There's a Shawarma place called Alibaba at Dundas and University. Not sure if there's any relation but figured I would mention as it's right across from my favorite Chinese food place.
Retro Toronto Thread for Nostalgia Purposes.
- Thread starter black booty lover
- Start date
Usually I go to other forums and I'm the older guy (almost 40 now) but here, I feel like the youngn. But man, do I miss the Toronto of yester years before it has become all corporate, entitled and "Ohhhh, Toronto is sooo great.. Toronto is sooo great.. it's global.. really, it is.
The individualism, the localness. The what's around this corner. The rawness of it. Seediness. Record shops. Game shops. Electronic shops. Adult shops along Yonge. Arcades. Pool Halls. Musky smell places. Real bars. Small concert venues for realz. Local Donut shops. Plenty of parking lots. My parents operated a small business near the Yorkville area. Of course their old shop is slated to be torn down for a condo. Countless others who opened up shops to raise their families. Now, it's all but a hunk of condos from foreign money (or big money due to globalism.. which I have a job from btw) and Rexalls.
The individualism, the localness. The what's around this corner. The rawness of it. Seediness. Record shops. Game shops. Electronic shops. Adult shops along Yonge. Arcades. Pool Halls. Musky smell places. Real bars. Small concert venues for realz. Local Donut shops. Plenty of parking lots. My parents operated a small business near the Yorkville area. Of course their old shop is slated to be torn down for a condo. Countless others who opened up shops to raise their families. Now, it's all but a hunk of condos from foreign money (or big money due to globalism.. which I have a job from btw) and Rexalls.
This sums it up perfectly. I used to love going downtown because it was so different filled with all the above you just mentioned. The buildings all had this cool old feel to them. Now it's all modern and lost most of its old vintage feel.
Some phrases:
"Doggie, doooooggie".
"Get off the couch, get out of bed, go to the phone and call the number!!!".
"When he walks down the street, he smiles at everyone".
"If you don't shop at Crazy Joe's you pay too much".
"It's 11 o'clock do you know where your children are?".
"How about those Blue Jays!!!".
"Chestnuts, roasted chestnuts!!!"
"Doggie, doooooggie".
"Get off the couch, get out of bed, go to the phone and call the number!!!".
"When he walks down the street, he smiles at everyone".
"If you don't shop at Crazy Joe's you pay too much".
"It's 11 o'clock do you know where your children are?".
"How about those Blue Jays!!!".
"Chestnuts, roasted chestnuts!!!"
"doggie, doooooggie".... LOL! That's one of my lasting memories of the CNE. Always seemed to be the same guy every year - looked and sounded like he was on a good acid trip.
You really struck a memory with the roasted chestnut vendors (I'm assuming you mean with the red carts?) who used to be around the museum and other venues - really miss those guys. I guess they were long priced out of the market. Another old time street vendor who has largely disappeared is the sharpening man. My neighbourhood still has a guy who comes around in the summer. But instead of walking with wheeled sharpener ringing a bell - he's in a truck. But has the same type of bell.
Actually, the original location was at Adelaide and Jarvis, northwest corner. It was there for a number of years before moving.
Only the St Lawrence Market/Distillery area has that vintage vibe to it.
Queen St W between University and Spadina is a shadow of its former funky self. Steve's Music Store and the Rivoli are the only remaining venues from my youth.
Gone are the SciFi/Fantasy bookstore and SilverSnail ( well the Snail has relocated but haven't been to the new place yet).
Thanks! I vaguely remember going to that location but wasn't sure if it was Mr Greenjeans
Great artist.Saw him at the Rondun (the rundown) on Roncenvalles Ave in 1980. Died tragically.Should have made it.
Bemelmans bar 83 Bloor Street West
https://www.blogto.com/city/2009/06/the_ghost_of_bemelmans_at_83_bloor_west/
Best Standup bar to mingle back around 1980. Open Sunday morning and the party went on all day. Most friendly gay/straight l pick up or just socialize bar in Toronto at the time. Always had a nice time there.Had a few moments of chat with Catherine Ohara.
Moishe's Falafel on Spadina, close the the ..
El Mocambo. Saw Joe Walsh back in the early 70s. He did a one week gig there. Best ever. Saw Robert Klein there around the same time.
The Forge. Kitty corner across the street from the GasWorks. Saw the Canned Heat with Bob "the bear" Hite and Harvey Mandel .1980
https://www.blogto.com/city/2009/06/the_ghost_of_bemelmans_at_83_bloor_west/
Best Standup bar to mingle back around 1980. Open Sunday morning and the party went on all day. Most friendly gay/straight l pick up or just socialize bar in Toronto at the time. Always had a nice time there.Had a few moments of chat with Catherine Ohara.
Moishe's Falafel on Spadina, close the the ..
El Mocambo. Saw Joe Walsh back in the early 70s. He did a one week gig there. Best ever. Saw Robert Klein there around the same time.
The Forge. Kitty corner across the street from the GasWorks. Saw the Canned Heat with Bob "the bear" Hite and Harvey Mandel .1980
When do you think it changed?
A guy I knew always said that once the separatists in Quebec started up and Montreal was then Canada's biggest city with TO the second, things changed. Late 70s maybe?
The exodus made us bigger quicker. I think there's more to it than that but looking back, being a smaller city was better.
Just my 0.02
CB
A guy I knew always said that once the separatists in Quebec started up and Montreal was then Canada's biggest city with TO the second, things changed. Late 70s maybe?
The exodus made us bigger quicker. I think there's more to it than that but looking back, being a smaller city was better.
Just my 0.02
CB
Toronto has always been constantly changing.
Judging from the responses to this thread, we've all seen the TO skyline before:
- The CN Tower was erected
- driving along the Gardner expressway without being surrounded by condos
- Eaton's use to be at College Park
- Simpsons, Woolworths Eatons use to be THE dominant retail stores
- Chinatown use to be where Nathan Phillips Square is today; then it was at Dundas between Bay & University; then to St George/Spadina; then to Broadview & Gerrard; then out to Markham
- The Toronto Maple Leafs and Argonauts use to be the only professional sport teams
- Skydome and the ACC use to be industrial wastelands
and I can go on...……….
The Mugg restaurant and the multiplex theatres at Eaton Centre-now the area is Joey's restaurant bar and Ryesron University's Rogers Business School
I have a photo of myself on a ferry boat taken by my buddy as we were on our way to Hanlon's point to watch the labour day air show and to take photos of the jets and planes that flew directly over head back in 1992.
In the back ground of the photo is the Toronto skyline, you could see the Sky Dome entirely, pretty much no condos, If you were to take the same photo today, you would not see the Rogers Centre at all.
In the back ground of the photo is the Toronto skyline, you could see the Sky Dome entirely, pretty much no condos, If you were to take the same photo today, you would not see the Rogers Centre at all.
