Male announcer: Welcome to "Joseph Rosendo's Travelscope"... [tap tap] All: Whoo!

Male announcer: where you join us as we accept the world's invitation to visit.

All: Hey!

Rosendo: Today on "Travelscope," I visit Toronto, Ontario, Canada, a city of neighborhoods, ever evolving and emerging into something new.

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Male announcer: Delta Hotels introduces the Delta Toronto Hotel-- steps away from the CN Tower, the Rogers Centre, and Toronto Entertainment District-- and No-Jet-Lag jet lag prevention.

Ahh, it's great to take a break on white-sand Sugar Beach on the waterfront in Downtown Toronto.

Rosendo, voice-over: Canada's most populous metropolis, Toronto's neighborhoods are on the move, and no place is change more evident than in its South Core, where new hotels and condos and a fresh face for its 18-mile waterfront are under construction.

The Redpath Waterfront Festival celebrates Torontans' new vision for their downtown.

Man: Really, the purpose of the whole waterfront festival is to draw attention to life on the water, life by the lake, life in Downtown Toronto.

It's got a lot of new activities and new events to see with the DockDogs and with the flyboarding.

Rosendo: All right.

So, you know, obviously, a bunch of guys are sitting around.

They said, "My dog can jump farther than your dog."

Pretty much what it was right there, a couple of hunters, you know, with their duck dogs... Oh, yeah.

said, "I bet my dog can jump further than yours," and that's pretty much how it all developed.

Now, is it a special breed of dog that loves to do this?

Absolutely not.

We have dogs that have never been in the water before that aren't supposed to be water dogs.

The next thing you know, they're champion dock dogs.

Whoa!

Lot of people just do it for fun.

You know, like, they just their dog in the water, and that's really what it should be all about, just having fun with your dog.

Wow.

Whoo hoo!

Now, Redpath is a sugar company.

Yes.

It is.

You guys are, I understand, the last industrial manufacturing company here on the waterfront.

Yes.

At one time, this was primarily industrial area.

Back when the--when the seaway was created from through the Great Lakes, this became a very major port.

Now people live down here.

Rosendo, voice-over: Just a few blocks off Lake Ontario's shore, the streets of Toronto's South Core neighborhood are becoming more conducive to people and art than cars and parking lots.

And you can see that these faceted elements have some translucent pieces.

They're meant to symbolize dappled sunlight coming through a porous canopy.

At night, other of these faceted elements are digitally activated, makes it feel like you're under trees, leaves moving through the wind.

There's kind of a lovely reference to the past, the natural past of this area, but also what we hope for the future for South Core.

Rosendo: What's great is, with the development going on in the South Core area, the revitalization, Yes.

right next to us, we have what will soon be a natural canopy.

You're so right.

It's such a beautiful plot.

I can't wait until South Core gets to that level of maturity.

Fabulous.

In 1995, it was the very beginning of the greening of the South Core area, Right.

and, as you see now, We've got mature sculptural and park environments here, outside, the two snowmen guardians on either side of the convention center entrance, the magnificent woodpecker column.

Now, this is interesting to me, is that 20 years ago, the Olympic Park and the other parks here in the area were part of that desire by Toronto to create a city within a park, and here we are, 20 years later, and they're bringing back the one thing they forgot back then, which was people, but with the new condos and everything, they're bringing life back into the South Core, and the new art being connected to culture and people is part of that.

I love it, the way you've really understood what's happening here-- I really do-- because it's-- that's an insight.

Not everybody gets the South Core the way you do.

Ha ha!

Rosendo, voice-over: In the South Core's historic Roundhouse Park, people and hand-crafted pilsner beer are the main ingredients of a new neighborhood gathering place-- the Steam Whistle Brewery.

Mm mm.

That's good.

Cheers.

Sybil, how do you think that the Steam Whistle Brewery works into the renovation and the--well, the revitalization that's going on in Toronto?

Oh, well, we love to welcome people here, whether it's the local residents that come in here because this is their neighborhood beer store or visitors to the city come and taking a tour or visit one of the many festivals and events that we have here.

I think it's great that in the past, this waterfront area had only industry and now the few industries that are left are here supporting the people that are moving in, the community that's moving in.

That's right.

We're all part of the social fabric, right?

Well, cheers.

