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Post by Deleted on Oct 5, 2010 16:53:24 GMT
Wonderful completely diverse report. I can tell that I would spend many happy hours at Honest Ed's. I used to know Yonge Street very well, the good, the bad and the ugly.
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Post by bjd on Oct 5, 2010 17:00:45 GMT
Thanks, Kerouac. I rather like those junk (well, it's not all junk for sure) stores too but didn't have time this trip.
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Post by bixaorellana on Oct 5, 2010 17:26:21 GMT
Oh ~~ you added tons more pictures! I can't tell you how much I'm enjoying this thread. It's wonderful to see such an alive downtown in a N.American city. Best of all, you conveyed some of the variety of the city and certainly showed why its residents would love it.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 5, 2010 17:39:07 GMT
I think that the way that Toronto revels in its diversity is the reason that it left Montréal in the dust as the principal city of Canada. Montréal fell too far behind due to its obsession to protect the French language. A country of immigration should not put big restrictions on the arrivals but show the way to its heritage in a more gentle fashion. If I am not mistaken, one of the laws in Québec is that all non-anglophone immigrants absolutely must be schooled in French. This clearly did not attract many people who believed that English is the language of the future (even if I believe that a romanized version of Mandarin might come out on top in 30 or 40 years).
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Post by fumobici on Oct 5, 2010 22:31:50 GMT
Not having been to TO in ages it looks very different, and not in a bad way. Thank you.
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Post by Jazz on Oct 6, 2010 21:13:15 GMT
Bjd, you’ve taken some excellent photos to express the sense of Toronto today. I love each of the areas that you visited and there is much more. It’s a relief to see that someone got beyond the Eaton Centre (!) and the bland area of recent (last 30 years) mediocre skyscrapers, hotels etc. of the King/Queen/Dundas-Yonge part of the city. I seldom go there. We are a city of many villages and cultures which co-exist happily, and now, our immigrant population is greater than our WASP population. Now, about a 65% immigrant, 35% original English. This is accepted and seems to ‘work’, naturally, without resentment and is appreciated by all. Exciting. This is reflected throughout the city. Not to dismiss the WASP population, there are many areas of rich architecture, history and lifestyle that remain and are an equally significant part of our city. It was a pleasure to meet you, Bjd, and spend a special few hours with you in my garden, wild and forest-like that it is at the moment. When you left, all I wanted to do was leap into a taxi to the airport and fly to Paris! My friends all found your visit 'exotic'.… Of course, I sent them the link of your photo essay of Toulouse. anyportinastorm.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=france&action=display&thread=3907&page=1 A bientot, mon amie.
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Post by imec on Oct 7, 2010 2:10:20 GMT
Fantastic bjd! It's been ages since I've had time to wander around Toronto with a camera and no business obligations - you've inspired me to find the time to do so as soon as I can! Love the Kensington area - have a favorite tapas joint there, Torito. Thanks so much for this!
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Post by lagatta on Oct 7, 2010 2:55:01 GMT
I've never been to Torito, imec. When I'm in Kensington I tend to go for Vietnamese etc places, especially since the demise of the old vaguely Middle-Eastern Kensington Kitchen. The last couple of times I was in Toronto I was working too, but fortunately it was up in the University of Toronto area so I could easily get to Kensington at least.
Kerouac, I do NOT want to get into arguments about the national question but I do believe that in France only private international schools would be teaching in any language other than French. If you want to know the letter of the law, it is all pupils who don't have a parent who was educated in English in Canada. It has nothing to do with whether they are ethnically "anglophone" or not. Greeks educated in English in Toronto or Winnipeg can attend English schools, whilst Jamaicans or Brits immigrating cannot.
The "regional" laws governing education are much stricter in Belgium and Switzerland, also multilingual democracies. What you are advocating would turn Quebec into Louisiana in a generation, and no, I don't mean warmer weather and spicier food (which would be nice).
And despite our somewhat colder weather, I'm far happier living here than in Tranna - as per this thread we are infinitely more bicycle-friendly, for one thing!
