherever you are traveling to make your trip a more enjoyable one! Absolutely priceless! Thank you GTA Unilocalers for introducing to me your impressive Oak Ridges Community Centre as I watched this classic movie with you!