A great market and The Westside of Toronto

First stop on Saturday morning: St. Lawrence Market, one of the best assorted markets in the world. It is divided in one big market hall, the South Market, and another modern building to the North for a Farmers Market on Saturday and an Antiques Market on Sunday. 

The historic hall on the left photo contains over 120 specialty vendors of all kinds on two levels. With the exeption of Monday, the market hall is open every day.

The new North Market building (below) only opened in May 2025 and is primarily known for its Saturday Farmers' Market, a tradition begun on this site in 1803 with producers of Southern Ontario - among them Amish and Mennonites - bringing their seasonal produce to the city.

Fantastic  variety and quality of produce, from sausages and meat to fish and cheeses, baking goods, veggies and fruits, dry goods, household items and much more:

After having bought some dinner items at the market we left for Graffiti Alley in Queen West, officially called "Rush Lane". This three-block, 1-km long alleyway is known for excellent street art. But,,, frankly, there are many other neighborhoods in town with excellent murals, just not in this accumulation.

Ossington was next, a Westside neighborhood, which completely surprised us: very vibrant, creative and "hipp". Live music, cafés, bars, restaurants lining up - seems to be a real hotspot for young people - and is easily walkable. 

Even better than West Queen West, another adjacent neighborhood, which is similar, but not as "packed".

Little Portugal, our next stop, nowadays does not havea whole lot to do with Portugal anymore. There is a main square (photo further below) with a cultural center, but for the rest the area is rather mixed, as are many neighborhoods in Toronto now.

On the way back to our AirBnB in the late afternoon - it was very humid and warm all day, but mostly cloudy – we first stopped at the Museum of Contemporary Art, which is in a rather ugly industrial neighborhood, and at nearby Henderson Brewery (closed) before we took the streetcar to the Allan Gardens. This indoor botanical garden features five greenhouses: Arid, Tropical, Palm, Orchid & Bromeliad and Temperate and is well worth the visit.

And, last, but not least: Peter got his new Tilley Hat! His old one, which we bought on one of our first visits, like at least 15 years ago, doesn't look so good anymore and we bought a new model. This legendary Canadian company is known for durable outdoor hats, but carries clothing, too, in the meantime. Called it a day on our patio then, catching up with work, photos and notes.