Local History & Culture

トロントにいる日本人で集まっておしゃべりするmeetupを開催します。 日本語と英語、どちらでも自由にお話ししましょう。 トロントに来たばかりの方も、２年目以降の方も歓迎！カフェで楽しくおしゃべり＆情報交換できたら嬉しいです。トロントには10年いますので、何でも聞いてくださいね。 お一人の参加でも全然大丈夫なので、ぜひお気軽にご参加ください。 ※This is for Japanese people studying/working in Toronto.

These monthly socials are a chance to network with other students and professionals in the geomatics field to chat GIS, data, remote sensing, surveying and more in a casual atmosphere. Feel free to bring friends and colleagues along - we're eager to welcome everyone back for a fantastic evening! This is a free event. Please RSVP to let us know you're attending.

This time we'll be reading Roadside Picnic by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky. Here's the blurb: Red Schuhart is a stalker, one of those young rebels who are compelled, in spite of extreme danger, to venture illegally into the Zone to collect the mysterious artifacts that the alien visitors left scattered around. His life is dominated by the place and the thriving black market in the alien products. But when he and his friend Kirill go into the Zone together to pick up a “full empty,” something goes wrong. And the news he gets from his girlfriend upon his return makes it inevitable that he’ll keep going back to the Zone, again and again, until he finds the answer to all his problems. First published in 1972, *Roadside Picnic* is still widely regarded as one of the greatest science fiction novels. The book is available here: Amazon- Paperback, eBook, Audiobook: https://www.amazon.ca/Roadside-Picnic-Arkady-Strugatsky/dp/1613743416/ref=sr_1_1?crid=4CF8Z2KM9FR5&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.OkKU7AC1WfScTlwfheDPnXc6RoH27bTDKMyfAgC_JANost0NCKJUcjZqbrLEile8IathzFMmAmFe9oXiUWLxKh0sg2kayNmgEhJeLKnThaxDk_9Nmn1yHf77Bct23OqBlVzxGEpNppD1tjZHWL0s7jQ4OA2YCoqJ5wL-eUmc8we34pauk-oG5kcohPzDgi_je8CjkyuMZtBD9FL-ijN8lzwv7OthBw_4PRiTvvZPAoimmLqGW3osojbapjD2J2EwKkDSsW8nh6xzHTdnXuVZKsuwVD2Pb6_99nT4Yqhn-WU.W4eSQPh8pV3pjNwYowMlY_NWsCM75jm2_aqs1Z4WAl0&dib_tag=se&keywords=roadside+picnic&qid=1768352378&sprefix=roadside+picnic%2Caps%2C138&sr=8-1 Indigo- Paperback: https://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/roadside-picnic/9781613743416.html Kobo- eBook: https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/roadside-picnic-1?sId=a2633ff7-55e3-4248-88ad-9f7fedb4c18f&ssId=1AYtAyk0vt3KTVdGTn8zv&cPos=1 Toronto Public Library: https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?Entt=RDM2898868&R=2898868 Toronto Public Library- eBook https://toronto.overdrive.com/media/1075415

Join us for ESL Cafe on Mondays nights at St Paul's Bloor Street. We have groups for all levels of English: Basic English, Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced. At ESL Cafe, you can practice English conversation, drink coffee (or tea) and have lots of fun meeting other interesting people!!

\*These classes are not a language exchange, but instead are meant to be a step in between so that students feel confident maintaining in depth and grammatically correct oral conversations outside of class\* \***Meetup event numbers only tend to show new students registering and do not include returning students attending class.** **Per class, there is an average of 7 students.** The first 2 classes are free and then only cost between $18 and $35 depending on which type of class you want to continue with\* These English (For Spanish speakers or advanced learners only), French, and Spanish classes are primarily meant for adults who are travellers, or who are planning to live in an English, French, or Spanish-speaking country. The classes are primarily oral-based through guided conversations. They will teach you how to handle conversations in situations such as **"Going to the Convenience Store"**, **"Making Plans"**, **"Negotiating Prices"**, and **"Going out for a Drink"**. To ensure that students get used to using the language automatically, students will learn to maintain contextual conversations with timing before moving on to the next lesson. Call (647)787-9953, e-mail us info@monkeylingo.ca, or visit monkeylingo.ca for more information! **Online and private classes are also available!** No other language classes are as conversational as these ones. We guarantee it! Cheap parking can be found using the "Spot Hero" app.

