Toronto has been my home for as long as I can remember.

My upbringing in Parkdale inspired this I Love You Toronto series. It was a place where I learned to play football (the American kind), where we orchestrated block-style tag and  hide-and-seek games that simply wouldn’t fly on the city streets today. This is also where I attended my first dance — it was super weird and Thank God there’s no footage.

Parkdale was a great place for me to grow up and learn about who I would become, and it was only when I left the neighbourhood that people told me it was a rough place, that it had gang activities and a lot of homelessness. Homelessness? Well, sure, we had a resident homeless person at the corner, but who doesn’t?

Though many people saw Parkdale as a sketchier neighbourhood, I saw sincerity and hospitality.

Though many people saw Parkdale as a sketchier neighbourhood, I saw sincerity and hospitality. Recently, I’ve watched this neighbourhood evolve into such a different place than the one I grew up in, and my aim is to unveil a different side of the neighbourhood to any outsiders who might have otherwise overlooked it. It really is a case of ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’; I’m confident I can show you a few surprising new pages in the story.

I’ve been living in Toronto for nearly 21 years now. 20 years ago, Liberty Village didn’t exist — it was a blank plot of land where the railroads crossed. 20 years ago, the Roger Centre was called SkyDome, and I’m still upset about that (but I have a funny story about that name change reveal – stay tuned for our piece on the Financial District).

My family immigrated here when I was very little and, well, I’m still here. It was a different city, but Toronto is still so much more than nice people, big sports teams, and kick-ass street festivals. This city has grown just as much as I have, and while some growing pains (like the King Pilot program) challenge the agreeable nature of our residents, there are also some great moments on the horizon: like the forthcoming GoogleCity (crossing our fingers that it’ll go through).

Jiali sliding down a kiddie slide.

Toronto is awesome! There’s always something new popping up, new experiences to try, and more people to meet! I hope this series casts a new light on how the details of our neighbourhoods come together into a spectacular kaleidoscope of warmth and frenzy that makes this city worth its weight in gold.

So what’s the gist?

Every neighbourhood has its own unique story to tell and I can’t tell it alone. We’ll have guest stars in each neighbourhood to walk us through their experience and how that place has shaped them. Also, we’ll be doing one cool/wacky/unique thing that’s specific to that area. Watch us learn how to rock climb, make bread, and maybe even get our asses kicked.

So join us as we discover – sometimes rediscover – different Toronto neighbourhoods. New content Wednesday.

My love letter to Toronto.