A little fern-filled Vancouver in Toronto
Dublin Core
Title
A little fern-filled Vancouver in Toronto
Description
The following is an excerpt from Stroll: Psychogeographic Walking Tours of Toronto, Coach House Press, 2010
Yonge north of Lawrence continues the default low-rise retail until arriving at the end of the old City of Toronto, where Yonge Street dips deep into Hogg's Hollow, the scourge of north-south cyclists, dividing the city deeper and wider than the Don Valley does. At the southern crest, across from the Loblaws – where the Yonge streetcar used to terminate – is a giant surveyor's compass called 'Toronto's Northern Gateway.' It's a vestige of old Metropolitan Toronto, when this was the border between Toronto and North York. Like all borders that don't exist anymore, we cross it without thinking, only occasionally noticing something that reminds us it was there. A little further on is an apartment building called 'Top of the Hollow,' marking an entrance into the community of Hoggs Hollow, a weathly enclave of big homes and twisting country-like roads. Being at the bottom of a valley, Hoggs Hollow feels enclosed and walking down into it you can feel the temperature drop and the humidity go up, a sign that water is near. Some homes even have lawns of ferns, making it feel almost like a rainforest North Vancouver neighbourhood.
Yonge north of Lawrence continues the default low-rise retail until arriving at the end of the old City of Toronto, where Yonge Street dips deep into Hogg's Hollow, the scourge of north-south cyclists, dividing the city deeper and wider than the Don Valley does. At the southern crest, across from the Loblaws – where the Yonge streetcar used to terminate – is a giant surveyor's compass called 'Toronto's Northern Gateway.' It's a vestige of old Metropolitan Toronto, when this was the border between Toronto and North York. Like all borders that don't exist anymore, we cross it without thinking, only occasionally noticing something that reminds us it was there. A little further on is an apartment building called 'Top of the Hollow,' marking an entrance into the community of Hoggs Hollow, a weathly enclave of big homes and twisting country-like roads. Being at the bottom of a valley, Hoggs Hollow feels enclosed and walking down into it you can feel the temperature drop and the humidity go up, a sign that water is near. Some homes even have lawns of ferns, making it feel almost like a rainforest North Vancouver neighbourhood.
Creator
Shawn Micallef
Date
Dec 3/13
Files
Collection
Citation
Shawn Micallef, “A little fern-filled Vancouver in Toronto,” TPL Virtual Exhibits - Contribution site, accessed May 28, 2024, http://omeka.tplcs.ca/virtual-exhibits-contribute/items/show/96.