We Went Walking

Sunday morning dawned overcast and rainy, but we did not let that stop us from having a grand adventure.

We started our day by meeting Mark's nephew Jordan for brunch in tony Yorkville, at celebrity chef Mark McEwan's  One Restaurant. This is the kind of place that takes your coat at the door and has full marble restrooms. The decor and layout were impressive. I was pleasantly surprised that our waiter was not only pleasant but down-to-earth. The service was very good and the food was also quite good. I had eggs Benedict and I appreciated that instead of the typical English muffin that it was served on a homemade brioche.

We then strolled around Yorkville, taking in some of the fabulous shops, including Teotro Verde (the most stunning home decor shop I have ever visited) and Pusateri's Fine Foods (an upscale grocery store and foodie haven). 

After saying goodbye to Jordan we checked out the men's department at venerable Holt Renfrew (Holt's, for those in the know) and then strolled westward into the Annex so Mark could go to Greg's Ice Cream for a cup of melted marshmellow ice cream (yummy!). We kept walking westward and entered into Bloor West Village, checking out a couple of bookstores, and just kept going, eventually dfinding ourselves at the famous Honest Ed's (I snapped the accompanying picture of its west facade).

We didn't go into Honest Ed's as our destination was the delightful street adjacent to the store called Mirvish Village. We were amazed by the one-of-a-kind shops, such as Beit Zatoun (a gallery and common space for social justice activism), comic book nirvana The Beguiling, movie poster, books, and collectibles mecca Hollywood Canteen, and our favourite find Vintage Video, home to 3,000 rare movie titles primarily from the 1930s to the 1970s as well as memorabilia and collectibles. 

We were completely in awe of Vintage Video. Opened in 1988 by a passionate cineophile named John Barthel. Mark was hoping to find a copy of "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein" (1948) and lo and behold Mr. Barthel was easily able to find us one and give us a great history lesson on the movie. What a lovely man! We respected his passion and knowledge of classic movies and we look forward to returning to look for some more gems.

Before hopping on the streetcar to take us home we checked out Sonic Boom, which has to be the largest used CD, DVD, records store I have ever seen! Besides being the largest independent music store in Toronto, Sonic Boom is als known for its creative window displays.