#The Commoner Roncesvalles

[docpiplup]

@asongofstarkandtargaryen There's a bit of contrast that these two landscapes are located in Navarra, morever because it's one of the smallest communities.

The first one is from the valley of Irati, next to the Pyrenees and Roncesvalles, in the northern part of Navarra. These type of landscape is common in those areas, like the valley of Batzan, both areas that are the setting of the film of Irati and the book and film The Batzan Triology.

And the second one belongs to the Bardenas Reales desert. It's located between the southeastern part of Navarra and the province of Zaragoza, Aragon. It's one of the northern deserts alongside with the Los Monegros desert in the province of Huesca. The southern deserts are located in Andalusia: the Gorafe desert in the province of Granada and the Tabernas desert in the province of Almería.

Although Almería is the only region with a subdesertic or semiarid climate, hence that's why it's considered mainly as a true desert.

Then there's the Canary islands that apart from having subtropical climate, they are subdesertic despending on the islands and the area of the island (like for example can be seen in landscapes of Fuerteventura, Lanzarote or Gran Canaria).

As a curious fact, some parts of the Bardenas desert was used as a filming location for the Dothraki Sea in season 6 of GOT, like the scene of Dany's speech to her khalasar with Drogon (X), and Vaes Dothrak in the mountain range of Alhamilla, on Almería, near the Tabernas desert (×). Although the location doesn't fit the previously seen on season 1, and maybe it's a bit too mountainous, since Vaes Dothrak and the Dothraki Sea was mainly flat and full of grass.

[scrthaddct-blog]

Just A Few Moments @ Main St Station

I was waiting for my heroin dealer’s coke dealer.

John, my heroin dealer, could be relied on to have heroin 90% of the time. Other dealers were 50% on a good week. So I liked John, and tried to give him my business whenever possible. Sure, it was a mission to get to Main St from College and Bathurst, especially since my other dealer was at Howard Park and Roncesvalles, but I owed that guy $30 from two months ago and hadn’t gotten around to paying him back, probably because I’d recently gone back to blow after a long layoff. I hadn’t quit heroin or anything, and in fact had already grabbed a few points from John, but I wanted some coke too because I liked to be awake for the heroin high. Usually John would have everything ready at his apartment, which was eight minutes east on foot, but today his dealer was late so we were waiting together in that vast atrium below ground level but above the subway platforms

I typically saw John two or three times a week but our meetings were terse affairs, a few kind words during the exchange, meaningless banter or some grumbling about the Way Things Were. but today his dealer was two hours late and we were swiftly running out of common ground.

John was older than fifty and probably bound for the penitentiary. He’d been busted twice the previous autumn, with heroin both times, heroin containg fentanyl because all heroin these days contains fentanyl, but the cops inexplicably charged him with possession of carfentanil with intent to distribute, a crime that carries a mandatory prison sentence.

This all happened during the opiate crisis when fentanyl was in the news all the time. There were few facts but plenty of hysteria and misinformation. If a person in pain is administered an appropriate dose, fentanyl is a highly effective and safe painkiller, but carfentanil is lethal to humans at any amount, even a dose as infinitesimal as a grain of salt. I’d been buying and enjoying John’s heroin for over three months when they grabbed him, and there was simply no fucking way it contained carfentanil. That shit is for rhinoceros surgery, and John wasn’t a fucking zoologist. He was, unfortunately, an ex-convict with numerous prior offenses, making prison all but guaranteed. His trial kept getting pushed back and he didn’t know how to feel about it. On one hand, it delayed his inevitable incarceration. On the other, his lawyer was an addict and John was paying him in heroin.

“Motherfucker’s costing me a fortune,” he growled, pacing up and down. He was always pacing, like he was subconsciously rehearsing for jail. He had miraculous energy, John did, up at seven-thirty in the morning to head to Queen Station and sell to his nine-to-five clients, fanning out around town between ten and three, hitting the injection sites and miscellaneous workplaces (like mine...can’t tell you where, sorry). If you wanted drugs from him after three, you had to head up and over to Main St, where John was shooting up and making flaps for the following day, finally nodding off around midnight. He never stopped, John didn’t.

Another thing: he looked wildly different in age every time I saw him. And I don’t mean he was rapidly aging. He’d look thirty-five one day, like a senior citizen the next, then in his forties the next. It was fucked. I never asked him about it, though I wanted to. John was a unique guy. A fireball. Even when he looked old, he never stopped radiating fierce vitality. The thought of him behind bars made my chest feel funny. It wasn’t right to put him away like that, to stomp on someone so alive.

As we passed our second hour of waiting, I began to fidget. John had regaled me with detailed descriptions of seemingly every street fight he’d ever fought in, or watched from a safe distance, and I was bored. I didn’t doubt the veracity of some of the stories; we met at Yonge and Dundas one summer day and he was limping badly, his face covered in fresh cuts. But he was in a good mood. He swore he’d won, despite being outnumbered, a number that no doubt changed each time he told the tale to somebody.

He could lie sometimes, and he ripped me off a few times when I started buying blow because I actually thought a gram was $200, since a gram of heroin is $200, but after I’d bought three grams from him I learned that a gram of coke was in fact $100 and he’d been overcharging me by a criminal 100%. I didn’t pursue the matter, but the next time I told him I wanted blow, I made sure he knew I intended to pay $100 per gram moving forward. I still liked the guy. And it was my kinda fault for being so ignorant anyway. I wasn’t going to find a better dealer. I wasn’t. As I said, John always had heroin ready to go, but it was more than that. When you’re an addict, you get this exaggerated fondness and respect for your dealer. I can’t explain it. Maybe it’s a form of Stockholm Syndrome. Doesn’t matter. Point is, I liked him. He was like the cool uncle you only see every other Christmas, the one your Mom insists you stay away from because he has a “checkered history” and always smells strange and musty, like he spends a lot of time gardening.

“Dumb motherfucker,” John muttered.

“Your lawyer?”

John looked at me like I was stupid. “No! My coke guy!” He was still pacing. He was on something, but it wasn’t heroin.

“Has he texted?”

“Only like...fifty times. Said he was leaving Broadview an hour ago. Then he said ‘just a few moments’ a half hour ago.”

I frowned. Broadview Station was twelve minutes away. But I knew John well enough to know that he would take any criticism of his coke dealer’s lateness as a criticism of him, John, an attack on his judgment of character. I had to sound diplomatic, almost neutral. “Is this guy… reliable?”

“Of course,” John narrowed his eyes at me. “He never ghosts me. He...oh! There’s one thing I should tell you.”

“Okay.”

“He kinda has this thing.”

“Okay…?”

“Uh…”

“Just say it.”

“He kinda thinks he looks like Robert Plant.”

I blinked. “What?”

“He thinks he looks like Robert Plant.”

“So...what am I supposed to do about that?”

“If he brings it up, just agree with him.”

“What?”

“Or if he asks you if you think he looks like anybody, tell him he looks like Robert Plant.”

“You want me to tell a grown man that he looks li-”

“YO!” a voice bellowed.

We looked. A man with sopping wet hair was grinning at us - well, at John - from the top of the escalator. He hopped off with an awkward lunge. Behind him a young woman was cresting the moving steps, sipping a bottle of Nestea and wearing some kind of sweater with a single sleeve.

“Hey!” John called back.

The cocaine dealer was wearing a wrinkled black and blue ski jacket he was keeping unzipped. Actually, “wearing” is too generous a verb for how he wore the jacket. The thing was hanging off him, almost like it was alive and trying to get away because it found him disgusting. He looked familiar, though, and as he got closer I realized something astounding. Astounding and...confusing.

The man looked exactly like Rod Stewart. Not Robert Plant, not even a little bit. But he looked every bit like Rod Stewart.

I turned to John in amazement. “Did you mean Rod Stewart?”

In a flash, John grabbed my arm and twisted it behind my back. He was not play fighting, he meant it. He sidled over to me and said through gritted teeth: “Robert. Plant. Okay?”

