Backwards!

#13 QUEEN STREET WEST

DATE: Friday, September 3, 2010.

TIME: 5:35pm - 7:55pm

Historically a hipster-only zone, this stroll along Queen Street West now welcomes all comers while still retaining its artsy vibe. Expect eternally youthful urban fashions and funky pubs.

I stand corrected, this is our most spontaneous walk yet. After we finished our ever-so-short Dundas and Baldwin Village walk, we decide to knock Queen Street West off the to-do list as well. We’ve always wanted to do 2 walks on one day, and these are both short ones so it works. However, not without controversy.

It made more sense to do this backwards, a la the Seinfeld India episode or Momento. Now according to my memory, Alma in the past was opposed to doing walks backwards. Back when we did the Entertainment District, which was our 2nd walk, after we were done we walked along Queen Street from west to east. And I mentioned that we were essentially doing that walk, just backwards. In my memory, Alma didn’t think it would count because we’d be doing it the wrong way. But Alma doesn’t seem to remember this. So now she’s got me doubting my memory….

I figured that since we're already near Queen St... we might as well do the walk! But my memory has been failing me the past year, so I may have said that we'd be doing the walk incorrectly. Maybe I've become less uptight about the walks too since there have been so many errors! Sorry Mon for letting you doubt your memory, I would trust your brain more than mine any day.

Some of the sites as we make our way down to Queen Street:

Queen and Spadina: the beginning (or the end) of our walk. 

I have definately explored Queen Street West in my time. In high school, a trip downtown usually started at the Eaton Centre, included a walk down Queen Street and ended with a movie at the Paramount (now called Scotiabank) just south of Queen off John. My most memorable shopping trip down Queen Street would have to be prom dress shopping with my friend Celina. I think that this makes sense as a walk in Toronto for tourists to check out. I imagine that every city has a similar busy street of funky boutiques and one-of-a-kind stores, and classic bars. In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, when Harry, Hermione, and Ron narrowly escape danger at Bill and Fleur’s wedding, Hermione apparates them to Tottenham Court Road. In my mind, I’ve always imagined it to be like Queen Street West. (It’s true! I promise I’m not only saying that in effort to make an HP reference. I mean, yes that’s the purpose, but I didn’t just make this up!!!! …. Stop giving me that look Alma.)

(How'd you know?! I was totally questioning your HP reference while reading it! Not 100% sure I believe you... Tottenham Court Road... how was it described to make you think of Queen St.  Mostly because it's late at night when they arrive and still lots of places open. Cafes and bars. And lots of drunk ppl on the street shouting out at them. And dark alleys. Reminds me of Queen street at the end of a night when the clubs and bars are all closing.) 

Anyway, I find that stores on Queen Street often change, and I don’t really keep track of them that much. Alma, however, immediately recognizes that a couple of places on this walk are closed.

9. Horseshoe Tavern (370 Queen St. W.)

This former honky-tonk bar how hosts performances that span the ages as well as genres- a perfect metaphor for anything-goes Queen.

I don’t think I’ve been to the Horseshoe Tavern since the inaugral Smashfest almost 7 years ago. That night, we also went to the Rivoli, which is also on this walk. Back then when we were just Smashfest-virgins, the idea was that Smashfest would include bar hopping. However, that quickly changed when we decided that all we could afford was heavy pre-drinking and then one bar.

Oh the infamous Horseshoe Tavern... 

Quick story... 

A couple years ago, I wanted tickets to see Adele play here. I had found out about tickets sales a bit too late and was unable to access a computer when tickets went on sale. So, I told my bro about it and he was fortunate enough to purchase 2 tickets online. 

Now my brother was courting Darlene at the time and he had mentioned to her that he got tickets to Adele's show. She was impressed and kinda wished she could go.

My bro told me this... and i guess he was kinda asking, but not, whether he can take the tickets to bring her. I must admit, I was a bit disappointed since I wanted to see Adele perform (esp with Mark Ronson's high praises)... but it seemed like it was more important for my brother to go, in pursuit of a girl.

So... my brother and I had to make up a reason to Darlene, why I was giving up the tickets... (the reason ended up being that I had a midterm or exam the following day).

The two went to the concert... and well... 

...they got a table right at the front

...got to meet Adele outside of the Horseshoe

and so...

...got her autograph.

**deep sigh**

... At least they're still together. 

Whoa! Sounds like Alan owes you big time. Does Darlene know the truth now?

8. Change Room (425 Queen St. W.)

…for the latest in British style.

I think this store originated from Pacific Mall.. .but don't quote me on that.

7. Lululemon Athletica (342 Queen St. W.)

…a Canadian brand of yoga wear.

