Category Archives: Neighbourhood Watch

15

Apr. ’10

Purple Haze

What fresh hell is this?  Well, there goes the neighbourhood!  They’re finally building the condos at the corner of Rainsford and Queen Street East starting from $500,00 to $2.5 million.  Yes of course it’s thrilling for a realtor and a resident(cha-ching) of the immediate neighbourhood known as the  Beaches Triangle.  But sometimes it is sad to see things go…this is the Purple Patch of Queen Street (I`m going to write a song about it)…the place where the man (crazy or eccentric?  I’m not the judge) in a manic frenzy painted the entire block purple one summer, including his neighbour’s houses, the street signs and newspaper stand.  He got in big old trouble by the city of course, so he painted everything white….and then purple again….oy!  That’s a lot of work for a joke….I wish he’s come and paint my porch, I could use some purple in my life.  This is his house now.  I like the yellow accents:

And what small child (and raccoon) doesn’t delight in the koi pond under the bridge?  I’m sad to see it go.  Its frontage is a landmark.  And as an aside (and shameless plug), the backyard was used as Happytime  Sushi in my son’s short film for this weekend’s Sprockets Film Festival: http://sprockets.ca/default.aspx You can click on to Freddy’s film here called “Box Boy” (don’t worry it’s short and funny): http://www.youtube.com/user/FJ033

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13

Apr. ’10

Kristin’s Big Box

The French Fry Truck at Canadian Tire, Leslie & Lakeshore Blvd East

Okay, I know how the good citizens of Leslieville are in a kerfuffle over big box stores. The idea of a big, fugly Walmart killing all the cute shoppes along Queen Street doesn’t thrill me either. Besides I actually enjoy my drive to the suburbs to hunt for sold-out game systems in the land of Best Buy and Future Shite. But I hate when people say something bad about my Canadian Tire, the one in Leslieville. Please do not refer to it as “Crappy Tire”-it was funny in 1991, (like when people call Target, Tar-jay, ho ho ho). I don’t care what anyone says, I get my car serviced there…I do not have an “in” with one of those little mechanics on Kingston Road and I never know what you’re talking about when you say he’s east of Main on the North side behind the flower shop, I will not go there. Canadian Tire has all my info in their computer, your mechanic doesn’t even have opposable thumbs much less a proper address. And I love the Pit Stop. The name conjures up something romantic in my imagination. The last time I was there, the young, ginger buck at the desk had lips so chapped they were bleeding. I went to the Shopper Drug Mart while I waited for my wipers to be replaced and I bought him a CHERRY CHAPSTICK! How grateful was he….sigh! Also I love the smell of Canadian Tire….intense rubber. It`s the same exact smell as the Canadian Tire in Beloeil, Quebec that my Dad used to take me to when I was a child. I would wander the aisles, intoxicated by the smell and pretend the hoses were snakes and I’d run and try and find him. He`d always buy me ball at the checkout…that kind you put in pantyhose and then knock against the wall, remember that game? Why don’t kids play that anymore? Oh yeah, because they are all inside playing video games FROM BIG BOX STORES! To me Canadian Tire isn’t a big box store as much as a tradition…hoses and balls and rubber…okay it’s also a bit of fetish. And another thing as a child, we used to hit the french fry stand called Patateville for the world’s greatest fries. These are the fries that set the standard for the rest of my life, by the way. In all my years in Ontario, all (except the ones at Prohibition…future post) have paled in comparison until today. As though the gods of nostalgia were smiling upon me when a saviour, known for now as the fry man, opened up a french fry truck a couple of months ago that is permanently parked in the parking lot of The Canadian Tire on Lakeshore. I’m telling you, these fries are little golden slivers of heaven…LOOK AT THEM:

and yes, that’s a little tub of gravy…so what? Sometimes a lady needs gravy now and again.

