Parks and Recreation

"A city within a park" is the motto of Toronto's Parks and Forestry division. Their vision is to connect all of the city's green spaces. Saturday proved yet to be another hot day so I decided to visit a few more neighbourhoods and their parks. Old Weston Road and St. Clair was a place in transition. Its industrial setting has not been converted to the friendlier open-air big-box mall of The Stock Yards further West. Yet the forlorn building at the corner (housing apartments and Peter Pan K Convenience) and its brethren a few blocks East hinted that this area was more vibrant at one time. Well, people may soon return if perhaps not interesting architecture. Several condos were in development including a complex of condos and townhouses at this corner: 6 "blocks" of housing units will span from St. Clair north to S.A.D.R.A. (Silverthorn and District Ratepayers Association) Park.

This long but narrow park within an active hydro corridor started at Old Weston and ran several blocks to Blackthorn. It nestled between the backyards of modest houses and provided greenery, a children's playground, and even an outdoor calisthenics gym (think dip and pull-up bars). Some homeowners had put in gates in their fences for easier access. Blackthorn Ave led to a bustling St. Clair with businesses like Marina's Casa Da Comida.

I headed south along Hounslow Heath Rd to Wadsworth Park. This area felt more gentrified with couples and their young kids grabbing coffee at Hounslow House, fixing up their front yard, or kvetching by the playground. I kept along Gillespie and then Uxbridge until Pelham Avenue Playground. This neighbourhood on both sides of Davenport must have had a significant Polish population to support St. Mary's (est. 1915). Pelham was quiet though the empty lot at Kingsley and Perth had a condo project in pre-development since 2015. This small park would be overwhelmed if those multi-story buildings (the highest at 16 stories) were built.

I headed back up Perth (past a house with a motorized windmill in the frontyard) to Davenport and then up Wiltshire. This street officially ended at Rutland but a desire path meandered through another hydro corridor, past the ends of several streets filled with new townhouses, and finally exiting onto the parking lot of Tavora Foods.

I was at my main goal: Earlscourt Park. I have passed by here several times including my first year in Toronto yet have never visited the park proper. But before exploring around, it was time for lunch. I thought about stopping at Dairy Freeze (est. 1952) but its patio faced car-heavy Caledonia Park Rd. Tre Mari Bakery (est. 1960) had full curbside tables and a long line-up. I finally chose Frank's Pizza House (est. 1965). They didn't do per slice before COVID, but now you can get one for $3 before 5 pm. I got two and made my way back to the park. Chef Giorgio Taverniti interacted cheerfully with myself and other customers by the open window but apparently he is suffering a double whammy of vision loss and drop in business from the pandemic.

Earlscourt extended from St. Clair all the way to Davenport. Yet it was light on visitors compared to a park downtown. It had a dog park, tennis courts, a soccer field, an ice rink, and even a running track. The community centre housed a swimming pool, bocce court, indoor soccer, and gymnasium. With all that, there was still a lot of grassy fields dotted with mature trees. I chose a park bench facing a small open amphitheatre (est. 2000) for lunch. The pizza slices were delicious, combining the satisfying gooeyness of a cheap joint with a toothsome dough from a nicer bistro.

I debated whether this round amphitheatre, a 2000 Millennium project, had ever satisfied its aim to "showcase the work of many of the community’s artistic organizations and youth endeavours". Certainly within Toronto's indie scene, I've attended many outdoor concerts at Trinity-Bellwoods and Christie Pits but never here. But it seems at least one festival, Brazil Fest, has often showcased dancers and musicians at this venue.

I spent some time relaxing at Earlscourt before wandering through the newer townhouses along Foundry Ave. The "mommy and me" set were out in full force at the Davenport Village Park. I must be a hipster at heart. Because as I gazed upon the few remaining old buildings left intact and hosting gentrified spots like Balzac's Cafe, Century Park Tavern, 30 Powerhouse St., and The Foundry Lofts, I wondered if anything more interesting happened around here 20 years ago.

The final leg of my trek took me through a series of parkettes along another hydro corridor: Primrose, Beaver Lightbourn, Chandos Park (North & South), and Brandon. The last one seemed familiar. Oh yes, I had sat here enjoying a take-out dinner before a concert. I never did go to that show because at the height of summer, the first opener wouldn't start until at least 10:30 pm. And I was getting "too old for this shit".

On the other side of Dufferin St., through a gap between metal fences, which some day may turned into a Green Line path, I continued on through Bristol Avenue parkette and finished at Bartlett. This space was packed with folks picnic-ing and drinking beer from Blood Brothers Brewing. If you're young and have a "personal style", you're not a hobo for boozing in public. But why crowd together when there was an empty park right beside this one? I finished off my trip with matcha ice cream from Knock Out. I enjoyed this stroll through some eclectic neighbourhoods and will return to try Marina's food and also Frank's calzone.