It's crowded, loud, youthful, and often tacky, but shopping on Yonge pronounced "young" - is a Toronto ritual that locals never tire of.
DATE: Saturday May 4th, 2013.
TIME: 4:23- 5:31pm
The trek down Yonge Street continues as we embark on our second walk of the day. This stretch is a bit more lively than the stretch we covered in the previous walk. So lets see what the cards have to offer.
1. Sam the Record Man (327 Yonge St.)note the garish, yet distinctly lit exterior....it's a Toronto landmark.
Unfortunately, Sam the Record Man is no more. (At least not in Toronto - I think there is still a location open somewhere in southern Ontario). It was iconic though. The street sign in particular.
I must admit...It's sad that so many Canadian stores are slowly disappearing from our city landscape...
My brother used to take me here in high school. We would spend a good chunk of the day just browsing through everything. I remember that you had to leave your bag at the door.
I believe the land was bought by Ryerson and was supposed to incorporate the Sam the Record Man sign within their campus... but now that is no longer the case. :(
Thanks to google, we are able to find a pictures of this location before it closed down.
2. World's Biggest Bookstore (20 Edward St.)
Inside you'll find more than 15 miles of book-laden shelves; bibliophiles are virutally guaranteed to find sometihng that catches their eye here.
Ahh. The World's Biggest Bookstore. One of my favorite Toronto landmarks. It's basically the no frills of bookstores. Even though it is now owned by Chapters-Indigo, it lacks the perks of those fancy large bookstores. No Starbucks inside, no carpeted sections, no comfy chairs to settle down with a book. But the bargains are better here than at other Chapters-Indigo locations. I like checking out the bargain kids section and have bought many a gift for my nephews here. (Nice that there is also a BMV next door.)
As for the name, did some Wikipedia research. When it opened up in the 80's its name went unchallenged. It's the biggest depending on how you interpret the phrase. The Guiness book of world records says that the The Barnes and Noble outlet in New York City is the largest in floor space and that Powell's Books in Portland Oregon is the largest in terms of shelf space though Toronto's World's Biggest Bookstore is the largest in terms of carrying the most titles. Thats pretty cool.
In recent years there has been rumours that the bookstore is closing down. That makes me sad. But don't think anything definate has been said yet. Toronto is always changing, but that has become ever so much more apparent to me since we started doing these walks.
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Hehe...
At lunch we discussed shop class and the projects we made there. Alma said she made a clock! And because I made a toolbox out of sheet metal, in my head, Alma's clock is also out of sheet metal.
A glimpse of one side of the 2nd floor of the bookstore. Prior to taking this picture, I accidently knocked a glass carafe in a box down. Oops. Don't think it broke....but then again, I didn't exactly check.
Look how super excited Alma is.
Who wouldn't be?!
Who wouldn't be?!
Justin Bieber paper doll sticker book!
Can't go wrong for $2!
Was seriously contemplating on purchasing this...
as a gift...
a gag gift...
(i swear)
Ah Google!
On the right side of this picture is a strip joint called Zanzibar. It has really flashy, tacky lights - like old Vegas that light up at night. In the early days of university when I'd tell people that my father was born and raised in Zanzibar (a beautiful island in Africa) quite a few people had no idea about Zanzibar the island but seemed to know loads about Zanzibar the strip club, and would then proceed to mention this place and make jokes. Got old real quick.
For me, I kinda associate Yonge Street with my brother.
There was one year that we went Boxing Day shopping along here and we scored all these awesome deals! (Got a pair of Pony shoes for $20 and a Paul Frank shirt of less than $10!)
Unfortunately we never saw deals like that again. All the shops we got stuff from closed down :(
And that's kinda Yonge Street for ya.
It's kinda always changing.
For me, I kinda associate Yonge Street with my brother.
There was one year that we went Boxing Day shopping along here and we scored all these awesome deals! (Got a pair of Pony shoes for $20 and a Paul Frank shirt of less than $10!)
Unfortunately we never saw deals like that again. All the shops we got stuff from closed down :(
And that's kinda Yonge Street for ya.
