A Trip Down Memory Lane

I live in Pickering Ontario, so at the beginning of the semester, I had to plan a commute to the

Centennial College Story Arts Center. I would take the Go Train from Pickering to the Danforth Go 

Station. Then I would ride the subway from the Main Street station to Pape Station, and walk from 

there. 

Then I realized something: my commute ran directly through the neighborhood that I grew up in as a child. I became interested at the idea of revisiting my former neighborhood and invigorating some nostalgia. I decided that it would be a good idea to take a trip down memory lane. 

Just so you can get an idea of where I lived in Toronto, all of the locations in my neighborhood that were important to my childhood are located at the top of ward 32 and the bottom of ward 31. You can get a sense of where ward 31 and 32 is on this ward map of East York Toronto.

I began my trip by visiting my old School, Secord Elementary School. When I was a child I attended this school for Junior Kindergarten, and grades 3-5. I have Aspergers Syndrome, so for grades 1 and 2, my parents decided to have me go to a school in Scarborough that had special classes for children with neurological disorders. It was only when I began grade 3 that I attended the school in my neighborhood. 

As I walked past the school, I recalled fond memories of playing in the school yard with my friends, especially in the winter. We would change into our snow suits before going out at recess, and we would spend our time building snow forts, sliding on the ice, and having snow fights. 

The next stop on my journey was right down the street from my school, my childhood home. Me and my mother lived here for 6 years before we moved to Pickering. The new owner has made some changes to the property since I lived there. The new owner has added the wooden porch, and has added a more modern porch light to the front of the house 

This Apartment building is on the same street as my former house. In 2008, there was an underground explosion in the building, and all the residents were forced to evacuate. The residents were forced to take refuge in Secord Elementary School. You can read more about it here: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto/four-years-after-high-rise-explosion-safety-measures-not-in-place/article4265050/

This is Dentonia Park, which is a few blocks from my house. My mother used to take me here almost every day after school during the spring and summer months. I would play tag with other kids, swing on the swing sets and play with the equipment. Aside from the little horsey ride on the bottom right, all of the playground equipment in the park has changed. The equipment used to have similar features to the ones shown here, but with a wooden base. It's been replaced by more modern and plastic equipment. 

During the winter months, my mother used to take me tobogganing on this hill down the street from our house. One time I slid down the hill and crashed into a tree. It appears to have not been an isolated incident, because the city has taken precautions and put hay-bails in front of the trees and other objects on the slope. 

This is the daycare I went to during my time living at my previous home. It's called Main Square Daycare, and it's located at the base of an apartment building right next to the Danforth Go Station. I would be escorted here after school, and spend my time here until my mother picked me up. There were multiple toys and activities to do. I would also spend most of my summer days here. During the summer, they would feed us lunch and occasionally take us on field trips to pools, playgrounds, and occasionally substantial trips to places like a Blue Jays game and the Ontario Science center. 

This is a video that gives a little detour of the Day Care, as well as the room that me and my daycare friends spent most of our time in.