Hello and welcome to my blog! I’m glad you’re here. It’s week 22 in 2022 and I’m hosting Weekend Coffee Share linkup #72. Come on in for a coffee or tea and let’s chat.
It’s been a week of hot and humid weather from Monday to Wednesday. Toronto hit a record-breaking high of 32.1 C (89.8F) on Tuesday. It felt more like 36C (97F) with humidity. Cooler air arrived on Wednesday night. Trees are full of green leaves, flowers are blooming and pollinators are busy.
I cycled to the waterfront for a fresh lake breeze and walked in the morning when it was cooler. Here are some pictures from the two parks, two beaches and a courtyard that I explored.
1. David Crombie Park
David Crombie Park is located in the St. Lawrence neighbourhood in the east end of downtown Toronto. The park is named after the former Mayor of Toronto who served from 1972 to 1978 and oversaw the creation of the St. Lawrence neighbourhood.
It’s a long park with plenty of tree shades. At the east end, there is a wall with two murals on its two sides. The murals, with nature and community themes, were painted by artists Shalak Attack and Bruno Smoky (also known as Los Clandestinos) in 2014.
2. Sugar Beach
A few blocks south of David Crombie Park is Sugar Beach with white chairs under pink umbrellas, a tree-lined promenade and beautiful lake views. In May, bright daffodils and tulips were planted along the bike path and sidewalks. It’s a nice place to relax and enjoy a sunny day.
3. Sunnyside Park
Sunnyside Park is located in the west end of Toronto on the shore of Lake Ontario. The park has big trees, grassy fields, picnic tables, a nice 3 km (1.9 miles) long boardwalk, and benches facing Humber Bay.
4. Sunnyside Beach
Running parallel with the park is Sunnyside Beach, a wonderful spot to cool off on warm days. Walking on the beach, on a clear day, one can see the CN Tower to the east and the white Humber Bay Arch bridge to the west.
5. Sunnyside Pavilion Courtyard
Steps from the beach is Sunnyside Pavilion Café which has a lakefront patio and a charming courtyard behind the iron gate. The small garden complete with a fountain was designed by landscape architect, artist and horticulturist H. Stephen Went (1952-1989).
Sunnyside park and beach are blissful places to enjoy nature and stay cool. I cycled home feeling healthy and content.
How has your week been?
Shared with #SundayStills, #PPAC49.
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Natalie the Explorer 
Hello Natalie, what a contrast where you are to us here in Australia right now. At least some of the places I know are getting snow and there is a distinct chill in the air with rain. Your photos and descriptions brightened my (evening now) day for sure. Yes, we are in official winter here as it starts on 1 June. Thanks so much for sharing open spaces, cooling off places and beautiful shots of nature! Those blooms are amazing. Denyse.
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Hi Denyse, I’m glad my post brightened your day. I remember reading summery posts from Australian bloggers when it’s winter here. We’ll trade seasons again in a few months. Thank you for linking up. Have a wonderful week!
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You’re surrounded by some beautiful places Natalie – and fabulous artworks – I can’t believe how many you have access to and have shared over the years. The weather looks beautiful and is certainly heating up for you (while it’s beginning to cool down here for us).
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Hi Leanne, I feel fortunate to live in Toronto. The city has many parks and amazing public art. I barely scratch the surface. I just saw about 30 new-to-me murals today. We’ll trade seasons in a few months. Thank you for linking up. Have a wonderful week!
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Lovely pictures as always. How cool that you have beaches in town! And those murals are lovely–they’d be right at home here in Tucson.
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Yes, there are several lake beaches in town as the south side of Toronto is Lake Ontario. I agree with you that the earth tone and nature theme of those murals would fit in Tucson.
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It looks so beautiful. I would love to visit.
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Anne, I think you’ll enjoy Toronto. I hope you get to visit my city.
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Awesome places 👍 love the circular theater 🎭
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Thank you, JP. Glad you love the circular theatre. Youths and children like to perform there.
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I still recall my visits to Toronto, North York actually and the humidity of spring.
I was working there and always had to lug 4-6 big boxes of books with me (I was teaching) and hated the first day, because I could not get class setup with all those books without ruining my shirt with sweat. Humidity and I have never been friendly.
