Wards Island - a Cottage Life in Downtown Toronto

Wards Island is the best kept open secret in Toronto!

Beach area by the Wards' Island Ferry Terminal

It is one of Toronto most unique and beautiful neighbourhood!












 Wards Island is one of the islands of the Toronto Islands,  the largest car free urban community in North America.

There are no roads linking the city of Toronto to the island.  However, there are year round ferry services for visitors and island residents.

Waiting Area -Wards Island Ferry Terminal

Catching a ferry at the Toronto waterfront ferry terminal takes the passengers right to one of the three docks of the islands.


The admission to the island parks are free and the ferry fees are quite reasonable. 







We took the ferry to Center Island which is the largest island and the most visited.

Strolling leisurely on a sunny day, we took a walking tour of the islands.

After we came to the beach area, we stayed a little while and took a left turn at the bike rental shop.

A bike for two can be rented on the island

 We wished we could have rented a bike and biked around the three islands.

 Since the Dragon Boat Race took place on the Sunday we visited Centre Island, it was really busy and the wait was  too long for us for a rental bike.

Wards Island - The best walking tour; best place to take in the view of Lake Ontario

Wards Island is a great place to take a view of Lake Ontario and the Toronto skyline. We lingered at this perfect spot and took time to enjoy the view and got some great pictures!

Sunshine Senior Centre - Wards Island

 Wards Island is a community on its own with its own fire station and EMS, as well  as a school and a senior centre.

A Nice Little Cafe on the Island

Relaxing with a coffee/ tea in the garden of the Rectory Cafe is one of my favourite activities while on the islands.

 I always look forward to enjoying some home made cookies at the Cafe during our island visits with friends or family.

Crossing the bridge at this junction takes us to another world!

There are about three hundred homes on the Islands. But they are kind of out of the tourists' way, tucked away to a little world of its own.

Coming from Centre Island and having passed the Sunshine Senior Centre, we were at the junction of Algonquin Bridge Road and Cibola Avenue.

Bridge leading to Algonquin Island

Crossing the bridge lined with bright coloured flowers in full blooms, we landed on Algonquin Island where residents have been living there for many years.

Playground for kids

A great place to live, especially for kids!

There are no vehicles allowed on the islands except city service vehicles performing the necessary services.

An rustic bench adorns a front yard on Wards Island

It is like we were in another world -  a time when things were slower, less hectic and more gentle.

 A rustic little cottage house on the Algonquin Island

Interesting house designs and styles abound

The houses on the Algonquin Island are charming and interesting, with a country feel to many of them.










There are an  some pretty rustic cottages as well as some modern ones co- existing beside one another.










As I am interested in architecture, I really enjoyed looking at the different house designs on the island.

A house with a beautiful big balcony

 Some houses are humble little cottages needing repairs while others are huge and elaborate with various additions.

A communal  place we came across at the end of the bridge was a station where residents could drop off their used books and clothing.

Anyone could go and pick up a used book or a piece of clothing for free.

No money exchanged hands; just neighbours sharing and helping each other.

What a spirit! What a great community!

Wards Island - A great place for a leisure stroll

Walking about on the islands is pretty relaxing and took me away from the busy city life for a little while.

 I feel as if I were far away in a little quiet village, removed from a big city!

Home of the Queen City Yacht Club

Recreational opportunities abound on the islands!

Canoe and  kayak lessons are available.

Wards Island is also home to the Queen City Yacht Club.

 Wards Island - a ten minute ferry ride from downtown Toronto

Getting to Wards Island is an escape for me. ( I am sure for many Torontonians.)

Residents on Wards Island are very fortunate!

Backyard flowers on the island

They enjoy all the conveniences,  amenities such as most advanced medical facilities of a modern North American big city!

Residents can reach downtown Toronto with a ten minute ferry ride!

They also enjoy a quiet, peaceful and communal small village life style on the islands.

Wards Island residents indeed have the best of both worlds!


R.T.
Wards Island
Toronto

Centre Island- Our Central Park in Toronto!

View of Toronto from the Centre Island Ferry

Centre Island - an oasis in a metropolitan city!

Centre Island - One of our favourite park

 On a hot summer day in Toronto when the temperature is hovering above eighty degrees, Torontonians wish to escape to somewhere cooler, quieter and at a slower pace - Centre Island is the answer!

Beautiful scenery at the island

Getting to Centre Island - a part of the Toronto Island Park is easy.

Do not drive! Simply take the TTC, the public transit in Toronto.

Route 1-  Take the Bay street bus going south from Bay Station all the way to Queens Quay.

Route 2 - Take the Yonge subway line to Union Station. Walk along Bay Street, just a short distance to the harbour front.


Take the ferry to Centre Isalnd.

A visitor friendly sign on the island

The ferry ride is a welcome breezy short ride to one of our most favourite parks in Toronto.

 Instead of seeing signs that screams - Keep off the Grass, the first thing that welcome visitors to Centre Island  is the people friendly sign that invite them to:

 Please Walk on the Grass!

What a nice change!


Besides having huge green space, beautiful flower beds and a nice scenery, Centre Isalnd offers visitors many other things to do and see.

When our kids were young, we brought them here and we could easily spend a whole day in  Centreville - a place for kids to have fun.

Lots of rides for kids at CentreVille

Centreville still have many rides for kids!

Kids can choose from train rides, pony rides, swam rides, cable cars, haunted house, bumper cars, and miniature golf etc.

We are not kids but we felt like one again when we were there!

Town Hall in Centreville

We purchased tickets for our ride at the ticket boot located beside the Town Hall.

