Three Toronto Things
I will never not try to make these entry titles alliterative. Never.
Essentially, this particular LJ entry is to give you a few updates on my life. Summer has hit Toronto hard and fast, which delights me as a person who handles heat far better than cold. As such, I've been rushing around the city to soak up the sun. Today, however, my very good friend/roommate and I retreated into a chilly air-conditioned cafe to escape the heat instead, staying for six hours, writing furiously on our laptops and stuffing our faces with bubble tea, crepes and fried chicken. Oh, and they had bean bag chairs. That was a huge plus. The only awkward thing was that the place is actually called "One Hour Cafe".
Whoops!
But let me tell you about three other Toronto summer things I've had the lovely luck of getting to experience this past week!
1.) The Toronto Islands
A few kilometres into Lake Ontario, away from the city harbourfront, are a clump of islands known as the Toronto islands. According to my good friend Polly - who recently landed what I think is a fairly enviable job as a bus tour guide - it used to be attached to the mainland via a sandbar, but this sandbar got washed away in the 1850s. But it's always been considered to be prime cottage and vacation space, and Polly says that the residential lots have 99 year leases. That, or they're hereditary by law now. She kind of shrugged it off.
Anyway, you can probably guess she was one of the friends who went with me to the main island: Centre Island. She, me and two of our other friends just went to chill for a breezy afternoon. Though there are beaches and a small amusement park, all we did was to: wander around looking for the hedge maze (before we realized it had been demolished), play on a swing set, and rent out a quadracycle - which was enough for an hour of ridiculousness. As there were exactly four of us, this was a perfect set-up. The day was gorgeously sunny and warm, so off we went...the loudest, most excited, and most obnoxious bike riders on the entire island that day, without a doubt.
The Toronto Islands is a car-free zone, so we didn't have to worry about too much as we zoomed about, squealing. There was much speed - the smallest thing would set us off. "Look, a squirrel!" I'd say, which would cause Andrew to shout, "PEDAL FASTER!" He and Polly would set cycling so furiously that Louisa and I would swing our legs away, because our pedals would be whirling around too fast to deal with. We also had the brilliant idea to switch places regularly to have equal turns steering. The brilliant part of it was to switch while the quadracycle was still in motion. It worked beautifully at some points, but during others...
"OFF ROAD! OFF ROAD! OFF ROAD!"
Yeah. Brilliant.
But hey, I am very proud to say that for a non-driver, I did a very good job of steering! Apart from my tendency to drive on the wrong side of the road (then I could pull the "I'm from Hong Kong and we drive like the British there" card) and being in driver's seat as we navigated the very narrow paths on Ward Island's residential area. I drove very slowly due to the narrowness and the fact that we were enjoying the quiet and beauty of these cute little bungalows with their gardens overflowing with shrubs and flowers. But at some point, we noticed that we were near the beach. And there was a crowd of old people in front of us. Then, we suddenly realized they were staring at us because the road was a dead end and we had completely missed the "NO VEHICLES" sign. So we were forced make a three point turn in the tiny narrow lane, which required Andrew steering while Polly and I got out and pushed (but we didn't let Louisa out of the quadracycle due to her very fail experiences behind the wheel). All the while being in danger of crushing some poor person's flowers and observed (not to mention photographed) by some little old ladies who were heard to exclaim, "Why, the girls are doing all the work!"
It was an absolutely lovely day of wholesome, silly fun times. We all swore we had to go back again. And we will!
2.) Pedestrian Sunday in Kensington Market
Kensington is a neighbourhood very close to where I live now, and famous for its reputation as a rather chill area, notably the specialty markets (ie. fruit, cheese, seafood, spices, even chocolate), quaint Victorian homes, stores selling everything cool from incense to vintage dresses, and some snazzy cafes. Most people you see my age wandering about that area are more like hipsters than hippies, but you get a very relaxed vibe anyhow. I go there for my groceries and occasionally a cafe just to buy one (delicious and organic!) drink as an excuse to hide out on their back patio for hours reading. The place is generally quite relaxed on vehicles already, but during the summer they reserve the last Sunday of each month as Pedestrian Sunday.
I was excited to go ever since my good friend/roommate (who was the one who spent the 6 hours lurking at a bubble tea cafe today with me) told me about it. She had work later that day though, so we set out early. Pedestrian Sunday closes off the roads to vehicles, allowing for the restaurants and stores to set up outdoor booths, taking advantage of the higher customer count in order to make some great sales. Indeed, one of the first things that happened was me buying peacock feather earrings since I am a sucker for handmade jewellery. Many artisans come over to nab a table in order to sell their goods. The outdoor grills happened later, at noon which is the official start of this festival of sorts. I snacked on fresh fruit smoothies, grilled corn on the cob, and scallops. Yum!
