I have a really complicated, on and off relationship with my adopted hometown, Toronto. In many ways, I think it’s a really great city – Toronto Summer is the epitome of life. I totally agree with the theory that Torontonians try to shove a year’s worth of cultural relevance in the three months that compose of summer. However, Toronto sucks for so many reasons – the cost of living crisis, kinda long winters, and for some reason related to climate change, a lack of sunlight. However, while I still live here, I’m determined to make the best of my time here. Here’s a list of things I will be doing this summer to make the most of a great Toronto summer:
Visit a Toronto Museum that I’ve never been to
Any sporting event I’ve never been to
Raptors
Argonauts
Toronto FC
Maple Leafs
Comedy Show at The Second City
A theater production at Mirvish
A good street festival (Do West Fest, Salsa on St. Clair, Caribana)
Kayaking
Ontario Day Trip to a small town or hiking destination
Canadian Opera Company performance
A trip to Montreal
Let me know if I should add anything to my list, or if you’d like to join me! All feet and hands welcome.
One thing that I am grateful for this May is a truly beautiful park day.
Every once in a while, I like to take some time out of my day and do two things:
Take a long walk in a park – people watching, enjoying the sunshine, taking in the kids playing in the playground, the runners, bikers.
Sit down on a park bench with a good book and a beverage
I’ve found over the years, that there’s a good amount of great places in the city to just enjoy the space, and enjoy what the city has to offer. Taking a great book and just reading while other people enjoy the space is a true blessing on a warm summer day.
I often take for granted how accessible and easy it is to just enjoy the outdoors – most often a free, third space. If you’re reading this, take some time to enjoy a great park day! Seven minutes or five hours, it’s still a great way to ensure that you’re feeling connected to the land. Take up some space, and enjoy some shade.
“The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit.”
Honey graham crackers, toasted sugar bits, and milk chocolate tumble in vanilla Chobani® Greek Yogurt.
Probably one of my favorite flavors, the vanilla greek yogurt provides such a great base for the toasted sugar bits and graham crumbles to meld together, creating a delectable combination! Out of all the regular flavors, I reach for this one the most. Would buy again.
Dark chocolate, honey roasted salted almonds, and coconut shavings tumble in coconut Chobani® Greek Yogurt.
Totally edible, but the coconut flavored yogurt kinda threw me off. Also just not a fan of coconut and almonds together, didn’t know what I was expecting. Would NOT buy again.
White chocolate chunks and graham cracker crumbles tumble in key lime Chobani® Greek Yogurt.
This is S’more S’mores’ more tangy and fruity cousin. The key lime yogurt provides a great tart base for the graham cracker crumbles, and the white chocolate bits provide that bit of sweetness to balance it all out. Love it and it’s in my regular purchasing rotation. Would buy again.
Chocolate cookies and creamy icing pieces tumble in vanilla Chobani® Greek Yogurt.
Kind of basic, but also kinda lovely? It’s just crushed cookie crumbles in yogurt, so kinda easily replicable without the need to purchase these convenient packs. I like it, would buy again, but only if needed.
Peanut butter cups, milk chocolate chips, and peanut butter clusters tumble in chocolate peanut butter Chobani® Greek Yogurt.
Three words: dark chocolate yogurt. Gross. Ruins everything, would not buy again. The rest was fine but way too decadent with all the chocolate and sugar on top. The cold chocolate bits were just OK.
Graham cookies, creamy frosting chunks, and coated rice crisps tumble in strawberry Chobani® Greek Yogurt.
This is actually pretty good! The strawberry yogurt is great, the frosting chunks and graham crackers actually help replicate the feeling of a strawberry cheesecake. All together works pretty well, but I think it could actually use a hint of tartness to pull it all together.
Cookie dough pieces, cookie rice crisps, and milk chocolate chips tumble in vanilla Chobani® Greek Yogurt.
In my top three flavors, the cookie dough pieces ARE SO GOOD! It doesn’t really meld together with the yogurt but it’s very addictive. It has a bit of a salty crunch to it, and with a hint of tartness it’s a flavor that actually works very well. 100% will buy again since it comes in that combination pack with the S’more S’mores.
Oatmeal pastry pieces and frosted cinnamon crunch tumble in peach Chobani® Greek Yogurt.
I really like this flavor! It does in fact taste like a Peach Cobbler. The oatmeal pieces work really well in creating that cobbler like taste, but I would say that it work taste even better with some fresh peach bits in it, but they probably don’t add that in due to shelf life issues. Overall, a solid hit – nothing too exciting, but still very good.
Dark chocolate, chocolate cookies, and coated rice crisps tumble in mint Chobani® Greek Yogurt.
Mint greek yogurt isn’t good at all. The toppings do not help with this particular issue, and in fact I think they might actually make it worse. Would not buy again.
Red cake crunch, creamy frosting chunks, and chocolate cookies tumble in cream cheese frosting Chobani® Greek Yogurt.