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Post by Jazz on Oct 7, 2010 4:14:38 GMT
Lagatta, I agree with you....Kerouac, we do NOT want to get into the Quebec-English Canadian question in this thread. It is a passionate issue and has torn our country apart often in our history. The formal political referendums. Ie: Does Quebec want to seperate from the rest of Canada or not? Obviously, thus far, (with the referendums), Quebec has said 'no'. Everyone that I know (predominantly English-Canadian) has an Extremely Strong Opinion on this issue, even today, when it is relatively quiet for the moment. The situation remains complex and volotile.
This would be a discussion for 'Port and Starboard'. I don't think that it would be a thread wth 'gentle' thoughts. It would not fit in with the iconic vision of Canadians with few opinions, 'oh so moderate' self image, thinking of ourselves as less than others and somehow seeking identity etc. ad nauseum. Trust me, if you want your small forum to delicately avoid powerful controversy...don't go there.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 7, 2010 5:04:06 GMT
I was not all all trying to start a debate. I was merely stating my observation about why Toronto seems different from Montréal. I did not realize that Canadians are so prickly about it. Sorry. I will try to refrain from saying anything about your country if it is a problem.
You are welcome to continue your varied thoughts about France, although I do not agree with many of them.
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Post by Jazz on Oct 7, 2010 5:28:56 GMT
Toronto is different from Montreal, and the issue of ‘two solitudes’ is real and never far from the surface. Of course you can comment about Canada, but there is a vast difference between a comment about French Canada and English Canada. It is not a trivial difference, it has almost destroyed our country in the past, many times.
Yes, I comment about France, especially Paris, but I do not comment politically…usually the delights… the food, a good apartment, the ambiance, my love of the culture etc.. I don’t mind if you comment politically about Canada, but you should be aware that comments about French and English Canada continue to be highly sensitive and far from ‘resolved’.. Not to be reduced to ‘prickly’, (?) which sounds trivial. If you think that , you are totally unaware of the situation.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 7, 2010 5:40:04 GMT
My only point was that in the last 20 or 30 years, Toronto has developed faster than Montréal (at least according to what I have read), and quite a few corporate headquarters changed city. I was only wondering about the reason for this.
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Post by bjd on Oct 7, 2010 7:14:42 GMT
Jazz, it was a pleasure to meet you too. It's always good to put faces and people to forum names. Actually, I did go into the Eaton Centre, but walked out immediately. It doesn't seem to have changed in 30 years, except that they removed the flying Canada geese. This is what it looked like in 2007 (as in 1997, 1987, etc.)
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Post by Deleted on Oct 7, 2010 8:52:29 GMT
Oh, the geese are gone? I have the same photo with the geese. They must have been very dusty!
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Post by bjd on Oct 7, 2010 11:16:10 GMT
I have an old photo with the geese too. Yes, they flew away, despite the dust on their wings.
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Post by lagatta on Oct 7, 2010 12:25:55 GMT
I haven't been to the Eaton Centre for many years, not having any great desire to visit shopping centres that would have the same stores as here (and to a large extent, to major cities in many other countries). No more geese? I liked the geese.
The Annex has become quite upscale, but it is a pleasant place to walk around and has some independent small businesses you wouldn't find elsewhere. Toronto also has a large Little India, definitely worth a visit.
There IS a modern shopping mall I'd love to visit in the Toronto suburbs though, the Chinese mall in Markham, north of Toronto, with many businesses from China and other East and Southeast Asian countries. People travel from quite far to see it.
I love the Toronto islands, accessible by ferry. Spectacular view of the city skyline from the verdant islands.
What kerouac says is objectively true about the economy etc.
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Post by bjd on Oct 7, 2010 13:26:16 GMT
As I remember it, the Annex was always rather upscale, even when some of the houses held multiple tenants. Most likely because of the size of the houses and the proximity to the university and downtown.
I just had a quick google, and the average price of houses sold in the Annex in 2010 is over $1 million.
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Post by onlymark on Oct 7, 2010 16:14:42 GMT
The girl in the poster on the left must be quite old by now then.
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Post by bjd on Oct 7, 2010 16:27:58 GMT
Only a bit -- that picture was taken in 2007. I didn't go upstairs to see whether she was still there now.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 8, 2010 23:44:50 GMT
I have followed this thread with great interest and enjoyment all week from my sick bed. I so appreciate the time and effort you put into it. Thanks again for sharing with us. Surely on my list of places to visit. Odd,but,sections of it brought to mind Saint Louis in many,many respects.