Really?
Yeah... really?!

6. Rivoli (334 Queen St. W.)

Well since the cards don’t have anything to say about the Rivoli, I feel like I should. It openned in 1982. It’s as old as us! That’s all I got.

The last time I was here was sometime during my 1st year teaching. A friend of a friend of my friends Brandon & Lisa did a stand up routine on an amateur comedy night.

I don't think I have any memories here... actually.. I'm sure I haven't been in here before. There are concerts that play here too sometimes. I get this place easily mistaken for the Horseshoe.

We stop off at David’s Tea (which is just next door to the Rivoli) for some refreshments. Spontaneous trivia question: There was a David’s Tea another walk – that we didn’t go into. Name that walk. Answer: * * * Bloor West Village* * * 
Alma did some research on David’s Tea. Do share Alma!

Talk about pressure, Monica!

Ummm... can I just post you their link?!

okay...let's see what I can recall without looking.

Young fellow starts David's Tea in Montreal, opens first shop here in Toronto (which happens to be the one picture ((although I don't see the picture))).

... that's all I got.

here's the link:  http://www.davidstea.com/

Uh, I can’t remember what I got. Do you Alma? The guy helping us was very nice and patient. He let us smell and sample lots of different blends. Including one that smelt like honey and nuts and had a really, really sweet aroma. I then jokingly said, "Smells like a lot of calories". I think he thought I was serious, cause he responded by saying seriously "It’s zero calories".

I believe you got watermelon?! Am I right?! Does that sound familiar?

I was looking for a Jasmine tea and ended up with something Citrusy.. I dont know how that happened. I took a long time to pick one too. Our drinks were steeped and then served chilled.

Mon wanted me to get the Jasmine tea that had butterfly shaped loose leaf. 

5. Silver Snail (367 Queen St. W.)

A city favourite- carries graphic novels and comics.

This store definately looks too cool for the likes of me.

Maybe your brothers would appreciate a store like this...

I think every boy likes comic books.

4. Black Bull (298 Queen St. W.)

A pub famous for its street-front patio as for the middle-ages Harley riders who hold court there.

We should go here one day and check it out.

3. Pages Books and Magazines (256 Queen St. W.)

…one of the city’s best independent bookstores.

And it’s closed.

I didn’t intially recognize the store on the card. Never knew the name of this place. It was always a good place to chill and wait for people or for movie times. And what a great location- surprised that another business hasn’t already openned up.

Sorry you guys, I took a picture of this place and for some weird reason, it won't upload... I swear we were there.

I liked this store for its somewhat 'indie' vibe in literature. I once had to order a Saul Williams book of poetry from here, since Chapters didn't have it... It took 2 weeks for Pages to get it. The book made a lovely birthday gift, that my friend said he had read more than 4 times in the week of receiving it. 

Since we didn't have a picture for this, i thought, I'd add in one from the internet (from the stores photostream on flickr. http://www.flickr.com/photos/pagesbooks/page5/)  Obviously this was taken before it closed down.

2. Fluevog Shoes (242 Queen St. W.)

The eponymous boutique of Canada’s edgiest footwear designer.

Before we even got here, Alma mentioned that she’s always been too intimidated to go into the store. I didn’t understand it until I saw the place for myself.

FYI, I felt very self conscious wearing my ratty old gray Old Navy flip flops, 3 seasons old. We were surrounded by some very cool, but very unaffordable shoes.

1. CHUM-City Building (299 Queen St. W.)

These are the headquarters of several media stations. Continue past the studios, where concerts appealing to a mostly teenage audience are staged, to arrive at Speaker’s Corner, where, for only a dollar, you can record personal rants and have them broadcast on local television later.

Wow this short

#14 DUNDAS AND BALDWIN VILLAGE

DATE: Friday, September 3, 2010.

TIME: 3:41pm - 5:20pm

Celebrity architecture, landmark art, and alfresco dining characterize this walk near Chinatown’s east side.

This was definately our most spontaneous walk yet. We met at Osgoode station, with 3 possible walks to choose from, and we ended up with this. Situated just south of UofT and north of Queen Street, this is an area we’ve both explored numerous times. But perhaps the walk will point out places we’ve never been to or noticed before. One thing I wonder about is the name of the area. Is it officially called the Dundas and Baldwin Village? I always thought it was the Village Grange…. Should ask Sean, he lives along this walk.

Disclaimer : Was feeling pretty sick before this walk... had this massive headache too. Tried taking a tylenol and a nap to try to feel better, with no success. Sorry Mon, if I was kinda a grump.

