Time for blooming blossoms and traffic
It is a magical time of year in High Park — yes, because the sun is shining and the grass is green, and yes, because there’s a new baby bison at the zoo, and yes, because the baseball and soccer seasons mean the park is full of children playing games and cheering and laughing every evening and all weekend.
But also, this week, because the cherry trees have blossomed, as they do for roughly 10 days or so each year. The winding pathways of pale pink blooms, virtually glowing throughout the greenery of the park, are like a watercolour painting come to life. That the window to witness this bit of natural beauty is so small is part of the appeal — like many of the best things in life, the blooms must be appreciated in the moment they are in front of you, for almost as soon as you’ve noticed them, they are gone.
People do come to appreciate them. Lots of people. Lots and lots and lots. I have been to the park twice this week, early Monday afternoon and again on Wednesday evening, and the pathways and lawns of the park have been packed with pedestrians and picnickers. They snap photos of the trees and stand under them to brush their hands through the petals of the blooms. They lay out on blankets, taking in the trees and the sunshine and the general glory of spring. The people watching is as much a part of the experience as the bloom-spotting.
KEENAN continued on GT2
But there’s another side to this annual tradition — a dark cloud to go with the silver lining. Gridlock.
People drive to the park. Lots of people. Lots and lots and lots. They try to drive into the park, but after all the parking spots fill up sometime shortly after dawn, the police close the driveway entrances and then the streets around the park and throughout the entire west end of the city fill with cars. Six or seven blocks away, residential side streets are lined with cars illegally parked on both sides of the street.
Traffic is snarled — an order of magnitude more than usual — on Lake Shore Blvd. and up past Annette St.
Every time I tell people about this, they shake their heads and chuckle and say “I know what you mean,” and then they go ahead and try to drive to the park anyway. ( It’s a weeknight, they think to themselves. It’ll be all right. I’ll leave a little early.)
They sit in a traffic jam for an hour or more and then realize that the nearest available parking spot is more or less in Mississauga. “Oh,” they’ll say to me afterwards, “I didn’t know what you meant.”
That this surprises us — I include myself, for I manage to get stuck in this phenomenon at least once a year — is kind of strange, given that enduring a nightmarish traffic or crowding situation is a bit of a Toronto ritual for all kinds of natural pleasures. It is as if we believe that in order to earn the reward of some peace, we must first prove our worthiness by undergoing a trial.
For instance, to experience the beauty of the Toronto Islands, one must first run the cattle-pen gauntlet of the ferry docks.
Or for another instance, it’s a years-long tradition to head out for a summer afternoon at Bluffer’s Park, only to sit in a barely-moving line of traffic on Brimley forever, only to realize the kilometres-long road into the parking lot was closed hours earlier when all the spots were taken.
At Bluffer’s, there is finally a cure for the traditional combination of traffic frustration followed by long hike, with the introduction this month of weekend and holiday bus service into the park.
At High Park, that cure has always existed, if we would just take advantage of it. There is a subway station at the north entrance to the park. It is, helpfully, named High Park Station. There’s a streetcar, the westbound Carlton car, that actually brings people inside the border of the park. On the front of it, it says “506 HIGH PARK.”
That’s right: you can enjoy the beauty of the cherry trees and the giddy energy of the people who come to see them without being trapped in — and helping to cause — the traffic chaos.
You may even be able to do it this year. The trees reached full bloom on Wednesday. How long they will last depends on the weather conditions (a heavy rain or strong winds can wash them out or blow them away.)
There’s a good chance people will still be able to appreciate them this Mother’s Day weekend, but anyone who wants to check can call the High Park Nature Centre cherry blossom hotline, which is updated daily, at 647-946-2547.
By all means, you should visit, if you can, to see the blossoms and to enjoy the park, and maybe check in on the newborn bison while you’re there. But for God’s sake, leave your car at home.
Edward Keenan is a columnist based in Toronto covering urban affairs. Follow him on Twitter: @thekeenanwire