Taking a new path

It’s getting more difficult to explore our city. We’ve become dependent on GPS devices, smartphones and a coffee shop every few blocks to use as meeting places. We have digital maps where we can adjust our route and mode of travel from home. We have apps that show when the next bus or streetcar will arrive and a countdown clock. We have street views that can show us exactly what to expect when we arrive at our destination.

While this technology has many benefits, I worry that we’re missing opportunities to do unexpected trips. I’m concerned that it’s getting more difficult to take a chance to explore and try new things. We’re looking at our screens so much we’re not looking up and just picking a path we’ve never taken. Getting lost can be frustrating but it can also be rewarding and fun because you can see something refreshing and inspiring.

I had this experience recently in Toronto and it was a perfect example of purposefully trying a new route. I usually cycle from my apartment at Jarvis and Bloor to my girlfriend’s apartment at Eglinton and Mount Pleasant along the same route: north on Yonge, east on Eglinton. Last week though, I decided to see what would happen if I got off Yonge Street and tried new paths and roads to get to my destination.

I took the Kay Gardner Beltline trail and worked my way north to Davisville Road. As I crossed Davisville, I came upon a park I had never seen before. There was a farmer’s market. There was a children’s playground with water features that was packed with families and the sounds of laughter and screams of kids running around. It was an amazing scene and completely reinforced my love for this city and its people. Despite Toronto’s challenges, conflicts, and debates, this one scene in this park on an unexpected path is the essence of our city: people gathering in public spaces, strong communities, and citizens helping each other by shopping local.

Coincidentally, I had read about this park before visiting it that day. Councillor Josh Matlow had proposed to name the playground in the park after the 1990s children’s television program, Sharon, Lois and Bram, which is a wonderful idea. So by taking an unexpected path, I not only found an amazing park, I found a personal connection and link to my own childhood!

After watching all the activity in the park, I continued on my non-linear journey north and only navigating streets I had never been on. I couldn’t have asked for a better, unexpected experience.

So my advice and encouragement is to try going off your regular route or familiar streets. Take a risk and see a new part of the city. Find a new park, a new patio, a new historic plaque, a new view of the city, a new trail. Take a transit line you’ve never been on and just get off in a new place. Don’t just journey from point A to point B. Let motion be your guide and emotion be the reward. Toronto is an amazing city with so much to offer and if you live in one part of the city, see what happens when you go to a different part. Make your mission to try something new and leave the smartphone and home. Or, ignore the map feature and take pictures!