In regards to Mon's comment above, I always thought it was called Village Grange too... There's even a sign near the food court across the AGO. The cards isn't all knowing as we've been finding out...

Alma, you better have a good reason for including this picture. 

There's no real explanation to it... I'm sorry... but after taking a zoomed up picture of mccaul street sign, I forgot to zoom back... hence the really close up pic of mon's teeth and nose. Sorry Mon... you can take it down if you wish.

Take 2! I'm not sure why we decided to take a picture infront of a white wall. We can be anywhere for all you know! I guess that's with any other picture that we take since we usually take up the whole frame. We're really at McCaul... I swear.

Our walk starts at McCaul and Queen which we think is a little odd. Just because the card tells us to take the street car and get off here. Why doesn’t it just give directions from Osgoode station?
good question! It's only a 5 min walk too... maybe even less.

What do you think this artist is trying to say? why is that guy sticking out his tongue and having people point at him, while another is trying to give him a flower. What's with the waves? any thoughts?! 

1. Sharp Centre for Design (100 McCaul St.)

Part of the Ontario College of Art and Design, this Will Alsop – designed structure – think pixelated tabletop suported b crayons- is at the forefront of Toronto’s architectural reniaissance.

Hmm, I don’t think I ever realized that’s what it was. 

2. Art Gallery of Ontario (317 Dundas St. W.)

Redesigned by Frank Gehry, Toronto’s most famous local-born artchitect, this remarkable building houses a vast collection of iconic Canadian and international works, contemporary pieces, photography, and the world’s largest public collection of Henry Moore Sculptures.

I actually tried to get us free passes from the Toronto Public Library for the AGO. Unfortunately they were all out. I get in for free though (a teacher perk) so I could have abandoned Alma and went for a stroll amongst the art. (Revenge for that god-awful close up). I actually visited the museum about a month ago with my friend Brianne. We aimlessly walked around admiring the work. I liked the Henry Moore exhibit (Alma had to remind me of the name). He has a lot of work displayed inside as well as a piece outside the building. In the exhibit they have all these newpaper articles about the controvery that ensued from the sculpture he was commissioned to create for Nathan Phillips Square. Thought it was interesting. However, I’m saving that anecdote for that walk.

Alma what do you think about the redesign?

I like the redesign. Michael, from Berlin... doesn't like it as much. I just love the use of wood and glass. I never thought the AGO looked like much of a gallery till now. But everyone has their opinions.

I have some fond memories at the AGO... for one... I took a drawing/painting course there in grade 9. I met some pretty fantastic and talented people too... This girl named Taryn and I bonded right away... and we'd go around Queen Street during our lunch break and explore all these different shops that I've never heard before. There was also this boy named Tom, that I had a huge crush on. He was tall and lanky... and once wore these bright red pair of pants. I also remember this other guy named Nicholas, who was this brilliant drawer, i can still picture this indian mask that he drew. The course was only 1 week long... and i remember being so intimidated at first by everyone but also how close everyone was at the end. I'm curious what kind of work everyone is producing these days.

some of my favourite exhibits that i've seen and remembered @ the AGO: van gogh, matisse, tom thompson

There’s that sculpture. What do you think it is?

Good question... maybe it's reclining figure 625... Henry Moore is most famous for his reclining figures.

  

Ahh, for once I’m making a weird face on purpose!

GO Monica! (that's what it says...)

3. Bau Xi (340 Dundas St. W.)

…where more than 50 estabilished contemporary artists and emerging talents are represented.

I don't know why I find galleries intimidating... but this is just another example that. 

4. St. Patrick’s Church (141 McCaul St.)

The "Romanesque" church…. Houses 23 beautiful stained-glass windows.

Alma’s just grateful I didn’t make her take pictures of all 23 stain glass windows.
Thanks, Mon! It's already hard just taking one indoor pic.

When Alma was taking some of these pics, she decided to use me as a tripod. Big mistake. I was trembling so much, for no good reason.
You were a wonderful tripod... except that I had to umm.. take 3 pics just to get this one. But still, good job!
Side note: This is where my parent's got married!

 Next we are ordered by the cards to turn left onto Baldwin St., lined with restaurants.

We’re only a block south of UofT and so Baldwin Street and its many restaurants have been explored by both of us before. Though never together if I’m not mistaken. I feel like I can never keep track of the different places and where I’ve eaten though… odd, cause I usually remember such things. Alcohol may be a factor.

I don't know the names of anything... but have tried out that Mexican place w/Nina and Liz once... We ordered two pitchers of Sangria one summer and talked the night away. 

Also tried out a sushi place, just before heading out for Nuit Blanche with some artsy kids. Fun night.

