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THE BEACHES JAZZ FESTIVAL

For 24 years, Toronto's Beach Neighbourhood has hosted a very popular jazz festival that features a large variety of music including jazz, latin, and rhythm and blues with participation from around 50 international bands. Yesterday, Paul and I decided to take a look with our dog, Maxwell, who we knew would love to see the crowds of people.

 Kew Gardens Bandstand

Over the years, there has been controversy over what is the correct name for the neighbourhood. People continue to hold fiercely to the opinion that it is the Beach Neighbourhood or the Beaches Neighbourhood. Recently, the City of Toronto attempted to resolve the issue by posting signs proclaiming 'Beach Neighbourhood'. The festival, however, continues to be known as the Beaches International Jazz Festival.

The Beach Neighbourhood is located on Lake Ontario, extending from Coxwell Avenue on the west and  Victoria Park Avenue on the East with Queen Street as the northern boundary.  The area between Queen Street and Kingston Road to the north has recently begun to be known as the Upper Beaches. Though rarely distinguished from each other today, the beaches that gave the neighbourhood its name are from west to east Woodbine Beach, Kew Beach, Scarboro Beach and Balmy Beach.  

Boardwalk along Woodbine Beach

  Dogs' Off-Leash Area, Kew Beach

Lake Ontario from Kew Beach

We began our day at the off-leash area on Kew Beach where Max had a swim and a roll in the sand - things he likes to do more than almost anything else.  Then, we walked along the boardwalk to the Latin stage where two couples were dancing to lively music. 

Beaches Jazz Festival Latin Stage, July 28, 2012

There were people everywhere enjoying themselves. Just off Woodbine Beach a ladies  volleyball tournament was in full swing with several hundred participants and spectators.

Woodbine Beach Ladies Volleyball Tournament

We now made our way to the festival's main venue at the Kew Gardens bandstand on Queen Street where the Beach's retail outlets are located. It is the neighbourhood's main east/west traffic artery. On our way there we passed some interesting new housing development on Woodbine Avenue. This was a very successful attempt to create housing that would blend into the Beach's existing style of architecture.

 

Recently Built Condos on Woodbine Avenue Now Worth More than $1 million per Unit

In the early19th Century, the neighbourhood, at that time called East Toronto, became well-known for its amusement park located at Scarboro beach, and, of course, for its beautiful beaches. Summer homes and small cottages were built, many of which remain in place today. This history along with the lack of high-rise development has allowed the Beach to retain its unique small-town character, one which is extremely popular with both tourists and residents. 

Development of the new condos, which extend for about 200 metres on Woodbine south of Queen, were controversial. Residents, very proud of their neighbourhood and wanting to preserve its distinctive character, had more than 20 years ago formed an association called the Beach Triangle Residents Association. It represents residents who  wish to preserve the traditional appearance of their streets and to fight high-rise proposals, while at the same time recognizing the benefits of more intensive development, particularly in areas where it would help to reduce transit deficits. On the other hand, because the Beach is so popular and has maintained excellent property values, developers and financiers can see huge opportunities here.  

 

Queen Street Retailers

 

There were many people walking along Queen Street as we made our way to Kew Gardens. This is a very attractive park with lovely trees and landscaping, very popular at all times of the year, but especially during the jazz festival. We stayed for a while listening to the music, walking slowly through the park past the bandstand, admiring the beauty of our surroundings. Then, we made our way back to Queen Street and home.  It was all in all a thoroughly enjoyable day.

 Kew Gardens Bandstand

 People Listening to Music at the Kew Gardens Bandstand

Maxwell Waiting Eagerly for Some of Paul's Ice Cream Cone

Two of the Numerous Kiosks for Arts and Crafts Producers 

Here are a few more photos from Kew Beach, perhaps our favourite place to go when we are at the Beach.

