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Bloordale Village

W

West End Boy

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Thought I would finally start a thread about my 'hood. It doesn't have a catchy name that's in common use, but it's a great place to live and there's a lot of change going on lately.

Some new restaurants and cafes have opened in the last few years, a new art gallery (Toronto Free Gallery) with rumours of other very established galleries to come. Also rumours of a cool new bar being opened soon by folks who own another well-known bar in a very cool neighbourhood. Lots of storefronts being modernized. Heck, even the local strip club has renovated recently. There's a definite feeling of momentum and confidence in the neighbourhood.

The Bloor Gladstone Library is undergoing a huge transformation as well, and there was talk of the school board selling Kent and Bloor Collegiate for redevelopment. Dufferin Mall has been gussied up extensively, and very close by is Dufferin Grove Park, one of the most active and popular parks in the city.

Would love to hear from anyone else with info on what's happening in our neighbourhood!
 
Lansdowne near Bloor used to be my old stomping ground. Your right, the place is starting to change ever so slowly.

Ciros on Bloor has always been a favourite hang-out of mine.
 
One name for that area is "Bloordale". That's the name the BIA uses too.

DIGIN is one community group in the area that is worth checking out: http://www.digin.ca/

They're also involved in putting on the "BIG on Bloor" festival on June 21st. The festival will stretch from Lansdowne to Christie along Bloor St. http://bigonbloor.com/

My own favourite place so far is the South Indian Dosa Mahal. Cheap and tasty.

It's a bit rough around the edges, but there's really a ton of great place to go and things to do in this neighbourhood. Great people too.

Cheers,
Vic
 
Dosa Mahal is one of my favourites too. The new Vietnamese place on the north side of Bloor near Pauline, Pho My Duyen, is excelllent too.

I know that the name Bloordale is sometimes used, but I don't think it's really caught on, probably because it sounds so generic. Some people include us in Brockton, but I think that might be stretching it.
 
This is my current 'hood as well. It's great living so close to Dufferin Mall but I never frequent any of the businesses along Bloor Street. (Except for Sweet Pete's Bike Shop and Tim Horton's.). Am I missing out on some great cuisine?
 
casaguy said:
This is my current 'hood as well. It's great living so close to Dufferin Mall but I never frequent any of the businesses along Bloor Street. (Except for Sweet Pete's Bike Shop and Tim Horton's.). Am I missing out on some great cuisine?
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I definitely enjoy Pho My Duyen, and the aforementioned South Indian Dosa Mahal at St.Clarens is excellent too. And both are great deals which doesn't hurt. Ciro's, which is just west of Lansdowne, is a great relaxed bar with lots of international beers. Those are the 3 I know of and would recommend trying.
 
deerparker said:
according to the toronto neighbourhoods real estate site, brockton is the correct name for the area bounded by those streets south to the tracks.
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That's interesting. I wonder if this is historical or just real estate talk. As a neighbourhood, the areas north and south of Bloor seem like they are connected and should have a single name to me.
 
Living and working in the area (Well Ossington and Bloor rather than Lansdowne) it is interesting reading articles about it and comparing them to the reality. What I find funny is that most create a story ark that kind of doesn't tell the whole story. They call the area run down etc. which it is and even cited population decline from stats Can as proof of how bad it is. This is exactly opposite of why the population declined. Population decline occured because of massive gentrification in the adjacent residential side streets. Homes are expensive in the area and must buyers are young professional and Caucasian. The artists seeding the area for gentrification ark is also erroneous in this instance. Residential gentrification occured long before the current artist invasion. What the artists are doing is colonizing the commercial strip which is run down because the business owners cater to largely ethnic clientele that no longer exist or are in decline. It is not a function of the lack of disposable income in the area, but that people who already live in the area treat it as a kind of downtown suburb, choosing to spend their time and money in nearby more established neighbourhoods like Bloor West, the Annex, Little Italy, Queen West West, etc. or at the mall while their local street which doesn't have much to offer them languishes.
 
About time this area started funking it up. It's always amazed me that Bloor between Christie and almost Keele has remained as dumpy as it has considering it's been sitting on top of a subway line for 40+ years now. I'd love to see the whole stretch transform into one huge Annex extension - then Bloor would really become the new Queen west.
 
This is my new 'hood too and I love it. My spouse and I moved away from Drakeland and are so glad.

It's also great to see the railpath park taking shape off Wallace Ave. I had heard a rumour about the local police division relocating on Landsdowne, does anyone know if that is still in the works?
 
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