So I started my 10 km stroll at Harbourfront. The area was packed, though it probably wasn't just due to the long week-end. A lot of folks were there to see the giant rubber duck floating by the dock, a $150,000 rental that got some people riled up. But it was all grinning faces today as everyone took selfies near the mallard. This was the idealized Canada: happy, diverse people mingling in cheerful peace.
Between Harbourfront and Roncesvalles, the walk was hit and miss. There were some quiet gems including a quiet, peaceful park at Bathurst. But mostly you were blocked off from the lake by either industrial and municipal sites or private docks and waterfront clubs. This was the preserve of white money, leaving the rest of us the roaring traffic of Lakeshore Boulevard.
The view brightened up considerably after Roncy. The lake was available again and groups of mostly visible minorities were having picnics or playing in the park. This was the mirror image of The Beaches neighbourhood in the east, where close to 90% are white. But the sand wasn't nearly as nice. Sights along the way: Sunnyside café, a park where muscular men were lifting not iron but their own weights in various gymnastics/acro exercises, a pedestrian bridge offering a soaring view of downtown.
As I finally approached Humber Bay Park, the sky darkened. It was partly due to the rather frightening proliferation of densely packed condo towers, but mostly from the approaching storm. So I made a rather quick pass through the butterfly sanctuary. The rain came pouring down and I heard one song from Sate before they shut down due to fear of lightning. With no end in sight from the wind and water, myself and numerous others decided to head home. In my case, a transit shuttle heading to Old Mill station that meandered through some West-end neighbourhoods.
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