Toronto Uncovered

Archive for the ‘Streets’ Category

I recently relocated (again) to a place all my own on Euclid Avenue. It’s not my first time calling Euclid home. I lived on this street with 3 other girls (and one bathroom) during my second year of university.  For that reason, it will always hold a special place in my heart. I moved in about 1 month ago and have been enjoying reliving all of my old neighbourhood favourites.

First of all, ‘YAY’ for living close to markets again! The Manning and Palmerston markets are incredible.   One of the first things I did when I moved back was hit up the Manning market (at the corner of Manning and Bloor). I remembered shopping here as a student because the produce is cheap cheap cheap and good good good. You’re not forced to pay an arm and a leg for tiny avocados or bruised apples. I usually leave with 1 or 2 bags full of fresh fruits and vegetables for under $20.00. Amazing! The Palmerston market (Palmerston and Bloor) is equally as good and, unlike the Manning market, also accepts debit

Photo: Derek Flack

Honest Eds: I have to admit, Honest Eds has always freaked me out a bit. Mostly because once you go in, it is SO hard to find your way out.  I have made it my mission to one day master full navigation  of Honest Eds without getting lost or turned around.  It’s no easy feat. You can find everything your heart desires inside its 4, not wait, 8, nope, 12 walls? Food? Check. Electronics? Check. Crock Pots (which I recently purchased)? Check. Hardware? Check. Cleaning supplies? Check. Dishes? Check. You get the point – they have everything. If you’re brave enough to wander through the turn-style entry ways, its usually worth your while.

P.A.T Central.: The P.A.T. is an Asian grocery store on the South West corner of Manning and Bloor. They have pretty much everything a Metro or Sobey’s would have for a fraction of the price. Don’t be deterred by its proximity to The Metro (Adult Only) Theatre. The P.A.T. is an awesome place to grab staple groceries. I always end up picking up a few items that Ive never tried -  ready-made dim sum, dumplings or beef buns regularly find their way into my cart.

Pho Rex: It’s practically winter. It’s getting cold. It’s absolutely time for some nice warm Pho. Pho Rex is amazing. It is right at the top of Euclid and Bloor (North Side). The weight staff is super friendly, so much so that I actually thought I might have known our server the first time I ate there and the food is delicious. I am hooked on their rare beef Pho but have also tried their spicy calamari appetizers and beef papaya salad. The beef is always high quality, more so than other Pho places. Best of all, you can walk away full, warm and fuzzy inside for under 10 bucks. You can actually walk away pretty satisfied for under 5 if you’re only going in for Pho. The small is only $3.95.

Victory Cafe: The VC is great for any time of day or occasion of heart. Brunch, lunch, drinks or late night snacks. The service could use some work, but it’s close, inexpensive and almost always busy.

Walnut Cakes: There is a Korean walnut cake store a few doors East of the Manning market. If you’ve never tried a walnut cake you’re missing out. They are a delicious Korean desert shaped like walnuts stuffed with bean paste. It sounds weird, but they’re really really good. Plus, they’re only a few bucks for a bag full. If you don’t like them, let me know. Ill gladly take them off your hands.

Snakes and Lattes: I cant wait to spend every cold, blistering Sunday afternoon sipping on lattes and playing board games with friends. Snakes and Lattes opened recently and is PACKED every time I walk by. It is such a great idea and has an insane amount of board games. Id love to know how long it took them to amass the hundreds of games on their shelves.

Do you live close to Bloor and Bathurst? Where is your favourite spot? Any tips for someone who recently moved back to the Annex?

In recent years, the faux-vintage indie scene appears to have taken our city by storm.  I cite the replacement of many funky Queen Street shops, specifically between Spadina and University, with chain stores like H&M and Urban Outfitters as my evidence. Don’t get me wrong, I like both those stores but I miss the authentic vintage ambiance of “Old Queen”. Yard sales and flea markets are rare in urban cities, which is a shame because in a world where we’ve become so tech and trend obsessed sometimes a little nostalgic taste of the past can be good for the soul.

Fortunately, St. Lawrence Market is our metropolis’s retro oasis and its located right downtown at Front and Jarvis. It’s all too easy to get swept up in the hustle and bustle of contemporary city life and take for granted many of life’s simple pleasures. Get back down to earth by visiting St. Lawrence as soon as you can and might I specifically suggest you do so on the weekend. After an eventful Friday and Saturday a friend and I spent our lazy Sunday browsing the St. Lawrence indoor and outdoor flea market (Sunday Antique Market).  We came upon many marvels such as antique furniture, funky glassware, rare vinyl, retro albeit fully functional turntables, vintage clothes, watches and jewelry and so much more.


Personally, I was delighted upon the discovery of a box of plush toys that took me right back to my childhood. Finding Care Bears was amazing but I was blown away to stumble upon a My Pet Monster with the cuffs intact. Another great benefit about the flea market is that the vendors are informative without being pushy. They’re also incredibly friendly and funny people to talk to so it’s a great place to go especially if you’re a social butterfly and/or new to the city.

Keep an eye out for celebrity sightings such as Colonel Sanders and Aunt Jemima. Alright, so actually they were just a couple of quirky figurines that we noticed were for sale and as tacky as they were it was still delightfully amusing to discover them amongst the sea of memorabilia.

The flea market will appeal to those of you looking for a bargain or a treasure hunt and, with some vendors selling old stamps and coins, it’s also a collector’s paradise.