It’s basically like the Cookies and Cream flavor, but with a hint of tartness coming from the cream cheese flavored yogurt. Overall, I wouldn’t get this one again because it’s pretty basic, but I would not be opposed to buying it again.
Flaky pastry crumble, icing pieces, and sweet lemon clusters tumble in tart lemon Chobani® Greek Yogurt.
I just like lemon flavored items, so I have strong biases towards this particular flavor. Love lemon yogurt and the clusters are so dreamy. Would buy again but can live without it, because Key Lime Pie is still the superior citrus flavor.
Strawberry Lowfat Greek Yogurt with brownie pieces, white chocolate chips, and cocoa swirl chunks.
Chocolate Covered Strawberry is a secret killer – I’d say it’s pretty similar to the Cookie Dough flavor. The brownie pieces are similar to the cookie dough chunks, and the combo works pretty well. I will repurchase because I like that textural mix (the lack of mix).
Cake bites, frosted rice crisps, and pastry pieces tumble together in birthday cake flavored Chobani® Greek Yogurt.
Honestly, I was a bit confused on this one. On paper, it does sound very texturally interesting – rice squares and cake bits. However, it tastes more like if you blended a vanilla cake with yogurt, so I would say the flavor is similar. Nothing offensive in flavor, just kind of boring at the end of the day, so I wouldn’t get it again.
6/10
Flavors I did not try on the regular rotation
Salted Caramel Crunch
Peanut Butter Dream
Chocolate Haze Craze
Boston Cream Pie
Coconut Caramel Cookie
Cinnamon French Toast
My Overall Thoughts
Overall, I tend to gravitate towards flavors that have a lot of “crumbly” pieces (graham crackers), or large chunks that don’t incorporate into the yogurt at all (cake pieces, brownie bits, cookie dough bits). More fruity flavored yogurts work best (no chocolate, please!), and the chocolatey flavors need to be balanced out with cream. Overall, if I had to pick one flavor to eat for the rest of my life, I would say Cookie Dough is the overall winner. I ranked other flavors higher, but this is a solid flavor that I don’t think I’ll ever be bored with.
COMPLETELY SKIPPED THE LINE to get in bc I didn’t realize there was a HUGE lineup and I went behind a couple of Asian people so I think the security guard just thought I was with them. my bad.
Got inside and lined up for terrible quality merch… please don’t use Hanes. The zip up hoodie was see through…
REGRET NOT GETTING THE BASEBALL CAP IT WAS SO
Met these two dudes in line who were so nice and they gave me merch advice. Never saw them again.
Got center pit area when the floor becomes flat, not bad at all. Plenty of space AT FIRST
The opener was a DJ called Sophie Gray? It was like a Top 40 remix I didn’t like it at all.
I then waited in place for like 40 minutes until he came on… and it was beautiful.
He sounds the same live which is always amazing. Stage presence was also pretty good and he was very beautiful.
WHAT WAS NOT BEAUTIFUL WAS THE DAMN CROWD. Never in my life have I ever seen such a terrible crowd. None of these people wanted personal space it was BAD. Lots of cuties there though if u wanted a new man / woman
The girl in front of me FILMED THE ENTIRE CONCERT. I MEAN THE WHOLE CONCERT. Didn’t even take a break AND SINCE I HAD A FRONT ROW VIEW OF THE SCREEN SHE DIDN’T EVEN RECORD IT WELL. LIKE SHE WOULD DROP HER ARM EIGHTY TIMES AND THE VIDEO WOULD BE LOPSIDED. WHAT WAS THE POINT!
ALSO, I WAS RIGHT AT HER CAMERA LEVEL AND SINCE WE WERE BASICALLY TOUCHING EACH OTHER (MY HAND GOT TANGLED IN HER HAIR EVERY MINUTE UNTIL I STEPPED BACK LIKE 10 TIMES) IM 100% SURE MY SINGING IS FEATURED IN EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THOSE CLIPS.
ALSO SHE KEPT PUSHING BACK INTO ME!!! USE UR WORDS GIRL
She also would not let go of her friend, which is understandable in a tight crowd. However, her arm was jutting out to take more space GIRL LET GO
Everyone behind me was super short, and so was everyone in front of me. This means that I got a good view, but I also saw a lot of cameras. Kinda crazy
My personal goals for this concert were to not BUY merch (failed), and not record more than two videos (failed), but I know next concert I won’t buy merch so it’s okay!
Songs I wanted to hear:
Make Me a Better Man (✅)
Who’s the Fool (✅)
Doll (✅)
Lying (✅)
Walk to Class (✅)
Concrete (✅)
Cheer Me On (✅)
Earrings (✅)
Roommates (✅)
On My Shoulder (❌)
Thailand (❌)
RODRICK RULES (❌)
Rockstar Boyfriend (❌)
HOT IN NEW YORK!! (❌)
Overall LOVED MALCOLM TODD UR THE BEST, did not even remotely like the crowd except for the two people in the beginning. I have never really cared about concert etiquette until this concert, I do want to say this concert made me so aware about HOW bad people can be.