\*These classes are not a language exchange, but instead are meant to be a step in between so that students feel confident maintaining in depth and grammatically correct oral conversations outside of class\* \***Meetup event numbers only tend to show new students registering and do not include returning students attending class.** **Per class, there is an average of 7 students.** The first 2 classes are free and then only cost between $18 and $35 depending on which type of class you want to continue with\* These French, English (For Spanish and French speakers only), and Spanish classes are primarily meant for adults who are travellers, or who are planning to live in a French, English, or Spanish-speaking country. The classes are primarily oral-based through guided conversations. They will teach you how to handle conversations in situations such as **"Going to the Convenience Store"**, **"Making Plans"**, **"Negotiating Prices"**, and **"Going out for a Drink"**. To ensure that students get used to using the language automatically, students will learn to maintain contextual conversations with timing before moving on to the next lesson. Call (647)787-9953, e-mail us info@monkeylingo.ca, or visit monkeylingo.ca for more information! **Online and private classes are also available!** No other language classes are as conversational as these ones. We guarantee it! Cheap parking can be found using the "Spot Hero" app.

**The Toronto History Walks Yearly Pass is available. Get it now for $125.00 for 1 year of unlimited tours, email** **torontohistorywalks@gmail.com** **for more information or for signing up!** \*\* **Please note: Please e-transfer the ticket amount when booking your space for this tour! You can e-transfer to the following email at:** **torontohistorywalks@gmail.com** Toronto is a city that hides its history in plain sight. Beneath the glass towers are layers of stories — grand hotels that vanished overnight, political scandals whispered through stone corridors, theatres that once glittered under gaslight, and laneways where the city first learned how to become a metropolis. This new Toronto History Walks tour invites the walker to slow down, and see the city differently. Over the course of 30 carefully chosen stops, this walking tour traces the landmarks that helped shape the history of Toronto. Beginning at the site of the legendary Holland House — once one of the city’s finest mansions, and a gathering place for politicians, and businessmen, the route winds through the old heart of downtown, uncovering stories both famous and forgotten. Some locations are grand and imposing. Others are easy to walk past without a second glance. Every stop reveals a piece of Toronto’s personality. At Osgoode Hall, visitors will stand before one of the city’s most elegant historic buildings. Nearby, the old banks and newspaper buildings of the financial district recall an era when Toronto proudly called itself “Toronto the Good,” even as corruption and backroom dealings simmered beneath the surface. The tour also explores the vanished city — the Toronto that survives only in photographs, and memory. Walkers will discover where magnificent Victorian structures once stood before demolition crews erased entire blocks in the name of progress. Former theatres, hotels, markets, and department stores emerge again through storytelling, helping modern explorers imagine the bustle, smoke, and noise of earlier generations. Stories of fire, disaster, celebration, and reinvention. Participants will hear how the Great Fire of 1904 transformed downtown streets, how immigrant communities reshaped neighbourhoods block by block, and how Toronto repeatedly reinvented itself through booms, depressions, wars, and waves of newcomers. But this tour is not simply about dates and buildings. It is about people. The politicians who argued over Confederation. The hotel clerks who witnessed scandals. The newspaper editors who shaped public opinion. The shopkeepers, labourers, entertainers, and ordinary Torontonians whose lives unfolded along these same streets. Toronto has always had hidden corners and strange tales: tunnels beneath streets, forgotten cemeteries beneath office towers, unsolved crimes, and buildings said to carry echoes of the past. Even longtime residents may find themselves surprised by what has been quietly standing before them all along. Come along and experience a very different city. A deep dive into our history. This walking tour begins at the southwest **corner** of Bay Street and Wellington Street adjacent to the Royal Bank Plaza building. It ends at Campbell House at Queen and University Avenue. This walking tour is for all walking levels. Please dress for the season, and hope to see you there. This tour has a ticket price of $15.00 per person. \*\* **Please note: Please e-transfer the ticket amount when booking your space for this tour! You can e-transfer to the following email at:** **torontohistorywalks@gmail.com**

