I’m honored and proud to be profiled in the Toronto Star’s re-occuring column Four City Blocks.

This article has inspired me to dedicate all of next week to writing about the St. Lawrence Market.

Below is the article as it appears in Friday, January 2nd’s newspaper.

4 CITY BLOCKS

TheStar.com | living |

Downtown is `Toronto at its best’

St. Lawrence Market area boasts location, location, location, not to mention Nanaimo bars

Jan 02, 2009 04:30 AM
Emily Mathieu
Staff Reporter

Original architecture and proximity to family and food are what David Fleming loves about his King St. E. home.

“This is original Toronto,” says Fleming.  “What I like best about the area is it combines new and old.”

A prime example is the low-rise condominium he calls home.  It has the original facade of a bank building that is used as a vestibule.

The area is also close tot he city’s financial centre but manages to feel removed from the hustle and bustle of Bay Street, he says.

When it comes to scoping out the assets of a particular neighborhood, Fleming has an informed eye.  He works for Bosley Real Estate Ltd. and has a blog, www.torontorealtyblog.com.

We start off at King St. near Sherbourne St., and head west.

Where can you get a pint?

Betty’s at 240 King St. E.  “It’s always packed every night,” Fleming says.  “There are at least a few people you know.  It’s like Cheers.”

Another neighborhood haunt is Gabby’s Eatery & Taps at 189 King St. E.  “It’s a little more quaint and a little more quiet.”

What is the area known for?

One thing is furniture, Fleming says.  As we walk, we stop and marvel at an antique red table in the window of Grange, 150 King St. E.  It has a $3,200 price tag.

“I don’t know about you, but I am not at the point in my life where I can buy a table for $3,200,” Fleming says as we both shake our heads in amazement.  “Obviously, people in the area must be able to afford it.”

Any big perks in the area?

One rather big one, the St. Lawrence Market.  “I love the market.  I love St. Lawrence Hall,” says Fleming as we stop to view the facade of the building at 157 King St. E.

“Look at the detail on this one,” he says, admiring the care that went into the construction of the historic building.  “Now, they just throw them up.  It’s just glass and concrete.”

“That is what I find interesting….This is authentic, original Toronto at its best.”

Where can you get a good greasy breakfast?

“Every Sunday, like clockwork, my brother, mother and I have brunch at The Jason George (100 Front St. E.),” Fleming says.

“Then we head over to the flea market to hunt for antiques.”

Conveniently, his younger brother lives in the area.  His mother has to come in from the northeast end of the city.

Fleming’s choice of fare is standard bacon and eggs.  “How can you go wrong at noon on a Sunday?”

In the summer, there is always something going on at the market, Fleming says.  Two examples this year were Buskerfest and Woofstock.

Last year, Fleming travelled to Budapest, where the Great Hall market reminded him of home.

The St. Lawrence Market has that same old-world feel, he says, and was built about the same time.

“If you had to think about one of Toronto’s top five landmarks, this is probably it….so living so close to this is amazing.”

As we explored the market, we are dazzled by the amount of sweets at the Future Bakery and Cafe counter.  That’s where he admits to being a bit of a Nanaimo bar addict.”

“If I had to pick one pastry, one junk food, absolutely.”

We also check out a meat counter with an astonishing variety of birds for sale.  Fleming rattles off the choices: “Ostrich, pheasant, quail, partridge….I don’t know what a squab is, but it sounds yummy.”

Any downsides to the area?

“Honestly, I can’t think of anything,” Fleming says.  “I have a streetcar right outside my door and I am an eight-minute walk from the King subway station.”

The Rogers Centre (Spadina Ave. and Bremner Blvd.) is a 15-minute walk away.

King St. E. is close to some rougher areas of the city, he says.

“That doesn’t really factor into my thoughts but, like any area of toronto, you are always a stone’s throw away from a less-desireable area.”

He does have one serious complaint: The market is closed on Sunday.

“That, to me, seems really strange, because that is the day when I would do most of my shopping.  I don’t understand it.”

Any hidden gems?

Just one, the Upfront Bar & Grill, 106 Front St. E.  It is where a scene from Good Will Hunting was filmed.

The place often seems pretty empty, another puzzle for Fleming.

“They should have a huge sign, ‘Good Will Hunting was filmed here.'”