roncesvalles

10 signs you live in Roncesvalles

If you manage to survive the gauntlet of families, strollers, dogs and lush little community garden plots you cannot by any means touch, then you'll make it through the Roncesvalles neighbourhood. With its heart on Roncevalles Ave, and it's growing arteries on the outskirts, this is one part of town that quickly becomes addictive and a place you fiercely defend as home.

Here are 10 signs you live in Roncesvalles.

1. You have your allegiances to your favourite local indie cafe but don't dare say a bad thing about Cherry Bomb.

2. By all means necessary you avoid Cherry Blossom Festival peak season in High Park, and are often on the lookout for escaped zoo animals.

3. You skip making dinner on Monday and head to the friendly/aggressively local Sorauren Farmer's Market to get fed.

4. You always forget to bring cash when you buy most of your fruits and vegetables, year round from Maple Produce.

5. You try to avoid the judgemental gazes of the Polish babcia's when walking home in last night's outfit on Sunday as they're heading to one of the dozens of intimidating churches along the street.

6. You love that little bouncy moment in front of Saint Vincent de Paul church with that random stretch of the sidewalk made out of rubber.

7. You walk by the Revue Cinema and wonder why the hell there's a lineup halfway down the block. What one-off film or event is happening in there?

8. You've waited what feels like a good 12 minutes a the intersections of Queen/King/Roncesvalles and/or Dundas and Roncescalles. Those traffic lights have a lot of changes to go through!

9. Kolbasa (and other wonderfully unhealthy Euro treats like schnitzel, latkes, and cabbage rolls) from Super Kolbasa are regularly on your grocery list.

10. You try and order meat at Chicago's Deli without saying hello in Polish first. They're not being rude, they just don't care about you if you don't speak one single word of Polish.

What are your personal highlights of things only Roncesvallians would understand? Tell us in the comments.

Photo by Michael Monastyrskyj in the blogTO Flickr pool.


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