 Looking Towards the Boardwalk and Lake Ontario 

 

Cyclist on the Waterfront Trail as It Passes Through the Beach Neighbourhood

 

Ducks in the Water at Kew Beach

 On the Boardwalk, Kew Beach

 

 Cyclist and her Dog on the Waterfront Trail, Kew Beach

Relaxing on a Perfect Summer Day at Kew Beach

TRAVEL THE WORLD - ALANYA, TURKEY

All along Cleopatra Beach are hotels, some quite inexpensive, with each hotel claiming a slice of the beach for its umbrellas and loungers. This is the best beach we've ever seen for swimming. There are usually big waves, but no noticeable undertow. The sand is nice and very clean, and the water is beautifully warm. Hills surround the beach on all sides, adding to its scenic beauty, and there is a view of the Turkish fortress perched high on the rock overlooking the bay. The main road is just the other side of the hotels, giving easy access by minibus to restaurants and any other parts of Alanya you may wish to visit. On a former vacation in 2001, we found an outdoor fish restaurant where we had a table directly beside the sea. After a while, the full moon rose above the mountains making a lovely reflection in the water. It was a most romantic setting! On this trip in 2006, we tried to find the restaurant, but to our great disappointment it was no longer there.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - ERACLEA MINOA, SICILY

In 2000 we went to Sicily. Early one morning near Agrigento we went for a drive on back roads looking for a small ancient site written up in our guide book. Being Sunday there were few cars or people about. We found the site and spent an hour or so walking around all by ourselves. It was interesting because you could see from the ruins that the streets in this ancient town had been laid out in a grid pattern similar to what is now quite common in Canada. On our way back we couldn't find the road we had used to reach the site. It was a lovely morning and we were enjoying the drive when all of a sudden we came upon the beautiful beach that is featured in the photos. The restaurant was open, but no one else was there. We had a delightful swim followed by Cappuccino. What a wonderful feeling to come upon something so enjoyable and so unexpected! Later we found the name of the place - Eraclea Minoa.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - SANTORINI, GREECE

Each day in 1998 when we visited Santorini, we would go for a swim at the end of the day. Karmari beach is a pebble beach, but nonetheless the swimming was wonderful. As well, restaurants along the beach sold wonderful Greek village salads.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - TOFINO, B.C., CANADA

These photos were taken at Long Beach at Tofino on Vancouver Island in 2003. We spent four days there during the summer when it normally has so much rain. We were very fortunate in having no rain at all making it possible to go for many long walks on beautiful Long Beach.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - WICKANINNISH BEACH, TOFINO, B.C., CANADA

These photos of Wickaninnish Beach were taken in 2003 while on a long walk near Tofino on Vancouver Island.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - TOFINO, B.C., CANADA

These photos from 2003 were taken at beautiful Long Beach at Tofino on Vancouver Island, British Columbia.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - POWELL RIVER, CANADA

Powell River is located on the coast of BC opposite Campbell River on Vancouver Island. The town began when a pulp and paper mill was opened in 1908 and grew until the mill was one of the largest in the world. When we visited in 2003, there was a lot of unemployment in the area, as the mill had been down-sizing its production. The photo is taken from the municipal campground, one of the nicest we had ever seen, located directly on the Pacific Ocean which you can see in the photo.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - TAORMINA, SICILY

Taormina is one of our very favourite resorts. We spent three or four days in the town in 2000. Each day in the late afternoon when we had finished with sightseeing, we went to this beach for fine swimming and sunbathing.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - KYRENIA, NORTH CYPRUS

The Deniz Kizi Hotel at Kyrenia in North Cyprus, which we visited in 2006, had a lovely beach as you can see in the photo. We had three days here and wished we could have extended the time. Kyrenia itself is a charming Mediterranean port town with lots of interesting things to see. It is also near Belapais Abbey and Saint Hilarion, both very much worth seeing.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - SITIA, CRETE, GREECE

Crete, Thera (or Santorini) and Symi are our favourite Greek islands, and Sitia is one of the nicest things about Crete. We spent four days here, most of it on the beach, which was very good. It is easy to get around the island by bus, though we rented a car and drove to Kato Zakros in the east of the island. In 2004, when we were there, Crete had very good hotels and beaches, and to get away from hordes of tourists it was only necessary to leave the main cities. Sitia was the best place we found to do this, particularly if swimming is what you want to do. Everywhere on Crete, the people were great - very helpful and friendly.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - TOFINO, B.C., CANADA

