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No Really. I heart TheGladstone
Earlier today, I made a comment on twitter about my favorite memory of the Gladstone Hotel.
@gladstonehotel Our first (only) stay convinced us to move to Toronto. Took us four years, but now we live up the street.
It may seem a little flippant. After all, there are a lot of reasons why we moved to Toronto. For example, location, job availability, culture, diversity. Both of us liked the city the first time we visited together.
But we really and truly fell in love with it after a night’s stay at the Gladstone in October 2006. It wasn’t exactly the hotel itself. Although super cool, with artist designed rooms and a funky ambiance, it was more what the hotel represented; this wacky mix of locals, artists, hipsters, lesbians, families… you name it.
We spent the day exploring the neighborhood, going in furniture stores and galleries, checking out lofts and condo developments. But we spent that evening in the Melody Bar, largely people watching and listening to some live bluegrass. We fell in love with the whole thing. The wood panel walls. The hand-cranked cage elevator. And Hank, the Gladstone Cowboy, who is so very missed. The idea that the Melody Bar had been there – and open – for so many decades. And too, the way the hotel had been both preserved as a piece of Toronto history and reinvented to highlight contemporary city life.
So, it’s probably no coincidence that when I chose a place to live last December, part of what drew me to the craigslist listing was the location; near The Gladstone. After all, I already knew a little about the neighborhood. I could already picture that part of Queen Street. And I knew I’d be “home” there.
And then too, when we bought our house, a big draw was that same neighborhood we fell in love with three years ago.
It’s funny how things come full circle like that. And now we’re two of the locals who go there on occasional evenings.
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February 5th, 2010 at 9:07 am
I stayed in the Isabella Hotel the first time I traveled to Toronto for Pride, and I know that it is an entrenched memory every time I get back up there. I love it – I love Toronto. The Universe will bring you around to where you need to be, as it obviously has for you. Enjoy!
February 5th, 2010 at 9:46 am
I love those pictures!