random notes

Went for my first walk around town since coming back from Montreal. Stumbled upon the celebrations for the official opening of Toronto's latest attraction, Dundas Square (see here for local newspaper coverage). The new landmark has been the source of endless debate in the local media for the past few months, from those trying to defend its future potential to the majority who see it as an ugly concrete slab that fails to live up to the hype (this being Toronto, the centre of the universe, everything has to be world-class).

I wandered over after loading up on Japanese food on the Danforth, wandering down through Cabbagetown to walk off the excessive amount of sashimi I'd downed. Lesson learned on the way: if the call of nature strikes hard, and you're scrambling to find a men's room on the Ryerson campus, good luck! Noticed the chess tables by Sam the Record Man have been replaced by a sidewalk cafe, as part of that landmark's ongoing modernization. It'll feel weird not seeing all the chess hustlers hanging around...is there another spot that all of that stuff was moved to? The Times Square-ization of Yonge Street continues...

Wandered by the square in time for fireworks, which weren't spectacular except for some fire pots shooting off the top of Atrium on Bay and an orchestra set of whizzers going off each level of the circular billboard tower at the northwest corner (which needs to be updated, since Daredevil is still the advertised movie).

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