Bloor West / High Park

By Gwen Harris, SLA Toronto Chapter

Artists come to Bloor West Village to sketch the scene. Visitors drop by for a European pastry and a coffee and chat with friends in the outdoor cafes. Every day the streets are bustling with residents going about their errands. This is Bloor West, about 20 minutes west of downtown Toronto by subway. Here the villages of Bloor West and Swansea meet. Just down the street, a short 10-minute walk, are the woods and gardens of the 399 acre High Park. In all, it is human-scale living with an ethnically diverse sensibility.

The ideal combination for the visitor to these neighbourhoods is to spend some morning time strolling about in the village, pick up some picnic fare and head to High Park. Alternatively - begin in the park and then walk up Bloor to lunch in one of Bloor West's cafes.

Bloor West Village

Bloor West Village, technically speaking, is the section on the north side of Bloor Street between Runnymede Road on the east and Jane and the nearby Humber River on the west. This is the shopping district, a colourful stretch of fruit and vegetable stores, flower shops, delicatessens and bakeries, and small restaurants catering to all palates.

The heritage and tastes are East European, imported by the Ukrainian, Polish, and Czech immigrants. There is a drug store called the Apteka and a couple of Ukrainian gift shops. Bread and Roses (2232 Bloor St W) bakery and Amber European restaurant (2372 Bloor St. W.) serve superior pierogies. The delicatessens and bakeries carry a wide choice of bagels, breads, pastries, cheeses and meats. Sunglow Bakery and Deli (2226 Bloor St W) makes good sandwiches on request. Or you can pick from the counters for hot food, cheeses, desserts and specialty imports in Max's Markets (2299 Bloor St W ). As well, in these same four blocks there are two Japanese sushi spots - Yumis and Delete, an inexpensive and very neat Thai restaurant called Simply Thai. Beside it is Shakey's Sports Bar followed by the Queen's Pasta.

At the corner of Runnymede and Bloor, close to the subway stop, is the Art Deco Runnymede Theatre opened in 1927 and now a Chapters bookstore. It was originally an atmospheric-style movie theatre where a courtyard effect was evoked through lights and murals and the ceiling became a twinkling sky of stars. Chapters restored the ornate interior to reveal the splendid concave blue ceiling, the proscenium-arch stage and the balcony. It is very much worth a visit. The book selection is good too and there is Starbucks coffee shop upstairs.

Swansea

The south side of Bloor stretching to Lake Ontario and nestled between High Park on the east and Humber River on the west is the Village of Swansea. The residential streets criss-cross the many ravines. It may have been the rolling countryside that prompted the early residents from Wales in the early 1900s to name it Swansea.

Oak and maple trees shade the modest brick houses. Larger houses with a somewhat English cast take positions closer to the water. Riverside Drive, along the Humber on the west side, is a pleasant walk. Fans of Anne of Green Gables may be interested in a pilgrimage to 210 Riverside Drive where Lucy Maud Montgomery lived her last years, regrettably not all that happily, 1935 to 1942. A plaque marks the home she called "Journey's End".

The first place of settlement in Toronto was likely in Swansea, at the mouth of the Humber River. This was the end point of the route Hurons used as a portage to Georgian Bay. Étienne Brûlé, traveled this route in 1615 and was the first European to see Lake Ontario. There is a commemorative plaque to him in the South Humber Park. At least one Fort Toronto was built here and later the trading post of Jean Baptiste Rousseaux in 1780s.

High Park

East of Bloor West is High Park, one of Toronto's largest and most popular parks. Bounded by Bloor Street West on the north and Parkside Drive on the east, and Ellis Park Road on the west, the park extends nearly to Lake Ontario. The park supports a mix of recreational activities of playgrounds, picnic areas, swimming pool and tennis courts while maintaining a natural environment of wooded areas, wetlands, and grasslands. There is even a small petting zoo on the east side.

During the past few years much work has been done to restore the black oak savannah and native plants. The aim is to have vegetation restored to pre-settlement conditions in one-third of the park. Nature lovers turn out in large numbers for the weekend nature walks run by volunteers.

My favourite access is from Ellis Park Road, on the west side of the park. A small path cuts across into the wetlands of Duck Pond. Turning to the left with the bulrushes of the marsh on your left, you'll be sharing the path with other walkers, possibly their dogs, and the occasional cyclist. The upper part of the pond has been restored to natural vegetation. It's an excellent spot for sighting water birds, egrets, falcons, and with a good eye, turtles. As you get further into the park, the water widens into Grenadier Pond. Legend has it that British Grenadiers drowned here during the War of 1812 while pursuing American soldiers across the ice. On the other hand, it might have been named after Grenadiers fishing here on their time off. A little further along the path, a rock garden cascades down the hill on both sides of a small stream. Walking up through the garden takes you to the Grenadier Café and the main road. From here you can go east towards the petting zoo and the Parkside Drive exit, north back to Bloor, or south to Colborne Lodge.

Colborne Lodge, an historic house museum, is in the southern part, closer to Lake Ontario. This had been the home of John and Jemima Howard in the mid 1800s. Howard was Toronto's first city surveyor and engineer, who with great foresight deeded the land to the City of Toronto for a park. The Lodge has many of the original furnishings and artifacts and the visit is enlivened with talks and demonstrations from the staff in costume.

Getting to Bloor West

Subway is the easiest method for getting to Bloor West. There are three subway stops starting with High Park in the east, then Runnymede, and Jane. Runnymede is the best for its cluster of delis, bakeries, restaurants, and stores, but keen walkers will enjoy the sights from High Park all the way to Jane. Entire distance can be walked in roughly 30 minutes - more with stopping.

For High Park, take the Bloor subway line to the High Park subway station, and walk across Bloor Street through the main gates. There is a trackless train you can hop onto for a small price for touring the park if legs give out.

An alternate route to High Park is to enter from the south by taking the #501 streetcar from Osgoode Subway to Colborne Lodge Road and walk up the street.

Bloor West / High Park

Bloor West Village

Swansea

High Park

Getting to Bloor West

Further Reading