Tag: Toronto
-
The Pilgrimage to Jane Jacobs
Jane Jacobs was a noted urbanist, writer and activist whose book The Death and Life of Great American Cities has become the go-to tome for community planning and urban development. ********** Like the Camino de Santiago, there are prescribed stops on the pilgrimage to Jane Jacobs, including her two former residences in Toronto and New York… Read more
-
Caplansky’s Delicatessen Toronto
There is nothing I like better in this world than serendipity, except, perhaps, a great smoked meat sandwich. So there we were at U of T, hungry and cold, and Husband suggested eating at Subway to which I replied with a choice expletive or two. We’re in Toronto, for God’s sake, surely we can do better… Read more
-
Giving Grace to Utility
Excerpt: John Ruskin ~The Relation of Art to Use, 1870 Our subject of enquiry to-day, you will remember, is the mode in which fine art is founded upon, or may contribute to, the practical requirements of human life. Read more
-
What a Fleurt
Excerpt from A Tale of Two Hotels: The Gladstone (Part 1), November 2011 We were lodged in Room 303, the Red Room (or the ‘REDRUM’ as I joked in my best Jack Nicholson voice), designed by Kate Austin and Kristin Ledgett of RUCKUS. It was, all at once, intimate, stylish and homey… In a strange small-world occurrence on Friday, I… Read more
-
Stalking the Purple Beast
Immaculate, it was not. Or maybe I have a wildly different understanding of the meaning of that word: mint; without wear, tear or staining; something that can be used right away without an additional investment of time or money. But everyone knows by now that buying anything used online is always caveat emptor. I drove… Read more
-
A Tale of Two Hotels – The Drake (Part 2)
We checked out of the Gladstone, Husband headed to the financial district, and I strolled down Queen Street to the Drake Hotel. I didn’t want to leave the area without getting, at the very least, a cursory look at the Gladstone’s kissing cousin. The building began its life in 1890 as Small’s Hotel, catering to… Read more
-
These Boots Were Made for Walking
I finally connected to Toronto. I think four key factors shaped the positive outcome. First, I trained in so was car-free and walking everywhere; the weather was unbelievably gorgeous; I stayed with a friend well outside the downtown core; and I almost exclusively walked and took public transport to get around. Read more