The Danforth, with nods to Riverdale and the Don Valley
By Erika Steffer, SLA Toronto Chapter
Three keys to Toronto
As a transplanted American who had studied in several countries before immigrating to Canada 15 years ago, I love many things about Toronto. However, I will limit myself to three points here. The first point is Toronto's multiculturalism, in which I delight daily. Without ever leaving the city, you can tune your linguistic ear to dozens of languages, or take in the world's culinary traditions at a myriad of inexpensive or moderately priced restaurants. From every corner of the planet, people have brought their deliciously exotic cuisines, almost all of which include fabulous vegetarian eats in their repertoire.
The second point about Toronto is easy access to nature. With the lake to the south, two river valley systems framing the downtown core, and numerous creeks and trails feeding into them, one can run, blade, bike, mountain bike, canoe, or kayak for miles in natural surroundings without ever leaving the city.
The third point is the safe public transit system a.k.a. "the TTC". While tokens cost about $2 a ride, day passes can be used from 9:30 a.m. and cost about $7. They provide unlimited access to subway, bus, and streetcar lines - making this a very cheap way to criss-cross the downtown core to explore a number of neighborhoods.
The Danforth
It should be said that I could be happy living in any number of Toronto's unique neighborhoods. However, my partner and I chose the Danforth for its affordability, outstanding restaurants, easy access to nature along the Don Valley, and short commute by bike or TTC to downtown. Its tree-lined streets of 1930s homes, frequently featuring small Art Deco stained glass side windows, also attracted us.
Greektown: Danforth Avenue between Broadview and Pape is known as "Greektown" for its abundant Greek restaurants, clubs, and shops. Patio culture reigns supreme throughout hot summer days and long into sultry evenings. We hold to a fairly Mediterranean schedule. Prime time dining kicks in around 8:30 or 9 p.m., followed by families and friends taking digestive after dinner promenades. Our personal restaurant fave as introduced to us by Greek friends is Pantheon (great fish and seafood with a family friendly atmosphere - I highly recommend their flaming saganaki, dips pikilia, and grilled calamari). Not to be missed is Athens Pastries (review), whose sweet and savoury Greek pastries are so tempting that I can never get my take out past the end of the block without tucking in. I've got my mitts sticky on the way home on more than one cold winter night. If you get enamored of the Greek ambiance, you may also want to pick up some music or videos at either Greek Music Superstore or Greek City Video.
Other eateries of note: While known for its Greek community, the Danforth includes a smattering of other cuisines mixed in for good measure - all of whom participate in the annual Taste of the Danforth food festival, which welcomes over 1 million people to the neighbourhood during the second weekend in August. Of note: Sher-E Punjab (bringing Punjabi cuisine to the neighborhood for over 30 years), Embrujo Flamenco (great tapas and paella with live Flamenco performances on Friday and Saturday nights - reservations recommended), and Café Brussel (for when you have a hankering for a large bowl of "moules et frites" a.k.a. mussels and fries washed down with a great Belgian beer). Or if you just want the beer, check out one of several pubs (including the Dora Keogh with its outstanding whisky selection) that line the avenue. For those needing a caffeine boost, all major coffee chains have locations in the 'hood.
Shopping: Lest you think that I am such a foodie that I think only of restaurants, I will also mention the strong eco-yuppy, family, pooch and gay-positive presence along this stretch, as evidenced by the longstanding natural and organic foods supermarket Big Carrot, fair trade shops such as Ten Thousand Villages and Blue Moon, environmentally friendly clothing and household shops such as Grassroots, and numerous fitness centres such Riverdale Pilates, Oxygen Fitness and Bikram Yoga. Home and garden shops such as Moss, independent bookstores such as Another Story and newsagents such as Presse internationale, round out the area. While not known for its antique stores, in keeping with the era of the neighbourhood, there is a small dealer specializing in Mission, Art Deco, and Arts and Crafts pieces. Located on the south side a few doors east of Broadview and Danforth, it's open Saturday and Sunday afternoons in the basement of the independent record store.
Entertainment: While known more for its restaurants and shops, there is also entertainment to be had without leaving the vicinity. We've somehow become a hotbed of improvisational theater with a "pay what you can" a.k.a. "pwyc" Friday night improv team at the local Timothy's coffee chain, and you can get into Bad Dog Theatre improv (near Broadview) for about $10.
Worship: If you are looking to worship while in town, our houses of worship represent a wide range of faiths. Prime Danforth includes several Greek Orthodox churches, the small Riverdale Shul, the Romanesque Holy Name Catholic Church, and a spectrum of protestant congregations such as the down-to-earth Eastminster United on Danforth, the Latter Day Saints on Broadview, and the large African Canadian Seventh Day Adventist congregation on Westwood just off Pape. A little further east on Danforth at Donlands, is Madina Masjid a small mosque (with numerous halal restaurants and shops nearby).