Thank you for having us here.

Our pleasure.

Ah, I liked it so much, I decided to stay.

[steam whistle blowing] Rosendo, voice-over: There are many attractions to enjoy in Toronto's downtown, such as the sports center at Rogers Centre and the Ripley's Aquarium of Canada, which, in 9 galleries, showcases magnificent denizens of the deep.

On my last visit in Toronto, I got a thrilling perspective of the South Core on a CN Tower edge walk a thousand feet above the pavement below.

It's a kick to look out on the city at altitude, but street level is where it's at, so I head over to the Queen Street neighborhood for a different take on Toronto's street art.

This is called Graffiti Alley or Rush Lane, and we're here in front of one of the largest piece-- what's called a production, a piece made of many smaller pieces-- and it was done as part of a graffiti festival around 2008.

Rosendo: Well, is that when graffiti started in Toronto, with this festival?

Well, the graffiti scene here in Toronto really started to take off in the mid Nineties.

Now, how many pieces of graffiti we likely to see here on Graffiti Alley?

Uh, countless.

Well, we better get going.

This part of Graffiti Alley is a great place to show you the 3 main types of graffiti.

We've got, the most basic form is the tag.

It's simply the artist's name written with marker or spray paint.

Then from here, the next more complicated type of graffiti--the throw, which are these bubble letters that are here.

So what these are used for is to cover up a large space with your name.

So graffiti is somewhat territorial.

It's all about claiming space.

The next more complex type is the piece, which is right over here.

So we've got 3D effects.

We've got lots of colors.

We've got someone who's taken more time and effort to do this than the other types.

So what's the purpose of the-- of the 3 different styles?

What's the purpose of graffiti?

The purpose is to get your name up.

That's it?

That's it.

It's to put a piece of yourself up in public, and these guys don't care what you think or what I think of what they do.

They're in it for themselves and, I guess, communicate to other graffiti artists.

It's--it's like a way of saying, "I was here."

And some people would consider this to be great art.

This, absolutely.

Some, not all.

Some people.

Yeah.

Ha ha!

Let's go look at more graffiti.

All right.

Kucherawy: So around the corner, we have one of the most impressive pieces in the city.

Certainly is.

Check this out.

Wow, what is it?

It's writing.

Uh, it's the artist's name.

This was done by Kwest-- K-W-E-S-T.

I don't see "Kwest" there.

Ha ha ha!

The-- the whole idea behind a lot of the graffiti that we see is to lose the letter in the design.

You know, this is like archeology.

Right.

I mean, people have always done art, uh, that was meaningful to them, and in this day and age, it's all about you.

It's all about me.

It's all about the individual.

So this is saying something about our culture.

Absolutely.

It is.

It's kind of like our 15 minutes of fame...

Exactly.

except this way, it'll last more than 15 minutes, maybe.

Maybe.

Ha ha ha!

So what we have back here is basically an outdoor art gallery.

You certainly do.

We got pieces by Gems, by Sight, by Skam and Poser.

It's always changing.

If you covered up somebody else's artwork, you could be risking your life back in--you know, back in L.A. in certain neighborhoods.

Yeah, but this is Canada.

People are pretty respectful, and there are rules about what to cover up, when to cover it up, who covers up who.

So what's the etiquette?

When can you paint over somebody else's art?

It all has to do with respect.

Someone like Poser, who does amazing work, for someone like me with no skill whatsoever, if I were to cover this up, I would be labeled a toy.

Toy.

A toy is, uh, someone who doesn't know what they're doing.

It's a huge insult to call someone a toy in the world of graffiti, so this would make me the mayor of Toytown if I was to cover this up.

So the whole idea is that you never cover up something good.

You always try to outdo, and if you can't outdo what's come before, then you leave it alone.

What about that?

You have here a collection of, uh, images, all people being very antisocial with their smartphones.

Well, is that something that makes the difference between street art and graffiti, when it says something?

That's obviously a comment about how we're all stuck into our phones.

Yeah.

I mean, it's definitely that's an aspect of--of street art.

Street art is like graffiti that's gone to art college.

So graffiti and graffiti art continues to evolve.

What we've got here is two walls of this 3-story building that was done by Uber.

Wow, this is commercial art.

I mean, this is part of the mainstream.

Oh, yeah.

