The Ace

231 Roncesvalles Ave, Toronto, ON M6R 1M3 ‎

Photo taken from Google Maps

I went here once in March which was a long time ago now, but I think I remember it pretty well.  My grandma had just died and my friend Gwen took me here to get drunk and console me.

I think the most important thing to tell you about this place is that I was wearing mixed prints when I went there.  It was just starting to become a trend and I wasn’t really sure how to do it.  I had a black and white striped shirt on under a black and white tweed or something blazer.  The blog I read about mixing prints said the best thing to do as a beginner is to stick to a colour pallet.  I think I looked pretty good.

We sat at the bar because it was dinner time and Gwen and I weren’t eating.  I’d had half a burrito for lunch and the other half on the streetcar home.  I’m surprised I’m remembering this so well, but it was a memorable burrito.

There were hooks directly under the bar for us to hang our jackets on so they didn’t fall on the floor.  We had a lot of clothes because it was still winter, but there wasn’t anyone else sitting at the bar, so Gwen and I used two hooks each.  Eventually I got warm and took my blazer off and hung it on a hook too.  Then I was just wearing a striped shirt, and I was disappointed that I wasn’t ultrafashionable anymore.

Gwen bought me my drink because I was feeling very sad, and that did make me feel a little better. 

After the Ace, we went to another bar and it turned out a girl I went to high school with worked there.  It was nice to see her again.

Jac's Milk

The corner of Roncesvalles and Wright Ave.

Photo taken from Google Maps

I don’t know if the owner of this store is actually named Jac.  There’s just one man that’s usually in there when I go.  The last time I went in, I was going to say: Hello, are you the owner?  Is your name Jac?  But then I got shy.  Sometimes, I am shy.  Instead, I said: Hello, can I have five TTC tokens please? 

I’ve only ever bought tokens from this store.  I know they specialize in milk, so I should really try some, it’s probably really good, but I don’t drink a lot of milk.  I just put it in my tea and sometimes on my cereal.  Sometimes, I just eat dry cereal.  I don’t like cereal when it’s too soggy.

The man’s name could be Elliot I guess, the man who’s always behind the counter at Jac’s milk.  You know when you look at someone and say, yeah, your name could be Elliot?  That’s what it’s like with this guy.

I’m pretty sure Jac’s Milk sells more than milk and TTC tokens.  The counter where you buy your tokens is at the very front of the store, and I haven’t explored through the rest of it.  This is because I am always afraid that someone will think I’m stealing, even though I haven’t stolen anything since I was four and stole blocks from my kindergarten class.  I’m still living with the guilt of that and I don’t need any more, thank you very much.

The rest of the store probably has food in it, for humans and for cats maybe.  There are also lottery tickets and cigarettes for sale, but please buy these responsibly.  Not for children.

Maple Produce

225 Roncesvalles Ave., Toronto

Photo taken from BlogTO.com

They sell fruit here, and vegetables.  I’ve been in this store quite a few times because it’s close to my house.  I usually buy more fruit than vegetables.  Some of the fruit is outside, and some of it is inside.  When it was really cold last week, they closed the accordion glass doors on the fruit outside so that it didn’t all freeze.  There was still a big space open though so that people could get in and out.  I was afraid that the space was too big and that the fruit would still freeze.  When I went though, I didn’t end up needing any of the fruit from the front, so I don’t know if it actually froze or not.  Now that it’s warm again, they keep those glass doors at the front open so that you can see all the fruit.  Last week, I bought apples and potatoes, but then I went to visit my parents for the weekend, so I haven’t eaten anything yet.

Hey! Restaurant

89 Roncesvalles Ave., Toronto

Monday-Sunday 6:30am-10:00pm

647-748-0439

heyrestraunt@gmail.com

http://heyrestaurant.tumblr.com/ 

I went to this restaurant for brunch on that really warm Sunday in January.  They gave us water in mason jars and I said: "Look everyone, I'm drinking jam."  I was with my family and they all just looked at me, so I said it again.  No one laughed, and I felt kind of sad about that.  When my food came, I dipped my knife into my water and started spreading it on my toast.  No one noticed, and my toast got soggy.  It was a tough crowd.

Our server kind of looked like a younger version of my brother's grade seven teacher, so we called her Ms. Downey behind her back.

The bathrooms in this place are in the basement which is good to know before hand.  I went into the back of the restraunt by accident and Ms. Downey had to come get me and say: "The bathrooms are just downstairs."  One of the toilets was out of order, but there are three, so it was fine.  I didn't have to wait.