Toronto alley detour

Always look to the sky
Toronto, ON
September 2025
This photo originally shared on Instagram

Toronto is a city of many things, including alleyways. They’re everywhere, and they’re glorious.

I spent the day in Canada’s largest city yesterday, and as I walked from appointment to appointment, I found myself on a particularly crowded downtown street. The mid-day sun was beating down on the ground, the white concrete reflecting it back and adding to the last blast of summer heat.

I needed a break, and ducked into a shady alleyway for some quieter reflection. It was as empty and still as the mythical kingdom of Duloc in the original Shrek, where if you closed your eyes you could almost feel the silence. Century-old brick buildings loomed overhead, casting soothing shade on the narrow lane below, their oversized windows reflecting tiny hints of their rich history.

Still-newer buildings loomed far above, threatening to engulf all that had been built below. Time apparently moves forward relentlessly, even here in the shadows.

I walked the crumbling asphalt that passed for pavement as long as I could, until the clock and the map told me it was time to double-step it to my next meeting. Somewhere nearby, another alleyway lingered quietly, waiting for my next visit.

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