JB's Warehouse & Curio Emporium

According to Spacing's twitter feed , a Bixi bicycle with a City of Toronto logo was spotted in the mayor's office last week. While visiting Montreal in November, Sarah and I almost tested out the city's Bixi system—fears about any mishap with the required $250 credit card deposit per bike gave us pause. Racks were plentiful downtown, with many running low on vehicles. If a system is ever implemented in Toronto, it would be useful for occasional riders, those with no space at home for a bike, or commuters who take TTC one way due to bad weather and bike the other. I could see myself using it for impulsive rides (scenario: we are on a leisurely stroll downtown and are overtaken by the urge to hop on a bike). It would also be ideal for visiting family and friends who might want to go for a ride along city trails and around the islands. While researching this post, I noticed a familiar figure standing next to the Bixi pay machine in the Wikipedia entry about the s...

Now here's an intriguing idea. Drop your car off at the garage, get free use of a bicycle until the car is ready. Under the circumstances I usually take my car in for work (drop off at lunch hour, pick up after work), a bike ride back and forth would beat cranky passengers and sardine can conditions on the bus. Theft would probably be the downfall of any such program. Source: The Sunday Times Magazine , May 24, 1970 - JB

With Toronto in the swing of Bike Month, it seemed appropriate to focus on two-wheeled transport in my Vintage Toronto Ads column on Torontoist . This week, a bike modestly promoted by its manufacturer . You can also catch my most recent Historicist column, covering the sole fatality of the Great Toronto Fire of 1904 . *** Last week, I headed down to the Bloor to catch a fundraiser for the Toronto Cyclists Union , a Rocky Horror-style presentation of Pee-Wee's Big Adventure . A valet lot for bicycles was set up in front of the theatre (alas, I took the subway down - I intended to finally get my bike on the road this weekend, but the weather gods had other ideas). I was surprised to find out how many people I knew in the audience who, like me, had never seen the movie. Can't say I was a big Pee Wee fan at the height of his popularity, nor were most of my peers - it was that age where you (temporarily, as it turned out) reject things that seem childish in nature, even...

If you've surfed Toronto-based sites over the weekend, you've seen the pictures of a motorist and courier involved in a friendly tete-a-tete in Kensington Market (warning: diving too deep into the comments section may drop your IQ by several points. To me, the driver loses points off the bat for being a litterbug). While I manage to share the roads just fine with cyclists (usually giving them the benefit of any doubt, unless they are breaking rules at traffic lights), other motorists make me wonder why I was so eager to get my driver's license. Especially in Scarberia. Here's my TO road rage tale. *** August 1999. I've just been hired by my current employer and need to find a place to live in a hurry. The temporary commute between Toronto and Guelph is draining me, and I need to be out of my $140/month sublet by Sep 1st. I spend a Sunday afternoon looking a place, frustrated that there are no signs of life in at least two apartments on my list (one on Spadi...

Finally getting a chance to explore the city by bicycle again... This week's long ride started off in Mt. Pleasant Cemetery. I usually discover one well-known tomb passing through - this time, pioneer hockey announcer Foster Hewitt, located close to the Eaton crypt. I couldn't get the Hockey Night in Canada theme out of my head for 10 minutes. From there, went along the crowded Belt Line trail. My internal radio switched from hockey to traffic reports. Thanks, John. Eastbound Belt Line is very busy, with walkers backed up between Avenue and Oriole, you may want to switch to Chaplin Cr to avoid delays. Westbound Belt Line is moving smoothly, but watch out for fresh gravel between Eglinton and Bathurst. Now over to Mary to check in on the Don Valley... Along the way, I discovered a new trail I'd never heard of, the York Belt Line, which runs from west of the Allen to a fence near Caledonia and Eglinton. Paved, fairly flat and relaxing. Several parks along the way ful...

Finally got off my duff and picked up a bicycle today. Turns out all the cycling in the gym has done some good, as it took a long time to run out of gas. The first trip wound its way through Leaside (much faster than by car), across the Leaside Bridge, down into the Don Valley by the police training facility, then along the Don River. It took no time at all before reaching the port lands, where a warm, sunny day turned into a cold, foggy one. This flip in the weather lasted as long as I was south of Lakeshore - once I reached Leslie, conditions returned to the way they were. Still full of energy, I decided not to take the subway back, testing the riding waters downtown. Turns out Sunday is ideal, even for riding up University. Passed Woofstock in the Distillery district, dodging pooches and their owners, each side with smiles on their faces (later talked to a friend of mine who took her dog down and had a good time...and lots of samples to take home, though it sounds like her ...