Back in the 60s and 70s, would take my wife and 2 kids there for a picnic, they would go on the kids rides while I was sneaking a beer with lunch. It was cheap and a cheerful place to go. Many years later we would there for the entertainment such as Roberta Flack and my all time favourite,Jimmy Buffett. Sat down with the smell of you know what everywhere,went to the bar at intermission for beer and met 2 men ordering rum and cokes dressed in their coconut bras and grass skirts, and said hello to one I knew who was a top executive at CIBC. The show was terrific. They had some decent diners there but soon the prices went sky high and families with kids stopped going. I can't imagine moving their location to the Science Center.
Vintage Toronto
- Thread starter The Oracle
- Start date
Way back in the day, as a young 6 year old my mother would take me on a train built of wood up Yonge St. all the way to my grandparents farm which is now Yonge and Major Mackenzie drive. The tracks were in the centre of the road, what a bumpy ride it was.
Maybe off key, but one of my favorite memories was 1974 a year or so after I had transplanted from Calgary. I was a lonely cowpoke and went to the CNE by myself which was sad enough. Beer Garden right at the entrance. So I thought I would sit down and have myself a brew. A few tables over was a big Canadian farm boy, from his appearance. Jeans and a V neck sweater with no T shirt. Quietly enjoying a beer. Not causing any problems. Not bothering anybody.
After a few minutes he was surrounded by about 5 or 6 very jacked and aggressive bouncers who decided he needed turfing out of there. I didn't hear the dialogue but it seemed he was reasonably questioning why the drama. They were having none of it and made a move on him. whereupon he beat up all 5 or 6 bouncers. Just smashed them. Like a boxer. They stood back and were huffing and puffing and calling him a cunt but they were beat. He picked up the half left of his pint. Swigged it down and left. And they did shit about it. They were beat.
That guy was my hero.
After a few minutes he was surrounded by about 5 or 6 very jacked and aggressive bouncers who decided he needed turfing out of there. I didn't hear the dialogue but it seemed he was reasonably questioning why the drama. They were having none of it and made a move on him. whereupon he beat up all 5 or 6 bouncers. Just smashed them. Like a boxer. They stood back and were huffing and puffing and calling him a cunt but they were beat. He picked up the half left of his pint. Swigged it down and left. And they did shit about it. They were beat.
That guy was my hero.
Yonge & Queen looking north. Eventually all the buildings on the left between Queen & Dundas were torn down to build the Eaton Centre
After watching the Leafs playoffs against Boston, it brought back memories going back to the early60s, when the league had only 6 teams. Toronto would play away games on Sundays which were no televised, however, in Parkdale a theatre, Odeon Parkdale located on Queen St. near Roncesvalles showed their hockey games on their large screen, charging $2. The place was always full. It was the greatest deal at a movie theatre.
not on TV
not on TV
I'm not sure which theater but my dad took me to a couple of Sunday nighters. It was cool.
I think Emile Francis said, the Leafs could score 1 goal on a Saturday/Sunday home and away and come out of it with 4 points.
South side Queen St. W., a block east of Roncy.
Still there:
Check out the history: The Parkdale Hall brings a historic Toronto venue back to life - NOW Toronto
Then:
Now the above is another prime example of why it is imperative that we preserve and reimagine our past.
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Yonge Street, looking south-east, from south of Gerrard Street. A woman wearing a long-sleeved "Pleasure Land" shirt is in the foreground 1977
Screen caps from Season 4, episode 2 of The Boys, released on June 13.
This film location is on Gerrard Street East, just east of Parliament Street in Regent Park, looking south. I live a few blocks west in Cabbagetown. These public housing units are currently being demolished as part of the major construction on Gerrard East, working its way west from Parliament.
Victoria Lodge, 151 Annette Street, just west of Keele Street, near the lawn bowling green.
I am NOT a Freemason. I was in this building once in August, 2017. The main room has interesting paintings on the ceiling and walls. The room itself has a very weird echo when someone speaks, or if the pipe organ is played, and the echo changes when the sound source moves.
I contacted the Lodge through their website, and was granted permission to visit on a Saturday afternoon.
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The Great Hall on the southeast corner of Queen Street West and Dovercourt.
The building was a Templar Lodge a hundred years ago. Now it has several different rooms which can be rented for various types of events.
The black and white photo shows the The Great Hall configuration for music concerts. If the balcony is not included for seating, the lower portion only is called Longboat Hall.
If you're ever in that neighbourhood, and want to see the inside of the building, try the door on Queen West, (behind the black car in the colour photo). If the door is unlocked, anyone can walk in and look around.
My oldman was in the restaurant business & knew the owners, went for dinner a few times in the 70's.
I saw Vanessa Carlton in concert there in 2017, in the Longboat Hall configuration.
I'm not a big fan of Vanessa's music, but I am a fan of Vanessa herself. She tells very entertaining stories between songs in live performances. She's also an Ivy league grad, (Columbia), who put herself through school by performing in New York City clubs while attending University.
For most people, Vanessa is a one-hit wonder for her song A Thousand Miles in 2002. Two years later, she released a new album, and the lead single was White Houses:
Someone's Karen mother complained about part of the lyric, describing a young woman losing her virginity. Walmart told her record label to remove the song from the album, or the chain would not sell any copies of that CD, or her first, (Platinum sales of 1.4 Million in the USA, including many at Walmart). Vanessa's manager and label told her she should cave in to Walmart's demands, and she said no. The label withdrew all promotion for the album, and MTV wouldn't play the White Houses video again.
Vanessa became an Indy artist, and makes enough money from album sales and touring, (usually 500 seat capacity venues or smaller), so that she can live a comfortable middle class lifestyle without having to have a day job. At shows, her merchandise is a bit expensive, ($20 for CDs, etc.), but if you buy one, she'll greet you personally, and autograph your purchase.
I can't help but admire someone with that much integrity that she would throw away stardom to avoid being someone's puppet.