I nodded, terrified, and John released his grip and turned to greet our company. The man - Rod Stewart...I mean Robert Plant - hadn’t seen the scuffle. He was preoccupied with the young woman, who was nodding at everything he said but obviously not listening and obviously bored. As they approached I saw that she was wearing gauze on one arm, a hastily prepared cast of some kind, flapping wildly from that weird subway wind tunnel effect.

Rob motioned at them to follow us into the corner of the vast concourse, the corner with the bank of payphones. Nobody else was down there except for a busker in the very middle of the room. The guy seemed to know just three songs that he played over and over and over. As we were waiting earlier John had gone over and requested some Led Zeppelin but the dude shook his head, a pretentious I’m-the-artist-and-you’re-not gesture, and resumed his turgid trio of dirges. I didn’t recognize the songs and neither did John. They must have been originals. They were atrocious and also indistinguishable from one another. People passed him hurriedly in ceaseless procession, but nobody tossed coins and none of them gave us a second glance. It was a perfect place to buy or sell drugs. Yes, the omnipresent eye of the camera followed our movements, but does anyone actually monitor those things?

John had already taken his scale out of his backpack when I joined him at the payphone bank, Rod Stewart and his friend arriving moments later. He was still talking at her, and you could see from his body language he was bragging about something, something he considered an achievement of magnitude. You could see she was too tired to hate him. She would wear him down, over time, with her vast indifference. She would outlive him and inherit his empire. Or not.

Rod Stewart surreptitiously tossed a big bag of coke at John, who immediately got to work. relieved to have something to do with his hands, just relishing the task. I hope one day to love my job even half as much.

“Cover me,” John said over his shoulder. “All of you. Pretend you’re on the phone.”

Rod Stewart and his partner ignored him, which made me feel like I couldn’t. I had to show them whose side I was on. There were four phones, so I picked the one farthest from the wall, farthest from the booth John was using to weigh the coke. I figured Rod Stewart would use his bulk to hide John from the steady stream of people heading for the escalators. But instead he did nothing. He just stood there like the asshole he was proving himself to be.

Feeling stupid, I picked up the phone and turned my back to John. Rod Stewart and his companion were still oblivious to the world around them, only now the young woman was speaking, berating really, and I realized she was a mail order bride. She was growling at him in a foreign language, Romanian maybe, something Eastern European probably, when she looked at me and instantly softened and smiled and for just a second I believed her before realizing she was only trying to make Rod Stewart angry and jealous.

He turned and saw me and visibly balked, rearing back with a sudden jerk, and I realized he hadn’t noticed me until that very moment. (I was doing a lot of realizing that afternoon, a thought which was itself a realization, I realized.) Here we go, I thought. Once again, having waited too long somewhere with someone, I have found myself in a circumstance of imminent violence. All because I like drugs because they help me forget I’m me. I don’t like being me. I don’t like me at all. Lots of people don’t like me, for good reason. I “borrowed” money to buy drugs, I stole, I cheated, I lied. And I’m sorry for all of it. But I swear on everything I’ve ever loved that it didn’t feel like a choice. It really didn’t. I was on autopilot. I had one directive: Get drugs. And I did everything I could to fulfill that directive.

Does that mean I deserve a beating? Probably. But if I have to die a drug related death, can’t it be closer to downtown? One of my old home stations? (That’s the station nearest your place, which is probably self-evident so sorry for explaining.) I’ve moved many times, though rarely by choice. You get kicked out of places a lot when you’re a drug addict. In my case, not for behavior. I don’t drink all the beer in the fridge or stagger home at 3 AM and play loud music. I just have a tendency to spend the rent money on drugs. I spend all money on drugs, a standing policy that has brought me here, staring at an angry man who looks like Rod Stewart and wants to hit me. He is breathing slowly and glaring at me, just staring and not moving.

One must adapt to the highly fluid circumstances endemic to the purchase of hard drugs in low quantities. Rich people don’t have to put up with this shit. They buy in bulk. There is a delivery service here in Toronto, possibly fictional but whispered of in hopeful, reverential tones, that offers every drug ever. Anything you wish, right to your door. One former dealer of mine (dead from OD) told me the minimum order for this mythical service is 5k. My Roncesvalles-Howard Park man snorted at that figure and insisted it’s only 2 grand. John insists it’s $10 000. Imagine that. Having the kind of money to order any drug you want, or might want later on. That’s the life I liked to tell myself I deserved, not a life of evading marauders and ersatz-Rod Stewarts, waiting for my heroin dealer to weigh out a fucking gram of coke, after already waiting two hours before that for my heroin dealer’s coke dealer who looks like Rod Stewart but thinks he looks like Robert Plant whose companion from Eastern Europe has an injured arm he was obviously responsible for to show up and WHAT THE FUCK IS TAKING THESE PEOPLE SO LONG

YOU ARE DRUG DEALERS! DEAL DRUGS!

As the big galoot gaped at me, taking in my presence and blurting random vowels, John daintily picked a large rock of cocaine from his bag, not mine or his own, snorted it, and winked at me.

I couldn’t help it. I laughed one of those sudden laughs that sounds like a bark, further confusing an increasingly agitated Rod Stewart until John, turning back to his scale with a studious frown, like he’d been there the whole time, said casually over his shoulder, “that’s my boy I told you about. He’s with me.”

Just like that, like pressing enter on a password in a video game, Rod Stewart nodded and backed off.

Saved by John. What a guy. He’s with me. A wonderful phrase. Uttered by my dealer without forethought but nevertheless filling the father-sized hole in me, a warm sense of belonging, of mattering, spreading through my lower region...or else I was sicker than I realized (despite all the realizing going on elsewhere) and needed either heroin or a toilet very soon.

But even if the feeling was gastrointestinal distress, it didn’t diminish the sweetness of John’s sentiment. I was with him. I was not with Rod Stewart. I grabbed the phone because John told me to, making my allegiance plain, and it felt good to have John reciprocate. I decided to snort some H right then, to sustain the warmth inside me, when four police officers - Toronto Police, not Transit Cops - materialized seemingly out of nowhere at the bottom of the escalators and sized us up.

There was nowhere to run and they damn well knew it, and they knew we knew it, so they were taking their time, as police like to do when they know they’ve got you, like a cat toying with its prey. Taking pleasure in the kill.

More than a little belatedly, Rod Stewart and his friend from Eastern Europe picked up their respective phones and began nattering nonsense as John hurriedly swept the cocaine crumbs away and stuffed all three bags of it, his own, mine, and Rod Stewart’s, down the front of his pants. If we aren’t arrested, I thought, ask John if he’s wearing underwear.

Taking a deep breath, I grabbed my phone, closed my eyes and murmured an agnostic prayer, which goes please please please please please please please please please until someone tapped me on the shoulder.

Expecting a looming cop, all sarcasm and accusation, I was flabbergasted to see John grinning and pointing at the cops, all four of them, standing in the center of the room, interrogating the talentless busker, who was sputtering and kinda scared, and in that moment I forgave him his crimes against music and loved him for being my diversion. Our diversion.

The TTC has a recorded announcement that plays over the speakers inside every single station, something about reporting misconduct or felonious acts. I can only remember the ending: If you see something, say something.

We watched as the cops led the guy out of the station, his body language dramatically changed, gone from confident musician to sniveling inmate. He shot a helpless glance at me as he got on the escalator. I gave him a soft wave and a kiss. I’m an asshole.

“Poor fuckin loser,” Rob Stewart said, shaking his head.

“Here,” John handed me my bag, mercifully free of pubic hair, and I went home and snorted coke and heroin in alternating increments all night and into dawn until both were gone and I went to sleep and when I woke up I felt empty and lonely and depressed so I crawled out of bed and tried to figure out the quickest way to get drugs again.

I did not thank what or whomever I’d prayed to.