But the problem was that as a newlywed in those days, I always had to hustle both in and out so I got hardly any time to explore and, not being a city guy, normally chose to just drive with some of my off hours between class, dinner and bed, all north of North York where I enjoyed seeing how folks lived and those amazing tall apartment buildings surrounded by so much open land.
It was always an interesting contrast, flat with rolling hills, skyscraper buildings, open space and humid – always humid.
I really should have made a few trips to the parks of Toronto proper.
Thanks Natalie.
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Gary, I hope one day you visit Toronto for leisure. There are many beautiful parks here, especially along the shore of Lake Ontario.
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Hi Natalie, I am continually amazed (I know I say that a lot) with your city and all the beauty you enjoy on a daily basis. I love the garden photo that you shot from low to high. That perspective shows off the flowers nicely.
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Hi Suzanne, I’m also amazed at what Toronto has to offer. I barely scratch the surface. I was playing with my cellphone camera and was pleased to get that garden photo. Thank you for your positive feedback on it. Hopefully I can replicate the angle of my camera and get good results again.
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I think it’s always a bit cooler near the water and glad you can get out and about early in the day. I have only experienced humidity in our southern states here in the U.S. as my daughter has lived in Florida and I have been to Texas and the Carolina’s. Humidity is tough and makes it so much hotter! My daughter lived near the Gulf and so it was nice to get to the beach. I love all your photos, so very beautiful! I hope you have a wonderful weekend! 😀
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Hi Diana, We usually get a few heat waves in Toronto in the summer. This year it came early on the last three days in May but today is beautiful, sunny and comfortable again with high 20 Celsius (68F). I hope your family visit has been wonderful. Have a lovely weekend!
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These all look like perfect places to relax on a sunny day. The beaches look so empty! It’s not anywhere near as warm here in England, but fingers crossed it stays dry for the rest of the Jubilee celebrations.
#WeekendCoffeeShare
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Hello Jan and welcome to my blog. The beaches looked empty in my photos since I went there on a weekday morning and the official swimming season with life guards on the beaches started a day or so after my visit. Have a wonderful weekend!
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More beautiful places in Toronto. There are so many to pick from! I love that mural on both sides of the wall. Having the beaches, parks, and boardwalks along the waterfront is so very nice, Natalie. I was a bit sad when I saw that the talented architect Stephen Went didn’t live very long. Happy weekend!
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Hi Liesbet, Toronto continues to amaze me with places to explore and enjoy and I’ve been doing this regularly since the pandemic started! Like you, I feel sad when I see talented people die young. H. Stephen Went designed several parks in Toronto. He left a beautiful landscape design legacy.
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I never realized Toronto had so many beaches. Again I say, what a lovely place. You show it off to its fullest extent. Another beautiful walk. This would work beautifully for this week’s WQW post on vacations or the next one for oceans and lakes. It is a great post for lots of links, my friend. 🙂
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Hi Marsha, The south side of Toronto is on the shore of Lake Ontario so we have several lake beaches close to the downtown core. I don’t have a writer’s quote in my post so I don’t think to link up with WQW.
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I don’t know why I thought you did. LOL I just assumed, I guess because the topic was a perfect match.
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Beautiful places to visit. I like walks that allow me to move and get lost in the wonder of my surroundings. Sunnyside Park looks like just the place for me.
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Thank you, Ally. Sunnyside Park is beautiful year round. I also like big open space, especially since the pandemic is still on, and Sunnyside is right by the lake so it has both green space and water.
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These are beautiful places, Natalie. I can imagine walking through all of them, maybe even sitting a while.
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Dan, Yes, these places all have benches or big chairs for sitting.
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The parks and beach look lovely and cool.
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Yes, they’re great especially on warm days.
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How lovely to see such sunny weather when it is a bit grey and wet here (again) this morning. Sugar Beach looks lovely.
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Toronto has a fair amount of sunshine year round. I’ll be back to Sugar Beach soon to volunteer for a public art event. Hope your weather improves this weekend.
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I love the four with the beach and the tulips. How lovely!!
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It’s a nice area to relax or go for a stroll.
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Hi Natalie. I’m envious of your hot weather as we are having an early winter extreme cold spell here. These look lovely places to ride. Once again you show off your amazing city beautifully.
