Category Archives: Canada

Why Do People Hate Toronto?

Toronto

Having lived in Montreal, Calgary, and Toronto, and crossed Canada (twice), it became clear to me years ago that this large nation comprises distinct geographical and cultural regions – primarily the north, the west, the prairies, Ontario, Quebec, the Maritimes, and Newfoundland. It is not always easy for a large country, with different regions and needs, to be united. Oddly, one of the unifiers is the belief among many Canadians that Torontonians think they are the centre and heartbeat of the country. Montrealers love to hate Toronto and other cities often feel as if they do not count – that they are left out of the Canadian picture. Period. No matter the perception and by whom, Toronto is a strong, energetic, and thriving metropolis.

Harbord Street, Toronto

The Greater Metropolitan area of Toronto is over 7,000-square-kilometres with close to 6 million residents at the time of this writing. One would think that with the congestion of cars, the sprawl of the city, the high cost of housing, transportation, food, etc., and the obvious gap between the “haves” and “have-nots” this city would feel oppressive and dispirited. But no. It is a pleasurable, even ebullient place where people seem, at least on the surface of things, to be happy in their home town. The city faces many infrastructural, political, economic, issues but I would much rather focus on what I love about Toronto. In no particular order here is what gets to me each time I visit:

immigration and multiculturalism has led to acceptance of difference
- each neighbourhood is populated by a different immigrant group and named accordingly: Little Italy, Little Portugal, Little India, (multiple) Chinatown(s), Greek town, etc.
- there is are festivals in virtually every one of these neighbourhoods
- excellent international food thanks to the influx and settlement of immigrants from around the world
there is a great tolerance (and perhaps even embracement) of gays and lesbians – who have the right to marry should they want to
there is less crime in Toronto than in cities of comparable size
Toronto is verdant
people, young and old, still use bicycles for everyday transportation
waterfront development is growing and is used by those who live there and those who visit this cosmopolis
the arts scene is vital (and I cannot stress this enough) – whether it be the visual arts, theatre, music, literature, etc.
independent bookstores have, for the most part, not gone under. One sees them everywhere
downtown housing and commerce co-exist well
the resto scene is excellent (from cheap rotis and diner food to expensive and chi-chi bistros)
the public library system is excellent
I still bump into people I have not seen in years or decades whenever I visit – despite the large size of the city

Kensington Market, Toronto

Here are some tips of things to do, eat, and see:

Neighbourhoods: If you cover a portion of these areas you will feel that you’ve had a great visit.

Meander in and out of the streets from Bathurst to Parliament between Bloor (and slightly above) and King or Richmond and you’re safe to cover lots of ground, see tons of neighbourhoods and)
Shops and visit galleries on Queen St. from University to Dundas West. Some of the best walking/shopping is west of Bathurst St.
Chinatown and Kensington Market (which are side by side at one point) – near the AGO (See below)
University of Toronto campus and the Annex, which is very walkable from Chinatown and the Kensington market
The Beaches (east end of Queen Street and south to the boardwalk along Lake Ontario – just take the Queen St. streetcar east)
Walk up Yonge St. to just north of Eglington St. (lots of shops that are more of interest, probably, than the main downtown drag between Bloor and Richmond)
Danforth area (just walk east on Bloor, cross the bridge and you’ll be there)
Harbourfront and the Toronto Islands
Historical walks including the one of Mount Pleasant Cemetery

Stanley, Toronto

The Annex, Toronto

The Man on the Street, Toronto

Sugar Beach, Toronto

Little Italy, Toronto

Queen Street, Toronto

For other ideas you can also look at : http://www.torontotourism.com/Visitor/WhatToSeeAndDo/Neighbourhoods/ and http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/07/30/garden/toronto-design.html?ref=garden

Art:

Galleries: check out: https://www.nowtoronto.com/art/listings/

Other:

Harbourfront and Power Plant
AGO (Art Gallery of Ontario)
ROM (Royal Art Museum)
Bata Shoe Museum
Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art
The Distillery (http://www.thedistillerydistrict.com/htmlsite/index.html)
Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art

Food:

Take a look at: http://www.toronto.com/best/categories/

Lillyput Hats, Toronto

College and Bathurst, Toronto

The Huntsman, Toronto

Hub Coffee House, Toronto

For more on Toronto take a look at: Toronto Life and Now Toronto

Montreal, Mon Amour

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Along the Lachine Canal, Montreal

As noted in my last blog post, I am in Montreal for a few weeks. Most of my time is being spent with family. On occasion they actually let me go out on my own. Thus, I have had the opportunity to stroll the city’s streets. I love Montreal despite Quebec’s political ups and downs over the years. Unfortunately, an attempt to preserve French identity has sometimes translated into xenophobia and extreme pettiness that has led to some very restrictive language-related laws. Nonetheless, Montreal is still a wonderful city that I adore.

Winters here are harsh, frozen, snowy, and often bleak. Summers are typically hot and steamy. They are always full of traffic, bicycles, and people; the city sidewalks, parks, etc. teem with life. Luckily, during my two weeks here this most wonderful of cities has been blessed with splendid, near-perfect temperatures and many cloudless days.

Montreal is a city of festivals. I suspect that there are more festivals held here than anywhere else in the world. There is something for everyone – whether you are into music, comedy, contemporary art, film, dance, food, beer or something else entirely. I just missed the Festival International de Jazz de Montreal but the Just for Laughs Festival (Juste pour Rire) is currently going on and the Fantasia International Film Festival has begun too.

Atwater Market, Montreal

The breadth of culture in Montreal is astonishing. There are a number of excellent museums, many contemporary art galleries for emerging and established, world-class Montreal, Quebecois, and Canadian visual artists. Superlative contemporary dance companies thrive, and music in the city is everywhere. There are also hundreds of creative and skilled local fashion, furniture, and jewellery designers. I could go on waxing poetic on the arts, alone.

Ste. Catherine Street, Montreal

There are a myriad of excellent restos for those with smaller budgets – anything from diners to hipster bars. There are also elegant establishments and chique bistros. One can laze for hours in the cafes – many of which are not part of a franchise (a rare thing in North America). For the first time, ever, there are now food trucks on the streets! From what I have observed these trucks serve food that is far from mediocre. Montreal’s year-round public markets are a pleasure to the senses. And of course there is smoked meat, excellent locally made beer, Montreal bagels, and poutine!

Atwater Market, Montreal

I love Montreal for its French/English bilingualism and diversity. It is an international city with many dynamic ethnic communities: Jewish, Haitian, Italian, Greek, Southeast Asian, Philippine, British, Arab, and many, many more. One feels a pulse of joie de vivre and excitement here. It is an open and tolerant and cosmopolitan city where people can be themselves without feeling judged. Downtown flourishes because of the successful mix of housing and commerce. The city is walkable, has terrific public transportation and has an extended bike path system with designated lanes, nearly everywhere on the island. There is something going on in Montreal every day, at every hour. It’s a place where one can just lay back and relax or devour all that it has to offer.

Lazing Along the Lachine Canal, Montreal

Below are some tips of things to do, eat, and see:

Neighbourhoods :