[sixstringnation]

I'm re-posting this instalment from almost exactly a year ago as today would have been Taylor Mitchell's 31st birthday. It's hard to believe that her tragic death was 12 years ago at the start of her music career. Who knows where she would have been at by this time.⁠ ⁠ I'd seen her and known of her from around the music scene in our common Roncesvalles neighbourhood in Toronto but we hadn't properly met. Her mother, Emily, who had so generously given us one of Taylor's cowboy boots from which to take some material, told me that Taylor had been a fan of the Six String Nation project but out of natural shyness had only hovered at the edges of the circle when we'd done stuff with the guitar at events we'd both been attending in the Ontario folk music community. I'm just really sorry she never got a change to play Voyageur so we could have had a little bit of her music ringing through it.⁠ ⁠ At least when looking at the credits on her debut album, "For Your Consideration" I see the names Michael Johnston, Noel Webb, Lynn Miles, Suzie Vinnick, Justin Rutledge and Ariana Gillis - all of whom have relationships with Voyageur - and know that the presence of Taylor's boot on the strap is another way of keeping her connected to those early musical supporters and mentors.⁠ ⁠ Taylor's attack spawned some panic about coyotes - a reaction Taylor herself would have resisted. Her mother contributed to that resistance by taking part in the NFB documentary "Bad Coyote", which you can stream for free using the linkin.bio⁠ ⁠ Find out more about the Six String Nation project and book a live or virtual presentation at https://www.sixstringnation.com⁠ ⁠ .⁠ .⁠ .⁠ .⁠ .⁠ .⁠ .⁠ #CanadianHistory #CanEd #CanadianMusic #SocialStudies #canadianwildlife #canadiansingersongwriter #CanadianGuitar #levysleathers #taylormitchell #badcoyote #nfb #acousticguitar #CanadianTeachers #K12 #suzukifoundation #keynotespeaker #CdnEd #ETFO #OSSTF #bced #EdLeaders #OECD #VoiceEd #imaginED #sixstringnation #6SN https://instagr.am/p/CTFODLnNSnZ/

[eopederson3]

Motivations, an Introduction

11 July 20021

“For practicing Catholics, of whom we will meet almost none, the reward for arrival … is a full plenary indulgence…The rest of us are cagey about what to expect.” Gideon Lewis-Kraus, 2012. A Sense of Direction: Pilgrimage for The Restless and the Hopeful. New York: Riverhead Books, p. 59.

Why did you walk the Camino? Anyone who has made the trek to Santiago de Compostela has undoubtedly been asked that question in some form. It might have been the question “But you are not religious, so why a pilgrimage?” Or “Why didn’t you choose to walk somewhere closer to home?” Or “What did you expect to get from spending a month walking in Spain?” Or it might have been a simple “Why did you go?” North Americans who do not have a tradition of long distance walks other than wilderness treks on routes like the Appalachian Trail or the Pacific Crest Trail may find it hard to explain what they walked for, unless, of course, they are religiously observant and did the pilgrimage in order to be spared part of eternity in heaven’s waiting room (or worse).

It is difficult to know why any specific pilgrim walked, and even those who come forth with quick explanations often have additional if unspoken motivations. Lewis-Krause in the remainder of the paragraph quoted above suggests most pilgrims have a sense of transition or one of crisis. It is difficult to refute that. Among younger pilgrims one often encounters ones who have just completed a degree and have not yet started employment, others who have just emerged from a broken love affair, or still others who, having found employment or a spouse, realize they are not pleased with their life choices. Older pilgrims are frequently people who have just retired from employment or just lost a significant other. A few may have emerged from a health crisis, for example a bout with cancer successfully held at bay, and are walking to re-embrace active life. All of those cases illustrate Lewis-Kraus’s statement, pilgrimage because of transition or crisis.

I have no skills as a mind reader or as a psychological analyst, and thus overt motivation is my theme here and will be in future essays on the subject. Overt motivations themselves present a fascinating array whatever the underlying psychological causes may be. Religious motivation is the presumed basis of all pilgrimage, and in my experience that motivation is not as rare as Lewis-Krause suggests. It comes in several forms. One is earning the indulgences, the forgiveness of sins, for those who walk to Santiago even greater indulgences are granted in holy years like 2021. A second motivation, frequently seen among pilgrims to shrines like Lourdes and Fatima but somewhat rare in pilgrims to Santiago, is a plea for aid, most often for a cure to a disease. Some religious pilgrims walk to Santiago as a form of thanksgiving for benefits already perceived to have been granted. And some walk trying to affirm or reaffirm a faith that has been lost.

At the opposite extreme of motivations for pilgrimages to Santiago de Compostela are the purely recreational aspects of the walk. It is easy to walk the 800 km from Roncesvalles to Santiago over the course of a month and spend only €1000, a cheap vacation for anyone who enjoys walking. As walking holidays are common among middle income Europeans from many countries, one encounters more than a few of these. Some of them only walk parts of the route, usually avoiding the Meseta between Burgos and León (my favorite stretch) and have little interest in actually arriving in Santiago or receiving the Compostela, except perhaps as a scrapbook souvenir. Their motivation is simply the pleasure of long distance walking.

Between those extremes are cultural motivations. Thanks to a history of being somewhat cut off from Europe, Spain is exotic for many other Europeans and for those from beyond the Continent. It has customs not common elsewhere in Europe, and it has a wealth of exotica to explore. Sheer curiosity about the country and its people can be a strong motivator to go, and what better way way to see a country and its people than a slow walk across a section of it.  The motivation is to see and experience first hand a world different from the quotidian one. Perhaps one is, as I am, interested in architecture and medieval European history. The pilgrimage provides a veritable museum for us with glorious buildings of the Romanesque and Gothic eras scattered along a route with prehistoric and Roman Empire roots. More than a few school trips are organized to introduce students to the cuisine and customs of places along the route, a motivation for more than just students. Language acquisition is also a goal, although I found the Camino de Santiago a less than ideal venue for perfecting my Castellano (Spanish). On each of my trips I have heard conversations in a Babel of languages, and frequently Spanish was not even the plurality language among those being heard. On a typical day one heard more English than Castellano as English seems to be the lingua franca for non-Spanish and Latin American pilgrims regardless of their linguistic origins. Hispanohablantes tend to cluster together and to interact only slightly with those who speak some other language while on the Camino.

There are also some who make the pilgrimage for less elevated reasons. Some are seeking a lover, some want an excuse to overindulge in one or another vices, and a few are attempting to escape from something - an angry spouse, a criminal charge, etc. A very few may have devious motives and use the pilgrimage to engage in criminal activity. Criminal activity, including rape and robbery, are thankfully rare on the Camino, as they are in Spain generally, but they do exist.

Overt motivations are thus numerous, and most of them deserve extended discussion. 

[theacetoronto]

Thank you Roncesvalles, it’s been a great 9 years (except for most of this last one)! But, my time at The Ace is over, in no small part due to Covid-19 and the uncertain situation The Ace and all restaurants, bars, and small businesses are currently facing. But also because it is just time for me to do something different.  I’ve gotten to know many of you over the years, and while I’m sure I haven’t met you all, we all share The Ace in common. It is a special place, in a special neighborhood. The Ace couldn't have existed and thrived without each of you. But The Ace would also not be the place you know and love without the incredible people who have worked there over the years—many of whom worked there most of the years! I owe a huge debt of gratitude to these beautiful people. I am happy to announce that The Ace will continue under new ownership. So, while one more chapter of The Ace’s 70 year history ends, another chapter will begin. I hope you will continue to support The Ace, and all of our neighbourhood businesses, til we come out the other side of this. I am proud to have been a business owner on this remarkable street. For me, there will always be something magic about The Ace. Maybe it was the combination of a caring staff, great food, an embracing neighbourhood, and the classic but eclectic setting. Or maybe there is something to the story that its original owner, Mrs. Lee, still keeps watch over the place. Whatever the case, I am happy to have been a part of its history, and I’m happy you were too. Thank you, Greg Boggs (at The Ace) https://www.instagram.com/p/CIWdwObAsNU/?igshid=1xhnfehg1ui2o

[miaccattie]

Avenue south residence price list4

The Foundry Lofts are located in Toronto's Central-west end and are another example of a successful conversion from a vintage 19th century warehouse into chic urban lofts.