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Hi Jennifer, Hang in there and keep warm. I hope the extreme cold spell is short for you. I greatly enjoy Toronto’s expanded bike network and nature in and around the city.
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Toronto is one of my favorite cities and you keep giving me more reasons to return.
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Janis, I’m so pleased to hear Toronto is one of your favourite cities. I hope you consider returning soon.
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WOW The back to back murals is a wonderful idea!
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Yes, very good use of space.
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We had 5 days above 90F in May in New Hampshire, including a day that was that 36 C but -not- including the humidity! I think it was over 40C with humidity. Just strange, strange weather this year. I’m glad you were able to make it out, though I am surprised the beaches weren’t packed. Nice photos of your explorations. Have a wonderful week!
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Trent, Over 40C with humidity would keep me indoors. The beaches looked empty in my photos since I went there on a weekday morning (people were at work, kids in school, etc.). Have a wonderful weekend!
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Morning Natalie, thanks for the virtual coffee. I love the image painted under the basketball net. I’m not much of a basketball person. but it seems to be the sport of choice right now at my house. Sugar beach looks like a lovely place to walk, plus the name is great.
Have a nice weekend Natalie.
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Shari, Thank you for stopping by. Sugar Beach is a nice place to go for a stroll or sit and relax. It’s adjacent to the slip where ships come in to load and unload sugar at the Redpath Sugar refinery. Have a great weekend!
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Hi Natalie, you really take the nicest pictures and I so enjoyed this post! I live almost due south of you in the U.S., state of Kentucky, northeast corner of the state. A little town called Morehead. It’s about 437 miles south and a little west of you or around 700 kilometers. Toronto is such a beautiful city. I’ve been there several times for professional reasons although I’d like to have a few days vacation time in your beautiful city!
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Thank you, Rosemary, for your compliment of my photos. I’m glad you enjoyed my post. I’d love to visit Kentucky one day. I hope you get to return to Toronto for leisure. Have a great weekend!
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Hi Natalie. Rowena stumbled on my blog and suggested I join the #WeekendCoffeeShare. I am so glad I found you. Loved looking at your Toronto pictures. Such a welcome respite after suffering through the winter. I am one of the five Americans that graduated from U of T in 1970!!! lived in Toronto for almost 10 years. My favorite city though I understand it has changed a lot since David Crombie was mayor. Anyway experimenting with joining your community to see how it works for me.
I have two questions for you. 1. Where on my blog am I supposed to put #WeekendCoffeeShare. Is at the bottom OK? 2. Do I need to talk about my week or can I just post my Friday post on whatever subject is on my mind? Yesterday, I talked about the shakedown cruise on my new kayak. Does that work?
Anyway, nice to meet you Natalie and I think finding a community will be very interesting.
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Hi Laura, Welcome to my blog and the weekly Weekend Coffee Share blog linkup! Thank you for sharing your connections with Toronto. I’m glad to hear it’s your favourite city. I hope you enjoy what you find in the Weekend Coffee Share linkup and continue to participate any week.
To answer your questions: 1) You can put #WeekendCoffeeShare anywhere in your blog post. Some participants mention it at the top, some in the middle and some at the bottom. The main thing is to mention it and do link back (or pingback in WordPress). I have a green image on my blog side bar. You’re welcome to copy and use it for your Weekend Coffee Share post. 2) You can post on whatever is on your mind, keeping in mind I want to promote a social, fun, and supportive blogging community. I don’t want offensive, political, religious or sales posts and will remove them from the linkup. I enjoy kayaking and look forward to reading about your new kayak.
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Sounds good Natalie and I working to keep my blog deliberately A-political (sometimes hard in this divisive time but Oh so important.)
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The art in your area is always so beautiful! Have a great week, Natalie.
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Thank you, Pam. I’m glad you like the art I shared. Have a great weekend!
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It does look a lovely city, Natalie. Nice to cool off by the lake.
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Thank you, Jo. The lake breeze is welcome on warm days.
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What beautiful places to walk. So very nice. You live in a great city. Thanks for hosting and I hope that you have a wonderful week.
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Thank you, Patrick. I’m glad you like the places I shared on my blog. Have a great weekend!
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Beautiful photos Natalie! I would love to take a walk, or bike ride in all those places!