Posted by . Categories: Eat & Drink, Neighbourhood Watch. Tags: , , , , , . 1 Comment

06

Apr. ’10

Kristin’s Cool Spot

The skate park at Coxwell Ave and Lakeshore Blvd East

I have to say, every time I swing by this park, I smile.  I know what you’re thinking and no, I am not some crazed cougar prowling for prey…By the way, I call myself a LOCA (lady of a certain age), but you know cougar is okay too. Own it, as I always say.  The reason I love this park is for the simple fact that the city of Toronto built it.  You can pass by this place at any time during the day, and you will see kids hanging out on their boards, probably ditching school!  It’s as though the city is encouraging bad behaviour!  And why is this a good thing?  Because as an ex-Montrealer, I am tired of defending Toronto and its puritanical ways. Sometimes it’s embarassing like years ago, the mayor banned the Bare Naked Ladies from playing at city hall because their name is offensive.  I pretend it doesn’t really matter that that the cheese curds in our poutine does not squeak (this is actually heartbreaking for me), but we can turn right on a red light, though!   There are so many rules and  unspoken social mores  here in T.O.  In Montreal, a man can walk into a corner Depanneur wearing a speedo and no one bats an eye…the best part is, he can buy beer! It gets so oppressive here that a LOCA such as myself in order to rebel will purposefully disable a grocery cart at Loblaws by pushing it over the invisible locking line in the parking lot.  The skate part is a symbol of hope, a graffiti’d beacon for slackers.  And here they are…and some of them are wearing helmets, you can’t take the good completely out of Toronto:

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05

Apr. ’10

Kristin’s Deep Fried Easter

What would Jesus do?   I’m sure he’d be out in his groovy sandals with his bunny ears strapped on, passing out business cards at the annual  Beaches Lions Easter Parade on this fine day.  Me? Been there done that.  For two years in a row, I was The Beaches Easter Bunny, and got to put on a Peter Rabbit suit (fantastic, with a waistcoat and boots and a giant head) and sit in a convertible mustang with real agent extraordonaire, Gerry DeClute.  What fun!  I was The Bunny at the end of the parade,waving at the adoring crowds,  on the local news and in the Toronto Star the next day (haha, that’s me in that bunny suit, I’d say to the barrista at Starbucks and the men picking up the recycling the next day).  The second year, something happened.  It was as though the Vegas strip came to the village. There were floats with rap artists (“rap artist”, an oxymoron, I know) and show girls in bikinis!  The killer though, is that there were dozens of bunnies doing cirque de soleil style acrobats giving out i-Pods and Toblerone bars and mingling with the ogling pedestrians.  And I was just another bunny in the same old rented Peter Rabbit suit at the tail end of the extravangaza of the millenium, sitting in the back of an old red sports car driven by old Gerry DeClute in an old tuxedo that should have been rented but one he probably bought for some ReMax awards ceremony at a roller rink…talk about a lunch bag let down…seriously, there can only be one bunny in an Easter parade, who did these imposters think they are?  I quit then and there. What a confusing holiday anyway…feels like Sunday when it’s Saturday, liquor stores are closed, and hot cross buns are dryer than biscotti, what’s the buzz with those?  Furthermore, what kind of religion can concoct such a strange brouhaha of non sequitors?  I’d like to see documentation of the evolution of a crucifiction leading to an egg hunt.  Germany must have been involved somehow….and by the way, question to Cadbury: bunnies don’t lay eggs but they drop brown pellets, what exactly are you trying to sell?  I’m not bitter about my bunnydom, I did do some pre-parade mingling and I did discover everyone loves a parade, especially all things cute:

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04

Mar. ’10

Kristin’s East Hoods Stats

How’s the market these days?

And without missing a beat, the typical realtor will answer, “the market is really heating up, it’s a fantastic time to sell….oh, and to buy also, rates might be going  up!  BETTER DO IT NOW BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE!”  This time it might be true….it’s all hot, hot,. hot, just like the Olympic torch….here’s what happened from February 1 to March 1:

E1 (Leslieville, Riverdale south of Danforth) had 65 home sales, up from 44 the same time last year.  The average house sale was listed at $449,900 and sold at $470,00 which is 107% of asking.

E2 (Beaches, Upper Beaches) had 67 home sales, up from 35 same time last year.  The average house sale was listed at $549,000 and sold at $575,000 which is 104% of asking,

E3 (Riverdale north of Danforth and East York) had 78 homes sales, up from 72 same time last year.  The average house sale was listed at $429,450 and sold at 448,800 which is 105% of asking.

And!  During the gold medal hockey game on February 28, 6 houses were sold in these neighbourhoods whcih is higher than the average Sunday sale.  So yes, I’d say the market is hot and probably getting hotter….if you want more information, email me at kgp@rogers.com

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