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4 Cafés to Visit on the Danforth
The Danforth—primarily known as Greektown—has a lot to offer in terms of restaurants, cute little bookstores, vintage shops and local cafes that people visit every day. What’s better than a cup of coffee to start your day? Here are 4 cafés that are a must visit, the next time you find yourself on the Danforth. Tsaa Tea Shop Located at 412 Danforth Ave is Tsaa Tea shop. Although this café specializes in tea, it also offers a wide variety of café drinks, from coffee to bubble tea. Filipino-owned, they also have a separate menu for just Filipino desserts from Halo Halo to Turron! The interior is small and cozy, decorated…
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7 Great Films to Watch When Jumping Across the Pond
Along with the rise of the non-English film industry, I too will be looking into some of the best non-English films of the last year, because why stay in the monolingual cave when the dawn of multilingual entertainment is upon us? Titane Following the intensity that was Raw, this film from Julia Ducounau once again breathtakingly displays the director’s ability to push buttons and explore limits. Christened “body horror” for a reason, this film focuses on a woman who, after suffering injuries from a car accident, has a titanium plate fitted to her head. Full of gallows humour, questions about sexuality and gender identity, as well as parenthood, this is…
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The Internet Ruined My Love Life
Nothing haunts me more than the idea of online dating. Aside from the fact that dating apps are anything but romantic, internet dating is just a nightmare for someone like me. I am a bibliophile and a romantic who completely loathes the idea of meeting my future husband online because—among other, very valid, reasons—it completely derails the fantasy I have meticulously created for my love life in my head. Despite my pathetic and misguided assumptions that people will eventually revert to dating without apps and websites, I’m afraid I must admit that internet dating is not going anywhere. This leaves me at an impasse, wondering where I can go from…
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Loukoumades on the Danforth: Greece’s Oldest and Most Delicious Dessert
When I was younger, the Danforth was Toronto. As a twelve-year-old growing up in Northern Ontario, I didn’t know anything about the city. All I knew was that my childhood best friend, Hannah, lived in Greektown. Every once in a while, I would take a Greyhound bus to the city to visit her. The trip was very stressful for me—the bus station at Bay and Dundas was always packed and disorienting, and the subway map was anything but straightforward. But when I arrived at the Danforth, everything became familiar and comforting. I loved Hannah’s house, which was a tall and skinny building with lots of windows. As a kid who…
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Pink is Back on the Danforth
In February of 2020, life in Toronto was business as usual. Natalie Borch, founder of The Pink Studio in Toronto, was teaching a variety of classes at her studio: dance, yoga, barre, and pilates. On March 17, 2020, Premier Doug Ford issued a state of emergency, and by April 1, 2020, the Government of Ontario sent the entire province into lockdown, plunging businesses into an indefinite closure that would have profound ramifications for the fitness industry. In what would end up being one of the world’s longest lockdowns, the industry would suffer immensely, and for businesses to survive, they would need to innovate quickly, which is exactly what Natalie and…
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Is Greektown still Greek?
The changing of Greektown through the eyes of its past and present residents. Greektown has always been close to my heart. When I lived in a small town without any other Greek people around me, I yearned for a connection to my culture. Every March break, I would get so excited to visit my cousins for a week and walk the Danforth with them. Reveling in the smell of fresh pastries and the sounds of bouzouki music coming from the shops around me, It was a great place to connect with my culture and talk to interesting individuals. Recently, however, after moving to Toronto this past September, I realized that…
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Discovery and Rediscovery: Books on the Danforth
I have always been a voracious reader, consuming the short stories in grade school textbooks instead of listening in class or staying up into the wee hours of the morning to finish one more chapter. My shelves are full, bowing under the weight of series and single novels, with still more books piling up on the floor as my “to be read” list gets longer. But when I finished my English degree at university, I was burnt out from reading. Working two jobs didn’t help the situation as I had precious little time to do things outside of eating and sleeping. When the pandemic hit Canada and I was laid…
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Interviews with People Living On the Danforth
Traditionally, the Danforth is considered to be a primarily Greek community, with its countless Greek restaurants, Greek street signs, and annual “Taste of the Danforth” food festival serving as indicators of the neighbourhood’s rich cultural ties. But what are the causes and effects of the Danforth’s evolutionary transformation away from its formerly exclusive Greek identity? Although this is a long, unfinished process, the Danforth is very different than it was just a few years ago due to the newer demographic of residents and visitors influencing the area. The following interviews with Danforth locals demonstrate the differences and similarities between newer and long-term residents to help personify one of Toronto’s most…
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Next Stop: The Danforth
Whether stranded at a bus stop waiting out a delay in one of our winter storms, or stuck on the subway due to yet another signal issue, at some point we have all found ourselves cursing the TTC. But while we all like to make a good jab at Toronto’s public transit system, the fact is that it keeps people connected. In a city bursting with so many one-of-a-kind neighbourhoods, the TTC makes these places accessible to people inside and outside the community. The Danforth is a great example of one of these districts. Connected by the Bloor-Danforth subway line, the Danforth can be easily accessed through Pape, Chester, and…
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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…