5. Kowloon Dim Sum (5 Baldwin St.)

"among the best"

Wonder why I haven't tried it, if it's among the best. It's been kind of a made up tradition with the girls to go for Dim Sum on New Years along Spadina. We actually only have done this once. But it's a nice thought.

So we passed with little independent video store. What was super cool about this place is that they also sold ice cream! Woohoo. I liked its little neighborhood charm – reminds me of "Be Kind, Rewind". What an awesome movie…. And love the rubber duckie on the patio. How cool is that? (I have a soft spot for rubber duckies.)
I don't think I liked that movie... and I didn't know you have a soft spot for rubber duckies. Cause so do i! In high school, Stef bought me 3 and I named 2 of them Joel, Job... one of my classmates Abraham named the last one RD. Joel got all the attention... and turned a gross colour after awhile. I have a pretty sad collection of rubber duckies...

6. Margarita’s Fiesta Room (14 Baldwin St.)

"among the best"

Oh! this is the place that Nina, Liz and I went for Mexican food. It was truly a beautiful summer night.

7. John’s Italian Caffe (27 Baldwin St.)

"among the best"

Usually I’m really quick with touching my nose, but Alma’s been pretty stealthy the last few times. So the decision was left to me. I chose to eat here since neither of us had been here before and for some reason I thought it would be cheap. It wasn’t crazy expensive, but didn’t have as many inexpensive options as I had anticipated. None the less, it was an interesting meal. We had a really weird server. A little too comfortable with us. When he came to take our orders and I wasn’t ready, he kept saying "Do it, do it now" (which of course made me think of a particular Friends episode). And then he would exit from one direction and reenter from another trying to creep us out. He even hid in a little corridor leading to the bathrooms (?) pretending to spy on us. And then once he apparated* out of nowhere, and put his chin on my shoulder.

[ *apparated  from the word apparation = to magically disappear (disapparate) and appear in another place. (Yes this is my Harry Potter reference for this blog)]

A little too friendly is an understatement. I feel like he was flirting with you, Mon! But yeah, Mon tried taking his picture a couple of times from afar with no success. He's quite the character though... greasy on the hair side and a bit creepy overall.

I had a pasta dish…can’t remember what it was called. Had goat cheese, and black olives, and pesto. I was between that one and another and the weird waiter recommended it. It was good, but nothing I couldn’t have made on my own. Kind of regret not getting the other dish.

Alma’s lunch

Yeah, my dish wasn't that impressive either.... I had a grilled eggplant panini. It was tasteless. 

Alma’s pic is a little blury cause as mentioned before, I’m always trembling for no good reason.

8. Roi du Couscous (45 Baldwin St.)

"among the best"

Apparently the couscous king has been usurped cause its been replaced by this Japanese restaurant. Another thing to mention to the card publishers.
I feel like there's no longer a point to write to the publishers anymore... there's just way too much stuff to mention now! What's the publishing date of these cards?

9. Tea and Ginseng (454 Dundas St. W.)

Expect countless teas served by knowledgeable staff in an attractive cafe.

Well the card told us to expect it… but we shouldn’t have gotten our hopes up. Wasn’t quite what we expected. They sold a lot of teas there, but wasn’t really a tea shop for people to enjoy there stuff on site. That’s not entirely true. They did sell tea…. i don’t know. Didn’t have the right vibe so we ended up going else where for our tea fix. A little help Alma?

They did have horoscope tea. As a picies, mine was mint chocolate. Which does sounds very "Monica".

I think Mon is trying to say... that this tea shop kind of resembles a chinese medicinal shoppe. Well maybe she wasn't thinking that, but that's what it reminds me of. It's not like the tea emporium, where there are several containers on the wall and you ask to smell the different teas. I dunno... Mon's right though... maybe it just didn't have a western vibe of a tea shoppe.

I don't recall my horoscope... it might've sound 'alma-like'... does that mean i have to go back?! say it ain't so...

Well the walk is over. It was super short. If we didn’t stop to eat, probably wouldn’t have taken us more than 20 minutes, and that includes taking pictures.

Monica Rating: As a tourist it would be good to check out the AGO and perhaps have a bite to eat on Baldwin. But tourirst or not, overall I felt this walk lacked big time. The venue that got me the most excited was the ice cream selling video store that wasn’t a stop on the walk. I give it 2 disappointed emoticons out of 5.

