Curiosities
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This is what the Toronto subway tastes like
Union Station tastes like fried onions. James Wannerton knows this because he tastes words. Due to a rare and unusual neurological condition called...
By Chris Bateman -
The great Toronto bridge swap of 1928
The Canadian Pacific Railway had two 243-ton problems in early 1928. Its two newest and most powerful locomotives were due to be ready for the...
By Chris Bateman -
The slow and deadly evolution of Toronto’s crosswalks
Crossing the street in Toronto has been a potentially deadly challenge for almost a century. Until the 1950s, when the number of automobiles dramatically...
By Chris Bateman -
Nicknaming the Toronto Skyline — why buildings need affectionate names
With the L Tower nearing completion, Toronto’s horizon has been pierced by another iconic skyscraper. The L Tower’s semicircular form is instantly...
By Daniel Rotsztain -
There are 100 graves in the parking lot of this mall
The 100 or so people interred at Christie’s Methodist Cemetery near Warden and Finch never expected they would spend a portion of eternity buried...
By Chris Bateman -
Fallen Toronto
Long-time Spacing illustrator Matthew Borrett has re-imagined his popular “Future Shoreline?” image, which appeared in the magazine’s...
By Dylan Reid -
REID: How many people vote randomly for school board trustee?
I’ve noticed that, in school board elections, even the bottom candidates tend to get a fairly large number of votes compared to the bottom...
By Dylan Reid -
How Tomlin’s Creek was lost, found, and lost again
There’s ancient Lake Iroquois sand on Glen Davis Crescent near Kingston Rd. and Woodbine Ave., you just have to look closely to see it. A clue to...
By Chris Bateman -
How the CN Tower killed Toronto’s rooftop lookouts
There was a time when observation decks were all the rage in Toronto. The designers and developers of tall buildings like TD Centre, Commerce Court, and...
By Chris Bateman -
Toronto’s swelling bedrock
In general, Toronto is a relatively easy place to build underground. Our glacial history left the city with stiff clayey soil and our earthquakes are...
By Shoshanna Saxe -
In memory of the St. Lawrence Market canopy
In 2012, National Geographic ranked the St. Lawrence Market the best in the world. The vendors on both sides of Front Street were lauded for the quality...
By Chris Bateman -
A guide to recognizing Toronto’s five saints
Old Toronto was a city of saints. Their names were stitched into the fabric of the community by the first settlers from the British Isles, starting in the...
By Chris Bateman