(68) East End

Recent spatial analysis efforts confirm our hunch that POWcityblog has not been aggressive enough beyond the borders of Poorkdale. With the arrival of better weather and a case of East German naval surplus smoke grenades there is little excuse. Early today we chose a landing zone just beyond Jarvis Street from whence to go about correcting our homebodiness. Within minutes of leaving the LZ we were acquiring images.

Generally speaking we find the East End (within the boundaries of the old City of Toronto pre-amalgamation) to be much like Poorkdale. The area is undergoing a transition that could be encapsulated thusly: from old-fashioned to post-modern ( i.e. from bedbugs 'n' bullshit to condos 'n' bullshit ). At times we forget Toronto has an East End at all. Because the prevailing winds in the northern hemisphere are to the east that is where the smoke and smells of the industrial past tended to blow making many a city's (Dublin, London) east the inferior end. Although many of Toronto's more prestigious areas and important institutions remain to the west this bipolarity is breaking down. Much of the red brick Edwardian/Victorian era remains in place in Toronto's east with a massive, overpriced new superstructure being emplaced on top of it. The satisfactions and detractions of both are evident in what is, to say the least, a jumbled fashion.

We are much pleased with today's mission. Last year we strategically purchased 130,000 litres of aviation fuel for underground storage at the POWcityblog bunker and as a hedge against inflation. Perhaps we will order the transfer of a quantity to the tanks of the Superbaru for a wider-ranging reconaissance mission soon.