My wife and I are in Toronto for a couple of days as a belated anniversary present to ourselves. My wife hasn’t been back since we finished U of T in 1979; business has brought me back every few years or so. I love Toronto.

We just talk a walking tour of places we lived during our seven years here, although we skipped the one at Dupont and Avenue Road ( yes, it’s called Avenue Road). We think we got close to locating the three houses we lived in — two were coops with three other people and one was just her and me — in the Annex (Manning St., Follis, Barton). But we’re not quite sure. And it doesn’t actually matter much to either of us. There’s nothing magical about the particular row houses we were in. although being in the same neighborhood does bring back some remembrance. Mainly it’s been an opportunity to refresh memories before they vanish, like playing a song every few years to make sure you can still do it. “What was the name of the law student who lived with us for a semester or two?” “The one who cooked eggplant and bleu cheese casseroles?” His name is gone but the lease on his stinky casseroles has now been renewed.
The neighborhood has changed. What had been the first homes for Mediterranean immigrants, replacing Eastern Europeans who had moved up and out, now have different occupants. The little Greek and Italian cafes and gift shops on Bloor have been replaced with Korean stores. Because it remains a port for the newly landed, the language is new but the streets are still spotted with clumps of extravagant flowers, and sunny with hope.

Tonight we’re having dinner with an old house mate. Tomorrow we’re going to wander down to the Philosophy Department where we met in a remedial epistemology class. We’ll do some more tourist-y things. Tuesday morning we come home. (The hotel’s Net connection is on the fritz, so expect intermittent bloggery.)

Did I mention that I love Toronto?

Delicious veggie restaurant: Vegetarian Haven on Baldwin.

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