What a great neighbourhood. I’ve lived here more than a decade, and it has everything I need:  a local theatre that was literally saved, and is run by, the neighbourhood (now that says a lot); strangers who chat in the street;  fresh produce, organic food, and fresh home-made Polish sausage.

Roncesvalles Village has a half dozen good restaurants, and another half dozen okay ones. It has more public transportation than any other Toronto neighbourhood I can think of: Walk to the subway, three or four streetcar routes, bookstores, music stores, video stores, live music, Shakespeare under the stars in High Park, a lake, and of course cafes galore including that familiar sign  your neighbourhood has ‘made it’: Starbucks.

“Roncie” is so urban, yet such a community too. But I sense a little almost subliminal conflict developing along urban vs. ‘suburban’ lines: some find it becoming a little too ‘urban’, while others are excited about the increases in restaurants, condos, and so on. I guess I’d be lining up more with the latter crew — though there would probably be a “too much” line for me too at some point.

My own greater concern is with the increasing expense of accommodation — a lot of the people who make the place interesting can no longer afford to live here. I guess this is part of the cyclical nature of neighbourhoods…