There is a saying in Toronto that is it not so much a coherent city, but a collection of villages and neighbourhoods, each with distinctive flavour and flair. The longer I live here, the more I discover these hidden and not so hidden corners, and the more this saying rings true. Chinatown, incidentally, is a bit of a misnomer. It is not like the "Chinatowns" of other cities, such as New York or San Francisco; it is a bohemian neighbourhood decorated in spectacular street art, home to a motley collection of artists, students, fashionistas, vintage hunters, bikers, free spirits.... and in a word, fool, poets, and lovers. Here, apart from truly great dim-sum places, there are cozy coffee shops, moody bars, market stalls, and expressive backyard displays of "found art objects" - and Sunday afternoons spent in leisurely ambling and people-watching.
© Bella Kuchuk Photography