 


Alma's Rating: I had somewhat high expectations for this walk for some weird reason. I guess it's partly because I like this area... but I guess in knowing this area, I was hoping the cards would introduce me to some sort of hidden treasure... unfortunately the cards didn't unveil anything great... so like Mon,  I'll have to give this walk a 2...not too sure how to use emoticons... mon, where is that button on this?! anyhow.. it's a 2... :( :(

I could switch these... but it's funnier this way no? Alright, here's Alma's frowny faces:  

Hold on to your koi: We're gonna need multiple audobons for this one!

#42 THE DON VALLEY AND VICTORIAN INDUSTRY

DATE: Sunday August 1, 2010.

TIME: 12:43pm - 6:18pm (!)

Vicotrian industrustrial sites reclaimed into parkland and musuems make this lengthy walk a unique urban walk.

 

Lengthy! They weren’t kidding. We knew this would be a longer walk, but we were unclear how long. Good thing we don’t have dinner plans!

Must admit… this was quite the unique walk.

Wow, my hair is flat…. It’s a hot and humid day though, so it’ll get frizzy soon. Geeze I complain a lot.

You have like perfect curls! my hair on the other hand… is already frizzed up. 

yup, u can tell i cut my own bangs. my hairdresser is never impressed when she sees either stef’s or  my bangs. next!

and so our adventure beings at pottery road…

1. Todmorden Mills Heritage Museum and Wildflower Preserve (67 Pottery Rd)

Now a museum highlighting Toronto’s early days of industry, it provided Torontonians with staples like lumber, paper, flour, and whiskey in the early 1800s.

I had never heard of this museum until the cards. (Little odd cause in Girl Guides you tend to visit a lot of museums like this.) Guess the cards are doing there job and showing me parts of Toronto I’ve never explored. Part of the reason we chose to do this walk today is because the museum is free today – as part of the free historical museum weekends.

Yeah, I never heard of this museum either… unlike mon’s girl guide group, my troop didn’t visit much museums… i probably shouldn’t even tell people that i was a girl guide with the little amount of outdoorsy things i learned. anyhow… my dad saw some of these pictures and he’s been here before! back in the day when he used to hang out with people from Crescent Town, they actually came here to hang out. I think they picnicked here and also took a tour. His tour guide said that servants would warm up the beds by lying down on them… but they’d fall asleep and then the owners wouldn’t be able to wake them up… so they’d sleep in the same bed. I don’t know if my dad made that up or not… but it kinda seems like something unlikely to happen. maybe i’ll ask him again later and see if he tells the same story… can never trust my dad.

We walk down Pottery Road to get to the museum. A bit of a trek in the hot sun. Good thing we lathered up on sunscreen before hand.

(As we get close to the the museum across the street we see a place called Fantasy Farms that looks pretty cool. We were going to check it out after the museum but since we ended up exiting  by another route we didn’t. Thought they might have horse back riding, but I checked out the website and they don’t. It’s like a banquet hall.  http://www.fantasyfarm.ca/home/ )

As we approach the museum we see the bridge is under construction, so we walk via a dirt driveway and enter the building pictured below.

The chimney has the "Todmorden Mills" on it.

Clearly we’re in the right place, right?

But when we enter, we see it’s an art gallery. Alma, do you remember the name of the artist? As an artist, any comment on the work?

I’m really poor in remembering names… so no. 

As for his work… some of his nature scenes are reminiscent of tom thompson paintings.. i guess cause of his colour choices, thick application of paint and flatten images. his work tends to be very blocky and i don’t really care too much for it… i.e. paintings of soccer is just not my taste in artwork. i do however appreciate the vibrancy of the colours in some of his works.

This papermill theater (which is locked) is the only thing that seems to have anything to do with "industry". I overheard some other people in the gallery say they had a tour scheduled at a certain time. Thought it was for whatever is beyond those locked doors.

my friend Jordan was part of a performance that was held here. she either did the lighting/sound stuff or she played sax/clarinet… she’s very talented. i couldn’t go to support her that day… that was more than 5 years ago…

So the paintings were hung by a cord and with the ventilation system, they were moving a little back and forth. Alma in all her wisdom says that its to give the paintings the affect of movement. Which was cool for the numerous soccer paintings. I then made a weak Harry Potter reference to the portraits in the wizarding world being able to move. Weak – I know!

Oh Mon… another forced Harry Potter reference?

So obviously, we’re quite confused. This is the museum??? This is doesn’t make any sense.

Didn’t understand what this museum had to do with industry either - aside seeing the papermill theatre. That’s an industry…  



 We leave the building, recheck the signs; What’s going on here???

We decide to follow the dirt driveway a bit to see if there’s another building and to find the Oxbow trail and wildflower preserve the cards speak of.

look at the construction going on!

look at the weeping willows nearby!