Businesses are-- are seeking out graffiti artists to do works like this on the inside and outside of their buildings.

Toronto is considered a great art city and has iconic fine-art museums.

This is an incubator for the next generation of artists.

Ah, so the next great Canadian artists are being created right here on the streets of Toronto.

Right here in the streets and alleys of Toronto.

You're right.

Thanks for the tour, Jason.

That was great.

My pleasure.

It was very interesting.

Excellent.

I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Uh, I love walking these alleys.

I love graffiti now, this kind of graffiti.

Rosendo, voice-over: Just as street art is constantly evolving, like a butterfly, many of Toronto's 140 neighborhoods are emerging into something new and exciting.

That's the case with Little Portugal, which is gradually morphing into hip, trendy Dundas Street West, or Du-West.

Like feijoada, the Portuguese stew, many cultural seasonings are being added to the mix, and no one is really sure what the strongest flavors will be.

Just--Salud.

My background's Italian.

My partner is Asian.

We're one bar that just sort of focuses on different regions, uh, from all over the world.

You guys are multicultural...

Right.

The neighborhood is multicultural.

and the wines are multicultural, as well, and the neighborhood's multicultural.

Yeah.

Traditionally Portuguese and Brazilian, it's changing, and the City of Toronto, I mean, as it gets older and more people arrive, I can't think of a neighborhood that hasn't changed in the last 5 years that isn't gonna change more in the next 5.

Jose, Du-West is one of Toronto's newest emerging neighborhoods.

So what do you think the Luna Lounge brings to this neighborhood?

I think we're bringing in a little bit of that international flavor into the neighborhood, and we brought in Latin and world music and South Asian and African music.

We're not the only music venue.

We were the-- probably the first one.

I think the-- the music scene-- the underground music scene, is probably gonna be one of the signature things about the neighborhood.

Rosendo, voice-over: Further west on Dundas Street, The Junction is a Toronto neighborhood whose evolution has taken a long and colorful path, and the Pugliese brothers of Vesuvio Pizzeria have led the way.

Help you out here.

See how nice and gentle is?

Yeah.

That's-- that's one of our secrets, the dough.

Really?

You massage it?

You massage the dough?

We massage it.

Eddie, how long you guys been here in The Junction?

We've been here since 1957.

This is the very first pizza place in the City of Toronto.

You opened your pizza restaurant in a area that you couldn't get a drink.

There was a prohibition since--since 1903.

1903.

The Junction used to be a railroad junction.

We had a stockyard in front.

The farmers used to bring their herds... Mm-hmm.

to sell them...

Yes?

and once they get the money, they come down into The Junction, and, uh, they... Party.

party.

See, the--the mayor, the prie--a priest, and the sheriff, they got together.

There was 200 families in The Junction, so they banned gambling.

They banned prostitution, and it--it stood for 97 years.

Which seems very un-Italian, not to have a glass of wine with pizza.

The first 15 years, we didn't mind, uh, Joseph, because-- Yeah?

because, uh, the laws in this town... Yeah?

they were-- they were strict with alcohol.

In the Seventies, we had a plebiscite and put it on the city ballot.

We needed, like, 61%, which is... Kind of unfair.

Yeah.

undemocratic.

Yeah.

Well, it's kind of stacking the deck against you.

Yes.

Yes, and we-- Right.

we got 38%, very disappointing, but as the Nineties approached, the mentality of people changed.

The people around changed, so we did it again in 1997, and that's when--when we win it by one vote.

One vote.

Whose vote?

I think was mine.

Ha ha ha!

I like to think that was mine.

How do you gentrify, um, upscale an area without losing the heart and soul of the area?

How do you do it?

It takes a lot of effort from a lot of people.

People like you staying here.

People like me.

There isn't too many left from 50, 60 years ago.

I'm looking to slow down a little bit, but I love--I love people too much.

I love what I'm doing too much.

That's--that's why I'm still here.

Well, let's put this pizza in there...

Exactly, huh?

and then you and I have a drink together.

Beautiful.

Love to.

OK. We go like this.

Yep.

Why do we do that?

You know what it means?

No.

I'll tell you.

If--if I put it in the oven like this, it'll get stuck.

OK. Now, if I go like this... [blows] [blows] see the bubble?

Ah.

