Blog Articles About Downtown Living

Photo Friday: The Vikings Are Coming (and Tall Ships)

The Redpath Waterfront Festival took place last weekend, bringing a bunch of tall ships to Toronto for the long weekend. It was also Canada Day and the culmination of Pride. There was a lot of fun things to do, but I veered towards the lake and the tall ships. The Canadian Navy was there, escorting…

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Photo Friday: Back to the Islands

This past weekend The Boy and I took a long walk on the Toronto Islands, cameras in hand. It was the longest walk I’ve taken since I got home from the hospital and a lot of that was due to having a very good time photographing all that is beautiful about the Islands. As you…

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Volcanoes in Toronto

For as long as I can remember, I have been completely fascinated by volcanoes. More specifically, erupting volcanoes. That incredible power, the smoke, the flying rocks, and the lava. Especially the lava. Realizing that we are all living on top of a sea of molten rock — okay, magma. Great word — has a way…

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An Encounter in the Park

I’ve discovered that August was so wonderful, not just because I was only doing one job, but also because I took actual breaks. Although I was writing most days, I also made sure that by 12:30 or 1 PM, I was out in the weather (which was mostly sunny and warm). It seemed like a…

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Parapan Am Torch Celebrations

“I’m going to the torch relay celebration at Queen’s Park. Do you want to come?” This was an email from my friend Larry two days before the Parapan Am games torch arrived. Did I want to come? Well… It was headed towards the tail end of the first week of my (writing) vacation and it…

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AWOL Blogger Reporting

Um… hi. Remember me? I know it’s been a while since you last heard from me and I apologize. The thing is, I’m taking August off to write the next Your Life with RA book (or at least part of it) and that’s required quite a bit of work to get ready. I could go…

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PanAm Sunset

My wonderful city has been building up to the Pan Am Games for quite some time now and they have finally arrived. I thought briefly about going to the Opening Ceremonies this past Friday, but ultimately got too cheap. I am planning to attend some of the competitions in both the Pan Am and ParaPan…

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#TOtheWaterfront: Opening the Blue Edge

Last Friday, I was at the official opening of the revitalized Queen’s Quay. But I get ahead of myself. Look for the guy in the green t-shirt, they said… Four years ago, I posted about accessibility barriers in the path to the beach. Subsequently my MPP, Glen Murray, a true champion of universal design, facilitated…

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A Trip to Allan Gardens Conservatory

Toronto has just come out of the worst February on record. As we entered into March, we reached 43 days in a row with sub-zero (Celsius) weather. The ice in the harbour is over 18 inches (almost half a meter!), so thick that the ferry service to the Toronto Islands has been suspended. Still is….

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Turn It Down, Turn It Off.

What’s with the noise? More specifically, what’s with all the bloody music? As my range has increased, so has my perambulations around this wonderful city I call home. I’ve discovered new streets, beautiful buildings, little spots of quiet magic like the Trinity Square labyrinth, and it’s all been completely wonderful. Well, not entirely completely. Because…

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Sugar Beach: an Oasis in the City

God save us from small minded people. Lately, there has been some debate from certain City Councillors, as well as in the newspapers and online, about the merits of Sugar Beach. If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you’ll know about Sugar Beach and how I feel about it, but in case you’re…

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A Perfect Start to Summer

Summer officially arrived this past weekend and for me, that was reason enough to scuttle all work and goof off intensely for three days. I can highly recommend it. The adventure started on Friday, when I wandered down to the Redpath Waterfront Festival to check out the Dock Dogs competition. These dogs are incredible and…

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