Wednesday, June 17, 2020

Sidewalking

Definition: A very pedestrian view on Toronto ON. Focusing on the urban form, but stretching to travel and food.



June 2020 - Toronto ON

Since I don't see any big travel plans in the near future I am going to post my rambles around Toronto's neighbourhoods.
These posts will begin with walks in the months of May and June when Toronto is still in lockdown so restaurants and coffee shops are closed except for take out. There are no bathrooms available (yikes) and many stores are not open, nor are the churches.


Wikipedia defines Bloordale as:
Bloordale Village is a neighbourhood located along Bloor Street from Dufferin Street to a little west of Lansdowne Avenue, west of downtown. The district is home to restaurants, bars, vintage clothing stores, thrift stores, some variety stores, two strip clubs, a store with postcards and gift items, and a real beach with actual sand and live sandpipers. There once were many furniture stores in Bloordale, so the neighbourhood was referred to as the Furniture District by at least one person.
The neighbourhood has a Business Improvement Area (BIA) and many pigeons.



Love the pigeons comment! Keep it in mind...

I started this walk at Lansdowne subway station.





Open for take out.


Baddies - a burger place.


Suites or suits? Cleaners are now open.


Definitely our motto these days.





Cute statements at The Grey Tiger who call themselves an artist-run cocktail bar for new romantics and our laptop and tablet-free space is best suited for parties of 1 to 4.




Odd Finds is a general store, vintage clothing shop and tearoom in one. Come for vintage, stay for a cup of tea.



The Islamic Information & Dawah Centre International (hereinafter the Dawah Centre) was incorporated in 1994 as a not-for-profit charitable organisation with the primary purpose of dawah (invitation to Allah). More specifically, the purpose is to deliver the message of Allah to English-speaking non-Muslims internationally.


Sisters' entrance.


Bloor Gladstone Public Library open for pickup.



#BLM




Open and looking pretty.




Lucky 13 Tattoo Shop.




Hard Feelings is an innovative, welcoming community of professional counsellors who provide low-cost services and support. Our storefront sells carefully curated books and resources to help build and sustain stronger mental health.
Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, we have closed our
storefront and all counsellors have moved their
practices online.




One of Toronto's top ten most Imstagrammable murals.


I've crossed neighbourhood borders into Bloorcourt.




All the gourmet donut creations ar Machino's are made in house with all-natural ingredients. For optimal freshness, they are made in small batches throughout the day.



Sorry, no gluten free at the moment.

DONUT FLAVOURS – JUNE 2020
REGULAR DONUTS (WITH HOLES)
Cinnamon Sugar
Simpson’s (Strawberry)
Sourcream (cashew)
Cookies n’ Cream (cashew)
London Fog
French Toast
Triple Chocolate
Salted Caramel
Coconut Chocolate
Sourcream Blueberry
FILLED DONUTS
Blueberry Lemon
Christie Cream
Peanut Butter Cup
Mango Lassi
FRITTERS
Apple Fritter








Disgraceland 100% vegan



Muddy George Men's store



Popbox Market on Dovercourt. Some suppliers are Drake's, Blackbird.



A nail salon, a little excited to be coming back.




Outside the Bloor Gladstone library, mentioned above is a plaque with a
by Anne Michaels, poet and novelist, titled A Note to the Reader.


Speaking of pigeons, this is so cute especially since the fence and benches here are always occupied by pigeons!





The area offers a collection of diverse restaurants including Portuguese, Indian, African, Vietnamese, Caribbean and Middle Eastern.






Cool doors at The Nuthouse.



Don't count the days, make the days count.” - Muhammad Ali.


Never noticed this bicycle station before at Old Mill subway.




4 comments:

  1. ...I wonder how many of these neat businesses will survive?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know, Tom, it's going to be really hard for some. But the government is trying to help. And as I go around I feel a lot of energy and positivity as they do take-out and try other ventures.

      Delete
  2. "Sending love", how cute is that! The Dog grooming place has a sweet, clever name, too.
    We have that combo at our big book store, you can enjoy coffee and even cake. Or... could.
    Not a vegan, but I like the idea of that freshness. And so many great murals, too.
    Well, Corinna sure makes us explore the neighbourhood, thanks for taking us along!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Yes the pivoting is happening here too, just brand new ways of doing the old business.

    I remember the Paradise cinema, great shows there. You have such a wonderful eye Jackie.

    XO
    WWW

    ReplyDelete

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