Strolling around High Park

The zen side of High Park

Last weekend, I had a lovely zen afternoon with girlfriends. We ate delicious raw food at Rawlicious, admired the vibrant and serene collages of artist Josée Duranleau at Runnymede Public Library, topped if off with an americano at Red Bean Espresso before entering the west end side of High Park for a walk by the pond. Ommmm... (with a little caffeine buzz).

 About Rawlicious

The whole menu offers tasty adaptations of popular meals entirely made following the raw food principles (never heating food above 115 degrees Fahrenheit). Your Pad Thai will be very good... but cold! The noodles are obviously not your regular boiled pasta but made out of zucchini and kelp, and they offer a satisfying noodle-like texture. 

Dried grains and vegetables are shaped into bread-like slices. Kale chips are decadent. Don't be fooled by the size and appearance of the desserts. They are scrumptious! Good new: raw foodies don't shy away from cocktails topped with vodka or rum. Rawlicious is located at 2122 Bloor West, between High park and Runnymede Subway Stations.

About Red Bean Café

Two stores down Rawlicious, you'll find the cool café Red Bean Espresso (I love their wall made out of vintage doors and the staff is very friendly). They serve very good coffee as well as gelato in spring and summer. They're the perfect stop to grab a coffee before heading to High Park. 

About exhibitions at Runnymede Public Library

Runnymede Public Library is at Runnymede Subway Station, just a few minutes walk west of Rawlicious. I didn't know they had a small art gallery on the second floor until last weekend when I attended the opening of Josée Duranleau's exhibition (going on until June 30). It features eight of Josée's feminine Buddhas surrounded by flowers and colourful textures (each piece listed between $400 and $485).

Josée Duranleau at Runnymede Library until June 30 

About High Park

Most people enter High Park through its Bloor entrance or off the east side of the park. I prefer accessing it from the west side, where a path to your right leads you along the marsh section of the pond, where chances are you'll see cranes and ducks. (Walk down Ellis Park Road and through the little playground at Wendigo Way.) 

Toronto Graffiti Lanes @Keele Station

Intense graffiti lane 
east of Keele Subway Station

Nothing spells urban stroll like a walk down a graffiti lane! Amidst not so pretty tags (artists signatures) and beginners' throw-ups (inflated letters), you find ambitious pieces (words drawn with an obvious mastery of the medium) and amazing murals (at the top of the food chain in the graffiti world).

King Midas mural
I came across the splendid mural with King Midas by chance, driving back from a friend's place along Indian Road in High Park. The mural is located by the parking lot at the eastern exit of Keele Subway Station.

It is flanked with pieces from masters and the mural of a cool monkey exquisitely crafted.

The area is under construction but you can access the lane on the east side of Indian Road. Along the next few blocks, you'll find more murals. (Peek into Dorval Street to see more whimsy on the businesses facades.)

This is a great stroll to do with teenagers.

About graffiti art
Did you know that there's a code of conduct generally agreed upon in the graffiti community? You can draw on top of a graffiti as long as you execute something more ambitious. Anything can go over tags, a piece is acceptable on top of a throw-up, and a mural can cover a piece. 

When the community identifies a culprit who drew over a mural, the word spreads out and they go after his other artworks in the city to cover them as a payback.

While you're there

The graffiti lane is just 5 minutes away from High Park and less than 10 minutes from Café Novo (west of Keele, in front of the park), serving good coffee and yummy treats.

In my guides:
In Toronto Urban Strolls... for girlfriends 2, you'll find two High Park strolls: High Park Fitness Stroll and High Park Cherry Blossom Stroll. In Toronto Fun Places... for families, there's a page on High Park in the Around the subway chapter.

Related blogs:
Labyrinth walk in High Park
High Park Cherry Blossom
Jamie Bell Adventure Park in High Park

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Labyrinth walk in High Park

Two days ago, I was in High Park's neighbourhood so I decided to do a quick stroll in the park to enjoy the spring colours.

I went to the labyrinth painted on a concrete circle. (You'll find it beyond the slope just north of Grenadier Restaurant's parking lot.)
It took me 5 minutes to walk the full circuit, which is quite relaxing, a bit like meditation. 

Then I went to check the state of the cherry trees (towards Grenadier Pond, down the lane) and can confirm to you that all the petals are gone. I noticed a sculpted tree I had not seen last time I visited.

I thought the park was gorgeous, with other kinds of trees in full bloom and plenty of tulips across the street from the restaurant.

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High Park Cherry Blossom

Not too late... thanks to the late bloomers!
I just checked High Park's update on the state of their cherry trees and the Toronto park predicts the full bloom for May 5-10. (It usually occurs around the last week of April.) 
(Update as of May 2, 2016: Full bloom expected between coming weekend May 6-7 or the next)

Two years ago, I showed up on the first week of May... and missed it, but there were lots of petals on the ground and the crowd had deserted the place. High Park in the spring is always gorgeous anyway so I wasn't too disappointed but I took a mental note to return the following year.

Last year, thanks to the update we can get on High Park's website, I saw the cherry trees in full bloom and I could take photos of this glorious moment to create the HIGH PARK Cherry Blossom Stroll  in my guide Toronto Urban Strolls 2.

I showed up on a Friday and never would have thought so many Torontonians had it in them to "play hookie"!