In addition to the selling, there are always a lot of performers and fun sights as well during Pedestrian Sunday. Musicians are usually around Kensington on any normal day anyway, but on Pedestrian Sunday they are given an even freer reign to let loose with the wailing guitars and steel drums. We also spotted a hula hoop dancer, people giving free hugs, and dance-offs in the street. Some people used this opportunity to advocate causes: I signed a petition for better public transportation (as a Hong Konger I am all for it) and contributed a project to send love letters all over Toronto. There was also a little game booth set up by Greenpeace - if you chucked a softball into the right part of Cl. Kentucky's face on a poster, you'd successfully cause a guy dressed up as the Colonel himself to be dunked into a barrel of water. This was to protest KFC's use of the rainforest, evidently.
Next to this game was a huge Scrabble board, so I added to words to it. Children were allowed to doodle on the sidewalk in chalk, and other artists offered their services through face painting or caricatures. The famous "Green" car made its expected appearance. It was a lot of great fun. But soon my friend had to go to work, and I only made one more loop around the place before heading off to...
3.) Open Doors Toronto
...Open Doors Toronto! This weekend celebrating Toronto's historical and architectural wonders coincided with Pedestrian Sunday, and I decided to treat myself to some delicious nerding out. It was sunny but balmy, so I trotted south towards Queen Street to check out Campbell House. I've passed this place a dozen times in the past four years, and always wondered what was actually inside. Finally, I found out!
Campbell House was the home of a Chief Justice of Upper Canada named William Campbell. It used to be in the historic old Town of York (now known as the St. Lawrence district) but was moved in the 70s in order to escape demolition. I'm a huge fan of preserving old buildings, so I approved heartily. Wish I could have been there to see the house being rolled down Adelaide Street all cool as a cucumber, but my parents hadn't even begun dating yet, I believe. Anyway, after a short line-up I got to go inside. To be delight, they have done all they can to fill the house with furniture and accessories dating back to Judge Campbell's time, the 1820s. Every room had a volunteer who would rattle off fascinating details and anecdotes about the judge and items in the rooms. It was such a treat for me.
It's not a very big house,so I left with lots of time to spare. The beautiful weather convinced me to trot over to the aforementioned St. Lawrence area (I LOVE St. Lawrence, it's a great place and a must-see for anyone visiting Toronto!) because surely there had to be things around the cathedral and market. On the way, I poked my head into other stops such as Osgoode Hall (though I'd been in during a previous Open Doors event), the Bay on Queen, One King Street West and the Victoria Hotel. Finally - though not that long afterwards - I made it to St. James Cathedral, the only original Town of York building left along with Campbell House (well, not even...it burned down and had to be rebuilt twice).
This is where another extremely pleasant surprise awaited me. The church choir was singing beautifully as I wandered in, so I decided to sit in a pew and enjoy the music. I hadn't rested for two minutes when someone poked my shoulder - my friend Polly again! She's actually in a play about the War of 1812 (the city's going nuts with its bicentennial), so she and her cast members decided to do some hands-on research after rehearsal. The great plus about this was one of the actors I met that day actually played the Bishop John Strachan, who I only knew as the namesake of Trinity College's dining hall. When the Open Doors volunteers found out, they quickly located the church archivist who told us amazing stories of the brave reverend's doings - and the cathedral's role - during the war. I consider myself lucky for bumping into Polly as I could be included in listening to these stories. Then, after a short visit to St. Lawrence Hall - where Frederick Douglass gave speeches in! - we all went out to finally sit down for snacks, and a drink or two.
Then Polly and I walked home together. It was a very eventful and fulfilling day. I also can't wait to see her play.
Now that's done, here's a shameless plug. Though I may be excused since it isn't even for me:
My friend is collecting ANONYMOUS ANGRY LAST WORD LETTERS for a summer course project. Do you have anyone in your life who has hurt or angered you, and you've always wished to sum up everything you feel about them in a succinct, witty, passionate letter? Here's your chance. There are no limits - on length, grammar, spelling, expletives, condemnations, anything. Be as mean as you want! Your letter will be shared to nobody but my friend and possibly her professor. All she asks is for it to be completely anonymous and in English. Here's the website for submission and more information:
Welcome To This Letter
Get angry! Get writing! Let it all out - and let it go.
