Toronto Sketches 12: “The Way We Were”Mike Filey brings the stories of Toronto, its people and places, to life. Mike Filey’s column “The Way We Were” first appeared in the Toronto Sunday Sun not long after the paper’s first edition hit newsstands on September 16, 1973. Now, almost four decades later, Filey’s column has had an uninterrupted stretch as one of the newspaper’s most widely read features. In 1992, a number of his columns were reprinted in Toronto Sketches: “The Way We Were.” Since then another eleven volumes have been published to great success, with over 5,000 copies sold. In his latest compilation, Filey recounts the story of the controversial (though not altogether surprising) renovations at Union Station, as well as the history of Toronto’s own Kennedy family. |
Contents
| 11 | |
| 13 | |
| 16 | |
| 18 | |
| 21 | |
| 24 | |
Where Is Our Spitfire? | 26 |
Makin Tracks Through History | 29 |
A Real Swinger on Bathurst | 113 |
Gargoyles Get a Second Life | 116 |
The Fileys Head South | 118 |
Historic and Truly Moving | 121 |
Jets Back on Island Radar | 124 |
A Hot Time in the Old Town of York | 127 |
Streetcar Inferno | 129 |
Torontos Changing Waterfront | 132 |
This 1910 Idea Was a Real Lifesaver | 32 |
Pleasant Streetcar History | 35 |
From Civic to Simcoe | 38 |
This Canuck Was a Golf God | 41 |
Toronto Still Yonge at Heart | 44 |
The IllFated Ex of 1974 | 47 |
CNEs Back to the Future | 50 |
Stately Structures Indeed | 53 |
Worlds First Movie Star | 56 |
Streamlining TOs Streets | 59 |
Rollin Rollin Down the River | 62 |
Keewatin Comes Home | 65 |
Tunnel Comes in for Landing | 68 |
Mother Parker Turns One Hundred | 71 |
Belt Line Was ShortTracked | 74 |
Wharf Lighthouse Turns 150 | 77 |
The Very First Grey Cup | 79 |
Travels Back in Time | 82 |
Gardiner in a Pickle | 85 |
TOs Evolving Skyline | 88 |
TOs Little Piece of Venice | 91 |
Identified Flying Object | 94 |
Torontos Master Sleuth | 97 |
The BestLaid Plans | 100 |
TO Tried Its Luck Before | 103 |
Starter Motors | 106 |
TOs Second Subway | 109 |
Floating History | 135 |
Postcard from the Wedge | 138 |
Torontos Early Hotels | 141 |
The Little Tug That Could | 144 |
Northern Fighters | 147 |
The Way We Kept Our Cool | 150 |
Wonderful Flying Machine | 154 |
Never Got Off the Ground | 158 |
Never Taxed for a Topic | 161 |
Scarboroughs Lost Dream | 164 |
Getting There from Here | 167 |
City Joined the Streetcar Biz | 170 |
Torontos Union Station Then and Then | 173 |
Torontos Worst Disaster | 176 |
Cant Beat New City Hall | 179 |
When Vaudeville Ruled | 183 |
Take the Time to Go to Jail | 186 |
Pachyderms from the Past | 190 |
Our First Remembrance | 193 |
First TTC Rider Paid 7 Fare | 196 |
Mi Casa Es Su Casa | 198 |
Streetcars Brush with Fame | 202 |
A Piece of TOs Flying History | 206 |
When Eatons Was Christmas | 209 |
1944 Storm Still the Worst | 212 |
Previously in the Toronto Sketches Series | 215 |
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Common terms and phrases
Airport amusement park Avro Bathurst Street Bay Street began Belt Line Bloor Street bridge building built Canada Centre City Hall City of Toronto city’s Clair Avenue CNE’s column company’s corner demolished Don Jail downtown east Eaton’s Eglinton Avenue event feature Front Street Grey Cup Grey Cup game Hanlan’s Point historic Interestingly known Lake Shore Boulevard landmark later Leaside located metres Mount Pleasant Cemetery officially opened Ontario operated passenger PCC streetcars Peter Witt Port province province’s Queen Street renamed River Road roller boat route Scarborough September ship ship’s side of Front Simcoe Spadina SS Keewatin SS Noronic Street West structure theatre there’s today’s Toronto Bay Toronto City Toronto Ferry Toronto Harbour Toronto Islands Toronto Railway Company Torontonians tower Town of York tracks transit TTC’s Union Station University Avenue vehicles waterfront world’s Yarmila Yonge Street