\*\***The Toronto History Walks Yearly Pass is available. Get it now for $125.00 for 1 year of unlimited tours, email** [torontohistorywalks@gmail.com](http://torontohistorywalks@gmail.com%2A%2A/) **for more information or for signing up!\*\*** \*\* **Please note: Please e-transfer the ticket price when booking your space for this tour! You can e-transfer to the following email at:** [torontohistorywalks@gmail.com](http://torontohistorywalks@gmail.com%2A%2A/) The area was first settled in 1794 by the Ashbridge family, whose name is remembered by the nearby bay and park. Their homestead on Queen Street East was well to the west of the area currently identified as the Beaches. A later generation of the Ashbridge family rebuilt the family home in 1854 and can be seen on Queen Street East opposite the TTC barns near Kingston Road. The Beaches remained a sparely settled community until the end of the 19th century when extension of the Grand Truck Railway, the draining of the northern parts of Ashbridges Bay, and the construction of street car tracks on Queen Street and Kingston Road, opened the area to settlement. From Sunnyside Amusement Park built in 1922 to Scarboro Beach built in 1906, it seemed that Toronto cornered the market on summertime chills and thrills. We had 5 major amusement parks along our waterfront, and two smaller parks, Victoria Park and Munro Park, virtually unknown to Torontonians today, but extremely popular summertime places, years ago as pleasure parks. This walking tour is for all walking levels and fitness skills. Please dress for the season and bring water. And remember to bring your love of history. It begins outside the Beaches Branch of the Toronto Public Library at Queen Street East, and Lee Avenue adjacent to Kew Gardens. The tour ends at the Neville Park Queen Street Streetcar Loop. This tour has a ticket price of $15.00 per person. \*\* **Please note: Please e-transfer the ticket price when booking your space for this tour! You can e-transfer to the following email at:** [torontohistorywalks@gmail.com](http://torontohistorywalks@gmail.com%2A%2A/)

トロントにいる日本人で集まっておしゃべりするmeetupを開催します。 日本語と英語、どちらでも自由にお話ししましょう。 トロントに来たばかりの方も、２年目以降の方も歓迎！カフェで楽しくおしゃべり＆情報交換できたら嬉しいです。トロントには10年いますので、何でも聞いてくださいね。 お一人の参加でも全然大丈夫なので、ぜひお気軽にご参加ください。 ※This is for Japanese people studying/working in Toronto.

\*\***The Toronto History Walks Yearly Pass is available. Get it now for $125.00 for 1 year of unlimited tours, email** **torontohistorywalks@gmail.com** **for more information or for signing up!\*\*** \*\* **Please note: Please e-transfer the ticket amount when booking your space for this tour! You can e-transfer to the following email at:** **torontohistorywalks@gmail.com** **Let's begin the summer season with this creative walk that truly connects us all.** This walk allows walkers to jump into Toronto history itself and become the players that made Toronto. The last time I did this tour, I got so many positive remarks. Walkers had the time of their lives and learned so much more about Toronto! So let's do this one again! Calling all aspiring actors and actresses, Hollywood bound dreamers, anyone with a passion to act. Have you caught the acting bug? If so and this sounds like you then step up to the acting plate. And you don't even have had to act, just want something new to help connect us all. Why not walk, get your steps in, and see Toronto from a totally different and fun perspective. Becoming the history characters we all know and love. **Historical Improv.** This is a different walking tour. Sounds good, sounds way different, right? The best way to understand history is to become history. Why not exercise the imagination with a few 2 or 3-minute sketches and improv situations along the route. Let's meet Mr. Simcoe, his wife Elizabeth, the Queen's Rangers as they create a path through the wilderness. These improv sketches are based on historical facts. They will help convert the shy, build up the confidence, create laughter and merriment, (merriment might be a bit strong) call it street theatre. What more is there? You never know when the casting agent, or Hollywood is **watching** peeking around the corner waiting for **you.** This walk is for all walking levels. Please dress for the weather, and hope to see you there. This fun and unique walking tour begins and ends at Little Norway Park near the foot of Bathurst Street, and Queen's Quay West. This tour has a ticket price of $15.00 per person. \*\* **Please note: Please e-transfer the ticket amount when booking your space for this tour! You can e-transfer to the following email at:** **torontohistorywalks@gmail.com**

