There are few better ways to get a crash course on a street or neighbourhood than by heading out on one of the many Jane's Walk offered each year in early May. Led by knowledgable folk who range from urban planning experts and local councillors to engaged neighbourhood residents, if exploring Toronto is your thing, this weekend (May 5 and 6) has some action in store for you.

In an effort to avoid repetition, I'll keep this subjective list of recommendations fresh by not repeating any walks we highlighted last year. But if you haven't been out for one, Himy Syed's walk, Retracing Stop Spadina, is a good intro to how these things work and also highly informative. Also worth checking out if you havent already done so is Jason Kucherawy's Toronto graffiti walk, which'll take you to some of the best street art pieces in the city.

You've probably heard the news already — that the police were once again called to the mayor's house last evening, this time after an altercation of some kind with Toronto Star reporter Daniel Dale who was working on a story that brought him in close proximity to the Ford home in Etobicoke. Depending on whose account of the evening's events you believe, altercation might not even be the correct word. What sounds most likely is that Ford completely lost control and threatened a reporter who was merely doing his job.

A comment containing a great photo of the old sign at Duffy's Tavern on our post yesterday inspired me to fill in yet another gap in our series of historical posts about Toronto: Bloor Street. Although we've devoted some attention to the intersection of Yonge & Bloor, the rest of the street hasn't received its well-deserved time in the spotlight. That's a bit of an oversight when you consider just how important an artery it is for this city.

I suspect, however, that Bloor gets somewhat overlooked when talking about Toronto's grand streets because north/south corridors like Yonge and Spadina played a more important role in the early development of the city. When Lieutenant-Governor John Graves Simcoe created Toronto's Park Lots in the 1790s, Bloor was the northern terminus of the long narrow estates that would eventually determine the general shape of the downtown streetscape.

Despite the bad press that the TTC tends to get on a consistent basis, the results from its first customer service survey paint a picture of a mostly happy ridership. It may be a Toronto tradition to complain about our transit system, but unless the over 500 people who participated in the study are all just friends of Chris Upfold, there's actually reason for the folks at the TTC to give themselves a pat on the back.

Upon my first perusal of the 2012 PUG nominees for Toronto architecture, I can't escape a feeling of déjà vu. Despite the presence of some excellent buildings, taken as a whole, the crop from 2011 seems much like it did the year before: a bit underwhelming. While there are some significant projects — namely the restored Shops of Summerhill, the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, and perhaps the understated but elegant Ritz Carlton — I'd once again make the argument that the list lacks a real superstar.

Set to open officially on Saturday (May 5), it's tough to decide whether this new addition to the always compelling Geary Avenue is a restaurant or a bar. Perhaps it doesn't really matter. With its slick, speaker-lined interior, second-floor lounge/event space, and a full menu of Mexican-inspired fare on offer until late each night, this is type of place that'll be whatever you want it to be.

Read all about Kitch in the restaurants section.