[URBAN NOTE] "Toronto’s East End, a vibrant, multicultural area"

[rfmcdonald]

I like reading about Toronto as seen by non-Torontonians, or at least as reported in non-Torontonian--even non-Canadian--media. Carol Ann Davidson's Boston Globe travel article about east-end Toronto is one of those things, a description of a stretch of Toronto along Queen Street East suited to the casual visitor. It's packaged nicely, from my perspective a twist on the familiar.

When I first visited Mary MacLeod’s Shortbread on Queen Street East 15 years ago it was isolated in a part of the city that didn’t get much traffic. MacLeod baked the best shortbread cookies in the city and shipped them around the world. Now the East End is hot and the world is coming to her.

MacLeod, 78, never regretted her move from a tonier area of Toronto and relishes the multicultural neighborhood as much as her customers do her baked goods. “The area has changed so dramatically and is so vibrant. I heard that there are about 97 languages spoken around here,” she said.

[. . .]

The East End extends through several culturally diverse areas: one of Toronto’s several Chinatowns; Vietnamese and Thai, flourishing on Gerrard; and farther east still, little India. A stroll or bicycle ride along the boardwalk of the Beaches area is a popular pastime.

Don’t leave the East End until you travel south of Danforth along Broadview. People pay big bucks to board tourist buses to view probably the best vista in Toronto at Riverdale Park. Bordering the once mighty Don River, the park is home to tennis courts, public pools, jogging lanes, and soccer fields. Each morning members of the older Asian community practice tai chi around the bronze statue of Dr. Sun Yat-Sen, first president and founding father of the Republic of China.

But visit just before sunset. Sit on the benches at the crest of the hill or under any number of graceful trees. Across the street savor a cup of coffee or a lemonade at Rooster Coffee House, with its welcoming patio. It’s the best place to view Toronto’s skyline, with the majestic CN Tower standing sentinel over the glowing city.