Let’s Avenue Road Here

According to Google Maps, a walk to the Japan Foundation library was about one hour and twenty minutes. I packed the two books, my umbrella (at a thirty percent chance of rain does that makes me a pessimist?), and my sunglasses. I walked the entire length of Old Forest Hill Road, turned left onto Kilbarry Road and then right onto Forest Hill Road. I walked South along Avenue Road all the way to Bloor. Along the way I listened to music and admired the trees and other passer-byers. It took one hour, one minute, thirty-nine seconds and zero milliseconds—timed on my iPod.

If you are thinking that Avenue Road is a cruel name to give a road, Canadian legend has it that when the English surveyor was walking along Bloor Street where current day Avenue Road is he said to his team in his accent, “Let’s ‘ave a new road here.”