Over the weekend of the 20-21 May, I got to explore a little more in Toronto with a friend I was staying with. We got out to see a little of the city, stopping at two different area’s which were kind of interesting. Being a weekend, they both came with their challenges to get to see much.
Toronto – Distillery District
The first area we visited was the Distillery District, which as you might suspect used to be where the Distillery was. There are still some original buildings in the area that have been repurposed. Being a weekend, there were plenty of people around enjoying the shops, cafes and market stalls.
The original operator of the Distillery was Gooderham & Worts Ltd. At one time they were the largest distiller of alcoholic beverages in Canada. The distillery operated in the area from 1862 until 1990 when the distillery was closed and then converted into the Distillery District. As you can see, there are still remanents of the original use.
There are some pieces of public art around the Distillery District. The one featured above is inspired by War Of The Worlds it would seem. Although the one below I am not certain that I can work out what it is supposed to be. But does appear to be influenced by science fiction I guess.
Random Sights
As we were making our way between the Distillery District and The Roundhouse we came across the below sight. The building looks to have been painted with this to avoid a plain and boring building. The five windows are real enough, but the surround is all painted on. It would not be the first time that I have come across some interesting random sight like this in Toronto.
The Roundhouse
The second place that we had planned to visit today is The Roundhouse, which is located very close to the Baseball Stadium. In fact, we timed out arrival rather poorly coinciding with the crowds leaving the baseball. We may have done things a little differently if we had known about this, but not to worry.
The Roundhouse is just what it sounds like, an old Train Roundhouse. You can still find an engine and some carriages in the area. However, The Roundhouse now houses three different things, a bar, a furniture shop and small workshop for the older trains on display.
Canoe Park
There was another park that we stopped at for a look by the name of Canoe Park. The canoe that the park is named after really was not too impressive, it was a little small. The cluster of fishing buoys is a little more impressive with water fountains in between. There was a button to push that would start the water feature, and it would last around five minutes.
I have quite enjoyed my visit to Toronto and enjoyed catching up with my friend. However, another visit to explore a little further than the city is something on the cards for the future. It was nice to enjoy a little bit more of a relaxed pace while here.
