Heroine On A Half Sell

My May visit was at the 6-month mark instead of my usual 3. So on a whim, I decided to book a trip to Toronto 2 weeks ago. Rider Express continues to impress me with its cheap rate: only $29 each way. People must be catching on because, this Wednesday, every stop had numerous customers. Luckily for me, I did not get a seat companion until Belleville.

I took the slower 501 street car to my East End stay. The ride was even more leisurely than expected because of traffic and construction detour. But unlike Ottawa, with plenty to look at whether it was people, businesses, or buildings, I felt no irritation. A little past downtown, a bevy of day-camp counsellors herded almost 30 children onto the street car. I have never seen such a sight in my hometown.

I was at a new location between Queen St. and Gerrard near Greenwood instead of the old spot at Coxwell. It also promised a private bathroom though that was only partially true. Here is my made-up backstory based on House Sigma (a real-estate site with past listing history) and the fact that my host has been on AirBnB for less than a year. The previous owner bought this modest semi for a reasonable $192K some 20 years ago. During the pandemic, they fixed it up with some nice features (hard-wood floor),  dubious ones ("waterfall spout" faucet, glass shower doors that won't close), and "good ROI" (modern kitchen appliances, washer and dryer) to sell in a hot market. Nobody bit at $1M but it eventually sold for a still astonishing $890K. After a few years of trying to cover the mortgage, the current owner moved their family to the finished basement hoping the extra income from renting out the main bedrooms will allay some costs.

On every East End stay, I kept planning to return to nondescript Lahore Grill at Greenwood and Gerrard. I wasn't going to pass it up again. So despite the heat wave, I dropped by for dinner. I was expecting an inferno inside from the tandoori oven and the open kitchen. But it was fairly pleasant so it was a sit-down meal in the end. First the good stuff: naan was freshly-made and delicious, chicken masala was fall-off-the-bone tender, curry was oily but so tasty, and sides including chutney and yogurt were refreshing. The only "downside" was my old age: $17 (with tax) was not a cheap eats though it probably is in 2025. I'm not yet used to the new $20 watermark. The area, like every other Toronto neighbourhood, had new stores and condos (in the works). But the worst indignity was that vegan shop Jinglepear Deli was now Atomic Burger. On the other hand, it existed as a butcher shop (Strickland's Choice Meat) for the longest time beforehand. In any case, every closed business (e.g., Prairie Boy Bread) usually came with life-altering economic woes. And this one was no different.