Visitors have the options of purchasing an all day pass or buying individual tickets for the rides.

It took us 6 tickets for the canoe ride per person ( about Can $ 6.00!)

We got on the Canoe Water Ride and got us just a little bit wet.

Centre Island welcomes many visitors each year

I took the Canoe Ride before with my sons years ago and it was scary when the canoe went up to the top and plunged down to the bottom.. Somehow, this time it did not seem that scary.

How age changes us, even our perception of scary things!

Brilliant displays of flowers and plants in the park

What I love about Centre Island is the colourful and the displays of a variety of flowers, plants, and shrubs.

CN Tower - As seen from  Centre ISland Park

The island  park is also a good venue to take some great shots of the CN Tower, one of Toronto's famous landmarks. 

Lookout point at Centre Island

Since I am a beginner photographer, I take great delight in taking pictures whenever we visit Centre Island as there are many wonderful spots for doing so.

This look out point and the beach area in Centre Island are picture perfect spots for people interested in taking nice scenery pictures.

Feel the sand on the island beach!

On a nice hot day, visitors can either sunbath on the beach or relax in the lake water.

Centre Island - One of Our Most Favourite Parks in Toronto

Centre Island - a beautiful park, a lovely huge green space and a free recreational area for all the inhabitants and visitors to enjoy in Toronto!  A summer escape, a retreat from the hustle and bustle of the big city! It is our Central Park in Toronto. We love it!

R.T.
Centre Island, Toronto Island Park
Toronto  

A Creative Entertainment Idea at the Toronto Jazz Festival

Toronto Jazz Festival - A Summer Tradition!

Toronto is a great place to be during the summer months!

The city hosts so many festivals and special events that there is often more than one festival happening every weekend during the months of June, July and August.

Toronto Jazz Festival - Nathan Philip Square, Toronto

One of my husband's favourite festival is the annual Jazz Festival hosted by the city and sponsored by some big corporation. I am not a great jazz friend but because my husband loves it so much, I go along and enjoy the music as well.

Free Game Booths attracted lots of people

We checked the event venues and learned that there were many musical performances taking place all over the city. Some are paid events while many of them are free for anyone to enjoy.

Free musical entertainment

We chose to go the  Nathan Philips Square located right downtown at the corner of Queen and Bay, easily accessible by subway and public transit.

Free music provided all day to event goers

Since it was a Sunday, we purchased a holiday pass at the subway station for $11.00 which allowed an all day unlimited travel on all the subways, buses and street cars for a family with two adults and four children.
A really good deal!






Although there were only four adults in our group, each couple purchased a pass and we could hop and off anytime. It was great traveling downtown without having to worry about finding a parking spot for our card.

People danced to the tune of great music

Getting out of the Queen Station, it was merely a stone throw away from the Toronto City Hall and the Square. At the square, a huge stage was set up and there were free concerts provided for the public to enjoy every noon hour during the week. .

A creative way of providing free music call day

There were many booths with displays, vendors with books, crafts items,  free games and musical performances. The one station we all enjoyed was the creative idea of providing the public with free music on the headphones.

Great music, wonderful atmosphere & a beautiful day!

Although we missed the noon hour free concert, we still caught some of the free entertainment.

There were some young people with headphones hanging on their arms walking around, ready to give them out for free to event goer who would be interested to listen to some great music.







 Many people including us did take advantage of this free offer. With dance music playing piping into their ears, people moved, sang and danced along to the tunes. It was great fun!






A very creative way of entertaining the crowd all day with beautiful on a great summer day!
Thanks, Toronto, you did it again!


R.T.
TD Toronto Jazz Festival
Toronto

A Teacher Turned Artist- Lillian Skerletovic's Toronto Art Exhibition

Peter MacKendrick Community Gallery, Toronto - Lillian's  Art Exhibition Venue

 Last week, I was pleasantly surprised to receive an invitation from Lillian, one of my long time friends, to her own art exhibition held in Toronto!

Lillian and I go back a long way! She is one of my best friends from among my teaching colleagues.

We knew each other almost twenty years ago shortly after she and her family immigrated from Serbia  to Canada.

I still remember her vividly the
first time I saw her at our school.

 Though a supply teacher at the time, Lillian made a lasting impression on me - the dedication she showed to her students; the way she dressed and how she coordinated the colour of her outfits.

 She was substituting for a French teacher for about a month at the time. I would pass by her classroom and purposely slow down my pace so that I could take a look of what she was wearing that day.

 I loved the clever and artistic ways in which she used accessories to dress up her outfits. A European thing I guess, not something we often see in Canadian teachers.






I know that Lillian is very artistic;  she would make a fantastic art teacher! I have seen and admired her work in painting, in jewellery design/ making.

Therefore, it was not a big surprise to me that she would have her own art exhibition one day.

What surprised me was the tremendous amount of energy and time she has spent on her artistic pursuits.

As a former teacher, I know how exhausting it is dealing with energetic students all day.

When I was a teacher, I would go home and collapse on the couch at the end of a teaching day, totally devoid of any energy left for anything!

How Lillian has managed to have created so many pieces of art is beyond my comprehension.

Storm in the Night - My Favourite!

My friend, Lillian, is an energetic, ambitious, determined woman! She has many dreams. Having her own art exhibition is one of them.

The Artist and Her Work at the Art Exhibition

 I was glad that I was able to attend my friend's  first art exhibition, to admire her art pieces, to congratulate her in person and to share in the joy of  Lillian having achieved one of her dreams!

Congratulations and well done, Lillian!

R.T.
Toronto