Research, lovely research: Toronto and kid memories.

[icarus]

While I wait with bated breath for my betas (I sent the next scene of Out Of Bounds ten whole milliseconds ago)...

... I have been doing research on neighborhoods in Toronto.

My childhood memories of Toronto are just that: kid memories. Kids remember places. Their sights and sounds and magic... but not how they got there or how they're connected.

Here's the dismal neighborhood John once lived as a student at U of T, on Yonge Street not far from Church Street (the local gay neighborhood):
http://www.boldts.net/TorYs.shtml

This is where John's apartment was more recently (theoretically) at the Annex, and thank you to by archae_ology and meredydd_recs. It's perfect:
http://boldts.net/TorAn.shtml

According to recommendations by archae_ology, Rodney should live in the Church and Wellesley area: http://boldts.net/TorCw.shtml

But... some back story that's only mentioned once in the story: It was Rodney's grandmother, not Rodney, who picked out the house. She accepted Rodney being gay, but it's very unlikely that she would have picked the prime gay neighborhood. Also, Rodney's place is an area where the property values were lower (and boon-docky) back in the 80s and became more valuable over time. She made a good deal (I've mentioned it in OoB "Thank you, suburban sprawl"). So I'm still looking for Rodney's neighborhood. meredydd_recs recommends down by the lakeshore, though I'm waiting for more clarification:

Here's University of Toronto, where John once went to school:
http://www.boldts.net/TorB.shtml

Here's Church Street, the gay neighborhood where John and Rodney both have spent remarkably little time:
http://www.boldts.net/TorCw.shtml


Any real Canadians or persons who've been in Toronto in the last ten years (unlike me) are welcome to comment. *rolls out the red carpet*

Comments

[mklutz]

Hey, I live in the Bloorcourt, too! (Which is why I think it's awesome-- I'm a little biased.) But yeah, Toronto isn't really built for cars, though you can rent one for a day pretty easily and cheaply. The subway, streetcars, and busses are all excellent though-- I'm a big fan of taking the TTC despite fare hikes.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

But yeah, Toronto isn't really built for cars

Oh, I know that. I've even said it in the story:

To John, the best thing about his mirrored sunglasses was he could lean back and just seem like he was chilling out, when in fact he was watching everyone around him. Or more specifically, Rodney. The wide gestures as he talked, the little bounce to his step when he'd hopped up into the Queen Street trolley -- or streetcar, rather. His friends in college had laughed at the Yank calling it a "trolley." Parking in downtown Toronto was something John hadn't wanted to bother with.

Like I said, my dad has lived in Toronto since the late 70s, and I spent much of my childhood in the Beaches area, blocks from Queen Street E. I used to take the streetcar down Queen Street. (Later he moved between Kingston and Gerard, not far from Victoria Park Ave.) But again, I was a kid at the time and didn't view areas in terms of real estate. Though I remember that when my dad bought his house by the beaches it was officially considered Scarborough and a million miles from Toronto... and then slowly gentrification set in.

Also, from where my dad lives, he drives everywhere. But since he owned his own company he had a coveted parking spot.

Bearing in mind that Rodney's 3-bedroom house was purchased in the mid-80s and Out Of Bounds is set in 1999 -- well, was Bloorcourt an up-and-coming area nine years ago?