Long Beach at Tofino on Vancouver Island is a surfer's paradise, although it does have a lot of rain. In 2003, we were so fortunate to be there in good weather! We were not surfers, but thoroughly enjoyed our long walks on the beach.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - CAMPBELL RIVER, CANADA

This photo was taken at Miracle Beach near Campbell River, B.C. in 2003 when my Nikon digital camera was only one year old. I took the photo looking directly into the sun to see if it would turn out, knowing that doing this would not be possible with my old SLR camera.

I spent the day with my niece, Catherine, while Paul golfed with her husband, Kevin. A long hike in the forest with its tall, tall trees was followed by a beautiful walk on Miracle Beach.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - KARPAS PENINSULA, NORTH CYPRUS

I will never forget driving the Karpas peninsula in 2006. We seemed to go on and on forever in the heat in our small rental car with no air conditioning. The road deteriorated near the end where an old monastery was located. This looked unappealing so instead we headed for the beach, and parked our car where two Turkish boys tended a car park. To be at the very easternmost tip of Cyprus miles from the nearest town or village was quite exciting, and the fact that there were only two or three other visitors added to the experience. The wind was very strong, so we didn't swim for long. When we returned to our car, we discovered it had a flat tire. We were in a panic until we realized that the two boys were expert tire changers for a price of around ten dollars. Now it was necessary to drive all the way back to civilization on our little replacement tire. We were fortunate that the two boys were able to assist us, though it did cross our minds that perhaps all visitors to this out-of-the-way place were blessed with flat tires.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - WEST WITTERING, ENGLAND

This photo of West Wittering was taken on a 1997 vacation to England. I walked here for some distance with my husband and my son on a bleak, damp, cold, and windy day. This seemed a very English thing to do: it reminded me of the times I had seen people enjoying themselves at the beach in this kind of weather. One of the things I admired in the English when I lived in their country was that bad weather never seemed to deter them from outdoor activities even on a cold winter day.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - PUERTO RICO

Here are two of our children, Lindsey and Jason, on a beach in Puerto Rico in 1993. This was a two-week vacation in which we toured around the entire island and also visited the small nearby island of Vieques. Some of the things we enjoyed were the great swimming; a day's outing on a sail boat; a visit to San Cristobal, a fortress at San Juan; and a few days at the El Convento, a lovely old hotel in historic San Juan.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - KALAMAKI, CRETE

When we visited Crete in 2004, Kalamaki had only recently become a resort. The Lonely Planet Guide to Crete recommended it as a lovely place off the beaten track. That was enough for us. We discovered in Chania, however, that there was no bus service beyond a point some distance away from our destination. Fortunately, after walking on a hot, dusty road hauling our suitcases for fifteen or twenty minutes, a nice gentleman stopped and drove us to our B&B. This was run by a wonderful Cretan family. We especially enjoyed the company of Rula, the daughter, who spoke excellent English.

For our first dinner, we went to a taverna on the beach, but soon after we ordered, there was a power outage. Without power, there was no way to cook, nor was there any light. We spent the time until food was finally served looking at this beautiful view of the sun setting over the sea.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - SANTORINI, GREECE

Santorini, which we visited in the fall of 1998, is one of our favourite Greek islands. Every afternoon, after a day of sightseeing, we went to this beach for fine swimming and sunbathing. But before we swam, we eagerly checked the newspapers to see the latest financial news, particularly concerning Russia and Asia. Our anxiety was caused by fairly steep declines in North American stock markets. Fortunately, predictions of Armageddon did not materialize.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO

Isla Verde Beach in San Juan, photographed in 1993, is the best ever! One evening at sunset, I walked along here for what seemed like miles, listening to music on my Sony Walkman. It was a memorable experience. Swimming here was great - warm water, big waves with no undertow, excellent sand. On our last day in Puerto Rico, we swam here all afternoon.