4 ms·

When I first moved out on my own, I went to live in a very hip neighbourhood in Toronto - West Queen West. It was gentrifying, and had a lot of artsy spots, caf

by jfil 2y ago

When I first moved out on my own, I went to live in a very hip neighbourhood in Toronto - West Queen West. It was gentrifying, and had a lot of artsy spots, cafes, hole-in-the-wall nightclubs. It was an amazing time living there. A little bit of grit, a little bit of hip. Electro music. Coffee culture. But, looking back, I was the gentrifier. I've seen what it was a few years before moving in there: prostitutes on the street at night. Mobile soup kitchen feeding them, and a group of eccentric locals who included a man without legs in a wheelchair. Folks who got pushed out of other parts of the city - finding a home and a place to just _be_ What I'm trying to say is that: your "from" and your nostalgia was somebody else's "to". Somebody else lost what was there, and then you came. And then you left and something else came. The city builds up layers. And there is a longing and a nostalgia and a wrenching... but those feelings are part of what's always been there even before you. Now that you feel those feelings, you've joined in another part of the cycle.

lioeters 2y ago
> your "from" .. was somebody else's "to" That's beautifully put. Every city I've lived in, there were stories of the good old days. "You should have seen this place ten years ago." As I grew older and lived in more places, I would hear stories about a city where I was "from". How it's changed now with all the new people moving in, how it used to be in the glory days. And I was there, living those glory days that they're reminiscing about, a place in the past that no longer exists. As I'm getting ready to move from yet another city, I reflect on how it's changed. She's no longer the city I used to know - and I'm no longer the person I was when I moved here. It's time to go find my next "to". Others will move in and make where I'm "from" theirs. I loved your story and the pictures. The rebirth was satisfying to see, how the merchants were able to find a new home for their village.
brianjacobss 2y ago
Yeah, it's this constant cycle of change, where what's new and exciting for one person might be tinged with loss for someone else. And yeah, that feeling of nostalgia and longing, it's like this shared thread that ties us all together in the cityscape. We're all part of this ongoing story, adding our own chapter and feeling the echoes of those who came before us.

by jfil 2y ago

lioeters 2y ago

> your "from" .. was somebody else's "to" That's beautifully put. Every city I've lived in, there were stories of the good old days. "You should have seen this place ten years ago." As I grew older and lived in more places, I would hear stories about a city where I was "from". How it's changed now with all the new people moving in, how it used to be in the glory days. And I was there, living those glory days that they're reminiscing about, a place in the past that no longer exists. As I'm getting ready to move from yet another city, I reflect on how it's changed. She's no longer the city I used to know - and I'm no longer the person I was when I moved here. It's time to go find my next "to". Others will move in and make where I'm "from" theirs. I loved your story and the pictures. The rebirth was satisfying to see, how the merchants were able to find a new home for their village.

brianjacobss 2y ago

Yeah, it's this constant cycle of change, where what's new and exciting for one person might be tinged with loss for someone else. And yeah, that feeling of nostalgia and longing, it's like this shared thread that ties us all together in the cityscape. We're all part of this ongoing story, adding our own chapter and feeling the echoes of those who came before us.