That bubble gives the air, and then it takes it off.

Ha!

It's great to meet a professional.

Beautiful.

I like them--oh.

That's the way I eat them.

Ah, OK. Now you gents gonna sit down with me and have a slice.

All: Grazie, Vesuvio.

As we discovered, The Junction has gone through many changes and continues to do so.

Now, once a year, the community celebrates those changes and the spirit of The Junction in the Summer Solstice Festival which takes place in the small side streets off of Dundas Street West between Indian Grove Avenue, Quebec Avenue.

That's only 8 blocks, but in that short distance, there's plenty of fun, activities, entertainment, and good food and drink to enjoy.

Thank you, Jason.

You're very welcome.

Mm.

Ooh, that's tasty.

What is it?

That's a stout, but it's made with graham crackers, marshmallow, and chocolate, so kind of a s'more campfire stout.

It tastes like a s'more.

That's the idea.

Tastes like a s'more.

That's perfect.

That's great.

We don't want to be anything like a big, mass-produced, huge brewery.

In this neighborhood, there's no chain stores.

There's no big department, things you'd see in any other city.

It's all little, mom-and-pop shops.

It's very much a community, even in the business aspects of it, but there's definitely some voice of the neighborhood.

It's not just me doing this and my neighbor doing that.

We kind of work together.

So you're--you're basically saying that a lot of the people who have stores here are already kind of like artisans, and this is another artisan craft.

Exactly, yeah.

We definitely fit into that.

There's a lot of people who are doing what they're doing because it makes them happy, not because it really makes them rich.

The Junction's a great neighborhood to visit in the daytime and at night, particularly if there's a festival going on, and look for the themes that run through the neighborhood, like community involvement and arts and crafts.

[rock music playing] Rosendo, voice-over: Torontans are so dedicated to the idea of a city within a park-- 1,600 parks make up 13% of the land-- that they have salvaged abandoned industrial sites in order to create more.

Since 1889, the Don Valley Brick Works created the bricks that built Toronto.

Abandoned in 1989, 100 years later, it has now been reborn as the Evergreen Brick Works, a community center devoted to creating environmentally sustainable cities.

The area has been reclaimed, with a park and hiking and biking trails, demonstration gardens, farmers market, organic restaurant, and exhibition areas with all the information that Torontans and the rest of us city dwellers need to live in harmony with nature.

It's hard to believe that this park, with its pond and trees and grasses and wildflowers, was once the quarry where the mud was excavated for the bricks that were made here by the Don Brick Works for more than 100 years.

So not only have more than 90% of the buildings here been reclaimed and repurposed.

So has the land.

Through ongoing public programs, Evergreen Brick Works inspires and equips visitors to live more sustainably.

One way they do that is by supporting local, healthy, and sustainable food at their biweekly farmers market.

One of the buzzwords of the new world of food is "local."

Local, for me, is not about a specific distance.

It's about a relationship.

It's direct.

So I'm making sure that if I'm buying from him, we're getting the best stuff, uh, in season.

I'm cutting out a middleman.

The idea is that that whole cycle is sustainable.

Is Ontario noted for a certain kind of produce or product?

Niagara is certainly known for their tender fruits, and, uh, up north my way, um, the land is a little bit cheaper, so we grow a little bit more produce which is a little bit more land-intensive.

Well, thanks a lot.

Hey, no problem.

Hey, great.

Let's go, uh, define another term.

What about "natural"?

That's a word.

What does that mean?

Nothing, as far as I know.

Nothing?

Well... lawn clippings are natural.

I wouldn't eat them.

Ha ha!

"Artisinal."

What about that?

Well, "artisinal" indicates that someone is actually making this with their hands.

They're thinking about it.

They're thinking about where the ingredients come from not to produce bread, but to produce gorgeous, interesting, wonderful bread.

Rosendo: Hi.

How you doing?

Hi.

Just great.

How are you?

This gentleman represents something, I think, that is-- I hear a lot about in Toronto-- cultural diversity.

He's got Mexican Mayan chocolate coffee.

Toronto has been called the most culturally diverse city in the world.

Long: There's got to be someone from every corner of the Earth somewhere in Toronto.

And in the food itself, how do you weave the cultural diversity in-- in the foods you create?