The weeping willows are where Fantasy Farm is – you can just see the horse carriage display on the lawn.

Well, at least we find the trail. Though its not clearly marked.

We should really have a wildflower audobon….

We should!

I’m not sure if I like seeing city buildings near trails. 

See the spider?

I only saw it after the picture was taken

Whoa! No, didn’t see it until you pointed it out… even then I still had to look extra hard.

Fuzzies!

Some pretty pics Alma but have to say I was a little disappointed about the lack of wildflowers on this walk. Guess they just weren’t in season.

While we were standing here in the swampy area of the pond, there was a pretty blue insect flying around-too fast for alma to take a picture. We should really have an audobon for insects. But then a few days after the walk, I was reading "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" (which is essentially the audobon of magical creatures) and I think I identified it. It’s a billywig. They’re so fast that usually muggles don’t see them.

Sooo… we kinda did the trail backwards. It’s funny because in starting the trail, we kinda agreed just walking for 10 mins or so and head back to do the rest of our mission. After practically every turn, we’d say we’ll walk  5 more minutes… after saying that after the ‘n’thteen time, we finished the trail!

Ending at the beginning was actually beneficial for us because we thereby found the actual museum!

 Wow, if any of our friends actually read these blogs, they could play a drinking game in which they have to take a shot everytime there’s a picture of me reading (or pretending to read) a plaque or sign.

You’re not reading?! i’ve always relied on you! I do wonder how many pics i have of you like this…

We are forbidden from taking pics inside the museum, so outside shots and our descriptors will have to do.

This is the main building. When we went inside it was empty other than a lady sitting at a table doing…. needlepoint? Am I remembering that correctly? Anyway, she said that there is a free tour starting at 2pm (in like a 1/2 hour) so we decide to just sit outside and wait.

I don’t know if she’s doing needlepoint.. but i do remember how awkward it felt trying to read those banners around the museum… 

You were trying to read them?

So, what do we remember about the tour? Hmmm….

In the house depicted above, the bathtub used to be in the hallway and so when you’d take a bath, everyone else would basically have to go to their rooms and shut the doors.

Oh, in the other house where the owners of the mill lived, there was a portrait of the deceased mother on the wall. Our tour guide told us that in that time period, they would hang a portrait of the deceased holding a casket in their hand. This would let visitors to the house know that that person is deceased and not to ask about them. And often times the portrait would be a premade template in which the face (for the female) is left blank inside a bonnet. Then when the person dies, the artist will paint the face in. So perhaps this would have been Alma’s profession back in the day!

Oh, and it was the task of the youngest child to empty out the chamber pot type toilet. So Alma and I would both have gotten the rotten end of that deal.

Didn’t know there was a quiz… i must admit my mind tends to wander. but here’s what i do remember or made up…

In the yellow house, our guide spoke of a candle stick that a young single lady may own. Apparently the candle stick can dictate how long she’s allowed to stay with a suitor.. so if her father approves of the suitor, the father may adjust the candle stick to allot more time with him.. if he doesn’t favour him in anyway… he lowers the candle stick to snuff out quicker.

(Oh yeah…. I liked that one)

There’s a needlepoint hanging that help the kids learn their alphabet. 

Acording to our guide… July 1st they serve the best homemade ice cream!

Sleep tight – refers to the bed being made out of rope and having to make sure they’re tied up tightly before bed

bed bugs bite – hay has bed bugs… and they bite

Penny prints – black and white prints that families can afford to display around their home.

On playing cards – they didn’t have backings on them and they later added them to prevent cheating cause you could see right through them. Also, for face cards they had to double the image to prevent people knowing you had a high card.

Sugar was quite the commodity and if you could afford it, it was displayed in a blue cone near a window to showcase it.

Ice box – they were able to store ice for a long period of time by "harvesting" them during the winter season and bury them in hay and sand?! so when they needed it during warmer times, they would dig it up.

Church dolls – made out of handkerchiefs, so when a kid drops it, it doesn’t make a sound.  

Wow Alma, your memory is a lot better than you think! Our tour guide was really nice, but I felt bad that sometimes he’d get the oddest questions from fellow tourists. But he did a good job of answering them as best he could based on his knowledge. He’s an Art History Major. Oh, and after the tour he suggested to the group that we walk through the trail and said its about a 1/2 hour walk. Ummm…. when’s the last time he walked it cause I’m pretty sure it didn’t take us more than 10 minutes… or did we do that wrong?….

2. the viewpoint

…at the foot of Chesterhill Rd, to take in the Don Valley

The "parkway" or the actual "valley"?

what did you think of the viewpoint?!