This impressive structure was built in the early 1900's and was first used by the Canada Foundry Company in the building of electric locomotives that would supply railways across Canada, until the 1920's when Canada's General Electric took the location over and continued to use the building for the next 60+ years.

Fast forward today and we find the vast size and character lending itself to be an ideal Loft space that is perfectly suited for buyers seeking historic character combined with modern building materials and technology.

This unique layout allowed for the design of an interior Green Space, spanning approximately 16,000 square feet, meant to create a common community area. Residents are able to feel this connection while enjoying the interior landscaping that is designed with planted trees, park benches and cobblestone walkways while creating an interior urban oasis. This brilliant open space also includes a recreation room and art gallery that is fitted with a full kitchen. The exercise facilities, Theatre Centre and meeting room are added features to the building's amenities.

The Foundry Lofts are unique in offering a breathtaking Atrium that combines natural sunlight flooding into Avenue south residence price list  the interior gardens of planted greenery through large windows and skylights. The Foundry Lofts are home to 104 lofts, which include 1, 2 and 3 storey designs. Striking vintage features are incorporated throughout the suites including full warehouse styled windows, exposed original brick, 2 elevator cabs, and soaring ceiling heights of 9 to 14 feet all blending together with the contemporary design of modern kitchen and bathroom designs.

The surrounding neighbourhood is multi-cultural with influences of Italian, Portuguese, Latin American and Greek. North of Davenport is found the community known as "Corso Italia", which is another of Toronto's "Little Italy" hoods. It's popular for its vibrant Italian culture boasting mouth-watering cuisine, espresso bars and clothing boutiques. This strip of cafes and shops is a lower key area, without the hip "cocktail bar" scene found on College Street. Here the focus is found more around the great food from the surrounding eateries. Locals and foodies flood to such popular haunts as the "Big Ragu", "Marcello's Pizzeria" and "Pizza e Pazzi", where you almost expect to find a little Italian grandmother, tucked away in the back kitchen preparing her secret recipes.

Another boost for the area was the opening of the "Wychwood Barns" in 2008 which converted 60,000 square feet, from a TTC streetcar repair barn into a community for artists, environmental organizations, culture and agriculture, along with a Farmer's market that weekly draws crowds from across the city. From this market you'll find organic delicacies including hormone-free meats. It's an outing for the family with the kiddies loving the awesome onsite playground! The trendy Junction and Roncesvalles shopping districts are only minute's away, offering unique organic shopping choices and known for their expansive selection of great eateries. Bloordale Village is attracting a young creative group of hipsters with an influx of art galleries, cafe shops and restaurants.

All ages enjoy the close proximity of Earlscourt Park, which is found along St. Clair Avenue and down to Davenport Road boasting 36 acres of parkland, 4 tennis courts, soccer fields, baseball diamonds and an outdoor ice rink.

For those driving or taking the Red Rocket, transportation is convenient with a number of fast choices and routes to downtown Toronto. Traffic going along Dupont Street or Davenport Road is usually quite smooth and public transportation offers both bus routes and the Bloor-Danforth subway line. Leaving your car at home and becoming more "green" has never been so easy!

The Foundry Lofts offer an authentic experience for those looking for the combination of old-world charm marrying modern technology and design.

The Chelsea Lofts are found just a short distance away, being another great choice for urban condo living.

This affordable mid-rise loft building is found in Toronto's Central-west end in the area of Dupont St. and Lansdowne Avenue. The location is also conveniently close to a number of trendy surrounding communities. The design of the Chelsea Lofts has a "Bauhaus" influence along with warehouse styled Industrial windows that portray an edgy and artsy cool.

This hip influence is attracting young urban professionals looking for a close-to-downtown pad without all the expense. Discerning buyers that are moving into up-and-coming neighbourhoods are finding themselves looking at great savings compared with the already "hot" revitalized hoods.

[loquemecabeenlamaleta]

Santa María de Eunate es una iglesia románica del S.XII ubicada en campo libre a 2 Km de Muruzábal, Navarra. Allí confluyen los caminos de Santiago de Somport y Roncesvalles, por lo que, junto a la ermita encontramos un albergue de peregrinos. Se trata de una ermita templaria, cuya portada es similar a la del Santo Sepulcro de Torres del Río, también en Navarra, actuando ambas como faro de orientación a los peregrinos ya que en lugar de torre tienen una especie de linterna arquitectónica, dentro de la cual se mantenía un fuego que servía como punto de referencia al caminante. Otra de las peculiaridades es que la planta es octogonal y su arquería exterior (compuesta por 33 arcos) rodea a la iglesia a modo de claustro. Se le atribuyen fuerzas telúricas y si tienes la suerte de poder visitarla puedes comprobar que no es un lugar común y cuando sopla el viento puedes llegar a sentir que allí hay algún tipo de fuerza. Santa María de Eunate is a Romanesque church from the XII century located in a free field 2 km from Muruzábal, Navarra. There the roads of Santiago de Somport and Roncesvalles converge, so that, next to the hermitage, we find a pilgrims' hostel. It is a Templar hermitage, whose front is similar to that of the Holy Sepulcher in Torres del Río, also in Navarra, both acting as a beacon of orientation to pilgrims since instead of a tower they have a kind of architectural lantern, inside the which kept a fire that served as a reference point for the walker. Another peculiarity is that the plan is octagonal and its exterior arches (made up of 33 arches) surrounds the church as a cloister. Telluric forces are attributed to it and if you are lucky enough to be able to visit it you can see that it is not a common place and when the wind blows you can feel that there is some kind of force there. #loquemecabeenlamaleta #eunate #navarra #nafarroa #turismonavarra #turismorural #caminosantiago #templarios #ermita #escapadas #igersnavarra #picoftheday #picoftheweek #estaes_navarra #estaes_espania (en Santa María de Eunate) https://www.instagram.com/p/CFHD3-vKmn4/?igshid=6gec592ebdxm

[rabbitcruiser]

King Street West, Toronto (No. 2)

King Street's western terminus is at an intersection with The Queensway to the west, Roncesvalles Avenue to the north, and Queen Street West to the east. King runs to the south-east briefly before curving to the east until just west of Parliament Street. There, it curves north-east until terminates at a merge with Queen Street East just west of the Don River and north of the Corktown Common. Prior to a realignment, Eastern Avenue was the East end of King Street and crossed the Don at the King Street Bridge (which has since been abandoned). Yonge Street, the north–south divider of many Toronto east–west streets, divides King Street into King Street East and King Street West.

Canada's Walk of Fame runs along King Street from John Street to Simcoe Street and south on Simcoe. It is a tribute in granite to Canadians who have gained fame in the fields of music, literature, journalism, dance, sports, acting, entertainment and broadcasting.

King Street West is considered Toronto's Fashion District and is known for trendy restaurants, design shops and boutique condo developments. Previously industrial, this neighborhood has undergone considerable urban development since the early 2000s. 

King Street East is predominantly known as the high-end, luxury furniture district of downtown Toronto, with dozens of stores on King Street and in the surrounding area.

As of October 2018, King Street is served along its entire length by two overlapping Toronto Transit Commission streetcar routes: the 504A King and the 504B King, which together are the busiest streetcar routes in the fleet, with an average ridership of 65,000 passengers per day. They connect with the Yonge–University subway line (Line 1) at St. Andrew station at University Avenue, and at King station at Yonge Street. They connect with the Bloor–Danforth subway line (Line 2) at Dundas West station and Broadview station. The street was also served by the 508 Lake Shore route until it was discontinued in June 2015. It was subsequently replaced by the 514 Cherry route in June 2016, which was the cancelled in October 2018 and replaced by the two 504 King branches. 

