Hanging with the Cool Kids in Toronto - Part 2

On Sunday, when my sister and her daughter were visiting, we not only went to Chinatown, and did some rock climbing, we also visited Kensington Market in Toronto.  Kensington Market is such a unique area that I figured it deserved a post of its own.

Kensington Market is a multicultural area that has been designated a National Historic Site and, as a very popular tourist destination, is one of the more photographed areas of Toronto.  The area, one of the oldest in the city of Toronto, was settled by the British in the 1790s.  Since that time, Kensintogn Market has been constantly reinventing itself with wave after wave of immigrants from different areas.  In the early 1900s it was primarily a Jewish neighbourhood.  By the 1960s the area was primarily Portuguese and today the predominant group is Chinese, although there are more than 30 different ethnic groups living in the area.

It is an area of tightly packed Victorian houses and narrow streets.  In the 1920s the Jewish families would sell their wares from stands in front of their houses or stores on the main floor of their homes, which was how the market started.  Even today there are a wide variety of foods, eclectic cafes, and many second-hand shops in the area.

It's an area that brings out the inner-hippie in you.

I mean who doesn't need a petticoat (or are they tutus?),

or some rainbow tie-dyed harem pants?

Kensington market has everything from the sublime

to the ridiculous,

from the colourful,

to the crazy.

A perfect spot to spend a Sunday afternoon!