Dick reports...

Salsa 2010

The annual three-day Salsa Festival on St. Clair Village, between Christie and Winona, was a rousing success.

Thousands of Latinos and ‘non-Latinos’ participated in the revelry. The streetcars were replaced by busses that detoured around the site, which opened up both sides of the street, plus the centre, to the wall-to-wall people traffic. The weather was perfect for dancing in the street, which appeared to be, well, almost a requirement for the young and young at heart in evidence. Music of course was mainly of Latin origin, and so was most of the food offered in the various kiosks along the street.

Going with the rhythm

Unfortunately there was also quite a bit of stumbling over the curb of the elevated “dedicated” streetcar tracks causing some physical damage to a number of youngsters and creating some difficulties with mothers and their strollers and baby carriages. Something Slovenian Joe, the ‘benefactor’ of this TTC insanity, had probably not anticipated. Neither had the many storeowners who went belly-up! For those of our readers, who are not familiar with this rejuvenation TTC Project, let me explain. At great expense and inappropriate political advice, the regular streetcar line on St. Clair – that was flush with the existing roadbed and easy to navigate - was raised to the level of the sidewalks and called a “dedicated” streetcar line. It was supposed to be more efficient because automobiles cannot use it anymore – even to circumnavigate obstructions! Most left-turns are now impossible unless you make a U-turn and double back to the street you wanted. Very efficient – the oil companies must love the idea! Parking is now also very restricted and expensive. Traffic moved into the once safe neighbourhoods endangering especially children and the aged. During the many years of this unnecessary reconstruction parking was so severally restricted that the customers, who frequented the local stores, gave up and went to supermarkets with parking. Now, that they could come back, many of the stores couldn’t survive this wait and closed up! Since during the construction streetcars did not run, busses, very efficiently, took their place and stopped at the regular old streetcar stops. These are now so arranged that passengers have to usually cross at two traffic lights to access them.

But back to Salsa!

A great and friendly street party

It was good to see that Toronto’s Finest were on the job and no serious unruly behavior was noted during the festival.

Good food, good company

Most of the restaurants and stores participated with sidewalk offerings and some of the owners that I talked to were quite pleased with the responses.

Salsa's mini-Midway

The new parking lot, next to MacDonald’s, featured a small ‘Midway’ that seemed to be a main attraction for the youngster at this event.

As always

Dick Altermann