Cheap Skate 

I shot some video on my phone to capture the first skate of the season - and yes, that's my bike with the red and white LEDs on the wheels.

Lately I've been enjoying all the “free” stuff Toronto has to offer, and not just art exhibits. This weekend the city opened a bunch of its outdoor rinks. One I ride by every morning is the Paul Quarrington rink just below Sherbourne Common (I realize I mistakenly refer to it as "Commons" in the video). The Commons (is the "s" needed here?) is sort of an interesting project. It's a water park that cleans storm water run-off using natural and UV filters and features playground structures with striking architectural elements. The only thing is, I never see any water coming from the funky water features and even with significant plantings it feels more like a parking lot than a park. Likewise with the skating rink. It's a water pad in the summer and it is in an unusual place sitting between Lake Ontario and the Gardiner Expressway. Soon though it will be surrounded by residential towers I guess making it some of the only remaining public (and partially green space) in the neighbourhood. Oddly though the rink seems to face the city skyline which will not be visible once the remaining empty lots have buildings on them. It seems strange to build something with its back to the lake. There's no reason the rink couldn't have been sited with Westward and Southward views back to the city and the lake. Still it is what it is and part of that means having an amazingly illuminated city skyline as your view while you're skating.