In the original 1793 plan of the Town of York, King Street was the original name of the section of today's Front Street from George Street east to Parliament Street. This was changed in 1797, when York was extended to the west. The original King Street became Palace Street, and Duke Street was renamed King Street. The new King Street was extended west to York Street. In 1798, King Street was extended further west, to Peter Street. In the 1837 westerly extension of Toronto, King Street was extended west to Garrison Creek. By this time, King Street was the main commercial east–west street of Toronto, having St. Lawrence Market at the intersection of King and New (or Nelson) (today's Jarvis) streets, and an commercial core extending around the Market. In the 1849 Great Fire, much of the business core at King and Jarvis was destroyed. New commercial buildings were built. By 1901, King Street West was completed to its present-day intersection at Roncesvalles and Queen Streets. 

In recent years there has been a proliferation of chic restaurants, clubs and galleries in the area (such as Cobra, Brant House, Susur, Senses Bar and Restaurant, Thuet Cuisine, Lux, Old Yorke Pub and Grill, the Navarro Gallery etc.) as King Street West becomes more oriented to Toronto's nightlife crowd, and is near major attractions such as the Rogers Centre (formerly SkyDome), Air Canada Centre, the Distillery District, Hockey Hall of Fame, Roy Thomson Hall, Sony Centre for the Performing Arts, St. Lawrence Market and the historic King Edward Hotel. 

Source: Wikipedia

[the6ixhq]

this place looks rad and I'm happy to have stumbled upon it. but i was wonder if there any way you could give us a rundown on the vibes for each neighborhood? I don't know where to have my character living and am having trouble picking. thank you in advance.

Sure thing, nonnie ! There’s definitely a lot to pick from ! I’ll run down the neighbourhoods by geographical area – Toronto has 5 basic areas – the West End, Downtown, Midtown, Uptown, and the East End. I’ve added the Toronto Island area as well, though it’s only accessible by ferry or water taxi. 

WEST END – TRENDY, FAMILY-ORIENTED, QUIET. - lots of independently owned businesses- stand alone properties, older homes, settled families - has been gentrified rather thoroughly over the years, meaning the area is rather expensive and is teaming with hipsters - has access to Toronto’s High Park, equivalent to New York’s Central Park EAST END – RELAXED, COMMUNITY-CENTRIC, BEACHY. -home to some of toronto’s oldest neighbourhoods -easy access to the Toronto beaches -ranges from some of the nicest, largest houses in the city to small, run down cottage-like properties-home to lots of older couples, families, and hippies alike DOWNTOWN – BUSTLING, CONNECTED, HISTORIC. - easy access to all of toronto with subway stops and busses at just about every corner - mostly apartment buildings, generally low-rise units/condos, so most of the downtown core is rented, not owned. - always something to do, as Toronto’s downtown core never truly shuts down - extremely expensive for a limited amount of space MIDTOWN – YOUNG, DIVERSE, ARTISTIC.- home to all ages and cultures of people as it has multiple cultural hubs in close proximity – ie: little italy, chinatown- easily walkable neighbourhoods with something interesting to do on every corner- lots of independently owned bars, restaurants, clubs, and movie theatres. - an up and coming area for lots of students and creative mindsUPTOWN – UPSCALE, CONVENIENT, MODERN.- find a well-mixed combination of large modern homes and high rise apartment buildings - lots of office / business / retail space in the uptown core, including both independent business owners and common chain-stores- less connected via public transit – many people uptown rely on ride-sharing services or their own vehicles to make it to/from the uptown core. This is partly due to the never ending construction in uptown Toronto’s epicentre. TORONTO ISLANDS – SELECTIVE, SECLUDED, NATURAL.- only certain people are allowed to live on Toronto island.- involves a waiting list for the very few homes scattered across the islands, and these homes are often passed down from generation to generation - surrounded by beaches, beautiful views of the Toronto skyline all around - accessed only by the Toronto ferry services through the downtown core

Hopefully that gives you a general idea of Toronto’s main areas. The neighbourhoods listed within each general area are more specific / each holds different local hot-spots, but which one you choose is more a matter of preference than anything else. I’d say focus more on which area you like best for your character, and then pick any neighbourhood that you like the sound of from that area.For example, if the West End seems to be a fit for your character, choose Roncesvalles, High Park, or whichever neighbourhood sounds most fitting for your character. If you need further information on those specific neighbourhoods / want to do more of your own research, feel free to click on any listed neighbourhood to get a brief rundown courtesy of Blog T.O., or utilize Google for further images / maps / detailed explanations. I know this is a lot, but I hope it helps you in making your decision ! 

[billionairescoblog-blog]

Lesson 15, Task 1: Where do I live?

Lesson 15, Task 1: Where do I live?

By: Scoey Hamilton

 I live in the southern residential district referred to as Parkdale-South-Shoreline, defined as the land mass that runs along the coast line of Lake Ontario in Toronto. My district is classified as the first suburb west of downtown Toronto, nestled below the scenic High-Park hills, filled with a high population of working professionals, who appreciate scenically beautiful views, walks along the lakeshore and tree-lined streets with access to all of the city’s highways and transit points. My neighborhood is a cultural mix of all of Toronto’s ethnic groups, highly progressive individuals who share the common goal of maximizing the City’s advancement. The Parkdale South Shoreline district has some of the best residential features, however it also has specific density issues for which a large amount of infrastructure assistance has been required from the City of Toronto to maximize the efficiency of the district.

                 Some of the benefits of Parkdale-South, specifically across the shoreline of Lake-Ontario in Toronto, is that the neighborhood has the approximate distribution of the population representing 21,849 residents, 50.3% are female, 49.7% males. The majority of the population is between 25-39 years old and are working professionals. This is a great area for young relationships to form. Of the residents, 12,030 are of working age between 25-54yrs old. The visible minority population of the area is 48.1%, although slightly lower than the visible minority population of Toronto which is 51.5%, the district is highly inclusive.  The ethnic groups in the highest proportion are European lineage (Polish, Germanic, Slavic, British), Middle-Eastern, Indo-Canadian and Caribbean. The number one language spoken is English, followed by Polish, German, Croatian and Arabic. The community of Parkdale South-Shoreline has continually evolved over the years, given that there is an increase in residents between the ages of 25-54, with household incomes greater than $69,000 per year, and the median age of 35.5 years old. There is a large increase in one-family households in the area when compared to the City of Toronto. This increase in single family households is attributed to the rapid development of high-rise condo housing units. Residents of the area enjoy the outdoor recreational aspects of the area which includes boating, sailing, paddle-boarding, cycling, running, yoga in the parks, dog-walking privileges and access to the events at the Sunny-Side Pavilion, swimming at the Sunny-Side Pavilion Pool and potential membership in the famous Boulevard Club for sailing, tennis and private events.

                 The unique challenges of the community is the housing type. The area is privy to multiple condos, stacked town-homes, low rise rental buildings and an assortment of Tudor styled homes that were built in the early 1900s which have narrow strips of land, and are tightly situated. The area was considered a suburb when Toronto began to form.  Given that most residents are of working age, those who are in partnerships raising children choose to live in the area to access some of the great elementary schools such as: Park Lawn Junior Middle School, St. Vincent De Paul Catholic School, High Park Gardens Montessori School, and the Ursula Franklin Academy. The infrastructure is densely populated due to the traffic-centric position of the neighborhood which is situated between Queensway, Lakeshore Blvd, and the Gardener Expressway. The neighborhood is highly diverse with 48.1% of the residents listed as visual minorities. There is an 81.1% employment rate amongst residents, however due to the proximal location of real estate, 86.6% of the residents are renters and do not own their property. There is a decline in the aging population, however there are very few unemployed, or low-income residents. The unique challenge that faces the neighborhood is traffic congestion, lack of sufficient parking and road access, given the density levels, it is a busy area at all times. The district is anchored by Lake Ontario to the South, St. Joseph’s Hospital and The Roncesvalles restaurant market district to the east, and Sobey’s with the Ontario food terminal next door to the west.

