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TO Vibin

By Carl Fisher

July 4^th, 2023

Stompin

It’s was that time of year again. Time to visit the fam in Toronto. Or more precisely, Kitchener and Oshawa. It used to be just Toronto, but the times they are a changing. I’m not not that familiar with either of these places so welcomed a bit of time to see what they had to offer. I can now say that I am really appreciative that I grew up in the big city. They are nice places to visit, but…. As a result of having to get around to these places without a car of my own, I spent a fair bit of time riding the rails. The scenery was quite lush and green, something that I don’t see for much of the summer in California, and the seats were comfy.

Almost summer

I usually expect it to be toasty in Toronto when I visit, but it must have been because it was on the cusp of summer that it was rather unpredictable and parts were dampened by rain. Despite that, I did manage to get out to the city a few times and do my usual hunting down of street art. The ones shown here were in the Lakeshore area of Etobicoke during a grill cheese sandwich challenge festival. I’m not much of a grill cheeser, but when you have things like Mac and cheese, brisket, and butter chicken between the slices, it’s hard to resist doing at least a little sampling.

Junction

It used to be my hood, but it has been many years since I’ve spent much time in the Junction. As usual, there were far too many interesting coffee shops and bakeries for me to fully experience. I can only consume so many baked goods and caffeine before the arteries start clogging and the buzz is just too great. Still, it’s nice to pop into new shops and discover what they have to offer and what impact they might be having on the neighborhood transformation. While it is nice to reminisce about the old landmarks from my childhood, the changing urban landscape is a sign of vitality and freshness that keeps me wanting to come back for future visits. While I didn’t take any site worthy snaps of it, I did pop into the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA). Suffice it to say, I was underwhelmed. Maybe I just don’t have the patience for much of it and it is a matter of taste. A lot of it was just too out there for me. I think I’ll stick with the more traditional pretty painting type of galleries/museums.

Kensington

Kensington Market is another must visit if I get the chance. There’s always good eats and thrift shops till you drop. I was more in the mood to soak up the vibe than pick through clothing and time was tight, so I skipped the shop therapy part.

Chinatown bound

Just adjacent to the market is Chinatown. I usually pass through here quite quickly, but this time I wandered through some of the back alleys and made some fortuitous discoveries.

Alleyways

When you think of alleyways, dirt and trash often come to mind. Well there is usually that, but there’s also a lot more to see than you’d expect.

Sweet beach

After spending some time in Kensington, I hopped on a rental bike and made my way back to Union station to catch the train west. Due to poor timing on my part I missed an earlier train so I had some time to kill. I headed over towards the nearest Loblaws and was fortunate to discover Sugar Beach. If it had been a summery day, and I had a bit more time, I would have reclined under the shade of the many umbrellas that were calling out for company. Definitely something to put on the list for next time. And I’m sure there will be more discoveries to make when I do return due to the steady transformation of the area, from industrial to residential. Evidence of that is the old LCBO office, which is almost flattened, to be replaced by what will likely be primo, pricey condos.

Homecoming

I wasn’t really planning on going back to my old university stomping grounds, but it was a Sunday, I hadn’t made plans, and my sister asked me what I wanted to do. I’d passed by Guelph on the train and thought I should hop off and explore if I got the chance. Well the chance I got. It had been many years since I’d been there and one never really knows what to expect upon a revisit. I’m glad to be able to say that I was pleasantly surprised. It wasn’t super hopping with a number of shops being closed on a Sunday, but there was plenty to see. It still has the old charm that you like to have in a downtown core. I was also impressed by how much outdoor seating there was outside of restaurants. I suspect this is a positive consequence of the Covid days when outdoor seating was almost the only option for casual dining. Overall, it was a pretty good way to spend my last full day north of the border.