Welcome to our social mixer in the heart of Toronto! Whether you want to hang out with new friends, practice a new language, meet people from different cultures, immerse yourself in the local community, or just socialize in a friendly environment, come along and enjoy some drinks and food with new friends 🙋‍♂️🙋‍♀️ ​ \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- ### Event Details 💰 Cost: Free 🍺🥃 Drinks and social 📍 The Goodman Pub and Kitchen (Inside, or ask for Meet People Social) - 207 Queens Quay W 🕕 6:00pm onwards every Friday ​ **Or RSVP on the website for our Discord / WhatsApp communities, and to see who else is going and what their backgrounds/seniority/interests are:** 🔗 [Link to Website](https://meetpeopletoronto.com/event/meetup) ​ If you cannot find us, ask staff about Meet People Social, or ask in the WhatsApp community above. ​ \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- ### Perfect For * 🌎 **International Students & Expats** in Toronto * ✈️ **Travelers & Digital Nomads** looking to connect * 🏠 **Locals** wanting to expand their social circle * 💼 **Working Holiday Visa holders** and new arrivals * 🎓 **University students** and language school attendees * 👥 **Anyone** looking for genuine friendships and networking \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- ### Why Join Our Toronto Community? * 🤝 **Meet diverse, welcoming people** from all backgrounds * 🗣️ **Practice conversation** with native and fluent speakers * 🌍 **Cultural exchange** and international perspectives * 🗺️ **Local insights** on best places to visit in Toronto * 🎯 **Social activities** and games \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- ### Ideal If You're... 📍 **New to Toronto?** Perfect for getting oriented and making friends ✈️ **Traveling solo?** Find your Toronto social circle 💼 **Looking for work opportunities?** Network with peers 🎓 **Student or recent graduate?** Connect with peers and mentors \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- ### Event Guidelines * Support the venue by purchasing drinks/food (no outside items allowed) * Maintain appropriate behavior and respect for all attendees * Bring physical ID if required by venue (call ahead to confirm) \-\-\-\-\-\-\-\- ​ ​ *Toronto Canada make new friends social mixer afterwork drinks meet people connect network social international party friends event new night welcome world culture japanese french chinese german korean italian spanish brazil lingos meet people community expats travelers digital nomads students cultural exchange friendship meetup multicultural language exchange multilingual conversation practice english Toronto Canada make new friends social mixer afterwork drinks meet people connect network social international party friends event new night welcome world culture japanese french chinese german korean italian spanish brazil lingos meet people community expats travelers digital nomads students cultural exchange friendship meetup multicultural language exchange multilingual conversation practice english*

Let's grab some coffee/food and share a morning chat! The East Market has an ample parking lot and outdoor and indoor seating. Grab a cup of coffee from Winston's Coffee & Waffles or on your way to East Market and meet us on the second floor - table behind or east of the elevator. Per what this group is about: "Everyone is welcome! International transplants to Columbus who want to improve language skills, Columbus residents who enjoy talking to people from other countries, and those who would like to discuss international travel and culture, and who enjoy getting together for good conversations."