Essentially, this particular LJ entry is to give you a few updates on my life. Summer has hit Toronto hard and fast, which delights me as a person who handles heat far better than cold. As such, I've been rushing around the city to soak up the sun. Today, however, my very good friend/roommate and I retreated into a chilly air-conditioned cafe to escape the heat instead, staying for six hours, writing furiously on our laptops and stuffing our faces with bubble tea, crepes and fried chicken. Oh, and they had bean bag chairs. That was a huge plus. The only awkward thing was that the place is actually called "One Hour Cafe".
Whoops!
But let me tell you about three other Toronto summer things I've had the lovely luck of getting to experience this past week!
1.) The Toronto Islands
A few kilometres into Lake Ontario, away from the city harbourfront, are a clump of islands known as the Toronto islands. According to my good friend Polly - who recently landed what I think is a fairly enviable job as a bus tour guide - it used to be attached to the mainland via a sandbar, but this sandbar got washed away in the 1850s. But it's always been considered to be prime cottage and vacation space, and Polly says that the residential lots have 99 year leases. That, or they're hereditary by law now. She kind of shrugged it off.
Anyway, you can probably guess she was one of the friends who went with me to the main island: Centre Island. She, me and two of our other friends just went to chill for a breezy afternoon. Though there are beaches and a small amusement park, all we did was to: wander around looking for the hedge maze (before we realized it had been demolished), play on a swing set, and rent out a quadracycle - which was enough for an hour of ridiculousness. As there were exactly four of us, this was a perfect set-up. The day was gorgeously sunny and warm, so off we went...the loudest, most excited, and most obnoxious bike riders on the entire island that day, without a doubt.
The Toronto Islands is a car-free zone, so we didn't have to worry about too much as we zoomed about, squealing. There was much speed - the smallest thing would set us off. "Look, a squirrel!" I'd say, which would cause Andrew to shout, "PEDAL FASTER!" He and Polly would set cycling so furiously that Louisa and I would swing our legs away, because our pedals would be whirling around too fast to deal with. We also had the brilliant idea to switch places regularly to have equal turns steering. The brilliant part of it was to switch while the quadracycle was still in motion. It worked beautifully at some points, but during others...
"OFF ROAD! OFF ROAD! OFF ROAD!"
Yeah. Brilliant.
But hey, I am very proud to say that for a non-driver, I did a very good job of steering! Apart from my tendency to drive on the wrong side of the road (then I could pull the "I'm from Hong Kong and we drive like the British there" card) and being in driver's seat as we navigated the very narrow paths on Ward Island's residential area. I drove very slowly due to the narrowness and the fact that we were enjoying the quiet and beauty of these cute little bungalows with their gardens overflowing with shrubs and flowers. But at some point, we noticed that we were near the beach. And there was a crowd of old people in front of us. Then, we suddenly realized they were staring at us because the road was a dead end and we had completely missed the "NO VEHICLES" sign. So we were forced make a three point turn in the tiny narrow lane, which required Andrew steering while Polly and I got out and pushed (but we didn't let Louisa out of the quadracycle due to her very fail experiences behind the wheel). All the while being in danger of crushing some poor person's flowers and observed (not to mention photographed) by some little old ladies who were heard to exclaim, "Why, the girls are doing all the work!"
It was an absolutely lovely day of wholesome, silly fun times. We all swore we had to go back again. And we will!
2.) Pedestrian Sunday in Kensington Market
Kensington is a neighbourhood very close to where I live now, and famous for its reputation as a rather chill area, notably the specialty markets (ie. fruit, cheese, seafood, spices, even chocolate), quaint Victorian homes, stores selling everything cool from incense to vintage dresses, and some snazzy cafes. Most people you see my age wandering about that area are more like hipsters than hippies, but you get a very relaxed vibe anyhow. I go there for my groceries and occasionally a cafe just to buy one (delicious and organic!) drink as an excuse to hide out on their back patio for hours reading. The place is generally quite relaxed on vehicles already, but during the summer they reserve the last Sunday of each month as Pedestrian Sunday.
I was excited to go ever since my good friend/roommate (who was the one who spent the 6 hours lurking at a bubble tea cafe today with me) told me about it. She had work later that day though, so we set out early. Pedestrian Sunday closes off the roads to vehicles, allowing for the restaurants and stores to set up outdoor booths, taking advantage of the higher customer count in order to make some great sales. Indeed, one of the first things that happened was me buying peacock feather earrings since I am a sucker for handmade jewellery. Many artisans come over to nab a table in order to sell their goods. The outdoor grills happened later, at noon which is the official start of this festival of sorts. I snacked on fresh fruit smoothies, grilled corn on the cob, and scallops. Yum!
