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Finding Your Best Reading Spot on the Danforth
Most of us crave a certain setting in order to truly enjoy something. This is true in all aspects of life, but I would say it is most important when we are reading. To retain information on a page, we need our focus, maybe not all of it, but I would say a good chunk of it. What fuels this focus is the real question. Every person is unique, we all have preferences and quirks that are different from others, but since we live in a society, we unintentionally pick up traits/habits of those most around us. This is most noticeable in close knit neighbourhoods. I went on a mission…
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Spa Spaces: The Danforth’s Best Beauty Destinations
Manis. Facials. Waxing. For a beauty lover, these aren’t just routine services—they’re acts of self-care. To that end, we have narrowed down the very best manicure, facial, and waxing spaces on the Danforth. These quality places will be sure to leave you satisfied. BEST MANICURE: THE TEN SPOT Kristen Gale created The Ten Spot back in 2006 after she noticed the need for a space that combined the quality standards of high-end spas with the efficiency of low-end nail salons. Her first “anti-spa” on Queen Street West quickly gained a cult-like following. The Ten Spot now has ten locations across the GTA, including one at 409 Danforth Avenue. Franchise partner…
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Brenda Joslin: An Individual of the Danforth Community
My neighbour is a wise and respectful woman and has a fantastic sense of humour. During the interview, when offered tea and asked about sugar, she quickly replied, “I don’t need any sugar ‘cause I’m sweet enough.” Her name is Brenda Joslin, and she is the star of this article, as she is of her life. Originally born in Plessisville, Quebec, Joslin moved to Toronto when she was four- years-old and has been living on the same street since her arrival almost fifty years ago. She attended William Burgess Elementary School and is happy to see the tradition continue with her three kids and her little grandson. Brenda says that…
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On the Map: The Once-Sleepy Danforth Neighbourhood Finds its Place in the 6
“There are so many studies that say that once you get a Starbucks in a neighbourhood, you’re A Neighbourhood—with a capital A,” says long-time Danforth resident Jack Howard as we discuss the transformation of the once-sleepy locality into a vibrant and culturally diverse pocket of Toronto. Howard and his wife chose the Danforth area for their future family home back in 2006 because, at the time, it was one of the more affordable areas of Toronto. Since then, the once-tired, inner-city east side quarter has changed dramatically—for the better. “I can share with you that our excitement of getting a new shop [in our neighbourhood] ten years ago was very…
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Mountains into Molehills: A Fearless Guide for First-Time Rock Climbers
South of the Danforth, in an industrial building that houses art studios, fashion labels, and commercial bakeries, I cling to fake rocks a few metres off the ground. I inch my right foot around a plastic outcropping. Then my left foot slips and I slide down the artificial rock face, skinning a couple of calluses from my hands in the process. Back on the ground, I am unable to wipe the smile off my face. The Rock Oasis is an apt name for one of the best and biggest climbing gyms in Toronto. When you push open the door, The Rock Oasis appears like a mirage: a two-story expanse of…
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The Bloor Street Viaduct: The Value of Mental Health Advocacy on our Engineering of Urban Spaces
“Then the new men arrive, the ‘electricals,’ laying grids of wire across the five arches, carrying the exotic three-bowl lights, and on October 18, 1918 it is completed. Lounging in mid-air. The bridge. The bridge. Christened ‘Prince Edward.’ The Bloor Street Viaduct.” In the Skin of a Lion, p.27 In his 1987 novel In the Skin of a Lion, Michael Ondaatje affectionately recalls the building of East Toronto—and the enchantment that surrounded it. At the forefront of this tale is the Bloor Street Viaduct, an architectural wonder of a bridge extending to the corner of Danforth and Broadview. Since its completion in 1918, the bridge over the Don Valley has…
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Stronger Together: Youth Empowering Youth
Their names are Michelle Bain and Li Koo—but I think of them as Danforth heroes. Together, Bain and Koo founded Youth Empowering Youth (YEY), an organization with a mission as noble as it is challenging: to give agency to the children in Ontario’s child welfare system. Bain is a lawyer by trade, as well as YEY’s director. Koo is a professor in Communications at George Brown College, and a recent candidate for the Toronto-Danforth Council seat in Ontario’s provincial election. Both are talented and professionally successful women who have thrown themselves headfirst into addressing the needs of our community. The problem tackled by these women is, sadly,…
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Give Them a Shot: The Perks of Supporting Local Coffee Shops Over Chains
The delights to be tasted at local coffee shops have as much character as the neighbourhood itself.
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Brenda Joslin: An Individual of the Danforth Community
Originally born in Plessisville, Quebec, Brenda Joslin moved to Toronto when she was four- years-old and has been living on the same street since her arrival almost fifty years ago.
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The New Danforth
Today’s Danforth is much different from when I first moved here. Over the last several years, I watched the Danforth evolve. Gone is the traditional Greektown of the 1970s and ‘80s. A different life is being breathed into the Danforth and it is becoming a more contemporary neighbourhood with new energy and style.