I don’t know what I was expecting. For some weird reason, I thought it was going to be a lot prettier than it came out to be. Maybe my expectations were high…

I guess I should’ve taken a picture of the dead end where you overlook this view. 

fyi:We were discussing realty and how much the houses cost in that area….

Yes. there was a place on sale there and I thought to myself that perhaps I should mention it to my bro who at the time was looking for a house. We figured if he couldn’t afford it he could take on a part time job doing Don Valley Parkway traffic for local radio stations and cable TV.

The view point is kind of cool if you live on the street. As a kid it’d probably be fun to look at or little nook to play in.

 As we walk back along Chesterhill to Broadview, we pass this lawn ornament. Alma asks me what I think it is, and I come up with the brilliant idea of there being a real niche for an Audobon of Lawn Ornaments. So I guess that’ll be another side project for us.

i don’t think this picture does justice to how massive this "hamster"-looking lawn ornament is… hence the questioning what it is. I should start bringing a ruler with me to get its relative size.

3. Prince Edward Viaduct

The cards don’t have anything to say about the viaduct. I think it’s only included as a a site of note because you have to go over it anyway to get to Rosedale and the rest of the walk.

This was some project about bringing literary works into landscapes…. something like that.

so you are pretending to read these signs.. that changes everything!

Tres cool! 

my favourite flower… fyi: its a flower made up of several flowers! it’s part of the aster family.

Did you adobon it? Or already knew this?

you know what those wires are for, right?! i can’t remember how long ago they put them up…

After crossing over the viaduct, the cards direct us into Rosedale, "a longstanding exclusive residential neighborhood".

4. Craigleigh Gardens

 

…a "leafy garden", popular with local dog walkers and families.

in search for these gardens, there were two boys on bikes that passed us… but before they surpassed us, one boy kept incessantly ringing his bell. it was so annoying… that even his friend said to stop… but he didn’t. ppl… don’t abuse your bells.

Entrance to the gardens!

Actually, I didn’t even noticed the entrance…Mon had to point it out. Good eye!

The gardens… 

in all its green-ness… 

and straight paths…

deviating tree root

How cool is this?! A little fountain for the puppies!

Forget the dogs, I was very grateful for this waterfountain when we passed by the park at the end of walk. I so was dehydrated.

I can’t remember, was it running cold water?

I guess this is the official entrance to the gardens…fancy. very mount pleasant inspired… but on a much smaller scale.

ooohhh! ahhh! i kinda like how you can see a small tree inbetween the opening of the gate. intentional?! probably.

5. Don Valley Brick Works & Weston Quarry Gardens

For nearly 100 years, the factory located here provided Toronto with raw construction materials. Today boardwalks intersect the former quarry, and visitors can follow raised paths to view examples of Pleistocene geology, a wildflower meadow, a stand of Carolinian trees, dynamic wetlands, and a series of ponds through which water is diverted, cleaned naturally, then returned to the Don River.

The only instructions that the card gives us is to "follow the dirt path downhill to the site".

I should say that at this point our Alma was getting a little tired. Don’t think she was too enthusiastic about finding this next one. Agree Alma?

umm… i guess i was pretty vocal about going down this rather steep hill. wasn’t wearing the best shoes and i was already tired. i don’t know why i was tired.. i love walks!

The dirt path. Now up to this point, the cards have been pretty perfect on their directions. No mistakes so far! But here we did need a little bit more info to go on. We walk to the bottom of this hill and have the option of going left or right. The map on the card is of no help – but if I were to wager a guess, based on the card it looks like the site is a bit north so I would have suggested that we make a left. Thankfully there was a lady biking with her kids who saw us admist our contemplation and told us to go right and we were about 15 minutes away.

yeah, that was awfully nice of that lady to stop and help us out. I guess you took out the card at the right moment. i guess we would’ve eventually walked in a circle… but yeah, that picture does not do justice how steep that hill is.

does that cone shape store road salt? I don’t know why i always thought that if i’m incorrect.

The sign is proof that we did eventually make it to the Brickworks.

yay!

but oh so tired…

there was some photoshoot happening around here too… besides the wedding. wonder what it was for… 

There was a wedding going on there so we were prevented from exploring the Brickworks as much as we possibly could have.

i like how those cyclist at the bottom of the picture wore matching helmets. so cute

I should mention that at the time of the walk Alma was planning to purchase a bike and so we paid extra close attention to all things bike related. (And to clarify, since then, Alma has actually purchased her bike)

huge daisy ornament!

sooo… there was a lot of confusion on how to get to this wedding ceremony that was going on and Monica directed a couple towards the picture above this one… She only does this for one couple and leaves the rest to look for it themselves. They all go through this entrance.

