Alley Culture, City Breaks, Featured, Going Solo

Alley Culture: Toronto

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Apparently there is an entire alley of just graffiti in Toronto.  This is not that alley.  This is just a random alley.  In fact, it is the alley that reminded me that oh crap, I need to be taking photos of alleys!

But I love this alley, because it does capture the spirit of Toronto.  Here’s what I see:

  • Lots of graffiti.  Toronto is rife with graffiti.  It is beautiful and it is everywhere.  
  • A dumpling house with signage in both English and Chinese.  In an upcoming post, I will be exploring Toronto’s different cultural districts.  For now, I’ll just say this: signs in two languages are the rule, not the exception.  And I love it.
  • An oddly spotless alleyway.  Canada is like the friendlier, cleaner version of the United States.  And Toronto is Canada’s version of New York City.  I dare you to find a street this clean in New York–or in any major metro area in the US.
  • A total change of scenery.  See that tree there at the end of the alley?  That’s a whole different part of town.  Toronto, like many great world cities, is a city made up of many, many smaller neighborhoods.  And in Toronto, your line of sight is often filled with more than one of them at once.  The contrast is stunning.
  • A big thumbs up.  See the sign on the dumpling house?  See the white part with the little red thumbs up?  That’s exactly how I feel about Toronto.  Two thumbs–way up.

Toronto was the most surprising city I’ve visited in quite some time; perhaps as shockingly awesome as Pittsburgh.  It was never on my must-visit list, but it should have been.  It is definitely on my must-return list.

Stay tuned for upcoming posts on Toronto’s Distillery District, Toronto’s various ethnic neighborhoods, and the story of one blogger among many at TBEX Toronto.