                 Toronto’s City planning and zoning office has attempted to assist the community to adjust to the infrastructure challenges by boosting above ground railway expansion of the TTC 501-streetcar rail system, which runs 24-hours per day to help reduce the need for an automobile, greater TTC bus route access to the MIMICO GO Train station through the Queensway-80 bus route; the routes provide more frequent trips in order to distribute commuters effectively. Additionally, the main transit route off King Street has designated areas which are street-car only lanes during peak driving times, preventing other automobiles from accessing these restricted areas – with the goal to increase effective access to the core of the city’s financial districtt, assisting commuters to penetrate the core of the city more expediently – given that downtown Toronto is the hub directly responsible for the highest amount of employment for residents of the Parkdale South-Shoreline community.

While the neighborhood of Parkdale South-Shoreline offers transportation support for working-age residents who are heavily connected to corporate employment in the downtown core, the neighborhood has some of the best views, parks, recreation and proximal distance to Roncesvalles restaurants - which enhances inclusion and tolerance through its positioning as a pedestrian friendly shopping, dining, and entertainment canal;  You will find that Parkdale South has very progressive thinkers, concept embracers, multicultural relationships, and open-minded individuals, which helps to increase comfort for all who live in the area. Parkdale South characterizes the positive conception that Canada is indeed nation for all.

References

Toronto Neighbourhood Profiles (2016). South Parkdale: Neighbourhood census profile. Retrieved May 21, 2019, from https://www.toronto.ca/ext/sdfa/Neighbourhood%20Profiles/pdf/2016/pdf1/cpa85.pdf

[thebestintoronto]

25 reasons to get outside this spring in Toronto

From street fairs and street protests to art shows and concerts, these are the best events happening outdoors in April and May

APRIL

Score free stuff at the Really Really Free Market

Experience the life-changing magic of tidying up (or, alternately, of getting free stuff) at this recurring event in the Junction Triangle. Once a month, declutterers and treasure-hunters meet in the open air to scour through pre-loved items, from clothing, shoes and jewellery to housewares, books, movies, pet items and more. There’s no cash and no swapping – just take what you want to keep. Everything not claimed at the end of the day gets passed along to charity.

April 6, May 4 and June 1. Campbell Park (225 Campbell). rrfmarket.blogspot.com.

Get your bike ready to ride

After a winter of storage, it’s time to make sure your wheels are road-worthy (unless you’re one of those brave souls who rides all winter long, in which case, hats off to you). If you need some pointers on how to do a DIY tune-up, Broadview bike repair studio Bike Sauce is hosting free workshops that will walk you through safety checks and basic maintenance. Can’t make it? Bike Sauce and Parkdale studio Bike Pirates are both open for DIY tune-ups throughout the week.

April 6 and 13 at Bike Sauce (341 Broadview). 11 am. Free. bikesauce.org.

Show up for National Day of Action on the Overdose Crisis

According to the latest numbers, more than 600 people died from opioid overdoses in the first six months of 2018. Three years after frontline workers first warned of the opioid-induced overdose crisis sweeping the country, we still grieve. And now the Ford government has announced it will no longer be funding safe injection sites. We’re falling behind when it comes to dealing with the biggest health care crisis since AIDS and stemming the death toll from tainted drugs. Organizers of this year’s National Day of Action on the Overdose Crisis, which takes place in cities across the country, say 2019 is a wake-up call for the urgent need for the legalization and regulation of all hard drugs.

April 16, see website for details. Noon-2 pm. facebook.com/NationalDOA2019.

Get legally stoned on 420 for the first time

Organizers for city’s first post-legalization 420 smoke-out couldn’t secure a permit for Nathan Phillips Square so are staging their annual event at Woodbine Park. The event is also happening on a Saturday, so you don’t have to worry about the stigmatization that comes with getting stoned midday on a weekday in uptight Toronto. The park location means there will be vendors and a stage this year.

April 20 at Woodbine Park (1695 Queen East). Noon-7 pm Free. fb.com/420toronto.

Get social with Toronto’s cherry blossoms

Over 10,000 kilometres separate Toronto and Tokyo, but cherry blossoms can be enjoyed in both cities. Starting in April, partake in the centuries-old tradition of hanami, the Japanese term for viewing sakura, at parks and sites across the city including High Park, Trinity Bellwoods, York University and Birkdale Ravine. Once cherry blossoms bloom, the equally photogenic Eastern redbud follows suit. Find these bright pink trees at Corktown Common among dozens of parks.

Late April/early May. toronto.ca.

Help clean-up and revitalize the Don Valley Ravine

The 200-hectare ravine stretching from Pottery Road down to Corktown Common is Toronto’s largest and most hidden urban park, which means it’s also a common dumping ground for trash. Join a large volunteer group to clean up a section of the lower Don Ravine and help revitalize a green space that’s home to deer, fox, beavers, muskrats and great blue herons.

April 27 and May 11 starting at E.T. Seton Park parking lot (next to 71 Thorncliffe Park). 10 am-2 pm. Free (registration required). dontmesswiththedon.ca.

Mark Earth Day at Downsview Park

We’d like to think that every day is Earth Day, but most people recognize April 22 as the largest environmental celebration in the world. While there are events scheduled across the city that day, a big one happens a week later. Now in its 15th year, Earth Day at Downsview Park is a free family-friendly event including outdoor vendors, a scavenger hunt, workshops and more. See a birds of prey demonstration, enjoy guided nature walks and take part in litter pickup and invasive species removal.

April 28. Downsview Park Discovery Centre (70 Canuck). 11 am-4 pm. Free. downsviewpark.ca.

Rally to protect public health care

Spring is the perfect season to hit the streets, protest and demand progressive change. The Ontario Health Coalition, a network of more than 400 grassroots community organizations, says the Ford government’s recently tabled legislation to restructure health care will end up selling off vital services and impose costly “mega-mergers” that will put local services and hospitals at risk. In response, the coalition is organizing a massive rally at Queen’s Park, which will bring in busloads of protestors from across the province. So much for Ford’s promise to end hallway medicine.

April 30. Queen’s Park Lawn. Noon. ontariohealthcoalition.ca.

MAY

Check out Carrie Mae Weems’s first Canadian exhibition

One of the U.S.’s most celebrated contemporary artists will make her Canadian debut at Contact Photography Festival, with three site-specific outdoor installations. Carrie Mae Weems, the first African-American woman to have a retrospective at the Guggenheim, will exhibit work at Metro Hall, TIFF Bell Lightbox and via a banner at 460 King West. Her work examines shifting cultural landscapes around the ways Black women have been represented in pop culture – today and throughout history. Other artists’ works will be shown at 16 public sites, as well as on billboards, around town.

May 1 to 31. Various venues. Free. Launch party May 1 at Ryerson Image Centre, 7-11 pm. contactphoto.com.

Get a new perspective on Toronto during Jane’s Walk Festival

Explore your neighbourhood with fresh eyes or discover a new one during Jane’s Walk 2019, the annual festival that honours urban thinker Jane Jacobs through citizen-led walking tours. This year’s highlights include imagining the future of the high-traffic corridor Bridgeland Avenue, near the 401 and Dufferin; a stroll around old Agincourt in Scarborough to explore the development of a suburb and the racial tensions around the Dragon Centre; and a walk through Wychwood Park, designed in 1874 as an artists’ haven.

May 3 to 5, at various locations. Free. janeswalk.org/toronto.

Catch a baseball game at Christie Pits

It doesn’t feel like spring until you sit in open-air stands and watch a baseball game. You never know when the Blue Jays will decide to open the dome, but in the meantime you can catch free games at Christie Pits Park. The Toronto Maple Leafs intercounty league team has been playing since 1969, with baseball at the park stretching back even earlier – and catching a game there is an essential experience. One of the city’s hidden gems.

