Rati Mehrotra

There are definite advantages to living in the urban jungle that is Toronto. For one thing, 13% of the city is park area. (Another is the city’s lovely name, but I’ll come to that later.)

You find pockets of calm green in the unlikeliest places, surrounded by glass and metal towers and busy roads. One such spot is Fort York in the heart of downtown Toronto, bound by Bathurst Street on the east, the Gardiner Expressway on the south and the railway line to the north. It’s a historic site, reflecting the military basis for the founding of Toronto at a time (in the late 1700s) when tensions with the United States were running high. In 1812 the United States invaded Canada and Fort York was the site a pitched battle between the British and the Americans. The Americans occupied Fort York and burned down Government House and the Parliament buildings. The British, in turn, captured Washington and burned down the White House. The war finally ended in 1815. Continue reading →