Lazy Summer

My (first world) life is so hard

Saturday was a bright, brilliant day with just a hint of coolness in the shade, unlike the oppressive heatwave that has gripped the city most of this summer. It was a perfect day to enjoy urban activities, or just to lounge around.

At Dufferin Grove Park, many people were soaking up the sun or enjoying a BBQ picnic. A few people were taking in another sanctimonious play from the Clay and Paper Theatre: this time about the perils of modern and on-line technologies.

Meanwhile, the Bloorcourt Street Festival stretched from Dufferin to Montrose (on the edge of Christie Pits Park) along Bloor. One visitor exclaimed to his girlfriend that this was a lame festival. True, compared to patio-filled College St festival there wasn't much to this one. The local restaurants and bars only had small side-walk patios. On the other hand, even the mighty Yonge St. festival, once occupying the 5 major intersections for blocks along Yonge, is down to a single site at Eglinton. So why not just keep it small and local?

The best section was between Dovercourt and Ossington. A number of patios extended out onto the sidewalk: Comedy Bar, Nazareth, Disgraceland. Independent artisans hawked their wares: purses, t-shirts, necklaces, and other hand-crafted items. A local wrestling promoter had installed a wrestling ring for the 1st annual Bloorcourt Cup. Taking advantage of the road closure, a condo developer down Dovercourt was erecting a crane.

Sky crane

Loud and proud

The other hub was at Saving Gigi. Since acquiring a liquor license, this cafe has begun to host small concerts. Today, a small stage sat across their expanded patio, and 6-7 acts played throughout the day. The last band at 9 pm was Eamon McGrath, a young songwriter originally from Edmonton. Although he can be folky, tonight it was all about fast, punk songs. Sounding like a less ravaged Bruce Springsteen or Tom Waits, he led his band through loud, furious tunes that usually lasted no more than 3 minutes. This punk attitude seemed to have inspired a lot of on-stage expectoration, which disturbed the occasional blue-haired maven passing by.