My Favourite Places

So the birds have been chirpy and the trees very green as of late, making my small slice of the world a pleasant place to be. In fact, I had my first taste of Little Poland, literally, as I enjoyed my very first Polish meal at a quaint little Polish place down the street. I shared a plate of peirogies (no typo; that's how it's spelled in Polish) and a bowl of beet soup with my friend Marina. Just before the ethnic dinner, we took a walk down the street, crossing the bridge that connects my neighbourhood to a stretch of beach along the lakeshore. Framed by the lake, a park, a sassy Polish shopping street, and the busy Bloor artery, my neighbourhood is really one of the best in Toronto.

Walking down Roncesvalles (aforementioned street) is much more delightful than it was in the winter. Somehow all of the stores along Roncies now have patios. Where did the walls go, I wonder, as store fronts now spill out on the sidewalks, and yuppies yack on their cell phones, frapaccinos by their sides. The population has ballooned; people no longer have just a stroller or a dog with them... now they've got both--baby in one hand, dog leash in the other. Plus, everyone is jogging all of a sudden. In fact, it's not uncommon to move aside on the street to make room for the triple-threat... you know, mom pushing baby in jogging stroller, leashed dog jogging alongside.

Meanwhile, as the neighbourhood around me livens and beautifies, I'm counting the seconds until I'm out of here. Haha... it's not, in fact because I'm anxious to leave, but because I'm SO excited to see my friends and family. In two short weeks I'll be reunited with my Dad, my grandmother, my half dozen aunts, my couple husands, my millions of cousins and my Best Friend (only one) in Boston.

I think this'll be my fourth time in Boston, but I honestly don't know what the city looks like. This is coming from the girl who plans intricate city tours by cross-referencing book-recommended tourist destinations with maps downloaded from the Internet. Every time I've gone to Boston though, I have never really explored the city; rather, each time I go, I visit the same circuit of homes, living rooms, and Chinese restaurants. So even though I've never really seen anything apart from my family and friends' homes and lives, I can tell you that Boston is a beautiful city and indeed, one of my favourite places to be in the world.