I recently decided to sell my East side, Jarvis and Adelaide condo and move West.  I’m definitely excited to re-immerse myself in everything the West side has to offer: more restaurants, more shopping, more culture, more parks and bike lanes, but I will definitely miss certain East-end-only features that  I have come to take for granted.  Below is a farewell tribute to the East end and everything it has to offer.

1. St Lawrence Market: I’ve been coming to the St. Lawrence market on Saturdays ever since I was old enough to walk on my own. My grandparents used to take me every weekend, introducing me to all the shop vendors and teaching me the art of  negotiation.  Toronto’s most famed market has a huge array of meat, cheese, baked goods and the freshest produce around.  If food isn’t your thing (if you people even exist), the St. Lawrence has a huge antiques market on Sundays. I blogged all about this recently, as I love to peruse new and used treasures. St. Lawrence, I will miss you!

2. Peace and quiet: The East end, while being close enough to walk to pretty much anything, is actually pretty quiet. I am rarely woken up at night by late partiers, streetcars, or sirens. The streets are rarely crowded no matter what time or temperature, making walks or bike rides enjoyably peaceful.

3. More for less: Whether you are renting or buying, the East end usually has larger apartments, houses and condos for much less.

4. Parking: There is actually parking readily available on most streets and for most grocery stores. This is something much harder to find in the West.

5. Hot House Sunday Brunch: There are few, if any, brunch spots in Toronto that out-do the Hot House Sunday brunch-capade. Their buffet is reminiscent of the scene in Hook where Pan and the lost boys use their imagination to create a grand feast. There is quite literally every type of food you can possibly imagine. SO GOOD!

6. Proximity to the Beach: I love the beach, and love to play volleyball there every weekend. I’m going to miss having it a 10 minute drive from my house – but wont hesitate to jump on my bike for an extra 20 minutes to get there.

East side, I bid you farewell.. West end here I come!

I have always believed that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Since the time I was young, I would join my mom in garage sale hunting and spend hours pouring over other peoples unwanted goods. From these trips, I learned to negotiate, haggle with vendors, sniff out deals, and find diamonds in any ruff. Garage sales, yard sales and flea markets still excite me to this day, which is why on many Sundays I can be found wandering around the Sunday Antique Market at the St. Lawrence Market.

The SAM, open from 5am to 5pm,  is housed in the North building at Front St. and Jarvis St. During the warmer months there are  vendors along the sidewalks and also in the smaller fountain area just West of Jarvis.  I usually spend most of my time visiting with the outdoor vendors. They sell beautiful silks, jewellery, vintage designer items, and even some new designer items (like the Dior shades I got this weekend for half the” in-store” price).  The vendors are very friendly and love to chat with their customers, but don’t let that fool you, they are also fantastic sales people.

Aside from clothing and jewellery, you will also find an endless supply of household items: shelving units, antique glassware, fondue sets, pottery, and  collectibles like comic books, stamps and coins. There is no shortage of selection or diversity. Whatever you might be looking for, you will find some variation of it here – guaranteed!

All of the vendors are local to Toronto and the surrounding area, and many own shops around town as well. Most have a story to tell and will engage you as long as you are willing to listen. This is definitely one of my favourite Sunday morning or afternoon pastimes and I rarely leave empty handed.

With TIFF in full swing this weekend, Torontonians had tons of activities to choose from.  Those of us (myself included) looking to escape the TIFF madness were lucky to have some viable options. My escape’s name was the Junction, the stretch of Dundas Street West from Keele to Quebec, and the host of this weekend’s 17^th Annual Junction Arts Festival.

I have been to many street festivals in and around Toronto: Taste of Little Italy, Taste of the Danforth, Cabbagetown Festival and Buskerfest to name a few, however, the Junction Arts Fest was notably different from any of these.  It truly exhibited the artistic nature of the neighbourhood and its inhabitants.  Local artists, like Lavarius and The Fuzionists, displayed their work in booths and on the sidewalks, some creating their pieces of work as we watched. Professional and amateur street performers entertained by-passers with modern and expressive dance moves, using street benches, parking meters and window ledges to gain height and draw attention. Some bands set up on street corners to share their latest tunes with the crowds, while other musical acts like The Beauties and performers like Hip Kik were featured on the main stages. There seemed to be no restrictions on what counted as art or who was labeled as an artist. People were encouraged to express themselves and their art in any way they could.

Smash, a store filled top to bottom with salvage materials, vintage fixtures and other architectural pieces, featured work by Toronto artist Bruno Billio, who takes everyday objects and creates pieces of art by stacking them in intricate or different ways.

The Junction also has a strong eco-friendly “green” culture which is embodied in market shops like The Sweet Potato. The Toronto Hydro exhibit did a great job of marrying the artistic nature of the festival with the passion the community feels towards green initiatives and sustainability.  Their showcase, Straight From the Fridge, was an art exhibit of vintage fridge doors which were transformed by Canadian artists into pieces of modern art. The exhibit went to promote Toronto Hydro’s fridge pick up and recycling program which ensures these old and unwanted appliances are disposed of in an environmentally responsible manner.

Street festivals allow the real character of the community shine through.  As I wandered through the vendors, exhibits and food stands on the blocked off streets I could feel there was a strong sense of support and togetherness. Many of the people there live and/or work in the Junction and have watched the area transform since prohibition was banished in 2000.  The Junction Arts Fest gave store owners an opportunity to connect with their community and introduce themselves to visitors like myself.  It was a great introduction into this up-and-coming area of Toronto, highlighting the talent and inspiration the Junction embodies.