The shortest way of saying it is-- maybe it sounds hokey--this gives me a lot more colors to paint with.

I can use all these cultures.

I can mash them up, or you can stay pure to one culture, and you can also actually play with it and have fun with it.

It all comes back to the earth and the hole, so we plant the seed and grow what we need, and everything we do, we do it for peace.

We do it for we, community, horizontality, and so let me serve you a chocolate to represent that mentality.

In actuality, this will get you lifted...

Thank you, brother.

and gifted.

Rosendo, voice-over: Celebrating nature is fundamental to the Toronto spirit.

The Don River Valley, site of the Evergreen Brick Works, is a segment of the largest network of ravines of any city in the world.

They carve out a woodland escape and are part of Toronto's 350 miles of self-guided discovery walks and hiking trails.

Some of the trees of the ravines are more than 150 years old.

In order to have an up-close and personal experience with Toronto's trees, I head to Treetop Trekking.

The Heart Lake Conservation Area, one of more than 250 conservation areas in the Province of Ontario, is only 30 minutes from Downtown Toronto.

It's also a wonderful place for me to highlight the natural side of Toronto and things you can do it it.

Hey!

Hey!

I'll do anything for "Travelscope."

Whoa!

Whoa... Toronto, Canada's largest city, has an urban forest of 10 million trees covering an area of 36,000 acres.

Step two.

Hey, tree trekking's as easy as 1, 2, 3.

You'll see what 3 looks like.

3.5 million of Toronto's trees are in park lands and another 600,000 in the streets.

Ah!

There are 160 species of trees in Toronto, and a third of the trees are maples, the national tree of Canada.

Toronto's trees save money, more that 28 million in energy savings emission reductions, and air-quality improvements.

Toronto protects its trees.

You need a permit to remove, cut, or otherwise injure any tree of more than 12 inches in diameter on private property, including single-family residences.

Ah... Rosendo, voice-over: It turns out that trekking through the treetops is a lot harder than walking under them.

That was really great.

You know, it's all about celebrating Toronto's nature, and this is one of the ways you can do it.

In fact, it's a kind of an extreme way for you to do it.

You can also take a hike.

You can also take a nice stroll through the park or bike.

You don't have to be climbing in the trees, but it's exciting, in any case.

Ha ha ha!

Rosendo, voice-over: Toronto is a city of neighborhoods, and, like Toronto, they're ever becoming more themselves.

What that means ranges from repurposing old buildings and welcoming new businesses to adjusting priorities in constructing new facilities, and at the core of all changes are cultural connections that illustrate what a neighborhood wants to be and how the people define themselves, and, while Toronto's neighborhoods are ever emerging, they are firmly grounded in their historic, natural, and multicultural roots so that visiting Toronto is like seeing an old friend and meeting a new one for the first time, no matter how many times you come.

Until next time, this is Joseph Rosendo reminding you of the words of Mark Twain-- "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness."

Happy traveling.

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The vistas of Europe roll by.

Dining options feature fresh and regional cuisine at up to 5 venues, included on all our Europe river cruises.

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Male announcer: Delta Hotels introduces the Delta Toronto Hotel-- steps away from the CN Tower, the Rogers Centre, and Toronto Entertainment District-- and No-Jet-Lag jet lag prevention.

For a DVD of today's show, or any of Joseph's "Travelscope" adventures, call 888-876-3399 or order online at travelscope.net.

You can also e-mail us at TV@Travelscope.net or write us at the address on your screen.

Rosendo: Now that we've explored Toronto's neighborhoods together, learn more at travelscope.net, where you can follow my worldwide adventures through my e-magazine, blog, podcast, and on Facebook.

Stay in touch-- 888-876-3399 or TV@Travelscope.net.

If you don't like the weather in Toronto, just wait 15 minutes.

It's sure to change, and getting around in Toronto's South Core is not only easy.

It's downright entertaining.

The underground PATHway is a network of 16 miles of walkways lined with shops, restaurants, entertainment, and other services.

The PATH is also the link to underground transit PATHways that lead to the rest of the city and beyond.

Built between 1911 and 1914 at the cost of $3.5 million, Casa Loma illustrates that nature was never very far from the center of Toronto, and if you were financier Henry Pellatt, who brought electricity to Toronto, you could have your nature and your castle, too.