Me & My Toronto: This Just in...

THE ANNEX
HARBORD ST.
It was a warm, sunny Friday before Labour Day weekend and I had a shitload of laundry to do: heavy duty items that don't fit in my machines, like duvet and mattress covers, a bath mat and a giant ass beach towel. I visited a coin laundromat in The Annex neighbourhood, and with time to kill between cycles, a walking tour reacquainted myself with a once-familiar part of town...

The only time a yellow car doesn't remind me of a schoolbus is when it's cute and sporty like this Mazda Miata

The sketchy-looking Harbord Fish & Chips was across the street from the laundromat. I admit the smell of deep fried batter tempted me but it's at times like these I'm thankful for my gluten intolerance. The place looks like it's one rat dropping away from a Board of Health violation. I'm sure it's popular with the local student population but, c'mon, students will eat anything.

Harbord Bakery
Having saved a Toronto Star list of bakeries on which Harbord topped the list my husband and I finally made it down there yesterday. Our verdict after buying 6 different items is that the bakery is highly over-rated and over-priced. We'll stick to Dimpflmeier which are better and half the price and didn't even make the list.

Related

Dimpflmeier Bakery reviews
Best place in the city to buy authentic German breads and pastries.

...their German style cheesecake is "to die for"

Put simply: this is the best goddamn bread in the world. Don't question it - just go get it.

Caversham Booksellers
"North America's largest mental health bookstore"

Splendido
For the hefty $700 price tag, you can find much better or add $500 and jet to NYC for a more memorable, flavorful meal.

UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO
ST. GEORGE CAMPUS
The University of Toronto was founded as King’s College in 1827, and it now occupies three campuses: Scarborough, Erindale, and St. George campuses. Liberal arts education is the key of the undergraduate curriculum at Toronto, and the Faculty of Arts and Science has more students than any other faculty. The University's library (Roberts Library) is the largest in Canada and among the best in the world. The University of Toronto Press is one of the most important scholarly publishers in North America. [Flickr.com]

I was once a pre-med student at U of T. I struggled through physics and chemistry - my worst subjects in high school - and then finally threw in the towel during the first semester of my third year. Of course, the School of Graduate Studies was simply out of the question.

Athletic Centre

I'm a fan of the low-key modernity of the Wolfond Centre

Robarts Library
The library building is one of the most significant examples of brutalist architecture in North America. Its towering main structure rests on an equilateral triangular footprint and features extensive use of triangular geometric patterns throughout. It forms the main component of a three-tower complex that also includes the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library and the Claude Bissel Building, which houses the Faculty of Information. The library's imposing appearance has earned it the nickname of "Fort Book".

There's a lot of concrete in this building - it's quite oppressive, actually

Walking out of Robarts, I heard loud chanting and clapping. Just my luck, my mini campus tour happened to coincide with Frosh Week. Hundreds of freshman dressed in their college's colours paraded by, as I sat on a bench taking in a part of campus life I missed out on the first time around.

Newman Centre
Toronto's Newman Centre is today one of that city's best preserved examples of Romanesque Revival architecture. It was one of the first buildings in Toronto to receive heritage status from the Ontario Heritage Foundation in 1977, not only for its exterior but also for the intricate and impressive interior design elements. The Archdiocese continues the preservation of the site despite the great expense. It has also been used as a site for movie and television filming.

Trinity College

About Trinity College

Students have been gazing out of this window for 158 years

The inner courtyard

More about Trin

Loosely translated: Memorize everything.

Across the street from Trin

Queen's Park

The Ontario government has its legistlative buliding here

I've lived in Toronto all my life, and not once have I stepped foot inside this park.

Wycliffe College, a seminary founded in 1877

About Wycliffe College

Wycliffe College Tour

I wonder if the paint job is 132 years old

Not a hangover-friendly hallway

The legacy of generations of fathers...

...and men who (perhaps) never made it to fatherhood

The shiny metal makes me doubt these are original to the building

It blows my mind that this building was erected 22 years after the invention of plastic.

Student lounge

Translation: No one. Speaks. Latin.

Gallery of dead white guys

A room made for snoozing

Funny, that wasn't there a moment ago...

There once was a guy named Melvil Dewey

"History of the Christian Church in the Middle Ages"

I remember books. I used to read them.

Lecture hall

Chapel

I'm not a religious person, but I do respect other people's traditions; if this offers comfort to people, who am I to judge?

Downstairs, more moldy carpeting and creaking floorboards. Seriously, this building protests every footfall.

"Please 'test drive' one of these suggested practices"

Recess is over!

So, I was propped against a signpost outside Wycliffe, copying pics on my phone, when oh shit...here they come again...

...suddenly, I was surrounded by this teeming mass of frosh, a million strong...

...the fumes from their Axe Body Spray made me high...

...Psst, dude! Where the free food at??

Campus lesson #1: Only the "cool" people get a mascot

Hart House

Hart House - slideshows

FYI
_The walls of Hart House display pieces from the Hart House permanent art collection valued at over $10 million.
_Since 1949 Hart House has operated a 150 acre farm in the Caledon Hills.
_Hart House Theatre has started the careers of such Canadian legends as: Donald Sutherland, Norman Jewison and Lorne Michaels. [HartHouse.ca]

I'm intrigued by this

Ceiling treatment looks cheap, like ribbons of tin foil

Porters desk

Loosely translated: Come in. Sit. Ignore each other.

The hottest guys on campus? The chess players.

Inner courtyard

Sculpture adds interest to any environment

Exiting the courtyard

RAF = Royal Air Force
RCAF = Royal Canadian Air Force
CIC = Commander in Chief

Outside of Hart House was a guy selling farmers market goods

He had raw veggies, preserves and freshly-baked bread

As I walked away, I wondered about his business sense. He wasn't attracting much attention, and I think the last thing a student wants to buy on campus is a bunch of beets. If this guy wants to move product, he should sell organic pizza. Or take that bread and make sandwiches. Throw in some freshly-squeezed juice and he's got it made.

U of T [FLICKR.COM]

Wolfond Centre__Rick McGrath

Emmanuel College__viviloob

(unknown)__Gazoni

Robarts Library__MatrixElement

Three University of Toronto buildings, with four decades between each. To the left, the new Donnelly Centre (2004). To the right, the FitzGerald Building (1927). To the rear, the hideously oppressive Medical Sciences building (1969)__debcha

University College exam room__Ricardipus

Convocation Hall__Saad K

Convocation Hall__Fuzzy Rixard

MORE U of T
Leslie L. Dan Pharmacy Building - set
University of Toronto - set 1
University of Toronto - set 2
University of Toronto - set 3

DT BISTRO

[Yelp.com]

[Yelp.com]

While my stuff was in the dryer, I had a light meal at this pretty little off-campus eatery located at 154 Harbord St. Its bright, spa-like decor and open-to-the-elements window seating makes it a perfect summer's day lunch spot or evening stroll ice cream pit stop, of which they sell many varieties. The service, however, leaves much to be desired. I was one of 3 customers at the time and, after waiting too long for some attention, I actually had to get out of my seat to flag down a server for the bill. The following review confirms what I suspected: There are a few kinks yet to be ironed out if the new owners want to continue to capitalize on DT's (formerly Dessert Trends) success in the neighbourhood.

DT Bistro Could Use a Helping of Honesty
We all deserve every opportunity, if it can be afforded, to do our best. I come back to DT Bistro again, and again, looking for a good meal.