The streets go in many directions.
Constructed of gravel, concrete and tar, the well-packed, well-traveled pavement is built to handle the traffic demands of the region.
One-way, two-lane, country road, or multi-lane expressway: each road takes us somewhere.
One of them takes us home.
10/21/2021 j.g.l.
They finished boarding up the car dealership across the street from my building last week. The warehouse next to the dealership has been vacant as long as I’ve known it, and the artists in the lofts on the corner have been evicted. Days are numbered for the restaurant at street level.
With all the buildings facing the other direction now shuttered, this entire parcel of land will soon be under demolition.
The view from my living room window will change.
Three condominium towers from 39 to 45 stories — that’s three times higher than my building — are among the planned development that includes 1,645 residential units, retail space, and parking for more than 2,000 cars and 1,000 bicycles.
Thousands more people will eventually reside right across the street.
This is yet another high-density development as downtown Toronto continues to go vertical. Within walking distance there are already many, many cranes and condominiums reaching up to the sky.
And there will be more.
Land in this area is being bought up for future development around the planned subway station and property values continue to rise.
I’m not sure you call it progress or evolution, but the landscape of this neighbourhood this is changing. This entire city is changing.
10/19/2021 j.g.l.
The brothers and sisters we grew up with, the friends down the street, were all consequential and consistent elements of our lives for the longest time.
The street where we lived, in the city or town we grew up in, is our original home.
At some point we move away — as do your siblings and some of your friends — and home becomes a place you return to. As we age, as we take on new roles and begin families of our own, and depending on the distance, we don’t get home as often as we should or as often as we could.
Home is part of your bigger community.
Phone home, just to say ‘hi’ or “how are you doing”, or “I miss you.”
Recharge that connection.
It’s all about the feelings.
10/12/2021 j.g.l.
What is community?
Is it a city or group,
a place of refuge,
familiarity, or the
sense of belonging
we sometimes seek?
Home is part of a
bigger community
but need not be the
be all and end all.
There is more to a
community; there
is more in your
community.
10/07/2021 j.g.l.
