Book ~ "Toronto Sketches 8: The Way We Were" (2004) Mike Filey

From Goodreads ~ Toronto Sun columnist Mike Filey is back with "Toronto Sketches 8", the series that captures the people, politics, and architecture of Toronto's past with photographs and anecdotes that will change the way you see the city forever. 

The book brings us back to the time of Toronto's original horse-drawn streetcar, the construction of Maple Leaf Gardens, and other memories of Toronto, many of which show how history repeats itself, as in the gas price wars of the early 20th century or the debate in 1911 over building a bridge to Toronto island.

Mike Filey had a column in the Toronto Sun for about 30 years and I read it for many years (I like learning about the history of Toronto) ... this book is a compilation of some of his columns.

We learn about the Eaton's store, Marilyn Bell, car shows, transit (streetcars, buses and the subway), sports (baseball and hockey), what the CN Tower and city hall could have looked like, the Dufferin Park Racetrack, and more.

Dufferin Park Racetrack, a horse racetrack which operated from 1907
until it was demolished in 1955 (this is looking east)

This space is now the Dufferin Mall (the closest mall to me),
which was built in 1956 as a plaza and converted to
enclosed mall space in the 1970s

Even though the book was published in 2004, it was still an interesting book because it dealt with many historical events in Toronto. 

If you live in Toronto or are from Toronto, you should check it out.