I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from Little Canada, but it turned out to be engrossing and a lot of fun. Two hours exploring passed in a flash.

My friend and I did a double-take at the Art Gallery of Ontario (above). Is there an external staircase on the front as displayed (or just at the back, as I’d thought)? We happened to walk by the AGO later in the evening and, as remembered, you can’t see that portion of the building from the street (nor on Google Street view, lol), so I’m still not sure. However, no doubt it’s correct, so that was a neat revelation.

As a historic plaque lover, I was delighted to see Jean Lumb’s blue and gold Ontario Heritage Trust plaque included in the minute details of Diversity Garden in Chinatown (below), at Elizabeth Street and Foster Place. And Huron Street Square on Dundas, with the red lanterns! Wonderful.

The joy is in the details. Tiny people dancing in Kitchener at Oktoberfest. Romeo & Juliet being recited inside the Stratford Festival Theatre. GO trains, VIA trains, even Thomas the Tank Engine, making their way along the tracks. A movie (“The Handmaid’s Tale”) filming in Nathan Phillips Square, which caught me off guard. They’ve even included the long-gone Honest Ed’s on Bathurst St. Again, wonderful.

An educational treat, start to finish.