Also, please play more SWEET BOY it’s so lyrically beautiful and I love all of the songs on there
Friend of girl’s point and shoot (she actually filmed like parts of it and held it up correctly the entire time so no issues
Every year, on a weekend in May, a plethora of random people walking down your local sidewalk can be seen in hundreds of cities across the world. Jane’s Walks (named after Jane Jacobs) are free walks around neighborhoods, where neighborhood historians (or just randos) highlight neighborhood culture, societal issues, and opportunities for civic action.
Note: All of this information comes from my interpretation of the Jane’s Walk and previous personal knowledge, and as a result references are not provided. A list of links to learn more about East Chinatown is located in the index.
Tucked away east of Downtown Toronto lies Chinatown’s much smaller, more traditional Chinatown, the aptly named East Chinatown. Centered around the intersection of Broadview & Gerrard, the community is a T-shaped microcosm of Chinese grocers, restaurants, hair salons, and many elderly Chinese people who call this area home.
Broadview Avenue, East Chinatown, Toronto
The community first began to sprout in the early 1970’s, with the displacement of Toronto’s original Chinatown (now Toronto City Hall) leading to the creation of two distinct Chinatowns, West Chinatown (what we typically associate with Chinatown today), and East Chinatown.
The community’s heyday took place in the 70’s and 80’s, and eventually slowed down when a new wave of Chinese immigrants moved to the more affluent suburbs of Scarborough, Markham, and Richmond Hill. By the end of the 90’s, the majority of Chinese, including a large surge of wealthy Hongkongers escaping the Handover of Hong Kong to China, had established a stable community in the suburbs, reducing the number of people who needed to come down to Chinatown for Chinese services.
Community life in East Chinatown, Toronto
Today, East Chinatown has shrunk significantly, although a strong base of Chinese-owned businesses continue to thrive along Gerrard. The community remains as a bastion of cultural spirit in East Toronto – continuing to build on the neighborhood’s Chinese spirit to reflect on the community’s multicultural population.
Stories of East Chinatown
When I first joined the walk, I was expecting to be paraded around East Chinatown and shown the sights of a neighborhood gone derelict. What was highlighted instead, were a collection of stories, jokes, and gossip about the community’s spirit, all in the lens of Kaitlyn’s grandma, who owned Dunhuang Books 敦煌書店 (one of Toronto’s first Chinese bookstores).
Learning about her family’s story of resilience, with East Chinatown’s characters in tow was a delightful and enterprising story of the power of a community. Like a gaggle of sheep, all 200 of us (unofficial numbers provided by one of the Jane’s Walk staff) wandered around East Chinatown and learned about various stories including
The controversy around the Sun Yat-sen statue in Riverdale Park and why the Chinese community built another one in West Chinatown (TLDR: it’s ugly and he’s short?)
Broadview Library and how it became the first library in Toronto to provide Chinese language literature
Toronto’s controversial Paifang 牌坊, welcoming visitors to a internationally recognized parking lot
The Seven Wonders of the World Scavenger Hunt (have you found all seven murals scattered throughout the neighborhood?)
The story of Dunhuang Books, and how it became a literature hub for Chinese living abroad (who mostly agreed with the Communist viewpoint)
East Chinatown and how it managed not to look like a cartoonish Chinatown (which I love by the way, San Francisco Chinatown!)
Charlie’s Meat and the rumors that he shared more meat than socially acceptable…
Weaved along all of these stories, I really began to sense a soul embedded into East Chinatown. My knowledge on this area, while shallow, was embedded in its role it played in the past, and not the continuing role it plays into the future of this area of Toronto.
A faded out Lotto sign marks the last remnants of Dunhuang Books in East Chinatown, Toronto.
Today, East Chinatown continues to play a role in the community of East Toronto, with Chinese grocers serving multicultural communities, and serving as the home to multiple small Asian-Canadian businesses that have revitalized the area’s youthful spirit (Oji Seichi, Issho Bakery). Kaitlyn provided a local perspective on the energy that multiple cultures shaped in East Chinatown – a perspective difficult to grasp from the cover of a webpage.
Being Your Neighborhood Advocate
What I ultimately found great about Jane’s Walks though, is how important it is to foster local knowledge to improve your own community. Our places are woven with stories of people past who have contributed in their own way to make each neighborhood what it is.
As someone who lives in a neighborhood, you have the ability to work to shape the impact of your place. Local change is important because it impacts people directly where they live, work, shop and play. I appreciated this walk for what it did to East Chinatown – created a story of resilience, and cemented a role for itself in today’s Toronto. If you have the ability to see how your own story can impact your neighborhood, this is a gift that you can use to spur civic action and inspire change.
Short Sun Yat-sen – a controversial statue amongst Toronto’s Chinese community.
Perhaps it was ultimately shortsighted to mourn East Chinatown’s role in Toronto’s Chinese history, and instead choose to welcome it as a spirit of the community it continues to shape today. If you’ve never been to East Chinatown, I truly welcome you to explore it – check out Que Ling, or enjoy the sights of the Toronto Skyline at Riverdale Park.
