Toronto - Ian's Perspective (Day1)

Let me start by stating of what will be spoken to has accompanying pictures (iPhone) & videos (GoPro).  GoPro footage takes time to format and due to it's size will require a portable harddrive to transfer all documents, which can be done in office Monday.

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We landed in Toronto just before 10AM Thursday morning, making it to our Hitlon downtown to check in and drop off out bags.  From what we've researched this location is ideal as it serves as the center to many cultural hubs in Toronto.  Our plans during this trip will take us west, north, and east of the true Downtown Toronto while we are here, so this location seemed most ideal.  Regrouping after check-in we headed out of the hotel to walk down Queen street (w) where it was immediately apparent this was the lively "downtown strip".  A healthy combination of corporate/trademarked & private/boutique shops lined both sides of the street, which went on for what felt like forever (estimated 3-5 miles?).

We prioritized the discovery of either A) skateshops, B)music/record stores, & C) art galleries.  Music shops were less frequently seen than record shops, however, Music shops is where we were able to speak most openly with the management about their passion for music, why they are working in the industry, and upcoming events around the area.  We met a man on the street carrying a guitar, and when we approached him and asked about upcoming shows he let us know about his band playing at a locale venue called Lee's Palace (which we went to later in the night). Turns out that Tim (aka our first Nick) worked at one of the Music Shops we went into earlier in the day called Steve's Music Store, small world!  Unfortunately Tim's band was playing this Saturday night and by that time we will be on a plane back to NYC.  Record shops were interestingly more frequently spotted than expected, suggesting Torontoites have a deep appreciation for authenticity and originality.  We met our first Nicky here, term we're using to describe the female version of Nick.  She was less engaged in comparison to Tim and the Music store folks, but encounraged us to pick up some free local magazines and publications in the corner, as well as to take a look at the master list of all upcoming shows in the area.  The shows we found most applicable and through word of mouth were; JSMN, Hundred Waters, and Ariel Pink.  We took a look, snagged some papers, and kept on our way.

Graffiti is huge here.  I almost wouldn't even call it graffiti, as I believe a negative connotation is often associated with the word (illegal, thug, gang, etc).  Graffiti in Toronto is clearly supported openly by the public, and more so by local/small businesses.  Almost everywhere we turned there was a building in view with graffiti above, below, entwined with the business exterior.  We engaged many business owners about this observation which revealed its not uncommon for businesses to hire local artists to create a piece on their walls.  Corner shops (with more than a single facing wall) were especially stunning as the wallscapes were often times more intricate and detailed since they had more real-estate to work with.  Large scale graffitti was hard to miss, however there was alot of other types of public street art we came across such as the hugging tree, curb graffitti, public QR codes, metalworks, and more.  I was lucky enough to catch a glimpse of something between a gap between businesses and in my exploration discovered something called Grafitti Alley; one of the cities most celebrated and breathtaking public art spaces, where every inch of the back of buildings is splashed with colors and incredible detail.  

Music shops and public art was plentiful to discover, however skate shops were a challenge to find initially.  We entered about 4 different shops skateboard themed with no luck (minimal/no skateboard gear) before we were turned onto a place (recommended by Nicky in the record shop) called So Hip It Hurts.  The shop was located above a shoe store (which ironically had the front display packed with converse shoes) and was massive in size.  The store layout is what I would describe as lifestyle pods, where each pod was a separate but connected room that catered to a different passion points/interests.  The first room was all skate shoes and high-end Nixon watches.  Plasma TVs played pro street-skate videos on repeat above the shoes, a leather couch was positioned in the middle of the room, and soft punk rock music played in the background.  The second room was surf life only - boards, wetsuits, wax, microfiber shirts, etc.  Continuing through lead to the largest part of the store which was the final pod, skate, snow, and general merch.  They had an extensive collection of clothing for all skateboard/snowboard lifestyles with the most famous brands in stock (Burton, RIDE, Red Dragon [Canada based], D*C*, etc).  The left-hand side in the back was all snowboard gear, which we didn't spend much time at.  The right-hand side was an enormous selection of decks, trucks, wheels, bearings, decals, and more.  A construction station was set up to entice people to build their own decks and avoid buying prepacked boards; a clear indication of the shops dedication to quality skate life.

We were able to speak with a few reps in the shop, most notably a man named Ogie.  Ogie is a Toronto resident who has been working at the shop for about 5 years now, has skateboarded for nearly all his life, and openly discussed his desire to travel around the US to skateboard in different locations.  When asked if he had any interest in traveling to NYC to skate, he said maybe one day, however he is planning on going to San Fran this summer with his girlfriend and friends to skate out there.  When asked if he was going to longboard, he said he never got into it, and was more driven to check out the park/vert life out on the westcoast for himself.  I asked him about the ratio of longboarders to traditional street/vert skaters (note: street/vert skaters use traditional decks, longboarders use a heavier, grounded longboard) and he stated that nearly 3/4 of all sales are traditional decks, but he does see some people buy longboards.  Ogie also said that while people may get into longboarding, they rarely give up vert/street entirely.  Finally, we asked about seasonality and how that impacts skate life, where Ogie was the first (of many) to tell us what we expected, how in the winter nearly all street skate life is dead.  Skaters might have the option to participate in indoor skating (indoor parks/private lofts), however, majority simply shift their focus to snowboarding as it's more accessible and a suitable alternative to the latter.  He said one of the biggest days day of the year for skaters is in the summer (6/20) which is called Summer Skate Day, the launch of skatelife back into the streets.

