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Go east, Yonge man
By John Masters-Contributing writer
TORONTO-Ah, the mysterious east. In downtown Toronto, that means most things east of Yonge Street.
All the cool stuff, the power centres, the places people come to town to see, are west of Yonge: the financial district, the entertainment hot spots, the sports palaces, the art gallery, the museum, the university, the provincial legislature, the CN Tower.
Until recently, historic St. Lawrence Market was the one sizable draw east of Yonge, and only a few minutes' walk at that.
Then, in May 2003, the Distillery District sprang to life almost a dozen blocks away at Parliament and Mills streets.
Entrepreneurs converted the massive, semi-derelict Gooderham & Worts warehouses and distilleries into an industrial Victorian village of chic shops, galleries and places to eat.
The success of the Distillery District has drawn fresh attention to downtown Toronto's eastern side. Interest is greatest among history buffs, since this is where the city got its start. And if it's the past you want, Bruce Bell would be pleased to walk you through it.
Bell is a former actor with a passion for Toronto history-so much so that he's personally erected a series of historical plaques at significant spots the city hasn't bothered to, such as the place where the Great Fire of 1849 began, which destroyed most of early Toronto. (It's at 160 King St. East, at what was then Covey's Inn, a popular drinking spot.)
Bell will take you through the two most popular places, the Distillery District and the St. Lawrence Market, pointing out things you wouldn't otherwise see, such as the well James Worts threw himself down in 1834 after his wife died and the irons pegs on the wall in the basement of the market that prisoners were shackled to when this was the city jail.
But the most interesting parts of his tours lead you to places you'd never go at all without him. The small parking lot next to St. James Cathedral, for example.
"Those are the cholera pits," says Bell. "About 6,000 people are buried there from the cholera epidemic of 1832, stacked up."
More cheerfully, there's Toronto's first post office, opened in 1833, at 260 Adelaide St. East. Not only can you buy stamps and post your letter, but you can write it using a quill pen and ink, then seal it with wax.
Bell's most delightful find is Toronto's oldest store, at 167 King St. East.
It's been in business since 1833, somehow surviving the Great Fire of 1849, which started just across the road.
Beneath its pressed-tin ceiling have been a grocery, apothecary, silversmith's, newspaper office, cigar store and watchmaker's, among other things.
Today it's an art gallery. The best part is upstairs, which has been stripped back to the original brick and wood. The frame of a window is badly distorted.
Your guide explains why: there's a stream under the property, one of many small water courses covered over as the city grew. Now they are secrets known only to few, like Bruce Bell.
If you go...
For more information on Bruce Bell Tours visit the guide's website at www.brucebelltours.com.
For information on Toronto visit the Tourism Toronto website at www.torontotourism.com.
By John Masters-Contributing writer
TORONTO-Ah, the mysterious east. In downtown Toronto, that means most things east of Yonge Street.
All the cool stuff, the power centres, the places people come to town to see, are west of Yonge: the financial district, the entertainment hot spots, the sports palaces, the art gallery, the museum, the university, the provincial legislature, the CN Tower.
Until recently, historic St. Lawrence Market was the one sizable draw east of Yonge, and only a few minutes' walk at that.
Then, in May 2003, the Distillery District sprang to life almost a dozen blocks away at Parliament and Mills streets.
Entrepreneurs converted the massive, semi-derelict Gooderham & Worts warehouses and distilleries into an industrial Victorian village of chic shops, galleries and places to eat.
The success of the Distillery District has drawn fresh attention to downtown Toronto's eastern side. Interest is greatest among history buffs, since this is where the city got its start. And if it's the past you want, Bruce Bell would be pleased to walk you through it.
Bell is a former actor with a passion for Toronto history-so much so that he's personally erected a series of historical plaques at significant spots the city hasn't bothered to, such as the place where the Great Fire of 1849 began, which destroyed most of early Toronto. (It's at 160 King St. East, at what was then Covey's Inn, a popular drinking spot.)
Bell will take you through the two most popular places, the Distillery District and the St. Lawrence Market, pointing out things you wouldn't otherwise see, such as the well James Worts threw himself down in 1834 after his wife died and the irons pegs on the wall in the basement of the market that prisoners were shackled to when this was the city jail.
But the most interesting parts of his tours lead you to places you'd never go at all without him. The small parking lot next to St. James Cathedral, for example.
"Those are the cholera pits," says Bell. "About 6,000 people are buried there from the cholera epidemic of 1832, stacked up."
More cheerfully, there's Toronto's first post office, opened in 1833, at 260 Adelaide St. East. Not only can you buy stamps and post your letter, but you can write it using a quill pen and ink, then seal it with wax.
Bell's most delightful find is Toronto's oldest store, at 167 King St. East.
It's been in business since 1833, somehow surviving the Great Fire of 1849, which started just across the road.
Beneath its pressed-tin ceiling have been a grocery, apothecary, silversmith's, newspaper office, cigar store and watchmaker's, among other things.
Today it's an art gallery. The best part is upstairs, which has been stripped back to the original brick and wood. The frame of a window is badly distorted.
Your guide explains why: there's a stream under the property, one of many small water courses covered over as the city grew. Now they are secrets known only to few, like Bruce Bell.
If you go...
For more information on Bruce Bell Tours visit the guide's website at www.brucebelltours.com.
For information on Toronto visit the Tourism Toronto website at www.torontotourism.com.