Goober and that guy with the hat, Joey Whuzzamiah
Posted on May 16th, 2010 –
I’ve been sitting in front of this computer for almost three days straight, working my blogging mojo to maximum capacity and barely moving an inch. Were I able to effectively aim the same soda I drank not long ago back into it’s original bottle, I would. The weather helped a bit – not May-like at all, cold and damp and overcast. But once the sore ass begins there’s little else to do but throw on a jacket and and take that ass out for some fresh air.
The moment my foot hit the ground outside the flat, the skies parted like some miraculous scripture moment and the sun beamed down on my swollen buttocks, urging them on. I can’t say I believe in the supernatural unless I personally experience it myself, but damn if that didn’t feel like a sign.
So with the sun shining happily on my perambulating backside, I chose somewhat arbitrarily to head down Queen Street East again. I did The Beach not too long ago, but the stretch between there and the Don Valley I kinda glossed over, and that’s a shame because it’s also a terrific area, very picturesque and Bohemian in its own way. The stretch encompasses the former villages of Riverdale and Leslieville, one of the first few towns to be gobbled up by a growing Toronto (you’re next, Peel, Markham, Vaughan, and Pickering!). So not unsurprisingly the main Queen Street strip has a really nice, old town feel to it, but it’s well maintained. Well, most of it anyway.
Every town needs a greasy burger joint and a strip bar, that’s a given.
I have to say that I’m well pleased to see local Dark Horse coffee houses springing up around town. I have yet to visit one myself but you can get a pretty good view of what they’re like from the outside. The one on Spadina has huge glass windows and wooden study hall furniture with elegant armchairs thrown about for good measure. I always regret not being able to take a good photo of it at night; the scene always strikes me a little bit like something out of The Party with Peter Sellers. Love that movie. :)
Here’s Dark Horse location number one:
I hope they do well. They seem like hip joints that could make a wider splash.
The Riverside area, however, already has a slightly larger claim to global infamy because it unleashed the Degrassi series(es) on the world a few decades ago. Thankfully the producers had enough sense to bastardize the name, but not enough to not set the original series in Toronto. Okay, I admit, I had my own sweaty teen crushes on certain actresses on Junior High, sure, but that’s as far as it went. I could never sit through a single episode with Goober, that guy with the hat Joey Whuzzamiah, the tall ginger guy with the permashine forehead…
No thanks, rather be outdoors.
Haha! Eighties TV sucked. (Except for Max Headroom, that show was pretty awes awesom aw-awe s s s s-some. m.)
Well, they’ve taken that contagion into the States and the UK (Lord have mercy on your souls), and we’re now left with generally nice, Joey-free neighbourhoods, nary a Spike in view.
By my estimation, the whole length comprising of Riverside, Leslieville, and The Beach, is roughly a two-and-a-half-hour walk with window gazing and stopping for ice cream. One and a half at a good pace. Unfortunately I have yet to achieve that good pace because I have succumbed to said gazing and aforementioned ice cream. You’ve got quaint old hardware stores next to candy shops next to art galleries next to friendly-looking pubs next to outdoor cafes … it’s hard not to find something interesting to whittle away the time.
Unfortunately my own time is whittling away and my ass has yet to see the sunshine again, so I’ll be taking my leave. And I can think of at least a few other interesting parts of town that my posterior could be transported to. Besides, there’s no way that one little post could cover the whole Riverside / Leslieville area, so I suspect I’ll be back there again when the glutei maximi start to go numb.
... with pictures
... with sounds
... with videos
... with opinions
... that's shorter
... that's longer
May 17th, 2010 1:13 pm
When we lived in Toronto I use to love this part of the city. Queen street East was on my way home from work and even Hwy 401 was faster but also most of the time nightmare Queen str. was oasis on my way home. I always had a feeling of Paris there, little semtiment and Bohemian kind of atmosphere was overwhelming me there. I believe it's all still there, such atmosphere and all those cafe's, restaurants and butiques cannot disapear quickly. Long live Queen Street East.
May 17th, 2010 5:56 pm
Paris? That's a nice compliment, Stanya. :)