College street was hopping yesterday. It was a beautiful day so the crowds would have been out anyway for the Taste of Little Italy, the street fair that runs between Palmerston and Crawford, but due to the lucky coincidence that Italy happened to be playing the US in the World Cup, the bars and restaurants were overflowing.

I managed to corrale a seat with some friends at the Standard Club at the corner of Beatrice. Like other establishments along the College street strip, they had set up a number of TVs outdoors so everyone could watch the game. There were line-ups almost everywhere; perhaps the longest being at Cafe Diplomatico which had probably tripled its capacity by setting up a massive outdoor tent on Clinton.

There was a Mayor Miller sighting; outdoor games for kids and lots of street food including the ubiquitous roasted corn on the cob.

The Taste of Little Italy continues today between noon and 7pm. Here are some more photos from yesterday.

Soccer fans wait in line for one of the games.

The lineup outside the Dip.