King Street East

My favourite features of the condo are it’s unique layout with lots of kitchen space, full windows and being a corner suite it has wonderful light changes throughout the day and the night sky is delightful. The condo is located in the St. Lawrence Market area and near the Distillery District in Toronto - a dynamic and architecturally rich area of downtown just east of the financial district. The condo includes air-conditioning, 6 appliances, and has a balcony (south/west corner) which in summer has a wonderful breeze due to the proximity to the lake. If you wish internet/cable I would consider sharing the cost. Again, the space is a non-smoking environment due to my allergies. There is a large modern bathroom attached to your room which we share.

Your room is bright, facing south; there is a modern Murphy bed, small desk and a large horizontal bookshelf, with another cabinet (two shelves). In the walk-in closet there a tall cabinet with 6 smaller drawers and a mirror on top, also there is a second smaller cabinet (3 drawers). I should note, having a Murphy bed allows your bedroom to transform into a office space. A past roommate would put her bed up and turn her room into an office for language training during the day and another used the floor space created by putting the bed up to share private yoga classes – so your bedroom can be a multipurpose space. The condo unit has it own washer and dryer.

The condo’s top floor has a large bright lounge (party room) with internet, a board room, kitchen, fireplace, leather couches, chairs and tables that can be uses during the day by tenants (if not booked for a condo meeting or party) this is a great space to meet with a client, or use for studying, reading or developing a project. It is a bit of a business hub with KC tenants working away creating businesses, projects, studying or socializing during the day. Also it is furnished with couches and a TV which can be used to watch elections, sports, film and award shows, etc together as a group. On the same floor there is a spa/fitness area which includes a whirlpool, sauna, full gym area and shower with lockers found in the washroom area. Outside there is a wrap around sun deck-patio with plants, trees (spring was delightful and in full of blooms this year), also there are benches, tables and BBQs (3). The wrap around decks have amazing view in all 4 directions — it is quite magical and a nice place to BBQ dinner and share with friends. On stormy nights people congregate in the spa area (with a glass of wine or coffee) to watch the lightening show as it hits the skyscrapers of downtown which is really only a few block away! The building has an active social committee that plans BBQs and holiday parties throughout the year and has its own Facebook page for letting us know about activities and to communicate with each other about items we wish to sell, rooms to rent, or to share general info that would be of interest. I believe some tenants have also created an after school program that meets in the party room during the school year as a support for working parents in the building.

One of the best kept secrets of the building is our cafe on the ground floor The BC Cafe it has the best eastern spiced coffee in the area! You always hear people asking about the ‘amazing coffee’ …and if they may purchase a pound to take with them? The cafe has a good group of morning regulars, tables, internet and it is a great spot to socialize with other tenants, friends, students, creatives, visiting tourists or people from the neighbourhood. The cafe has also created a patio at the front of the cafe. One Saturday afternoon in the past a customer was teaching another to knit — you just never know who you will meet or what you will share or learn when you visit or building’s cafe. It is a great hub in the neighbourhood.

The building is also blessed with an excellent 24hr security/concierge team and excellent management. We are centrally (and very safely) located in the downtown area with transportation at our door which goes both north/south using the bus system and east/west using the streetcar lines. We are a short walk from the Yonge Subway line and Central Station where you can take the Go Train to other commuter towns and cities in the province or take the train from Central Station which is our national railway that goes almost anywhere in Canada and across the boarder into the USA. The Island airport is just along the waterfront to our west and I walked there and back with a friend along the waterfront last weekend. It is quite beautiful, well used and safe at night – plus loved. Also, the ferry to the Island is just south of us again on the waterfront that leaves for Center Island every half hour or so.

Our neighbourhood, now referred to as King East Village has many lovely shops, galleries, bookstores, cafes, coffee-houses, jazz bars, and theatres (The Alumni Theatre in its historic building are my fav). Every Saturday and Sunday there is the farmer’s market and on Sunday an antique market. At different times of the year there are festivals like the Jazz Festival happening in the downtown area easy to walk to. For every day grocery ease there is a marvellous grocery store a block away with amazing produce, prices/discounts and a rather neighbourhood friendliness, this store is a real plus to one’s food budget. Our building also has a number of stores on the ground floor besides the cafe, you will have access to a small quick grocer, sandwich/ice cream shop, a barbershop, a nail spa, a dry cleaners and a high-end carpet gallery (often with a time saving plus). Also, the George Brown College’s Chef school is just a block away with the most amazing night classes offered for non-chefs too (a fav of mine!) as well as it’s new medical arts building down at the end of the street on the waterfront 10-15 min away (with inexpensive dental care too!). The Ferry to Center Island and the lovely Ward’s Island Village (with the Island Cafe) is about a 20 minute walk away down at the base of Yonge Street and next to Harbourfront which always has a number of art shows and festivals going on all year around. The Island Airport is quite close too (but I suggest you use a cab when going to the airport — either the Island Airport or the International Airport in North Toronto). Our building is truly centrally located and in a lovely safe area of Toronto with lots to do. and explore.

My past roommates have been from the financial and pharmaceutical sector, plus a few students, though my last roommate was a pilot who left for an amazing job flying an emergency room in the sky (so no time is lost in transit) for the patient/emergency.. He was always travelled the world on his time off and always telling me interesting stories about far off places and sharing photos of them. I miss him madly!