For various reasons, I walked down Yonge Street today from Finch Avenue right down to Lake Ontario.
Accounting for stops and detours, and the little walk I took at the lake shore, Google Maps estimates a 17.4 kilometre trip, or 3 hours and 32 minutes of walking time if I had walked continuously.
Timeline
According to the audio clips I recorded in Evernote, text messages and instant messaging chats…
- 10:00 exactly — Arrived at Finch Avenue & Yonge Street
- 10:14 — spent almost exactly 15 minutes at Staples, bought a pack of pens
- 10:37 — bought a 1.5 L bottle of water from Shoppers Drug Mart
- 10:40 — reached government office and got out at 10:45
- 10:58 — took a detour around the Yonge/401 intersection because that’s how the sidewalk works on the East side of Yonge Street
- The next half hour-ish — walked through sparsely populated area with huge houses, hills upon hills, and large open green spaces/parks
- 11:38 or so — arrived at Starbucks in an affluent uptown area and ordered a light ice green tea lemonade; by the way, the wifi signal is really weak at this place


- 11:57 — observed person walking by with a Harvard T-shirt
- 12:21 — reached Elginton Avenue & Yonge Street and at last observed lots and lots of people
- 12:27 — light drizzle; first hints of impending rain
- 12:50 — reached St. Clair Avenue & Yonge Street; things are looking okay for a short moment
- 12:55 — suddenly heavy rain begins; ran a distance holding umbrella before pausing under a bridge
- 13:00 — reached another Starbucks; ordered a sweetened iced coffee with soy milk that came in this cup:

- 13:25 — okay, enough rest (although still hungry!); the rain stopped a while ago, so I returned to walking down Yonge Street
- 13:35 — reached Bloor Street & Yonge Street; this is such a vibrant part of the city
- 13:44 — reached Wellesley Street & Yonge Street
- 13:50 — passed College Park and got to the construction site at Gerrard Street & Yonge Street; the crowd is getting bigger
- 13:56 — beginning of a one-hour–long visit to the World’s Biggest Bookstore and a nifty little place called BMV Books right next to it


After I left the bookstore around 14:55, I stopped keeping track of where I was at given points in time. After eating lunch, I proceeded down Yonge Street, used my receipt from a previous Starbucks purchase to buy a light ice black tea lemonade for $2 + tax…
… and walked all the way to the lake, arriving at around 15:40.

I walked around a little near the lakefront area before returning home. There’s a video on Google+ if you’re a friend.
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Reflections
Taking this walk through Toronto allowed me to appreciate the city once more for its diversity, its liveliness and the rapidity with which things are changing. This is still a city I love and one to which I hope to return.
It was interesting to note the pockets of activity along Yonge Street: a busy block in North York from North York Centre to Sheppard; an uptown district north of Lawrence; a heavily business-oriented area around Eglinton; general shopping facilities between St. Clair & Bloor; an area of total randomness south of Bloor; huge crowds south of College; even denser population moving about the Eaton Centre; a banking/corporate region near King… Each region gradually faded into the next, with some exceptions. (It was uneventful in some of the areas—especially between the 401 and Lawrence; there aren’t a lot of buildings around in those parts.)
If you’re a Torontonian (or someone who lives North of Toronto) with a day to spare (preferably a weekday…), consider trying this walk. Make sure you bring sunglasses (I forgot them), an umbrella just in case (I had to use mine), sunscreen, water (I bought a bottle and a bunch of drinks) and probably some snacks (I brought along chips).
(By the way, this entire walk is a lot more fun when one has someone with whom to talk! So if I know you in real life, we can try doing another one of these this month!)
Toronto is a city worth exploring. This is just the beginning.
I think I’ll do that on Saturday =) Sounds quite intriguing,,,
Biking will expand the area that you can explore while still allowing you to take in the scenery and whatnot. Walking seems kinda bland in comparison to all the places that biking will allow you to go to.
Darn it! Now that you guys are all gone, I won’t have anybody to walk with.