On Saturday I had my first Ginger Snaps photo adventure in quite some time.  I decided to stay close to home for this long weekend and took the trusty TTC to a groovy up-and-coming west end Toronto neighbourhood called The Junction (and as I walked its main street I found myself humming that old School House Rock grammar lesson in the title of this post.  Remember it?).  Rather than up and coming I should write “rejuvenated” as The Junction is one of the oldest neighbourhoods in Toronto.  In fact, this area used to be called the Town of West Toronto Junction when it was established in 1884.  I was surprised to learn it was the home of the very first running of the Queen’s Plate on the former Carleton Race Course.  The straightaways for this course are now High Park and Pacific Avenues.  For those of you readers who like me love local history, please visit The West Toronto Historical Society here to learn more about its storied past.

I decided to visit The Junction as part of a planned “save-some-gas-and-the-planet-summer-of-discovery” tour here in my hometown of Toronto.  I’ve lived here 14 years but have not really investigated every nook and cranny of this patchwork of neighbourhoods city.  Besides, when researching where to visit first, I learned that The Junction is home to a collection of funky vintage industrial design stores.  I took the picture above in a shop called Smash which has a fantastic collection of ephemera (I’ve been dying to use that word in a sentence… :)) from metal carts, film reels, shoe horns to graphic prints and letters.  I immediately gravitated to the post stacked high with books that seems to be holding the ceiling in place.  Check out this funky shop here.

I also visited a calm oasis called Mjolk – a fabulous shop celebrating all things Scandinavian and modern.  The aesthetic is definitely minimalist.  If you’re looking for some unique furniture or kitchen wares for your place, look no further than this shop.  Plus, the owners John and Juli make you feel quite at home.  You can find more about Mjolk here. 

 I also visited a new shop to The Junction called Metropolis Living.  Like Smash, this shop is chock-a-block full of unique industrial and historical finds, all with a funky edge to them.  Huge metal letters, medicine cabinets, old globes…you name it, you’ll find it here.  I know where I’m going when I finally get that loft for which I’m saving all my hard-earned pennies!  You can find a review of Metropolis Living here.

To complete my first adventure to The Junction, I had a few moments to relax on the patio of a local restaurant called The Beet Organic Cafe.  Situated on a street corner within an old bank building, The Beet is a special spot.  All food on the menu is organically grown and the patio is a little slice of heaven off the busy Dundas West strip.  Go to The Beet if you ever find yourself in The Junction. I found it using the Urban Spoon app on my iPad and here is the review.

Ok, you can probably guess that I enjoyed my short visit to The Junction and only just scratched the surface of all the great eateries and shops.  I plan to go back soon and often.  Where shall I go next for my tour of Toronto neighbourhoods????

If you would like to see all the snaps I took yesterday, please visit the July Adventures gallery on my website here.  Happy long weekend everyone!