JB's Warehouse & Curio Emporium

Hopefully the rage that is fueling some citizens our fair city during the current garbage strike does not manifest itself in a remake of this classic scene from Silent Night Deadly Night 2 . Once the strike ends, I'll be curious to see how many heart attacks, brain aneurysms or other fatal maladies will be caused by the stress of writing vitriolic comments on websites. For cooler-headed views of the strike, check out columns by Rosie DiManno and Joe Fiorito in today's Star . Despite hotheads on both sides, life rolls along and the sky hasn't fallen...yet. *** While strolling around the neighbourhood last night, I checked out the state of the garbage cans two days into the strike. During day one, most were wrapped with Saran Wrap to prevent their usage during the walkout. How successful was this tactic? Not very. Either the wrapper had poor aim, or someone found it easy to slip the plastic sheets down this new school garbage can. Pedestrians ignored the sign...

One of the things I loved about visiting Toronto as a child was watching television at my grandparents. The kiddie shows were completely different than those available in the Windsor area, so I'd glue myself to the TV before the day's activities. This exposure came in handy years later in conversations with those who grew up around the GTA—no head scratching on my part whenever anyone mentioned Commander Tom or Rocket Robin Hood . While looking for material for this post, I stumbled upon a series I'd forgotten everything about except for the theme music, The Wonderful Stories of Professor Kitzel . Figures I'd watch a cartoon about history. I also loved watching Once Upon a Time...Man around this time. Tales of The Wizard of Oz was an early Rankin-Bass production, utilizing CBC vets for the voices as they would a few years later for Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer . It also appears as if the persona of the Wizard was based on one of the first casting choices fo...

By this point in the trip, the relaxed vibe of the west coast was sinking in, as I didn't feel an urgency to rush across the bay. I had settled into a pattern of processing photos, writing pieces of blog entries, reading the local papers and waking up to a steady diet of Norman Lear shows on cable (the final season of Good Times gave way to the first, The Jeffersons appeared to be near the end of its run, etc). Any tensions and stresses I felt before the trip had long evaporated, apart from occasional worries about how to park the Grand Marquis in compact lots. Day two in San Francisco started with a trek to The Mission to check out the neighbourhood's murals and sample some Bay-style burritos. The parade of art began upon exiting from the BART station at Mission and 16th, with a piece based on 1940s Wonder Woman comics greeting me at street level. Near the station were the murals of Clarion Alley (example shown above). SF Weekly's "Best of" issue...

Asparagus salad, DeLuca's Wine Country Restaurant, Niagara-on-the-Lake During my formative years, Dad was the only person in the house who ate asparagus. We drove down to Harrow during peak season and bought it from farms where it was the only offering. Dim memories tell me that once in awhile he picked some growing in the upper part of the ditch alongside Ridge Road. Mom steamed several slender stalks and bestowed upon them the honour of being served in a glass dish. Dad gingerly picked them up and smiled as he ate each stalk. The rest of us stared, occasionally interrupted by a look of disgust from Mom, which I suspect delayed any notion of trying asparagus for years. I didn't warm to asparagus until one night a friend pan-fried a few stalks and drizzled then with grated parmesan. Suddenly I had an inkling of what Dad had enjoyed years earlier. Another item was scratched off the "yuck" list. Since then, I've tended to add asparagus to stir-fries, risotto or...

Back in January, I wrote a post on the revamping of the service centres along Highway 401 in southwestern Ontario , which has meant little-to-no services on the highway itself for those sufferi...enjoying the drive between Windsor and London . On the way back from my west coast adventure, I had my first opportunity to check out the current state of the eastbound facilities at Dutton. The Dutton centre, which my family usually referred to as "West Lorne" due to another nearby town (that designation is used for the westbound facility), was our usual rest stop during trips to London or Waterloo Region. I don't recall using the facilities much before fast food chains entered the picture in the 1980s—before that, it was one of Shell's less-than-enticing 1867 cafeterias. By the time the facility closed a few months ago, services include a Shell gas bar, Mr. Sub, Tim Horton's and Wendy's. At one point, the province installed outdoor tourist information pi...

1,564: TAPE FROM CALIFORNIA 6: TOWERS, NOVELTIES AND SUSHI The walls of the interior base of Coit Tower are covered with Depression-era murals created by two dozen artists as part of a government-funded program during 1933 and 1934. The project proved controversial due to the influence of Diego Rivera in injecting political commentary into the scenes. Mixed into the celebrations of the city's culture and industries were contemporary headlines and a library featuring not-so-hidden tomes by Karl Marx. An elevator was the only means to go up to the observation area. The operator dashed off a summary of the building's history at 125 mph, but slowed down his diction to ask for tips to be placed in a plastic bracket. A sampling of views from the top. This was my opportunity to glimpse sites like Alcatraz that I wouldn't have the chance to see up close during my stay. Another landmark taken from a hazy distance: the multiple switchbacks of Lombard Stree...

1 Day five was the first of three full days in the Bay Area. Rather than find lodging in San Francisco, I chose the East Bay for several reasons: Cheap accomodations. A little hunting turned up a Comfort Suites in Castro Valley (south of Oakland) for under $70 US/night. Parking alone in San Francisco could have eaten up to $40 US/day. No desire to drive up the hills in San Francisco. Waiting for a red light in the middle of a steep incline does wonders for my nerves. Easy access to public transit. The Castro Valley BART station was a short drive from the hotel, with plenty of cheap parking ($1 for entry between 4 AM and 3 PM). Comfortable, roomy seats made for relaxing rides into San Francisco and Berkeley, along with an opportunity to catch a few Zs on the way back. Previous success using these tactics, at least for cheap sleeps and public transit, in cities like Boston and New York. First stop in San Francisco was the Ferry Building Marketplace , home to an assort...