Thank You, Thomas Wolfe

I don't usually get homesick for Toronto, except at curiously random times; I'm a California girl now, or at least like to think of myself as such. That being said, articles like this can cause a twinge or two, which is doubly odd because frankly, I've been gone so long, I don't recognize anything on this list except street and neighborhood names and El Convento Rico.

36 Hours in Toronto

On the other hand, with the warm weather ramping up (though maybe not actually IN Toronto, according to friends and family still on the ground), I'm having regular moments of wanting to show my girls how fun summer in a walkable, tree-lined city can be. I miss corner stores where you can buy freezies and orangsicles. I miss Greg's Ice Cream. I miss gelato in Little Italy, and drinks on pub patios. I miss it still being hot at 9 pm. I miss the cool darkness of the Royal Ontario Museum. I miss taking the ferry to Toronto Island and tangling with Canada geese. I miss Caravan. I miss Chinese food at 3 am after Coffee Crisp martinis. I miss the parks. I miss the parks SO MUCH. I miss riding the subway. I miss the grottiness of the Ex. I miss walking to the library every weekend. I miss pierogi. I miss Greek food. I miss Ontario Place (though it's apparently changed a ton). I miss the boardwalks.

Sigh. Fair enough. I miss Toronto.