JB's Warehouse & Curio Emporium

Before reading this post, check out the related article on Torontoist . Source: Mail and Empire , January 16, 1926. One mystery I didn't resolve was the exact nature of Dick Fudger's chronic illness. At first, given that he had spent winters in California, tuberculosis or another respiratory ailment crossed my mind, as the trend during the period was to send those with such diseases to the southwest in the hope that the drier climate would alleviate their misery. As I read more, it appeared health was only one of the reasons he often headed to the West Coast—business matters and family were others, since he had married in California. Whatever malady plagued Dick Fudger for most of his life, it was played a role in curtailing his studies at Oxford and prevented him from taking on more than a ceremonial role during World War I. Perhaps it was kidney or liver disease, or a bad heart? Was the exact affliction not mentioned in any source, even fifty years later, out of courte

(Click on ad for larger version) Intellectual Digest sounds as if it was attempting to be the brainier version of Reader's Digest , or skim the alternative press much like Utne Reader did later on. The highfalutin' name likely did little to bolster sales outside of intellectuals/wannabes. Based on the issue dates that pop up in a Google search, this ad may have been a last attempt to attract readers—I'm guessing that the publication ran from 1970 to 1972. The Toronto Reference Library has a few reels in their periodical microfilm cabinets that may prove a research distraction someday. Source: Saturday Review , May 27, 1972 - JB

...or at least how one could achieve fame, according to a Toronto-based 1920s humour magazine. Illustration by Jim Taylor. Source: Goblin , March 1925 - JB

Before reading this post, check out the related article on Torontoist. And now, for your eager eyes, the seafood platter at Danakas Palace that Pierre Trudeau (pictured on the left) liked so much the owners renamed it in honour of his position. Whether the story is true or not, it's not surprising a seafood platter would receive such an honour, as restaurants in the vicinity of Danakas Palace loved showing off their ensembles of lobster, shrimp and other sea creatures in full-colour ads targeted to business executives and tourists—a show of hands from anyone who's ever actually eaten the "award winning" seafood platter showcased in every Toronto visitors guide by Fisherman's Wharf since the dawn of man? It often seems like a seafood platter is designed to look attractive and draw as much money out of a customer as possible. I won't deny having succumbed to the allure of a broad sampling of delights from the deep. During my university days at Guelph, t

I have a nasty habit of starting series of entries and never getting around to concluding them. Tales of roadtrips that stop mid-vacation, profile of local streets left hanging for several years…I’m sure I’ve annoyed a few readers over the years waiting for resolutions to cliffhangers that may never arrived. There are no guarantees this won’t happen in the future (I am a busy guy), but maybe a few of the missing pieces can be filled in. Prime example: a roadtrip down south I took with Mom and Amy a few summers ago . We last left the intrepid travellers on the outskirts of Nashville after a leisurely drive along the Natchez Trace Parkway . Someday I promise to tell tales of Music City. Someday. But not yet. Today's tale was inspired by a conversation at a party last week with fellow Torontoist writers about train travel and southern adventures. I mentioned a large event my family had accidentally stumbled upon…

Found in front of a salon ("Karma") on Elmwood Avenue in Buffalo, April 18, 2010 - JB

Given Snoopy's attempts at submitting stories to publishers (usually involving a horrible pun or cliched phrase ), it seems appropriate that everyone's favourite beagle would be the Peanuts character chosen to grace a motorized pencil sharpener. If Snoopy can't sharpen your pencil, he will offer you a cookie as compensation...at least he will if you visit the Charles M. Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa, California. *** Mad House began in the late 1950s as Archie's Mad House , featuring the usual hijinks from Riverdale. Over the years the series underwent numerous format and title changes, with the constant being the house-style art. After a period chronicling the adventures of the stylish rock band Mad House Glads , the series became a full-fledged horror title and was labelled as part of the short-lived 70s incarnation of Red Circle Comics . Under an alluring Gray Morrow cover are four tales, of which the first two are: * Never Bother a Dead Man (story: Mar

It's obvious that once upon a time there was a plaque in front of the atom-inspired fountain atop the Rosehill Reservoir. The only hint of the fountain's age is the centennial symbol laid into the surrounding stones. This salute to a water molecule was built after the reservoir was covered over in the 1960s for economic and environmental reasons (including fear of nuclear fallout). Rather than the glow of nuclear attack, the reservoir and the fountain find themselves bathed in a cool green light...or at least they did on this particular evening. This was my first visit to the site and it struck me as a place you could lie on your back on the grass, stare at the surrounding apartment towers or planes flying overhead and contemplate any crazy thought drifting through your head. More photos from an evening's stroll around the reservoir and the surrounding neighbourhoods and ravines can be found on Flickr . Photos taken April 22, 2010 - JB