Where is the Kensington Garden Car?

One of Toronto’s nicknames is “the 6”. Apparently this name comes from the original six neighbourhoods that made up the city, but it might also come from the two original area codes used for Toronto, 416 and 647, or it is possible it is called “the 6” because Drake used the term in one of his songs. There are no longer only six neighbourhoods, there are many many different areas; Little Italy, Little Portugal, Yorkville, Cabbage Town, The garden District, two different Chinatowns, and many more. One of these neighbourhoods within walking distance of our condo is Kensington Market, and we decided to go explore this area of the city the other day. 

I had heard that there was a derelict car in Kensington that had been filled with dirt and used as a flower planter. It was called the “Kensington Garden Car”, and it sounded to me like a good photo opportunity, so I researched it and located it on Google Maps. Sounded like a good focus for a walk on a nice sunny fall day. 

This was the car that I did not see

Kensington Market runs from Spadina Ave. to Bathurst St. east/west and Collage St. to Dundas St., north/south, composing a square of about 20 city blocks. Originally this neighbourhood was an affordable area that attracted immigrants who were new to the city, but it developed into a trendy area with lots of little shops and restaurants. Kensington is interesting in that it has largely resisted the trend towards tearing down the old to build high-rises, and it still has a lot of the original buildings. Many of the immigrants who moved in, converted the street levels of their homes into businesses where the family lived over the shops and restaurants, and the commercial areas of Kensington retains this design. The building have been modified and added to but you can usually still see the original structures underneath. The result really is a very cool neighbourhood that was fun to explore. 

Lots of different styles here

But, although I had it mapped on Google and I knew the exact corner it was supposed to sit on, I could not find the Kensington Garden Car. There was no sign of it. I finally gave up and found many other interesting things to photograph. Back home I asked Google, “What happened to the Kensington Garden Car?”. Google informed me that the car had been removed this week and a new car was being installed tomorrow. I was informed that this would be the third garden car and had become such an attraction that the neighbourhood planned to continue with the tradition, I just missed it by a day. I guess it will mean another trip to Kensington Market.

Good place to sit and wait for Regis