

Why This Is Awesome: Five years ago this August, I visited Canada for the first, but I hope not the last, time. I've since shared with others my advice and opinions on our neighbor to the north -- as far Toronto, that is, and I gave them a rundown of my favorite must-dos if they should decide to visit.
Of my top 3 favorite activities to do in the largest city in Canada, my #1 was visit the Kensington Market neighborhood. Here's why: On my first day in Toronto, I signed up for a walking tour that led me through Chinatown and Kensington Market, where I learned not only a great deal about Toronto's history, but also a lot about its relationship with artists, immigrants, preservation societies and small businesses. The culture nerd in me ate it up.
So I, the proud tourist, dove right in as soon as the tour ended. After sifting through the wares at Courage My Love for a ring that I still wear every day, I made my way over to grab a bite at the Urban Herbivore and spied the automobile you see in the photo above giving the word "convertible" a whole new meaning. I'm not sure how subversive it is to gut an abandoned car and turn it into a truly green machine, but I like how this artist thinks. And I like how every time I see this photo come up on my anniversary trip to TO, I think of Kensington Market. :-)

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