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Thank you, Maria. I was back at Sugar Beach yesterday and the trees along the promenade were full of green leaves. The heat wave gave them a growth spurt.
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I can see my neighbourhood in your Sunnyside looking west!
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On a clear day, the views from Sunnyside are amazing. I guess you’re near Humber Bay Parks? That’s a beautiful area.
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What wonderful walks, Natalie! Very inviting and cooling at the same time! I needed a cool walk the other day, but now we’ve had a cool rainy weekend. I wonder how many tulips are planted in that garden and I also like that skyline. I added your link to my post in case you were going for the numbers this weekend 🙂
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Thank you Terri for adding my link to your post. Yes, 5 walks, 2 murals, and numerous tulips, trees, benches, etc. I did a pingback and will be over to your post shortly.
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Of course! I read the 5 and figured you were heading that direction and yes you were! Great example for the theme this week!
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Wow, 32 degrees Celsius is definitely hot! I’m glad the weather cooled off later in the week and you managed to have some nice walks.
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We usually have a few heat waves in the summer. The heat event last week came early and thankfully ended after three days. It’s beautiful here this weekend.
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I love the trees around Sunnyside park. How hot can it get in Toronto?
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In June historical average high is around 70F to 75F, July and August 75F to 80F. We usually have a few heat waves in the summer and on those days, temperatures could reach 100F with humidity.
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Those murals are gorgeous. I also love the pavilion courtyard. So pretty. I think the name sugar beach is so cute and love that there are white chairs and pink umbrellas. Reminds of cotton candy. I always love your adventures. What fun to have a city to explore. We will be traveling to Ohio in August and I’m not looking forward to the humidity. But we will be on an island on Lake Erie so hopefully that helps a little to have the lake breeze.
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Kirstin, It’s usually cooler by the lake so hopefully you’ll get a nice breeze from Lake Erie. There are lots of things to explore and enjoy in Toronto in the summer. I hope your week is going well. Thank you for stopping by.
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Hi Natalie,
You should be getting a commission from tourism Toronto for the wonderful tours you take us on around your city. I echo what other freezing, hibernating Australian say about appreciating your outdoorsy photos and adventures. Talk of heat and sunshine…what’s that? It’s been a few years since we’ve really been able to enjoy these thanks to bushfires, covid, lockdowns and endless rain and flooding. Next Summer has to be a breakthrough surely?!!
Hope you have a great week.
Best wishes,
Rowena
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Hi Rowena, Global warming and climate change have affected many places in the world. I hope you get a really nice summer ahead. This past weekend it was beautiful and sunny here, however, rain came on Monday and Tuesday, and the forecast is sunny for Wednesday. Nature shows me that changes are constant. Thank you for stopping by. Have a great week!
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Lovely pictures of nature! Beautiful post.
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Rancy, Welcome to my blog and thank you for your comment. Have a great day!
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Hi Natalie, I forget how hot and humid it gets back East until you mention it here. I still heed some of the original tips you gave me using the iphone. Your photos are always gorgeous! Inventive, colourful, smart on designing the circular stage. I love your phrase “healthy and content.” I always love how you share the beauty on our planet.❤️
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Hi Erica/ Erika, It’s so great to hear from you. How have you been? I hope all’s well with you and your family. I was going to send you an e-mail to say hello. Thank you for your compliment about my photos. The natural light and nice weather make it easy to take good-looking pictures. Our planet is beautiful. I’m happy to experience its beauty and share it. Thank you for stopping by. Have a wonderful weekend!
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Still challenges around here, Natalie, yet I always count my blessings…..such as reading your post and how you share photos and stories about our beautiful planet 💕
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Erica/ Erika, I also count my blessings, such as getting to know you via blogging and receiving your kind comments. Sending you hugs and strength to manage any challenges.
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Your kind, thoughtful words always make a difference, Natalie. Thank you! ❤️
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Where are all the people and why aren’t they out there enjoying all of these beautiful spots?? In some ways, it is cool that you were able to capture people-less photos. But I would be all over that sugary beach!!
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Most people are at work or at school on a weekday morning 🙂 Come to this beach on warm weekends and it’s a different scene. I go outside early to avoid crowds, plus I have no interest in having strangers in my photos. It’s great to have open space, especially in a pandemic.
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