I've probably been spending too much time down on the waterfront these days. Since it's a public space that disappears from most of our minds in the colder months, now is the time to go swimming, party on the beach, or just soak in the sights and sounds of the Great Lake our city sits on.

While I wouldn't qualify myself as a boat-nerd, I have been gaining an appreciation for the ships that line the central waterfront during recent visits. While some require exclusive memberships to ride (or even see moored on the dock), some of the more majestic and storied vessels sit right up against the boardwalk. The Empire Sandy, which sits at the foot of Spadina, is one of these ships, and its semi-battered hull has a few stories to tell.

Tired of boring, generic, lackluster ad campaigns that misrepresent our fair city? Much gnashing of teeth resulted from recent efforts to market Toronto to the legions of international tourists leaving us off their "must-see" list, but until now there have been few opportunities for Torontonians to do anything about it other than complain.

Enter the My Toronto video contest by Spacing magazine. Whether you're a budding film-maker, marketer, or just someone who wants to see the job done right, you have the rest of the summer to put together a 30-second video that does a better job of selling Toronto than the ones created by "slick" ad agencies. Rather than regurgitate the tired clichés about what makes this city great, contestants can take this opportunity to re-imagine or re-brand the city in a way that they feel truly does it justice.

All completed entries should be uploaded to the competition's YouTube group. For more details on submission guidelines, have a look at the call for submissions, and remember the deadline is Friday, September 7th, 2007. Good luck!

Image by Erik Twight from the blogTO Flickr pool.

Sometimes in children's fairy tales you hear the phrase, "The woods have eyes." I've often considered those words foreboding, a warning that something somewhere is keeping a very close eye on you. Now I have a completely different association with the phrase, after a discovery in High Park showed me that the eyes of the woods need not be pernicious, and can even even be a source of comfort.

High Park used to be a place I only visited in transitional seasons: the leaves changing in the fall and the colour-burst of blossoming trees in the spring were reason enough. The more time I spend there, though, the more I realize it hides as many secrets as any old building or hidden alley. Clustered around the south east end of Grenadier Pond and heading up the path through the Cherry Blossom garden are several faces carved into the bark of the trees. The work of Tree Spirit Carver Colin Partridge, these old men keep a watchful eye on the goings-on of the park, imbuing it with a sense of mystery and wisdom.

First things first: I love Toronto's street meat. Along with smog and endless festivals, the waft of BBQ meat snaking down the streets is one of those signs that summer has arrived in this city. Having said that, there's far too much diversity in Toronto for our sidewalks not to run thick with the smells of samosas, soups, and all other manner of delicious ersatz meals.

Apparently, Provincial Health Minister George Smitherman is due to announce today that the strict health laws that forbid anything other than pre-cooked sausages and hot dogs from being served on the streets will finally be relaxed. Although it may take a while for vendors to actually begin rolling out the new eats, it's good to know a bit of variety is finally coming our way. The drunken stumble to bed after a long night just got a whole lot more delicious.

Image by gbalogh of the blogTO Flickr Pool.

Next Tuesday, July 10, Local Enhancement & Appreciation of Forests (LEAF) along with the Toronto Public Space Committee will be presenting the first Toronto Tree Tour in Trinity-Bellwoods Park. While everyone is slowly turning their attention to environmental causes, it's important to remember that the natural environment carries as many stories and histories as the more-often-mythologized built environment.

Rather than present itself as a nature-walk, the tour seems like an interesting alternative to field-naturalist walks that sometimes overemphasize ecological perspectives. Perhaps with tour-stop with names like "The Saddest Tree," "Dawn of the Dead," and "Graffiti Flowers," these tours will attract the growing legions of psychogeographers in the city, as well as enviro-enthusiasts, tree-lovers, and Toronto history-lovers.

Four months have passed since the last issue of Spacing was released, which means that the next one is finally upon us! Tonight Toronto's public space enthusiasts will be at the Gladstone Hotel to celebrate the release of their latest issue, which means you can head down to pick up a copy while schmoozing with your fellow Toronto-lovers! The Summer 2007 is about Water and how it shapes our everyday lives in Toronto.

The suggested dress code is blue-and-white, meaning the dance floor might look like a churned up jacuzzi if it gets moving just right by the end of the night. $10 will get you in the door with a copy of the magazine to take home.

I humbly admit to having an article in the issue about the shipwrecks in Toronto's Inner Harbour, and am joined by fellow blogTO contributors Tanja-Tiziana Burdi and Jerrold Litwinenko, both who contribute photography to the magazine's pages, and Todd Julie, who contributes an illustration. I'm looking forward to reading and looking at everyone's work!