Looking at the lake

When I decided to relocate to Toronto for my stint with the TO2015 Pan/Parapan American Games, I wanted to experience downtown urban living -- something different from my house and neighbourhood on a residential street in East Vancouver.

I am in a 36th floor studio condo on the shore of Lake Ontario in a neighbourhood appropriately called "Waterfront and Islands."


According to the promotional material, the waterfront was a landfill in the early 1800s, then an industrial area with factories.  Now it's a mixed-use community with condos, recreational attractions and dining.  More info: http://www.waterfrontbia.com/index.asp

From my perch on the 36th floor, I have seen stunning sunrises, a rainbow and a full moon beaming down onto Lake Ontario.

It's certainly a big change from the grass and trees on my street in Vancouver.

Views from Toronto Island

Since the early 1990s, I've wondered about Toronto Island (or the Toronto Islands), when two characters on the old CBC TV show Street Legal (about lawyers in Toronto) lived on Toronto Island and commuted to their law offices downtown.

So, on Thanksgiving Day this week, I packed a few snacks and headed over to this Island. The old ferries with wooden benches and floors make the 15-minute journey to and from the Island each day. There are about 200 homes on the Island. 

It's a park with a number of recreational activities. Many of the kiosks and small amusement facility were shutdown for the season. But on this sunny afternoon, there were plenty of folks walking, cycling, roller blading and having Thanksgiving picnics, enjoying an early fall day.

 

 

On the Island, one can appreciate the size of Lake Ontario.

More information is available here: http://www.toronto.ca/parks/island/

The Island provides great views of the Toronto Skyline. How many photos can one take of the CN Tower? The first of many to come, I'm sure.

 

A walk in Kings Mill/Magwood Park

After spending my first week in Toronto in the lower level of the Westin Harbour Castle hotel staffing the media centre for the Pan American Sport Organization General Assembly, it was time to venture out from downtown Toronto.

So, my former Innsbruck 2012 colleague Agnes and her roommate Roberto (an exchange student from Brazil) took the subway to Kings Mill Park, between High Park and Islington.

We were told that we may see salmon jumping along the Humber River, but all we saw was a dead fish along the river bank.

Still, it was a great walk in the park on a sunny morning to see the early fall colours and a piece of nature/wilderness just a few subway stops from the high-rises of downtown Toronto.

More information:
http://www.toronto.ca/parks/pdf/trails/DW_HumberRiver.pdf

 

 

 

 

 

  

Toronto - a city of neighbourhoods

Depending on who you ask or what publication one reads, there are more than two dozen neighbourhoods in Toronto. Perhaps the count is as many as 30 official neighbourhoods.

I intend to visit and explore as many as I can while I am here.  From The Beaches and Greektown in the east to Queen West and King West. 

First up, while I was searching for a  Mobilicity store, I stumbled upon Chinatown along Dundas.

Coming from Vancouver, Chinatowns are not new to me, but this Toronto neighbourhood was certainly busting on a Sunday afternoon. Of course, I had to try Chinese pastries at this bakery. I am pleased to report that the cocktail buns were fresh and as tasty as they are on the West Coast.

By the way, the Mobilicity store in Chinatown was closed. I had to walk back to Yonge and find a location along that street.