Season starts May 5 at Dominico Field at Christie Pits, 2 pm. Free. mapleleafsbaseball.com.

Mosh at Yonge-Dundas Square during Canadian Music Week

Ever since the music fest moved from March to May, CMW has been summoning the summer spirit of its rival festival, NXNE, with outdoor gigs at Yonge-Dundas Square. No headliner has been announced yet, but last year Sloan took that spot. We do know the fest will have Azealia Banks (May 8) and Television (May 6), plus a discovery series with Hooded Fang, Witch Prophet, Ebhoni and Ice Cream. Plus: at least one event at the (finally) reopening El Mocambo.

May 11 at Yonge-Dundas Square (1 Dundas East), noon to 11 pm, all ages. Free. cmw.net, ydsquare.ca

Ponder urban monuments at the Bentway

Cities are questioning the relevance and meaning of public monuments, particularly as we Canadians grapple with the legacies of colonialism and residential schools. An international art exhibition and day-long event will ponder the future of city monuments to kick off urban park the Bentway’s spring/summer season. New Monuments For New Cities will feature 25 large-scale posters responding to the questions “What should a contemporary monument look like? Who are they for and what should they represent?” The show is simultaneously at similar land-reuse sites in four other North American cities, and will launch at the Monuments Summit on May 11. Public tours will happen every Tuesday (except June 4) during the run.

May 11 to August 30 at the Bentway (250 Fort York). thebentway.ca/new-monuments.

Eat, shop and party on the sidewalk in Parkdale

Summer is a big season for street fests and road closures, but if you can’t wait for pedestrian-only fun, head west. In early May, the annual Spring Into Parkdale Sidewalk Fest takes over a 1.4-km stretch of Queen West between Roncesvalles and Dufferin, with a kids area, a Little Tibet market, a zero-waste fair, free bike tune-ups, DJs, live music, a flea market and a night market. The event is emphasizing zero waste by encouraging visitors to bring their own containers, cups and cutlery.

May 11 in Parkdale Village. 11 am-9 pm. Free. parkdalevillagebia.com/festival.

Dance at Electric Island

There’s some sort of magnetic pull toward the ferry terminal the second the weather gets warm enough to expose your forearms, and Electric Island is the perfect excuse to head over to the island this spring. The first of four outdoor beach-adjacent raves takes place May 19. And though the lineup hasn’t been announced yet, you can bet on a strong-as-always slate of electronic acts and DJs.

May 19 at Hanlan’s Point Beach (Toronto Islands), 2 pm. $40-$60. ticketweb.ca, electricisland.to.

Check out the Strokes’ first Toronto concert in 13 years

Budweiser Stage, the outdoor amphitheatre at Ontario Place, is celebrating its 25th season, and it’s got a hell of an opener: the Strokes. They’ll take you back to the early 2000s NYC rock dives – or at least 2006’s Virgin Festival, the last time the Julian Casablancas-fronted rockers performed here. (If you miss this gig, Bud Stage’s second show of the season is Florence and the Machine with opener Blood Orange on May 26.)

May 20 at Budweiser Stage (909 Lake Shore West), 7 pm. $55-$175. ticketmaster.ca.

Visit architectural gems at Doors Open

The annual architecture festival gives curious Torontonians the opportunity to snoop inside spaces usually closed off to the public, like secret subway stations, water treatment plants and century-old movie theatres. For this year’s 20th anniversary, Doors Open will also include walking tours that explore the social impact of Queen East and the LGBTQ heritage of King Street, as well as spotlight Toronto’s Indigenous past, present and future through events, panels and films.

May 25 and 26, at various locations. Free. toronto.ca/doorsopen.

Take over the streets at Kensington Market’s Pedestrian Sundays

The launch of Pedestrian Sundays in late May means the city has completely shaken off its winter hibernation hangover. Street performers and pop-up vendors line car-free streets, the patios are bustling and Bellevue Square Park is packed with picnickers snacking on churros, empanadas, fish and chips and burritos from the nearby restaurants.

Launches May 26 and happens on the last Sunday of every month until October, Kensington Market. Free. kensingtonmarketbia.com.

Ride into Bike Month

What better time than spring to discover the joy of biking? Toronto gears up for another bike month in June with the 30th annual Bike To Work Day group commute on May 27 hosted by Cycle Toronto. Participants will ride together from various starting points around the city and arrive at Nathan Phillips Square for a pancake breakfast and coffee. Cycle Toronto will be hosting events throughout June, from films to group rides to workshops. Check out the events calendar for details.

May 27 to June 30. Various locations. bikemonth.ca.

Go on a modern dance journey on the waterfront

Harbourfront Centre will raise questions around land ownership with a site-specific indoor/outdoor dance show taking place toward the end of the spring season. Toronto-based choreographer Heidi Strauss’s interactive experience Lot X will cap off the dance series Torque by leading audiences from Harbourfront Centre Theatre to the waterfront arts complex’s East Campus. The performance is weather dependent. Also: bring comfortable shoes.

Lot X runs May 29 to June 2 at Harbourfront Centre Theatre (231 Queens Quay West). 8 pm. $20-$35. harbourfrontcentre.com.

Sway to R&B stars Jorja Smith and Kali Uchis at Echo Beach

Ontario Place’s other outdoor venue gives you a chance to put some sand under your feet via its (totally artificial) beach. After a couple of louder concerts from Bring Me the Horizon and Led Zep clones Greta Van Fleet, the venue hosts the perfect soundtrack to wafting warmness: a pair of buzzy and rising R&B/pop singers – UK artist Jorja Smith and Colombian-American Tyler, The Creator collaborator Kali Uchis.

May 30 at Echo Beach (909 Lake Shore West), doors 7 pm, all ages. $49.50. ticketmaster.ca.

ALL SEASON LONG

Eat your way through T.O. on a food tour

Think you know everything there is to know about Toronto’s food scene? Walking food tours are a great way to discover something new while soaking up some sunshine. Savour Toronto offers a bunch of tailored recurring tours, including dining excursions around Kensington and old Chinatown ($65 each), as well as a coffee and sweets-specific jaunt around the east end ($55). Or start your weekend off right with T.O. Food Tours’ brunch tour of King and Queen West ($99).

savourtoronto.com, tofoodtours.com.

Shop local at a farmers’ market

The abundance of these markets greatly increases as the weather warms up, and many start up in May, including ones in Trinity Bellwoods, Cabbagetown, Davisville Village and the Junction. Shop local produce, dairy, bread, honey, flowers and more from farmers and artisans. Many of the weekly markets also feature live music, kids’ activities and prepared foods.

Various dates and times. Visit tfmn.ca for a complete list.

Brighten your life at the Toronto Flower Market

Even if you don’t buy anything, theToronto Flower Market is beautiful to walk around in. Once a month from May to October, over 30 vendors selling Ontario-grown flowers and plants gather on the lawn of CAMH’s Queen West location. They’ve got everything from potted succulents and artful bouquets to bunches of tulips, wildflowers and more. The first market happens just in time for Mother’s Day.

May 11. Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (1001 Queen West). 10 am-3 pm. torontoflowermarket.ca.

Hit up a flea market

In addition to the year-round indoor staples (shout-out to north-end faves like Merchants’ Flea Market on Eglinton and Downsview Park Merchants Market), a few warmer-weather favourites are about to return for your bargain-hunting pleasure. East-end fave Leslieville Flea is back at the Distillery District Fermenting Cellar on April 28 before returning to its open-air location, Ashbridge Estate, on June 9. And the Parkdale Flea is returning from a brief hiatus on April 13 with a brand-new location at 1605 Queen West.

merchantsfleamarket.com, dpmarket.com, leslievilleflea.com, parkdaleflea.com.

