Healthy Living • YMCA Health and Fitness
7 things to do in Corktown this Saturday
11 August 2016 - by Nicole Meredith
As a resident (and big fan) of Toronto’s west end, I don’t get to explore the other side of the city as often as I’d like. Last weekend, I decided to shake things up: I biked east along the Martin Goodman Trail to Corktown, the neighbourhood housing the GTA’s newest Centre of Community, the Toronto Cooper Koo Family Cherry St. YMCA.
Here’s my itinerary from this trip. Everything on this list is within walking distance to Cooper Koo, where I finished my adventure:
1. Caffeinate at Odin
First things first: I grabbed a delicious Americano from this award-winning and architecturally stunning café.
2. People-watch at Underpass Park
Caffeine in hand, I wandered south down Lower River Street to check out this trendy concrete playground. It features swing sets and climbing structures perfect for the kids, basketball nets where you can shoot hoops, and lots of talented skateboarders practicing their moves.
3. Soak up some sun in Corktown Common
Just a little further south of Underpass Park is yet another park, this one with more traditional landscaping, including a specially designed, 8.5-metre berm that serves as flood protection from the nearby Don River. Corktown Common features tons of green space, a pond, another playground for the kids, bike trails throughout, and a few splash pads, not to mention that incredible view of the Toronto skyline.
4. Grab a bite at Impact Kitchen
I wandered back up north to around my starting point at Odin, because I’d noticed Impact Kitchen across the street. In their words, they specialize in “minimally processed, nutrient rich, real food” — and it’s simply delicious.
5. More biking
Biking obviously lets you cover more ground than walking, so I biked over the “Time: and a Clock” bridge, yielding this fantastic view (and getting me closer to one of the newer and lesser-known Sweet Jesus locations for dessert). There are plenty of other great bike routes you can take through the neighbourhood, including the scenic Don River Trail.
6. Discover the Distillery
After cooling off with a tasty ice cream cone, I biked back west to visit the beautiful Distillery District. There are tons of unique shops, art galleries, cafes, restaurants, a theatre, and more, all housed in Victorian industrial buildings connected by cobblestone streets.
7. Cool off at the Cooper Koo Y
It wasn’t even worth getting on my bike for the 5-minute journey from the Distillery to the Cooper Koo Y. After wandering around in the scorching sun all day, I was more than ready for a refreshing dip in one of their two brand new pools.
As I biked home, I was honestly thinking that the half-hour-long sweaty ride was totally worth it, given everything this unique community has to offer. If you’re plan-less this weekend, you should definitely explore this fast-growing, beautiful neighbourhood that’s full of activities designed to support healthy living. Trace my steps through these cute cafés and scenic hangouts, or create your own adventure and let us know about the spots you discover.
Here’s my itinerary from this trip. Everything on this list is within walking distance to Cooper Koo, where I finished my adventure:
1. Caffeinate at OdinFirst things first: I grabbed a delicious Americano from this award-winning and architecturally stunning café.
2. People-watch at Underpass Park
Caffeine in hand, I wandered south down Lower River Street to check out this trendy concrete playground. It features swing sets and climbing structures perfect for the kids, basketball nets where you can shoot hoops, and lots of talented skateboarders practicing their moves.
3. Soak up some sun in Corktown Common
Just a little further south of Underpass Park is yet another park, this one with more traditional landscaping, including a specially designed, 8.5-metre berm that serves as flood protection from the nearby Don River. Corktown Common features tons of green space, a pond, another playground for the kids, bike trails throughout, and a few splash pads, not to mention that incredible view of the Toronto skyline.
4. Grab a bite at Impact Kitchen
I wandered back up north to around my starting point at Odin, because I’d noticed Impact Kitchen across the street. In their words, they specialize in “minimally processed, nutrient rich, real food” — and it’s simply delicious.
5. More biking
Biking obviously lets you cover more ground than walking, so I biked over the “Time: and a Clock” bridge, yielding this fantastic view (and getting me closer to one of the newer and lesser-known Sweet Jesus locations for dessert). There are plenty of other great bike routes you can take through the neighbourhood, including the scenic Don River Trail.
6. Discover the Distillery
After cooling off with a tasty ice cream cone, I biked back west to visit the beautiful Distillery District. There are tons of unique shops, art galleries, cafes, restaurants, a theatre, and more, all housed in Victorian industrial buildings connected by cobblestone streets.
7. Cool off at the Cooper Koo Y
It wasn’t even worth getting on my bike for the 5-minute journey from the Distillery to the Cooper Koo Y. After wandering around in the scorching sun all day, I was more than ready for a refreshing dip in one of their two brand new pools.
As I biked home, I was honestly thinking that the half-hour-long sweaty ride was totally worth it, given everything this unique community has to offer. If you’re plan-less this weekend, you should definitely explore this fast-growing, beautiful neighbourhood that’s full of activities designed to support healthy living. Trace my steps through these cute cafés and scenic hangouts, or create your own adventure and let us know about the spots you discover.