Nature in the heart of the city
Due to our abundant ravine systems and the adaptability of numerous species to proximity to urban life, nature frequently comes to us. My favourite urban wildlife experience dates back a few years to a run along the beltline trail in the Forest Hill area, where I spied a little fox through the woods. While rarer than some critters in the city, foxes (and coyotes) do manage to exist here. Next to squirrels, the most common animals are raccoons, which can be spotted everywhere - including only a block from the Eaton Centre. For example, last May, unbeknownst to me, a pair of raccoons denned in my garage, and before I knew it a family of six was popping out at dusk every night for an evening ramble. While cute and entertaining at a distance, they wreaked havoc on the inside, and once the kits were old enough to relocate easily, a bright light fixed on their entrance and 24-hour news radio set at high decibels encouraged them to find alternate housing. However, we still see high wire acrobatics in summer as other members of their species chase each other across cable lines and tree tops. And this year's brush with urban wildlife included the local skunks taking up residence under my neighbors' deck.
The largest park in the vicinity, complete with free tennis courts, outdoor swimming pool, and lots of ultimate Frisbee matches is Riverdale Park. Most importantly, from Broadview it has a spectacular view of the Toronto downtown skyline. While you get a taste of the Don Valley seen from Riverdale Park, you get an even better north-south view of it from the Bloor Street Viaduct - either at street level, or as the subway train passes over the bridge. (I am in awe of the visionary architect. His 1919 design planned for a subway over 30 years before the system was in place.)
However, to really experience nature in this area of the city, you have to get down into the Don Valley. The best way to enjoy the Don is by running, blading, or biking its paved and unpaved trails, which follow the river from the north end of the city down to the lake. If you feel like company on your ride, join in the 15,000-person strong Ride for Heart and Stroke. It takes place on the Don Valley Parkway a.k.a. the DVP (the eastern side of the city's main north-south highway) on Sunday June 5. Didn't bring your bike with you? Check out Bikeshare and rent one for a day or two.
Or, if you'd rather view the Don's full length with greater ease, hop on a northbound commuter GO Train from Union Station up the Richmond Hill line. The tracks follow the ravine system and make for a very pleasant commute to and from the city's northern suburbs.
If you are interested in the industrial history of Toronto, just north of Danforth in the Valley is Todmorden Mills. This historic site includes a small mill, two period homes, and a lovely wildflower garden. Off the Don Valley Trail at Bayview a little south of Todmorden is the Brickworks (more photos), where many of the bricks that built Toronto were created. If you head back to the Don Valley trail and turn south, you can walk all the way to Riverdale Farm (about 30 minutes) on the Cabbagetown side of the River.
Toronto Transit Commission, a.k.a. the TTC
Routes to the Danforth: Fundamentally, the TTC (subways, streetcars, and buses) is a great way to get around town. It's pretty fast, reasonably priced (especially compared with the cost of parking), and safe. For example, there are several routes to my neighbourhood - including two streetcars to Broadview Station, as well as subway stops at Broadview, Chester and Pape, and a number of bus routes to both Broadview and Pape Stations (one of which gets you out to the phenomenally extensive Ontario Science Centre).
A word on safety: Toronto is after all a large city. Like any city, it pays to have your wits about you, tuck your purse neatly under your arm and hold it in place, be aware if you're the only person on a dark street, etc. That said, this is generally a very safe city, as my American girlfriends and the international students who've stayed with me always attest. The TTC is designed for passenger safety - yellow emergency strips in the subway cars, designated waiting areas with security camera and intercom on subway platforms, and an after-dark bus stop request system where women can descend from the bus between stops. But I have to say (and I've used the TTC, at all hours of the day and night), I've never once felt unsafe. I hope this will be your experience as well and that you get out and enjoy some of the neighbourhoods - perhaps even the Danforth - that make Toronto such a diverse and wonderful city.
Sidebar: Other interesting neighborhoods nearby
If you are interested in exploring more than one neighbourhood back to back, several other neighborhoods of interest are within a kilometre or two of ours. And, each has a public library branch that reflects its linguistic community.
The Beaches between Queen and the Lakeshore east of Woodbine (with its westcoast style beach volleyball, sailboats, and windsurfing - not to mention the car-free Leslie Street Spit bird sanctuary on the lake between the Beaches and downtown),
(Greater) Riverdale including: Little India along Gerrard west of Coxwell (with its sari shops, bhangra music, Bollywood videos, and curry houses), Leslieville along Queen between Broadview and Jones (undergoing gentrification, complete with second hand furniture shops, funky cafés and home to many who work in the film industry, which is based along Eastern Avenue to the south), and Chinatown East at Gerrard and Carlton (one of the city's smaller Chinese neighborhoods), and
Cabbagetown (with its unique blend of gentrified 19th century brick row houses east of Parliament between Wellesley and Gerrard, a working farm on Carlton east of Parliament, a turn of the century necropolis adjacent to the farm, public housing south of Gerrard and east of Parliament, and the newest addition - spicy Sri Lankan restaurants near Parliament and Wellesley).
Further Reading
A convergence of Danforths: A Riverdalian's accidental discovery, By Ann Ireland
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City of Neighbourhoods
