Neighbourhood

Writer, urban activist and Annex resident Jane Jacobs

I love to travel, it's right up there at the number one spot on my list of life passions (followed closely by brunch and discovering new nail polish colours). That being said, after spending the past two months plane-hopping it has been pretty nice to return home and fall back in love with the city I left behind. Toronto is sometimes a hard beast to love. At the worst of times it's cold and dirty and you're waiting for 45 minutes for a streetcar in the middle of a garbage strike. But when I'm gone for a long period of time I always miss it. After all these years of traveling I know for sure that there is absolutely no substitute for a pemeal bacon breakfast sandwich at St. Lawrence market.

Anyways, with 20-ish degree weather on the horizon this weekend it seems like now is the perfect time rediscover all of the best things TO has to offer. So if you city dwellers aren't doing anything on Saturday or Sunday (and even if you are) I would suggest that you take some time to reacquaint yourself with your neighbourhood and tag along on a Jane's Walk tour. Inspired by the work of Toronto community activist Jane Jacobs, these free walking tours are led by local neighbourhood know-it-alls who uncover fascinating stories from Toronto's past while traversing through the city streets. With 120 tours to choose from in and around the downtown it's a great opportunity to meet your neighbours, discover hidden treasures and learn about the history of your 'hood. I'll be strolling the Sorauren and Wabash railway corridor on Sunday - fueling up before hand at Mitzi's no doubt.

Click here for a list of all of the tours happening in the city this weekend. And if you happen to be a neighbourhood nerd like myself then I would definitely suggest reading Jane Jacobs' The Death and Life of Great American Cities.