Moss Park / Queen & Sherbourne

[egotrippin]

Well put. Those tennis courts are invaluable to me, I love having something within a ten minute walk. Although I wish they had real nets, as opposed to the chain-link fence-nets, but I guess real netting gets stolen/wrecked.

 

[Seymour]

Is Moss Park near Allen Gardens? Allen Gardens are beautiful ( don't go in the public washrooms there though - beyond nasty) but the area surrounding it is ....horrendous. It's like every whackjob in the city lives around there. Schizoprenics, junkies, tourettes syndrome nutjobs, drooling tards, I took my kids there and found myself having to try to explain the crazies that were out en masse.

 

[junctionist]

It can middle class sensibilities which have permeated society, like that of childhood innocence, which emerged as a Victorian middle class ideal.

 

[cabbagetowner]

i've been condoized at richmond and sherbourne for 5 yrs and have enjoyed the benefits of living 200m away from a great park and rec facility of moss park/john innes.

i play alot of basketball and since the courts have been installed, the numbers of players weeknights is incredible-two full courts, perhaps 60-70 guys. but it's been great watching the evolution of participants-at first mostly moss park regent kids now morphing into a combo of students, condo dwellers and the moss park/regent kids. it's a great equalizer, and while people are not 'making friends for life' or anything, it attracts all types of hoopsters who want a good workout, good game, a great open space with nice courts... i'll swing by 5 nights a week on my way home from work to check who's there and determine if i'll play. one of those quietly unassuming things that make a city work

john innes is an aging facility but has all the goods (track, weight room pool, billards) to stay in shape. i play ball there on sundays in the winter and it's free sunday afternoons. always a good run

just a bit of a narrative here about how much of a home i consider the park to be, with an incredible diversity of people using it for all types of things (gardening, bball, soccer, baseball, smoking dope, wall ball, etc. by the way, for you photo enthusiasts, if you havent been in john innes, they have a great collection of photos of the park/rec facility spanning across the ages-check it out

great post. a place is what you make of it.

 

[cracktowner]

A poutineri rises in Cracktown.

 

[Roy G Biv]

The corner of Sherbourne and Dundas has been ranked as one of Toronto’s most dangerous intersections. The area ranks first in virtually every category of violent crime in Toronto.

http://www.metronews.ca/toronto/local/article/298140--toronto-s-worst-hoods

 

[cgguy]

http://www.metronews.ca/toronto/local/article/298140--toronto-s-worst-hoods

Just today while out on my lunch break I walked past a transient male urinating smack dab in the middle of the sidewalk, pants round his ankles, business out for all to see in broad daylight on the corner of Sherbourne and Richmond. Not 10 minutes later another transient male passes by us wearing no pants and only torn boxer shorts.

I think the "locals" got a hold of this article and are doing their best to live up to the standard.

 

[OttoSchloss]

^in San Francisco he'd be taking a dump.

 

[Urban Shocker]

I miss all the fun.

 

[dt_toronto_geek]

Is Moss Park near Allen Gardens? Allen Gardens are beautiful ( don't go in the public washrooms there though - beyond nasty) but the area surrounding it is ....horrendous. It's like every whackjob in the city lives around there. Schizoprenics, junkies, tourettes syndrome nutjobs, drooling tards, I took my kids there and found myself having to try to explain the crazies that were out en masse.

Just today while out on my lunch break I walked past a transient male urinating smack dab in the middle of the sidewalk, pants round his ankles, business out for all to see in broad daylight on the corner of Sherbourne and Richmond. Not 10 minutes later another transient male passes by us wearing no pants and only torn boxer shorts.

I think the "locals" got a hold of this article and are doing their best to live up to the standard.

Maybe a little compassion here for these folks? Perhaps you could give some thought as to how lucky you are for not succumbing to a mental illness in your life, fallen through the cracks and ended up in such a sad situation when friends and family abandon you. That and substance abuse are the likely stories behind most of these people.

 

[UserNameToronto]

Just today while out on my lunch break I walked past a transient male urinating smack dab in the middle of the sidewalk, pants round his ankles, business out for all to see in broad daylight on the corner of Sherbourne and Richmond. Not 10 minutes later another transient male passes by us wearing no pants and only torn boxer shorts.

I lived in the neighbourhood and enjoyed it--but yes, you see stuff like that pretty consistently.

That said, it happens everywhere. Last night at 7pm there was a sketchy old guy urinating between the Martin Goodman Trail and Lakeshore Blvd beside Ontario Place - full frontal towards the slow moving Ex traffic. Welcome to Toronto, 519ers!

 

[Roy G Biv]

When I moved to Toronto 3 years ago, these kinds of scenes really shocked me, but now I rarely look twice. This openess is almost comfortable in a way. In Paris, I found the lack of homeless people kind of eery.

When you don't see mentally ill people in the streets, they're probably locked up somewhere, a strategy which would likely have a lot of public support here.

 

[cracktowner]

Maybe a little compassion here for these folks? Perhaps you could give some thought as to how lucky you are for not succumbing to a mental illness in your life, fallen through the cracks and ended up in such a sad situation when friends and family abandon you. That and substance abuse are the likely stories behind most of these people.

Pretty much every day for the last 20 years I've thought about what could make the situation better and come up blank. I either joke about it or I'll have to switch hoods. Although there is steady stream of news about people who do beat their demons, http://www.thestar.com/article/690692 , I think these success stories are the exceptions.

Compassion without action is worthless. So what's your action?

 

[PukeGreen]

Pretty much every day for the last 20 years I've thought about what could make the situation better and come up blank. I either joke about it or I'll have to switch hoods. Although there is steady stream of news about people who do beat their demons, http://www.thestar.com/article/690692 , I think these success stories are the exceptions.

Compassion without action is worthless. So what's your action?

So your negative jaded pessimism without action is fine, but dt's similar compassion is worthless? Wow, harsh.

 

[cracktowner]

So your negative jaded pessimism without action is fine, but dt's similar compassion is worthless? Wow, harsh.

I hope I don't come across as harsh. Living next to Satan House for 2 decades I care a lot about the crackies - April, Scarface, Billy, Albert, et al., and I've made some friends, particularly W- who has me over for dinner all the time and brings me back T-shirts from Ethiopia.

But, yes, I do joke about the street and it's freaks all the time, and I don't think I'm discounting anyone's suffering. It's pretty common for people in crap situations to employ humour.

What isn't at all funny is that many residents have tried for years, (Lord have we tried!!) to get action from Councillor Rae and numerous mayors to zero effect.