The post “25 reasons to get outside this spring in Toronto” was first seen on NOW Toronto

The IV Lounge - IV Therapy Toronto Drip Clinic

[ilagreenwood34-blog]

The Insulated Garden Workplace.

Looking for their prey in the facility from a radiating geometric net, our company often find the landscape spiders. As opposed to allowing gray water decrease the drain, reuse it to sprinkle your garden or even wash your cars and truck. A landscape club is an exceptional method to swap relevant information, wherein everybody learns from the other participants. Cypress trees, which are fragrant and evergreen, bring in fantastic accents to the yard in addition to incorporating elevation.

A winter season landscape can often appear uninteresting and also bare, especially if you reside in a really chilly weather. If water ends up being cloudy or nasty smelling in a small starter water landscape with a drinking fountain, take out 10 percent of the water off the bottom with either a funnel pipe or even water pump.

I have actually simply created a few tips for plants that will flourish in shade or predisposed shade however a landscape often requires much more than hedges. After a lengthy day at work, that would actually great to rest in your backyard where there is serenity and tranquility. I have an interest in starting some seeds outside in the chilly this year, and also have actually been looking at the winter sowing discussion forum on landscape web. I will undoubtedly seek these 2 at my backyard center for putting up containers on my outdoor patio. But this a good idea, simply when you have a great drain system on call in your backyard. Generally Open Yard was actually driving the concept of a broadband commons, where every person participated through sharing their bandwidth, and also everybody stood up to profit. This is actually certainly not a bad technique to go if you can acquire an acceptable rate. Companies specializing in Koi backyard fish pond development can easily offer you with premium quality work, along with timely shipping. Yard Method is a Daycare to Quality 6 institution located simply west from Roncesvalles in the High Playground area. Really good information is actually that you may get Low-cost Trips to San Francisco as this could be reserved on-line from leading trip reservation or even traveling sites. Aeoniums are rosette designed plants that incorporate a pinwheel design to garden terraces, beds as well as compartments. I only encountered this center from yours as well as this's virtually 18 months since you created this. I bet your garden has far better and also a lot more attractive flowers today. Carrots, parsnip and turnips need to all be actually sown by seed directly in the backyard. I Http://Cathleenvillagomez.Soup.Io/Post/630095084/Learn-Miracle-Tricks-And-Also-Impress-Your determined to go have some pictures of my landscape while the fallen leaves lugged raindrops as well as the different colors were deep and accurate. If you talk to any of your local yard stores or nurseries, they'll have the ability to give you the information you will have to guarantee a hardy plant from your delectable veggies. But the issue is you carry out not depend on those synthetic, apparently capital-centred business brand names enough to use all of them on your valuable little all natural backyard. As discussed previously, because of the nature from the creature, it could be hard to apply a weed killer to bindweed due to its own near closeness to various other vegetations and hedges.

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Last Thursday would have been Taylor Mitchell's 30th birthday. It's hard to believe that her tragic death was 11 years ago at the start of her music career. Who knows where she would have been at by this time.⁠ ⁠ I'd seen her and known of her from around the music scene in our common Roncesvalles neighbourhood in Toronto but we hadn't properly met. Her mother, Emily, who had so generously given us one of Taylor's cowboy boots from which to take some material, told me that Taylor had been a fan of the Six String Nation project but out of natural shyness had only hovered at the edges of the circle when we'd done stuff with the guitar at events we'd both been attending in the Ontario folk music community. I'm just really sorry she never got a change to play Voyageur so we could have had a little bit of her music ringing through it.⁠ ⁠ At least when looking at the credits on her debut album, "For Your Consideration" I see the names Michael Johnston, Noel Webb, Lynn Miles, Suzie Vinnick, Justin Rutledge and Ariana Gillis - all of whom have relationships with Voyageur - and know that the presence of Taylor's boot on the strap is another way of keeping her connected to those early musical supporters and mentors.⁠ ⁠ Find out more about the Six String Nation project and book a live or virtual presentation at https://www.sixstringnation.com⁠ ⁠ .⁠ .⁠ .⁠ .⁠ .⁠ .⁠ .⁠ #CanadianHistory #CanEd #CanadianMusic #SocialStudies #canadianwildlife #canadiansingersongwriter #CanadianGuitar #levysleathers #taylormitchell #badcoyote #acousticguitar #CanadianTeachers #K12 #suzukifoundation #keynotespeaker #CdnEd #ETFO #OSSTF #bced #EdLeaders #OECD #VoiceEd #imaginED #sixstringnation #6SN https://instagr.am/p/CEo8sh2Hd_b/

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Where Does the Camino Begin?

It is annoying to hear or read “I walked the entire Camino from its beginning in Saint Jean-Pied-de-Port.” In virtually all ways that is a silly statement. Indeed St. Jean has become the common starting point for North Americans and other Anglophone walkers because of various guidebooks and travel reports. Readers of those are inclined to believe that they must for some mystical reason start in that French tourist trap (albeit a quite attractive one) on the north side of the Pyrenees. Historically, however, it was but a gathering point where one set of the routes leading to Santiago de Compostela converged. Medieval pilgrims from central France and some areas of Middle Europe trod the Via podiensis (Chemin de Puy) across the Massif Central and gathered to cross the mountains on what is now called the route Napoleon to Roncesvalles (Ronceveaux). They were but one set of pilgrims. Many others, those from Italy, Eastern France and beyond in the northeastward direction, were more likely to have crossed the mountains into Spain at Somport. Pilgrims who gathered in Paris under the Tour St. Jacques usually followed the coastal route through the forests of Landes and crossed not the mountains but rather the river Bidassoa into Spain, near where it flows into the Bay of Biscay. British and Irish pilgrims frequently arrived by boat and began their much shorter overland journey at the port of El Ferrol or La Coruña. And of course Spaniards and Portuguese living to the south of the French route (Camino francés) began their treks in the various villages, towns and cities where they resided.

All of this to say there really is no place where the Camino begins, except perhaps at one’s front door. On my first walk in 1998 I spent time with a pilgrim from the Netherlands who had walked from his home in the southwest of that country, about 75 days from Santiago, and planned to walk back home once he had received his Compostela. His journey was that of a medieval pilgrim for whom no RENFE or Iberia was waiting to rush them home after their trek to the shrine. He argued that it was not a pilgrimage unless one walked the entire distance from home, impossible, of course, for pilgrims who reside oceans away. On subsequent encounters I have met a number of European pilgrims who started at their own front doors, and a few of them intended to walk both directions with the considerable expenditure of time required.

As much as St. Jean is now the starting point for all too many anglophones, the small city of Sarria in Galicia is the starting point for many, many more pilgrims from around the world but especially from Spain itself. The requirement that all pilgrims walk at least 100 kms in order to be eligible for the Compostela makes the city attractive for those who wish to earn the Compostela as it is only 110 km from their destination and thus a little beyond the required minimum distance. It is easy to get there, for Sarria has a RENFE station and is served by several bus routes. Those who have limited time, are unsure of their walking abilities or simply want a sample of the Camino experience start in Sarria as do some Spaniards who mostly wish to boast they “have walked the Camino.” 

On my most recent walk on the Camino francés I began in Pamplona and after two and half hot weeks arrived in Sarria at the beginning of the 12th of October weekend when the Spanish celebrate Día de la Hispanidad, a significant holiday with many people off work. Crowding the reminder of the way to Santiago over that weekend was remarkable. Early the next morning leaving the city there was a line of pilgrims as far ahead as one could see, most of them with cell phones at their ears. The young woman just ahead of me must have all of her many acquaintances on speed dial, calling each of them to announce “¡Estoy en el Camino!” (“I’m on the Camino!”). I did not encounter her later, but I suspect when she returned to her hometown she proudly displayed her Compostela and announced “¡He caminado el Camino!”

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Toronto鈥檚 Prime 5 Condos For Young Professionals @ Downtown Toronto

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