Georgia On My Mind

Saturday morning dawned bright and warm but the forecast called for rain by lunchtime. But I still wanted to do 3 non-routine things today. So around 10 a.m., I paid for my first BikeShare rental ($7 for a day pass) and did my first ride along the new Bloor-Danforth bike lane. The heavy bike was less responsive but it was mainly the gearing that caused problems. They had 3 gears but I couldn't figure out how to shift. So the low-gear one I had chosen on my second leg at Yonge and Bloor was hard to use on the generally downhill ride toward Broadview. The chain wouldn't catch because of the slope so I was literally spinning my pedals. But the worst part of the experience was the 30-minute limit (to avoid overage charges). So I was always furiously looking around for the next stop so I can dock my current bike.

At Coxwell, I sat with some water and contemplated calling it a day and heading back. But I wanted to visit The Beaches today. With a high-gear bike this time, I felt more secure because it was a long steep trip all the way to Queen St. East. I arrived at the Eastern Ave depot trying frantically to dock while my time was running out. No luck with several stations until I realized the slight incline here meant I needed to lift the back tire so I could fully push the bike flushed into its enclosure.

Hot, sweaty, and a bit frazzled, I walked along the shops of The Beaches to Kew Gardens. I haven't venture deeper into this area in a decade, only stopping at the edge of Woodbine Park (Eastern/Queen) for some free concerts now and then. It looks like more condos have gone up, and the businesses still catered to the mommy-and-me set. I, myself, was specifically looking for a new shop that opened in April: Tiflisi.

With only a few thousand émigrés from the Eastern European country of Georgia, there weren't too many restaurants around. Tiflisi was family-owned and the owners have turned the store into a medieval tavern complete with a log ceiling, brick walls, torch sconces, traditional paintings, and even some ceremonial (hopefully) maces. The menu items looked promising but felt like family meals. I finally chose a Khachapuri which seemed more amenable for a single diner.

Khachapuri Acharuli ($19.30) was a boat-shaped (or perhaps fat kayak) bread filled with hot cheese and topped with a raw egg. I was instructed to mix the egg and cheese and tear off chunks of bread for dipping. This I proceeded to do at an Italian fountain in the park. It was a tasty lunch though the saltiness of the cheese got a bit much near the end. That probably wouldn't be a problem if my lunch included more dishes. You also had to dip judiciously, clearing out the gooey mixture in sections so you can get at the bread with less messiness.

Fully sated, I walked to the shoreline. The park, boardwalk, and beach were filled with people enjoying a hazy and increasingly overcast day. With rain approaching, I cut short my stroll at Woodbine Avenue instead of continuing to Ashbridges Bay, made my way past some colourful townhouses (these Painted Ladies were built in 2008), and hopped on a streetcar.

With life being what it is, I'd probably won't be doing any of these things again anytime soon. Maybe they'll still be around in another decade.