In the afternoon we trecked about 15 miles out of Toronto to one of two indoor skateparks in the area, called CJs.  CJ's is essentially a warehouse that has been converted into a fully operational, year round, skatepark for skateboarders, trick roller-bladers, and aggressive scooterers.  We had to take a cab as public transportation didn't reach that specific location, and interestingly enough talks with the cab driver revealed that skaters do in fact skate often in public.  In the summers, skaters have been known group around Torontos city hall which has plenty stairs and rails.  People notice the skaters in the city when they're in public, however, seasonality again was reinforced as winter makes their appearances scarce.

CJs is huge, offering three distinctively different areas for skaters to practice their skills.  Area 1) an open area with many smaller ramps, boxes, quarter pipes, rails for combo practice, Area 2) an enormous halfpipe for big air practice (I'm talking XGames height, 25 foot drops on either side at least), and Area 3) a set of empty pools for drop-ins and small air combos.  The demographic was clearly male, I only saw one girl in the park the entire visit.  The age range was very diverse, as we met children (supervised) around the age of 5-6, young adolescents, teenagers, and adult men in their mid/late 30s.  Age was not an indication of talent however, as it was clear that some of the younger Mikes were just as talented and fearless as the elder ones.   This was our first encounter with Mike(s), and I found them to be much more reserved and soft spoken than Nick(s).  Approaching them and getting an ongoing conversation often took more than one effort, as an introduction always had to be initiated on my part.  After getting them to a point where conversation was comfortable I was able to ask them about their passion points for skating and why they are here practicing on a Thursday afternoon, I often heard "I'm working on ..." or "I'm pushing myself to get better at ...".  It was a clear reflection these individuals are seeking to push themselves, both physically and mentally, to become stronger athletes and to gain a mastery over their hobby.  Falls and spills happened a lot, however there was never any cursing, yelling, crying, etc.  All skates simply got back up, grabbed their gear, and tried it again, and again, and again.. until it was accomplished or they gave up to move onto the next exercise.

I met a group of three older Mikes (estimated in their late twenties/early thirties) in the empty pool area towards the end of our time at CJs.  They were covered in tattoos, rocked a full set skateboard apparel, donned backwards caps instead of helmets, etc.  They've been best friends since high school and have taught each other/pushed one another to skate better since those days.  They often exclaimed phrases of support to one another when a complex trick was accomplished, or joked and laughed when one of them fell and ate it after misjudging the height of the bowl.  I was able to sit down and join their conversations, skate in the bowl with them, all easily and without resistance.  While it took me to initiate the conversation, they were friendly and supportive fellow skaters.

Our final leg of CJ's experience was in the return cab ride, where the cabbie told us he works for a man who owns his own custom skateboard design company.  He apparently makes some of the most expensive and high-quality boards on the planet, called WeFunk.  He stated they cost anywhere between $2K and $4K, and these boards are tailored to each rider specifically and should last a lifetime.  More research on WeFunk is needed on my part, however, interesting that both cabbies were able to pass along skateboard life info to us while not being skaters themselves.

After taking time to drop off our bags at the hotel we took a cab uptown to get tickets for one of the show we heard about earlier in the day at a record shop, the venue being Lee's Palace, but found out that doors we'rent open quite yet.  Heading to find something to eat we spotted El Furniture Warehouse, a restaurant which came highly recommended via the manager of So Hip It Hurts.  The entire restaurant was decked out with old skate decks, snowboards, decals and stickers.  TVs scattered throughout were playing a pro-skate video produced by Girl.  Speaking to the host he informed me one of the owners used to be pro skier from the west coast, since then has retired and opened a few different businesses in Toronto.  His professional skiing has allowed him to make lots of connections, one being RedBull, who was the sole advertiser you could find in the entire bar.  Thus, RedBull could almost be viewed as a co-owner themselves being the distinct ad voice in the restaurant.  The host said every once in a while El Furniture Warehouse throws special events, typically more in the summer/warmed months, when a new skate video is debuting, new deck releases from local shops, etc.  Being a skater himself, he also confirmed that seasonality is very much an influence to the skate life in Toronto, and winter pretty much deters people from doing it.  If they skate, they most likely snowboard.

After dinner we made our way to Lee's Palace, bought tickets, and grabbed some seats.  The crowd was relatively small to start which gave us a chance to walk around and meet fans.  Most people were there for someone they knew in the show, which was even more evident once the performers started.  Openers included a DJ duo (Nigel & Paulo) who went by Moon Runners, a young poet called Kid Genius, and rapper Squat.  While each had their own style an interesting theme reoccurred, where artists asked "who here is a wolf?" and "who here is hungry?".  It was used to generate hype, where the artists launched into how important it was to have a hunger to succeed, a hunger for drive, a hunger to be better each day.  It was a call to stay motivated, both for the artists and the audience.