Lawrence Avenue East between Victoria Park and Warden Avenues is a fairly typical Scarborough “thoroughfare” street, or arterial road. It has seven lanes of traffic and is lined mostly by strip malls set back from the street to accommodate parking lots in front. It is designed for cars. Also typical of Scarborough are the many different ethnic restaurants and shops. I decided to walk these few blocks after I heard about The Lawrence Prospect which is a group advocating changes to this stretch of Lawrence Avenue… Changes like dedicated bus lanes and bike lanes as well as sidewalk improvements to increase pedestrian safety. They are promoting the idea of a “complete street” which simply means that the street works for all users, not just for cars.
below: This stretch of Lawrence lies in the Wexford Heights neighbourhood
below: The wavy roof over the entrance is a throwback to the late 1960s and 1970s when there was a lot of development in the area. It was an era when the car ruled. Land was cheaper and more abundant. Strip malls and ‘plazas’ were popular.
Like many areas of Scarborough (and Toronto for that matter), it is very multicultural. You can find a cast array of different ethnic restaurants and stores here.
below: Weekend breakfast, Halwa Puri, Butter Chucken, Lunch Special, and Family Deal with tandoori chicken!
below: Ibrahim BBQ Shawarma, halal, with Iraqi kabab and Shawarma wraps, 2 for 1!
below: Very few remnants of a much slower and sleepier past remain. Little white picket fences are rare!
below: Part of the impetus for the Prospect project was the fact that some street work was going to be completed here this spring/summer. Why do a partial job only to have to redo it a year or two in the future? As of today (28April) there is no construction happening here. The only sign of work is at the corner of Lawrence and Warden where the sidewalk was widened.
Bike lanes on Lawrence Avenue from Victoria Park all the way to Rouge Hill (16.2km) were approved in 2008 but were never built.
below: The Moon Lounge with its neighbours – Mayfair Drapery & Rug below with Tru Belle on top – skincare, hair care (pink!), and body sculpting advertised.
below: Unloading can, bags, and boxes
below: Window of Top Gun Burger
below: Lawrence East is served by TTC route 54. It runs east from Eglinton station (at Yonge) to Leslie Street, north on Leslie, then east on Lawrence. The route ends at Starspray Blvd – you’ve probably never heard of it but it’s on the waterfront just before the Rouge River. That’s a distance of almost 28 km.
below: Greetings for Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, during which Muslims fast during daylight hours (among other things). This year it was observed between 22 March and 20 April.
below: The planet is in our hands
below: Precious Blood Roman Catholic Church
below: Looking west at Pharmacy with a Seniors crossing sign.
below: Do any drivers notice these signs? What are they supposed to mean?
below: Wedged between the UPS store and Tim Hortons drive thru are these murals by Ian Leventhal. (NW corner Warden & Lawrence)
below: Moovattuphuza is a town in Kerala India.
below: Diana is holding a large fish and is pictured beside a fishing village in Greece.
below: Nearby (SE corner of Warden & Lawrence) is Tony’s portrait.
below: Modernnisa women’s clothing store – evening gowns, kaftans, abaya, and hijabs
below: “Dear Toronto, We’re just getting started, Love Scarborough”. It’s an ad campaign for Scarborough Hospitals that is appearing in bus shelters. Along with the play on the “Love Scarborough” phrase there is a sense that maybe Scarborough’s time has come. In 2017 Catherine Hernandez’s novel “Scarborough was published; it has since been adapted into a movie. The movie was shot primarily in Scarborough and premiered at TIFF in Sept 2021.
below: Multicultural yet very Canadian.
below: Nigeria Palace, Bamar Biryani and Kabob, Luxmy Restaurant
below: Northwest corner of Warden & Lawrence
There was one thing missing here – I didn’t see one single blue and white City of Toronto development notice sign! Nada!
below: There is no construction happening here – left over from a previous job?
as I walk Toronto 