Downtown: Walk along Ste-Catherine and Sherbrooke Streets between Atwater and St. Denis or further east. You may want to walk on the bottom of the Mountain through the McGill area (up Stanley or another side street, along Dr. Penfield, etc.) or even go up Peel and then walk up the path to the mountain. There are some nice look-outs from there. Department stores: The Bay, Ogilvy, Holt Renfrew, SImons
McGill Ghetto
Mount Royal in Westmount: Easiest accessed by car. At the top of Westmount there is a look-out where you can see the south of the city and beyond to the mountains of Vermont.
Mont Royal: Walk up via Peel St. behind McGill University or get to it from Ave. du Parc and Mont Royal., along Cote-Sainte-Catherine or Cote des Neiges
Le Plateau and Mile End: Allow for A full day for walking up and down and in between St. Hubert St. (St. Denis has lots of chique bars, restaurants, stores), St. Laurent (lots of students and very multi-ethnic, once the old Jewish neighbourhood, now the home of all sorts of new, groovy, chique restaurants, bars, artist-run galleries, diverse shops as well as some old commercial establishments that are the last remnants of the first European immigrants), Ave. du Parc (where there many Greek restos) and even further west when you’re north of rue Mont Royal. Start from around Ste-Catherine and go up as far as Bernard Ave. and stroll as far west as Park Lafontaine or even beyond.
Latin Quarter: Around UQAM / St. Denis / Berri Streets and in-between
Little Italy: Dante Street; Jean Talon Market (7070 Henri Julien St. @ Jean Talon metro station)
Old Montreal: For a true “European” feel, wander around this neighbourhood. It abuts the port area which the city has built up quite nicely.
Atwater Market / St. Henri / Griffintown
Lachine Canal: A good place to enter is by the Atwater Market – cycle east or west – another good place to enter is via the Port area in Old Montreal. There are kayak and canoe rentals if you want to explore the canal directly on the water.
Sherbrooke St.: This street goes on for miles and miles (19.88 more or less). You can start at either end, from NDG to Montreal East or the other way around or anywhere in between.
Walk through the Cote des Neiges area by the University of Montreal (on the other side of Outremont and Mont Royal). This is a very multi-cultural neighbourhood.
Outremont: This neighbourhood is inhabited mainly by Francophones although 25 percent of Outremont’s population is made up of Hasidic Jews. There are many shops, restos, cafes along Laurier Avenue, Park Avenue, Van Horne, St. Laurent, and Bernard. The architecture/housing between all of these streets and Cote-Sainte-Catherine is varied and worth seeing.

Food: Delis:

Schwartz’s: Order their medium smoked meat, french fries, and cherry coke (this place is a must not miss).
Beauty’s: Particularly great for breakfast
Moishe’s: Steak, steak and more steak – with all you can eat pickles and coleslaw
Wilensky’s – Cheap, cheap, and excellent! Limited hours

Food: Vegetarian:

Food: French/Bistro:

Food: Other:

Le Richmond
Creperie Tye Briez
Greek Food
St. Viateur Bagels
Poutine: a Quebecois concoction comprised of french fries, gravy, and cheese curds
Mamie Clafoutis
Le Petit Alep
Cho
Club Español de Québec
La Binerie Mont Royal
Le Gros Jamobon Diner
Triple Crown Dinette
Depanneur Le Pick Up

Food: Desserts:

Museums and Galleries, Etc :

For more on things to do and see take a look at the online cultural magazine: cultmontreal.com

Bus, Montreal

Ste. Catherine Street, Montreal

Family. You Gotta Love ’em!

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Family Photo c1966

This Be The Verse (an excerpt) by Philip Larkin

They fuck you up, your mum and dad.
They may not mean to, but they do.
They fill you with the faults they had
And add some extra, just for you.

Despite the sentiment of the poem my folks did their best as parents. No one is perfect; we are all flawed for a variety of reasons. Most of our “issues” cannot be attributed solely to our mums and dads. Families provide our basic needs – food, clothing, shelter, love, strength, support. My parents gave all of this to me and my sister, Roo, – the building blocks to help us mature and become caring human beings.

Last year I missed my parent’s 60th wedding anniversary because I was in China. This year I missed my mother’s 85th birthday for the same reason. On July 26th my father will turn 85. I am in Montreal right now to spend time with my mother and father, my sister and her partner. There have been too many missed celebrations – especially since I have always felt that birthdays, notably, are important. I believe that it is the one day of the year when I can celebrate the fact that a family member or friend is a part of my life and I want her/him to take centre stage.

When my sister and I were children, our folks exposed us to a wide variety of experiences. They took us to museums, we went camping together, they read aloud to us and they encouraged us to play creatively. We were given the opportunity to go to camp and learn about independence. They took interest in our lives and worried about us (a lot sometimes). They only wanted the best for us. And with their good, hard work we turned out just fine. Just as they are fine people. All four of us are complicated, interesting, generous, and fun, if I do say so myself.

After 9 months overseas and three months back home in Boston I am visiting my family. Below are a small number of photos in which I will celebrate them – and particularly my parents – by turning the lens toward them.