Alley Culture: Toronto
June 10, 2013
Apparently there is an entire alley of just graffiti in Toronto. This is not that alley. This is just a random alley. In fact, it is the alley that reminded me that oh crap, I need to be taking photos of alleys!
But I love this alley, because it does capture the spirit of Toronto. Here’s what I see:
- Lots of graffiti. Toronto is rife with graffiti. It is beautiful and it is everywhere.
- A dumpling house with signage in both English and Chinese. In an upcoming post, I will be exploring Toronto’s different cultural districts. For now, I’ll just say this: signs in two languages are the rule, not the exception. And I love it.
- An oddly spotless alleyway. Canada is like the friendlier, cleaner version of the United States. And Toronto is Canada’s version of New York City. I dare you to find a street this clean in New York–or in any major metro area in the US.
- A total change of scenery. See that tree there at the end of the alley? That’s a whole different part of town. Toronto, like many great world cities, is a city made up of many, many smaller neighborhoods. And in Toronto, your line of sight is often filled with more than one of them at once. The contrast is stunning.
- A big thumbs up. See the sign on the dumpling house? See the white part with the little red thumbs up? That’s exactly how I feel about Toronto. Two thumbs–way up.
Toronto was the most surprising city I’ve visited in quite some time; perhaps as shockingly awesome as Pittsburgh. It was never on my must-visit list, but it should have been. It is definitely on my must-return list.
Stay tuned for upcoming posts on Toronto’s Distillery District, Toronto’s various ethnic neighborhoods, and the story of one blogger among many at TBEX Toronto.
Come to Vancouver or the next door community Richmond. Signs in 2 languages very common, usually an Asian language though not necessarily Chinese. But, I will say many Chinese restaurants all around the Vancouver area have signs and menus in both Chinese and English. Vancouver has the 2nd largest Chinese community in North America after New York City. Or does it still hold that title????
I was in Vancouver almost seven years ago (man, has it been that long?!?) and I LOVED it. I MUST return. It remains–in my memory at least–my favorite city in the world. And yes, I hung out in Chinatown. I thought it was the 2nd largest outside of San Francisco…? But I could be wrong. Either way, it was my best Chinatown experience thus far (including San Francisco); I was there during some sort of street festival. And I went to this giant warehouse building and had dim sum. Oh–and the Chinese Gardens were lovely, too. Yes–I need to return to Vancouver asap!