Neighbourhood Review…Parkdale, Toronto
I figured that after about a year I have enough information and experience to write a review of my neighbourhood.
We’re talking about the King Street West and Dufferin Street area. If you’re not sure where that is I’ll give you directions.
1. From downtown Toronto: Head west on King Street, past the trendy part, under the train bridge and there I am.
2. From the highway east of Toronto: Take the 401 until the DVP, take the DVP to the Gardiner Express Way past the CNE grounds and Ontario Place, get off at the Dunn exit, head north from the highway past Medieval Times to King Street.
There are both pro’s and con’s to the area. But so far I’ve decided that the pro’s outweigh the con’s. I’ll throw a little list together.
Pro’s
-Cheap/ Affordable rent.
-Various fast food and restaurant choices.
-Laundry Mat uber close to the apartment.
-6 convenience stores in 3 blocks on King Street West.
-24 hour TTC Dufferin bus line service north and south.
-Mostly reliable TTC Streetcar service on King Street.
-Close to the very trendy Liberty Village area.
-Quick trip to the Roger’s Centre for baseball games all summer.
-Close to the Exhibition Go Train station for trips home and to Oakville.
Con’s
-A couple sketchy bars.
-A few “women of the night” in the general area.
-Multiple unemployed/ underemployed folks asking for financial help in the general area.
-A fair distance from work.
-A long way from where a lot of other people live.
As I said, the pro’s outweigh the con’s so far. And especially with the new apartment that I’ve living in now it looks better.
A few of my favourite places in the area include:
Galaxy Donut, where I can get a large coffee and donut for $2.25 as well as scratch and win lotto tickets and cigarettes.
Pita Way, where I can grab a shawarma pita for $2.99 or 2 for $4.99. It’s the deal of the day every time that I’m too hungry, lazy or busy to cook. Like last night for example when there was hockey waiting for me almost the minute I got in the door.
Pho Asia 21, this is the cheapest way to eat hot, tasty and healthy soup and such. If you want something that will heat you from the inside out on a cold winter day, this is the place to go. It will even keep your hands warm on the walk home.
Blockbuster Video, in Liberty Village where I can grab previously viewed DVDs on the cheap since that’s where the chain seems to be making its money these days.
Metro Grocery, also in Liberty Village, the Metro has a whole bunch of everything including ready to eat cooked chicken, pizza, salads and chicken wings which I have purchased on many occasions. There is also a bulk food section where I have stocked up on trail mix, candy and assorted other goodies.
No Frills Grocery, located just west of my place (one Streetcar stop) the local No Frills has great deals on the foods that everyone wants to have in the fridge and on the shelf. There are quite often sales that are worth looking into and there has been money spent at the cash registers there for sure.
I mentioned that my neighbourhood is west of trendy. But that’s starting to change a little bit. With the emergence of the Liberty Village area and growth of festivals like Caribana, the Toronto Honda Indy and the Canadian National Exhibition the area can’t help but develop a little bit at a time.
Ok, so we’ve looked at the shops, the residents and hangers on, the transit and the rent situation. I don’t know what else there is in the area that I haven’t covered. If there is something I haven’t been looking hard enough.
Come visit sometime. You can buy me a shawarma and we can wander to the village.
creator of content, daddy blogger, writer, coffee drinker, fan of the Batman. proud mo bro. prouder dad.
