Toronto is a great and vibrant city – but it also has many “quiet” corners, hidden alleys, “ugly” places that nevertheless exude specific charm, cast a spell on the onlooker. And although I promised myself NOT to show any pictures of the CN Tower – that epitome of tourist trash, there was one, shot on Front Street east of Yonge, which was supposed to reveal the “European” flavor of the area surrounding the St. Laurence Market, and which “accidentally” captured the CN Tower – well, if not an adornment of this city, then at least its architectural landmark not to be ashamed of.

The Downtown, with its Financial District, is alive at all hours. This is what differs Toronto’s Downtown from many other North American cities – it’s a place not only to make money, but also to spend money, and even if you don’t make much money and just scrape by in the adjacent and often run-down areas, at least have some fun. Yes, there are run-down adjacent areas – charming, artsy, sleazy. Queen Street West, parts of College Street, King Street. But even on Yonge Street, or close to it, you can find pockets of abandonment. Segovia – one of my favorite small restaurants, at least a couple of decades ago when it was still owned by its original Spanish owner, is tucked on a tiny St. Nicholas Street right by Yonge and Wellesley. You peek into the adjacent streets, or – really – streetlets, and you do not believe that you are in Downtown Toronto – delapidated walls, garbage containers, …, and how charming. The entire length of Yonge Street, from Bloor southwards to, at least, Dundas, and beyond, is a movie-style replica of one-story shabby houses, some of them actually ‘sleazy’, but nevertheless epitomizing Hog Town.

This part of Yonge Street probably does not exist anymore.  The black & white rendition of the colour photograph taken in 2010 exudes all the slightly seedy charm of that era.  Amazingly, the area was close to the very centre of the city, a mere 200 meters from the poshest shops on Bloor Street.

And then, once you move further south, towards the Lake, you get to what was supposed to be Toronto’s answer to Chicago’s waterfront. Well, has not quite worked out, has it? Still, some parts of Harbourfront can be fun, especially in the summer, and definitely on Canada Day, with tall ships coming to town, Toronto Jazz Festival, and if this is not enough, you can always head east towards the Distillery District – high end live theatre at Soulpepper, the best oysters in town at Pure Spirit, 19th century whiskey pond converted into an artsy area, with high-priced condos, art galleries, shops that would make your wallet shrink, and fancy restaurants, where you can forget about tomorrow.