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Post by Jazz on Oct 10, 2010 15:08:43 GMT
I just looked at your thread again this morning and you have a great eye, Bjd. In just one week, you captured so much of the diversity of this city and there is much more. I wish that Toronto politicians would simply drop this odd need to be considered a ‘world class’ city. Most of us who live here do not think in this way and pay no attention whatsoever. Frank Gehry, the architect of the recent addition to the Art Gallery of Toronto, was born in Toronto. I have mixed feelings about it. The exterior is too jolting. It was added to the original building and feels tacked on. (on the whole, I love Gehry's work) Parts I love, the Italian Gallery is remarkable…not Italian art, merely funded by Italian money, open, beautiful wood, expanses of curved glass, and an exceptional view of the second stories of late 18th century houses across the street. Stunning juxtaposition. The old house within the gallery is now the beautiful Members’ Lounge with a view on the inner park. The new initial entry lobby is claustrophobic. It’s difficult to see photos online and photos are forbidden within the AGO. The Chinese mall near Markham, the Pacific Mall, is well worth a visit. I love it and you feel that you are somewhere in South East Asia. www.pacificmalltoronto.com/about.html
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Post by bjd on Oct 10, 2010 15:37:44 GMT
A friend of mine who grew up as an English-speaker in Malaysia but is of Chinese background had a terrible time in that mall in Markham. In all the shops, people spoke to her in Chinese, but she doesn't speak a word.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 10, 2010 16:31:42 GMT
I had forgotten that Gehry was from Toronto!! (I did know this but,it had totally slipped my mind while reading this thread). I have come to be a huge fan of his work. I read a biographical piece on him recently and am enthralled with his vision.( I never would have said this ten years ago,being the staunch, traditional classic architecture type that I have been most of my life.) Sorry for the threadjack...
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Post by lola on Oct 25, 2010 14:36:20 GMT
Excellent report, bjd. Thanks for expanding the little bit of Toronto I got to see years ago. My main memory is of the vegetable gardens Asians had in their tiny front yards.
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Post by bjd on Oct 25, 2010 14:48:59 GMT
Really, Lola? Which area would that have been? Do you remember?
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Post by lola on Oct 26, 2010 15:07:55 GMT
Hi, bjd. No, I can't remember the area where my sister lived then. They were neat red brick 3 story townhouses with maybe 5 x 6 ' gardens out front filled with whatever could fit into that growing season.
This was so long ago that my sister introduced me to my first felafel, pita, and hummus, which I loved immediately.
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Post by cheerypeabrain on Nov 15, 2010 19:32:47 GMT
Fascinating thread bjd...and excellent images. Thank you...
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Post by joanne28 on Dec 13, 2010 2:24:34 GMT
I'm a transplanted Montrealer in the Greater Toronto area. Even though I live in a suburb, I find the multiculturalism is much more obvious here than in Montreal. Now, I moved here 28 years ago so I'm certain things have changed but I have found in my visits there are simply more people of colour in the GTA than in Montreal.
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Post by bixaorellana on Jul 4, 2011 22:34:37 GMT
Look what's happening in Toronto from July 6 to the 17th this year: The Toronto Fringe Festival is an annual theatre festival, featuring uncensored plays by unknown or well-known artists, taking place in the theatres of Toronto. Several productions originally mounted at the Fringe have later been remounted for larger audiences, including the Tony Award-winning musical The Drowsy Chaperone. (full Wikipedia article here)Official site: www.fringetoronto.com/
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Post by Deleted on Jul 6, 2011 9:58:56 GMT
This looks very cool. 8-)Thanks Bixa. New Orleans hosts a Fringe Fest as well. All these are spinoffs of the original Fringe Festival in Edinburgh,Scotland. The one in NOLA is in November (thank goodness,it would be gruesome in the summertime heat here... ) I have gone to the past 3 as many friends of mine participate on many levels and mediums. It also helps heighten awareness of the many empty,often abandon spaces in the Bywater and Upper Ninth Ward that can and will hopefully be further utillized for this purpose.
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