In addition to the selling, there are always a lot of performers and fun sights as well during Pedestrian Sunday. Musicians are usually around Kensington on any normal day anyway, but on Pedestrian Sunday they are given an even freer reign to let loose with the wailing guitars and steel drums. We also spotted a hula hoop dancer, people giving free hugs, and dance-offs in the street. Some people used this opportunity to advocate causes: I signed a petition for better public transportation (as a Hong Konger I am all for it) and contributed a project to send love letters all over Toronto. There was also a little game booth set up by Greenpeace - if you chucked a softball into the right part of Cl. Kentucky's face on a poster, you'd successfully cause a guy dressed up as the Colonel himself to be dunked into a barrel of water. This was to protest KFC's use of the rainforest, evidently.
Next to this game was a huge Scrabble board, so I added to words to it. Children were allowed to doodle on the sidewalk in chalk, and other artists offered their services through face painting or caricatures. The famous "Green" car made its expected appearance. It was a lot of great fun. But soon my friend had to go to work, and I only made one more loop around the place before heading off to...
3.) Open Doors Toronto
...Open Doors Toronto! This weekend celebrating Toronto's historical and architectural wonders coincided with Pedestrian Sunday, and I decided to treat myself to some delicious nerding out. It was sunny but balmy, so I trotted south towards Queen Street to check out Campbell House. I've passed this place a dozen times in the past four years, and always wondered what was actually inside. Finally, I found out!
Campbell House was the home of a Chief Justice of Upper Canada named William Campbell. It used to be in the historic old Town of York (now known as the St. Lawrence district) but was moved in the 70s in order to escape demolition. I'm a huge fan of preserving old buildings, so I approved heartily. Wish I could have been there to see the house being rolled down Adelaide Street all cool as a cucumber, but my parents hadn't even begun dating yet, I believe. Anyway, after a short line-up I got to go inside. To be delight, they have done all they can to fill the house with furniture and accessories dating back to Judge Campbell's time, the 1820s. Every room had a volunteer who would rattle off fascinating details and anecdotes about the judge and items in the rooms. It was such a treat for me.
It's not a very big house,so I left with lots of time to spare. The beautiful weather convinced me to trot over to the aforementioned St. Lawrence area (I LOVE St. Lawrence, it's a great place and a must-see for anyone visiting Toronto!) because surely there had to be things around the cathedral and market. On the way, I poked my head into other stops such as Osgoode Hall (though I'd been in during a previous Open Doors event), the Bay on Queen, One King Street West and the Victoria Hotel. Finally - though not that long afterwards - I made it to St. James Cathedral, the only original Town of York building left along with Campbell House (well, not even...it burned down and had to be rebuilt twice).
This is where another extremely pleasant surprise awaited me. The church choir was singing beautifully as I wandered in, so I decided to sit in a pew and enjoy the music. I hadn't rested for two minutes when someone poked my shoulder - my friend Polly again! She's actually in a play about the War of 1812 (the city's going nuts with its bicentennial), so she and her cast members decided to do some hands-on research after rehearsal. The great plus about this was one of the actors I met that day actually played the Bishop John Strachan, who I only knew as the namesake of Trinity College's dining hall. When the Open Doors volunteers found out, they quickly located the church archivist who told us amazing stories of the brave reverend's doings - and the cathedral's role - during the war. I consider myself lucky for bumping into Polly as I could be included in listening to these stories. Then, after a short visit to St. Lawrence Hall - where Frederick Douglass gave speeches in! - we all went out to finally sit down for snacks, and a drink or two.
Then Polly and I walked home together. It was a very eventful and fulfilling day. I also can't wait to see her play.
Now that's done, here's a shameless plug. Though I may be excused since it isn't even for me:
My friend is collecting ANONYMOUS ANGRY LAST WORD LETTERS for a summer course project. Do you have anyone in your life who has hurt or angered you, and you've always wished to sum up everything you feel about them in a succinct, witty, passionate letter? Here's your chance. There are no limits - on length, grammar, spelling, expletives, condemnations, anything. Be as mean as you want! Your letter will be shared to nobody but my friend and possibly her professor. All she asks is for it to be completely anonymous and in English. Here's the website for submission and more information:
Welcome To This Letter
Get angry! Get writing! Let it all out - and let it go.