It's kinda always changing.
3. Fran's Restaurant (20 College St.)
...where insomniac Torontonians have been enjoying the largely unchanged diner atmosphere for some 70 years.
Insomniacs indeed!
On our random late night drives, Alex and I would somehow end up here to grab a bit at 1-2am! This spot is open 24hrs, so you're bound to meet some interesting folks! Fran's is famous for their tapioca pudding... and they also make their own ketchup!
Thought we'd treat you to some inside decor pics - courtsy of google searches.
ooh... i wish it still looked like that inside....
4. Toronto Police Museum and Discovery Centre (40 College St.)
A museum with displays on motot vehicles, forensics, police uniforms, and equipment, and a mock-up of a Victorian-era station.
Statue outside the Police Headquarters.
According to the website, all museum visits have to be booked before hand. Seems a little extreme.
A glimpse of the crime fighter in Alma.
Haha! It looks like I'm aspiring to become a cop!
Haha! It looks like I'm aspiring to become a cop!
Well these pics suck. What does the internet have to offer?
Neat!
We should book an appointment.
5. Victoria Hospital (67 College St)
Built in 1892, it was the city's children's hospital until 1951 and currently contains the regional offices of the national blood bank.
Remember when we did our trip to Queens Park last year? Our docent talked about the building being designed by a Bostonian architech if I'm not mistaken (booooo Boston (Toronto just won game 5 of the playoff series as I write this)). Well Victoria Hospital is just a a block away and I'm willing to bet ti has similar architechtural influences.
Yeah you can kinda see it...
6. MaRS Centre (101 College St.)
The building houses a unique alliance of engineers, scientists, and global business leaders who work together to promote innovative Canadian technologies.
Look how big! I've always wanted to go inside. I imagine it being a magical place. (Like the Department of Mysteries in the Ministry of Magic!) (Actually I have been inside once accidently - detour while trying to find my way through Toronto General Hospital. But coudln't appreaciate where I was). Hoping to take my kids on a class trip here next year.
I did a little exploring inside here last year.
It's full of offices and lecture rooms.
We didn't actually walk to the corner of College and Queens Park where Phase 2 of the Mars Centre sits. So thanks to the internet (is there anything it can't do?) here it is undercontruction. Though, I guess our Queens Park walk may have some shots of it in the background.
To see a time-lasped video of pics of the construction of phase 2, click on the link below
So that's it. It was such a nice day, Alma walked me all the way home. (Should have done another walk on the way back but I didn't bring the cards. And besides, the walk we would have done would be the one with the Cloud Forest Conservatory and its only open on the weekdays and I really want to visit it. By the way, if Alma asks, it's basically a room with glass ceiling. You're supposed to lie on the grass and look up at the clouds. Wink, wink. 
)
MONICA RATING: Once again, nothing wrong with these venues - except that Sam the Record Man doesn't exist anymore. But a huge gap of nothingness between the World's Largest Bookstore and Fran's. I know we were supposed to take in Yonge Street, but be kind of nice if they had more points of interest in there. Elephant and Castle maybe. Something in College Park. Or maybe it should be combined with another walk. Though if we had managed to get a tour inside MaRS, I think I might be singing a different tune. So, if you're planning on doing this walk, get that MaRS tour. 2.5 computers (with internet access) out of 5. 
Alma Rating: I agree with Monica, there could've been some places added to this walk to make it feel more complete... or the cards should've added more information about these places since it's such a short walk. Once again, I'm struggling on how to rate this walk cause on one hand, you can spend hours in the world's biggest bookstore, and on the other... well there's something missing (other than Sam the Record Man! but that's not really the cards' fault).... Anyway. I'll give this walk 2.5/5.
Alma Rating: I agree with Monica, there could've been some places added to this walk to make it feel more complete... or the cards should've added more information about these places since it's such a short walk. Once again, I'm struggling on how to rate this walk cause on one hand, you can spend hours in the world's biggest bookstore, and on the other... well there's something missing (other than Sam the Record Man! but that's not really the cards' fault).... Anyway. I'll give this walk 2.5/5.
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