The Beach
By Patricia Petruga, SLA Toronto Chapter
Get yourself on the Neville Park street car. Enjoy the 20-minute ride along Queen Street East & have the driver let you off at Woodbine. Welcome to the Beach! Did you remember your sunscreen & shades?
Walk due south & stroll east along the 3-kilometre wooden boardwalk. Take your shoes off, walk on the sand & make sure to have your photo taken at the Leuty Lifeguard Station, a Beach historical site. Walk to the very end if you like & come up to Queen Street, where we have coffee shops galore. Believe it or not, but we have, almost, but not quite, one for every block!
We are also known for our wonderful restaurants, Ci Vediamo, Akida, Whitlock's, Nevada, Il Fornello, Arax, Karas, Akane-Ya, White Brothers Fish Company, The Garden Gate, Sunset Grill, Quigley's, Beacher Café, to name a few.
For art lovers make sure to stop in at the Masterpiece Gallery 2158 Queen St. E., which has an always-changing display of paintings, sculptures & photographs from a collective of 25 Beach artists.
Intriguing arts & crafts can be seen at Arts on Queen at or Isidingo, 1965 Queen St. E. You won't be able to resist some of the reasonably priced handmade jewellery at Arts on Queen.
Ups & Downs sells primarily swimsuits, which are wonderful, but Beachers know them for having not your usual collection of casual pants, shirts & jackets. Posh Clothing has wonderful summer fashions, but we shop for their fabulous purses, hats & accessories.
You won't be able to resist dropping in at ENDS, because you'll never know what fabulous bargains you can find, from zip off camping pants, faux fur blankets to designer fashions & samples - all at wonderful prices. Real Beachers drop in almost every time they go past.
What Beach would be complete without dogs or dog stores? Two specialty dog shops, Bark & Fitz & Three Dog Bakery, have almost everything for your pampered pooch, including dog birthday cakes. They'll add Fido's name on for free if you order ahead.
Enjoying your stroll so far? It's time to grab yourself a coffee & sit & relax in Kew Park. Kew Park is one of the most beautiful parks in Toronto, with trees over 100 years old, lots of benches & a view of the, lake of course. As library folks, I recommend dropping into the Beaches Library. It's just been renovated & we're very proud of our Carnegie library.
Feel like getting your hair cut, a pedicure, manicure or having a day the spa? It's all here, at Hair Dynamix, Totto, Bliss, Speccio, just to mention a few. On a weekday, there's a great chance they'll be free to pamper you, just the way you want & need to be pampered after the conference.
After lunch or dinner you can continue to pretend to be a Beacher & take in a movie at our almost heritage theatre, the Fox. It's been a theatre for over 80 years.
Well, the day's almost over & you've had a wonderful time getting sand in your toes, hearing the waves murmur on the shore. I hope you've enjoyed your time visiting us here.
So, when are you coming back?
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