Toronto As The Centre of Canada
I had just completed living in Mexico City for a year and completed a tour of Houston Texas, El Salvador, and even a little bit of Costa Rica.
Then without thinking too much about it, embarked on a tour of Ottawa, Montreal, and Quebec City in Canada.
And yet, after all of those places, I had barely explored Canada in the last few years. This is because “the grass is always greener on the other side”, or there are more interesting things out there than where you are.
So, I still had an epic 65km-range electric scooter, and all of my photo gear ready to explore the place I grew up for the majority of my life… Toronto Canada
From The Sub-Urbs right to the Downtown
So, I drove to the metro in the very northern suburban neighborhoods of the Greater Toronto Area in Vaughan.
Then I rode the metro all the way down to Union station, where, for more than a hundred years, trains would transport goods into the heart of Toronto.
Almost immediately upon exiting, you are confronted by towering monoliths that scraped clear blue skies on this hot summer day.
This is where my scooter riding journey would begin.
The Night Time Clubbing District
Afterward, I started riding up towards King Street, which was, for the longest time, my stomping grounds when going out.
On many nights over many years, I would go out to this district, and wander around with friends, trying to meet that special someone.
In the summer time, during the day, this area looked absolutely picturesque, with various parks, and greenery, interspersed with towering blocks of glass on all sides.
Suburbs, Homeless Camp, China Town
One of the recurring themes in Latin America when I was in Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, etc, was the safety issue. Almost every house had a large wall with barbed wire or glass protecting it. Almost every business and office complex had an armed security guard. “It’s dangerous” was something that would come up regularly in conversations.
In Toronto, that isn’t the case at all. You can wander around with thousands of dollars of electronics, and never have to worry about someone running by and robbing you with a gun or knife, or any police trying to trick you into bribing them.
And yet, I still managed to come across a homeless encampment in the suburbs of downtown Toronto. Granted, this was during the pandemic, so this camp was most likely ultimately removed, but when I started taking pictures, they quickly confronted me, as if I was in their house. The only issue of safety I encountered during my expedition around Toronto that day.
Nathan Philips Square & Old Toronto City Hall
Afterward, I continued the journey towards probably the most trekked area of locals in Toronto.
Winter New Years in Downtown Toronto
During the winter of 2018, I managed to somehow end up back in Toronto, despite the weather being -10 to -15 degrees Celsius.
Either way, it was the new Year, and I decided to visit the downtown core for the new years celebrations.
Nathan Philips Square during the winter is completely flooded with people coming for the show, the fireworks, and a bit of ice skating.
The Giant Advertising Billboard of Dundas Square in Toronto
And probably the most visited tourist destination in Toronto would have to be Dundas Square.
Here, you are visually bombarded with advertising, traffic, religious fanatics, performers, and everything else in between.
I have even worked on this square as a representative for Microsoft many years ago.
Church Street & Relics Of A Toronto Long Ago
The sun was starting to set, and my battery was slowly dropping, so I started to make a U-turn from Yonge street, onto Church street, and start riding back down to Union Station.
Church Street, despite its name, and context actually features the Gay-pride march every year in Toronto. It’s an irony mostly found, I think, in Toronto.
On my way back south, I couldn’t help but notice all of the Old Toronto buildings that would soon be converted into new condominiums.
Down Towards Lake Ontario
Almost everything towards the harbor is relatively new. Money has been pouring into new developments along the harbor for at least 2 decades now.
If there is a space to build a new condo, there will eventually be a new condo. If there is something that is from old Toronto, it will be demolished, and converted into a condo.
Condos and more condos everywhere.
Fancy Harbour Front Views & Lack of Concerns
As I mentioned, almost everything next to the Harbour consists of new condominium developments.
It’s an amazing sight to see and compare to memories from long ago.
While in the summertime, Lake Ontario gives a nice breeze, in the wintertime, the cool lake transforms into a freezing refrigerator for the air, thus everything becomes extremely cold.
Definitely not worth staying in during the wintertime, in my opinion.
A Little Bit of Salsa Dancing By The Lake
Salsa is one of my things, so I knew today would be a great day for some salsa. After riding around for a few hours, it was time to dive in and dance a little bit.
Over the course of the pandemic, a lot of salsa clubs closed, thus leaving salsa dancers stranded from a place to dance.
Luckily, the summertime at this spot was perfect for at least a little bit of salsa.
Sunset At Union Station in Toronto
Despite the filters, it was already close to nighttime, so it was time to head back to Union station.
Along the way, I got to see the guts of the inter-provincial train system that runs through Toronto and beyond.
Lost My Other Toronto Photos
Over the course of the summer, I made several expeditions into the heart of Toronto to make photos and videos.
Yet, for whatever reason, I couldn’t find any of the photos from my Sony camera for those following days… only videos from my cell phone.
So if you are interested to see more of Toronto, make sure to check out the video at the top of this page.
Toronto Nostalgia & Conclusions
But I have to admit, the summer of 2021 in Toronto for me was magical and very nostalgic.
Almost every street and corner in Toronto represented a memory for me of adventurous days and long nights.
In the end, Toronto is where I grew up, and developed as a person, culturally, spiritually, and more.
It’s safe, it’s relatively clean, and it’s an awesome place to retire.
But for myself, as the saying goes, the grass is always greener where you haven’t yet been.
See you soon 😉
Leonidas
Bonus: Old Toronto
I took some of these images while visiting various museums and plaques around the city.
Bonus #2: Toronto in 2017
In the winter of 2017, I was getting crazy amounts of FOMO (fear of missing out) with cryptocurrency. So I decided to fly back to Toronto to invest (right before everything crashed).
Bonus 3: Summer Time in Toronto 2015
In the summer of 2015, I rented a room the size of a closet, in an apartment, on the 52nd floor of the Aura Condo.
At the time, this was the tallest condominium in Toronto. I wanted to experiment with living in the absolute heart of Toronto.
Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this post, feel free to share it with your friends, and check out the video at the top of this page for even more footage of Toronto.
More Links
Destination Toronto – Official Tourism Site
Toronto Travel Guide – Conde Nast Traveler
