Saturday, September 3, 2005
Hello from Toronto (4) - An Exploration
of Toronto's West End
One of the beauties of Toronto is its diversity, the fact that
hundreds of ethnic groups from all over the world congregate here
in this metropolis and give their distinct flavour to this urban
mosaic of cultures.
Since I had already taken my European visitors on a walking tour
of downtown, covering most of the main sights, as well as on a bicycling
tour of Toronto's waterfront, I decided it was time to show them
some of Toronto's residential neighbourhoods for an authentic feel
of the city away from the big tourist sites.
We started in the East end and drove through East York, an up and
coming neighbourhood, originally working class, where many of the
older bungalows are now being upgraded into two-story homes. Crossing
the Leaside Bridge over the Don River, we explored the upscale Leaside
Neighbourhood, featuring beautifully kept houses sheltered by a
canopy of huge trees.
Sculpture in Toronto's High Park
Making our way over through the equally upscale Moore Park Neighbourhood
we crossed the Mount Pleasant ravine to get to the highrise towers
of Yonge Street. Further west on St. Clair I turned north towards
Upper Canada College, one of Toronto's foremost private high schools,
an appropriate anchor point for the elite Forest Hill neighbourhood.
On our drive through this exclusive area, my visitors noticed all
the horseshoe-shaped driveways in front of the mansions, something
that I had never even noticed before.
Heading back down to St. Clair we drove past the multi-ethnic area
around Bathurst Street, continuing our trek westwards towards Corso
Italia, another Italian neighbourhood in Toronto. My European visitors
commented on how green the city is, something that struck them as
very different from many European cities. They also noticed that
the residential neighbourhoods very extremely quiet and peaceful
and that all the hustle and bustle and noise was confined to the
main streets. We enjoyed looking at the little corner stores, displaying
flowers, fruits and vegetables and the lively neighbourhoods with
all the shoppers.
Then we drove back south to Bloor Street and explored the Polish
area around Roncesvalles Avenue, right next to an area full of stately
houses and majestic trees on the eastern outskirts of High Park.
Maple Leaf flower bed in High Park
Toronto's largest park was our next destination. High Park features
a variety of sports facilities, including baseball, tennis, a swimming
pool and is a mecca for fitness buffs. There is also a small zoo
with various bovine creatures, goats and other smaller animals.
The heart of the park of Grenadier Pond, a beautiful natural body
of water surrounded by willow trees. Various fishermen were practicing
their hobby, although we did not know what type of fish they might
catch.
We strolled along the pond while overhead the "Snowbirds",
a team of rather outdated Canadian fighter jets that have an unnvering
habit of crashing, were practicing for the Air Show. They were doing
loops and flying in various formations, sometimes surprisingly close
to some of the highrise buildings right next to the Humber River.
Once we had reached the southern edge of the park we turned northwards
again and walked past Colborne Lodge, the home of Jemima and John
George Howard, a monument to a couple that helped to create one
of Toronto's largest parks. The Regency-style cottage, built in
1837, is also a perfect example of the architecture that was so
popular in the early 19th century.
After High Park we headed further west through the lively Bloor
West Village neighbourhood, which features many stores and restaurants,
many of them Ukrainian. A craving for smoked sausages and cabbage
rolls can definitely be satisfied here. Then we turned down from
Bloor Street towards the parking lot right next to the Humber River.
We parked our car and went for a half hour walk up the path by the
river. I explained that the Humber River leads towards salmon spawning
grounds and every fall thousands of brightly coloured salmon make
their way up the rapids. We also saw several grey herons, stalking
their slippery prey.
Heron in the Humber River
A nice gentleman, originally from New York City, stopped beside
us and asked if we wanted our picture taken. I immediately spotted
his accent and he admitted he had been in Toronto since 1963, I
guess he still hadn't lost his accent. He gave us some restaurant
tips and walked on with his dog. A nice little interlude.
All this walking had made us hungry and we wanted to return home
where my brother would fix us a delicious lunch. The last part of
our West End exploration included the very upscale Kingsway neighbourhood,
with its mansions, expansive front lawns and majestic trees. From
there I drove back through the Annex neighbourhood and up the Rosedale
Valley towards the Don River Valley, where I crossed the river on
Pottery Road. Again, my visitors were commenting on the huge amount
of green space that Toronto had to offer.
Grenadier Pond in High Park
Our second last destination along our driving tour was Chinatown
East, a collection of Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean stores at the
intersection of Broadview and Gerrard Streets, followed up by Little
India further east on Gerrard. The ethnic mosaic in Toronto truly
creates some astounding neighbourhoods and the diversity as well
as the large amount of green spaces had left an impression on my
European visitors. They commented that away from the downtown core,
Toronto didn't even seem like a large city, but more like a colourful
collection of villages.
Related Articles:
Looking forward
to my brother's visit
Hello from Toronto (1) - A driving tour through the city
Hello from Toronto (2) - Exploring
the waterfront by bike & the CN Tower
Hello from Toronto (3) - Exploring
Niagara Wine Country and Niagara Falls
Hello from Toronto (5) - Novice golf,
exploring the Kawarthas, and a final bike ride
Here are my reflections
after my European visitors left
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