**History** The [Franklin Park Conservatory](https://www.fpconservatory.org/)’s roots trace back to 1852 when the Franklin County Agricultural Society purchased 88 acres of land to host the Ohio State Fair. After the fair moved to its permanent home, the city of Columbus transformed the grounds into Franklin Park in 1884. This transition shifted the space from a temporary event site to a dedicated public green space for the growing community. The park became a central hub for outdoor recreation and early civic gatherings in the neighborhood. In 1895, the landmark Victorian-style Palm House opened its doors, drawing heavy inspiration from the Glass Palace of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. This iron and glass structure became an immediate icon, housing exotic plants that residents would otherwise never see in the Midwest. It remains the oldest part of the facility and serves as a primary link to the conservatory’s 19th-century origins. For decades, it stood as a singular testament to grand horticultural architecture in Central Ohio. A major turning point arrived in 1992 when Columbus hosted AmeriFlora '92, an international horticultural exhibition. This massive event prompted a $16 million renovation and expansion, adding significantly more greenhouse space and the Dorothy M. Davis Showhouse. The festival put the conservatory on the international map and fundamentally changed its scale and ambition. Following the event, the facility transitioned from a city-run park to a private, non-profit organization. In 2003, the conservatory’s identity was further defined through a long-term partnership with world-renowned glass artist Dale Chihuly. After a successful exhibition, the Friends of the Conservatory purchased most of the glass installations, creating the largest permanent collection of Chihuly’s work in a botanical setting. These vibrant glass sculptures are now woven throughout the biomes, blending art with nature. This addition helped cement the conservatory as a premier cultural destination rather than just a botanical garden. Recent years have seen the site expand beyond the glass walls to emphasize community engagement and outdoor education. The 2018 opening of the Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation Children’s Garden added two acres of interactive landscape designed for hands-on learning. The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company Community Garden Campus also provides local residents with space to grow their own food and learn sustainable practices. Today, the conservatory balances its historic Victorian charm with modern commitments to local ecology and the Columbus community. **Maps of the Conservatory** Here is the [main map](https://www.fpconservatory.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/franklin-park-zones-scaled.jpg) of the Conservatory grounds. Here's a [map of the areas](https://www.fpconservatory.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/ConstructionMap-2026.jpg) in which the Conservatory has ongoing construction (see below). **Summary** For this event, we'll explore Columbus's highly-rated and very popular Conservatory. As mentioned above, the Conservatory is doing renovations on parts of the facility. These renovations are scheduled to be ongoing until the Fall of next year. Basically, no matter when you go to the Conservatory over the next 18 months, you're going to see some metaphorical orange barrels. So let's just go now. **Tickets and pricing** On the first Sunday of every month, the Conservatory is free for residents of Franklin County and the city of Columbus. You must bring an ID to receive this discount. (Yes, they do check.) Otherwise, tickets are $25.20. Members of the Columbus Zoo (of which I am one) do get a discount on tickets, though I have never actually bought a ticket to the Conservatory (I've always gone on free days). I believe the discount is $4. Parking is always free. If you have additional questions about pricing or whether and for what you qualify, you can reach the Conservatory at 614-715-8000. **Where we'll meet** We will meet just outside the main entrance. I guarantee there's going to be a line. The Conservatory is always popular on free days, and especially in nice weather. **Your GPS is stupid!** Be careful simply typing "Franklin Park Conservatory" in your GPS and going where it tells you. The only way to access the parking lot to the Conservatory is off of Broad Street. Unfortunately, since Google Maps is unable to find its way out of a wet paper bag, it has a tendency to want to take people to a mythical, non-existent Conservatory entrance on Nelson Road. If your GPS does this, just drive to the north side of the Conservatory along Broad Street. Your GPS should then redirect you to the main Conservatory entrance. If your GPS doesn't, then throw your phone away\* and look for the big Conservatory sign on the south side of Broad Street between Nelson Road and Franklin Park West. You also should be able to use the map pin I've provided, below, and it should properly direct you to where you need to drive. \* Don't really do this. **After the event** After stopping to smell the roses, for those that are interested, we'll head to the nearby [Columbus Brewing Company Beer Hall](https://columbusbrewing.com/location/beer-hall/) for [drinks](https://columbusbrewing.com/location/beer-hall/#draft-list) and [lunch](https://columbusbrewing.com/location/beer-hall/#food-menu). The Beer Hall's actual address is [200 Kelton Ave, Columbus, OH 43205](https://www.google.com/maps/place/200+Kelton+Ave,+Columbus,+OH+43205/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x883889a94ac4acad:0xadb2e60240dbc38b?sa=X&ved=1t:242&ictx=111) (it's literally just on the south side of the Conservatory). Be sure this is where your GPS is taking you when you use it, as the Brewing Company has a taproom on Harrison Avenue that is *not* what you want for this event. We should be at the Beer Hall by 1 if you can't make the Conservatory and just want to join us for drinks.

Let’s meet and wander the galleries! General admission on Sundays is free.

June meetup at the Library. We’ll play games and have casual conversation in Japanese and in English. All levels of Japanese ability, from non-speaker to native, are welcome. After the meetup we will go out to eat at a local restaurant.

Let’s meet and share discussion of the James Baldwin short story collection, Going to Meet The Man.