Well, that first couple seemed genuinely confused. They stood there for awhile debating. Then they walked a bit in the direction where the wedding was and then they came back here. So clearly they needed help. So I told them. But I’m sure taking this path would lead them to the wedding as well. Everyone else who came by looked pretty confident in walking this way so I didn’t offer my help.

I don’t remember taking this picture, but then again.. I’m the only one with a camera.

Who has the money to just take a canoe and plant in it?! 

audubon, where are you now? 

wow… these pictures look a lot duller than what i actually took. Did something happen to them?!

bikes!

and a building reminiscent of the distillery.

I so don’t remember this!

that’s because you were reading the following sign… i kept trying to mention it to you but you were all about the Quarry Gardens…thankfully!

After getting down to the the Brickworks, we still have to find the Weston Quarry Gardens. Unsure of exactly what’re we’re looking for, and somewhat impeded by the wedding, we weren’t sure exactly where to look. I’m almost definately sure Alma didn’t care too much about finding it at the time. Luckily I find a plaque with a map to lead us in the right direction.

yeah, i was quite the grump! i can’t even use the excuse of being hungry.. cause i wasn’t.

just incase we got lost!

When we read the text in the bottom right corner of this sign, we both couldn’t help but laugh. I understand the importance of reminding people they shouldn’t release their pets into the wild, but was it really necessary to single out koi specifically? Isn’t koi really expensive? If you’re going to go to the trouble to buy it, why would you release it (opposed to donating it to a Mandarin Restaurant!). So a message to all you out there: KEEP YOUR KOI IN YOUR PANTS!

that just doesn’t sound right, mon…

We were both a little sketchy on exactly what a quarry is. I know that their basically rock pits/canyons and sometimes they’re filled with garbage or water (this is was the Simpsons have taught me, god bless them).  Well, the wikipedia explanation is:

A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often colocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement for large amounts of aggregate in those materials. The word quarry can include underground quarrying for stone, such as Bath stone.

thanks for looking it up!

Alma spying on the wedding.

what do you think of the ratio of sky:grass?

yeah, this is plain pretty. mon starts humming to the beat of the bass.. making her sound like she knows the tune.

The meadow is really pretty and tranquil so Alma’s tiredness quickly disappates as we explore the meadow walking along the various decks over the ponds.

 more signage and warnings

what do you think of the sky:grass ratio here?

Alma spying on a mother and her kids illegally fishing in the pond. I shouldn’t say that… they could have permits. Think they’re fishing for koi?

cute family… 

Alma spying on lily pads.

… and the couple on the bridge in the background.

more signage w/out the warnings!

Hmmm… So you think it’s safe to release our koi here?

Mon points out that if someone actually finds a fossil, they would probably keep it, instead of allowing others to enjoy it.

sky:water ratio?

landscape version better?

Mon had some sort of rhyme for poison ivy… it didn’t fit this description.

I totally couldn’t recall it properly. It’s: "Leaves of three, let them be!"

now this is a spying picture! 

kinda creepy…

Do you need to read my stalker poster?

Well, we actually have an audobon for this!… just not with us.

it’s a…

?

Tired, dehydrated, dirty from the sunscreen picking up all sorts of stuff, we’re finally done this walk. Whew!

The end! The bus stop across the street is what we’re suppose to take back…

Monica Rating: This was actually a really great walk. Aside from the viaduct (which quite frankly does not count) I had never been to any of the sites on this walk which made it interesting. And even though the viewpoint, the viaduct, and Craigleigh Gardens weren’t much to write home about, it was still an entertaining walk.  AND the cards didn’t have any mistakes on them! (Guess its kind of hard for parks and nature preserves to close down since the printing.) Of course, the cards though almost got us lost with the lack of direction to get down to the Brickworks and Quarry. Wish I had better shoes, and it wasn’t so hot, and I wasn’t so tired, but that’s not the card’s fault. So I give it 4 wild flowers out of 5.  Though this is probably more wildflower than we saw in both the Wildflower preserve (#1) and the Wildflower Meadow (#5) combined.    
   

Alma rating: I must admit… I had a lot of ups and downs on this walk! I don’t know why, but the terrain really got to me..perhaps the combination of too many steep hills with the heat are just not to my liking. Lots of nice finds on this walk though…like the free tour and the nature trail to the brickworks. I’d love to re-visit the nature trail on a better day to fully appreciate its awesomeness. in spite of my crabbiness, i give this walk 

4 crabs out of 5… i truly enjoyed it… my feet ached… but really… pleasant!