Saturdays in June are always fun when walking or exploring the downtown core in Toronto. This weekend, I will suggest you come to my neighbourhood on the West side of downtown.

Today, June 11th, take time for the Laneway Crawl between Dufferin and Lansdowne.The route for this Crawl starts at the east-west laneway just north of Bloor Street, going west from Dufferin Street and the north-south laneway in between Margarita Street and Brock Street. I hear there will be music, arts, and maybe other goodies.

Also today, the Dundas West Fest runs along Dundas Street between Shaw and Lansdowne. Rain or shine, you walk along and stop for some treats and cofee at one of my favourite spots, Full of Beans Roastery. There will be various local shops you can discover, and also some great live music outside Lula Lounge, part of LulaWorld Festival.

While in my ‘hood, you can also walk up or down to College Street for a coffee shop crawl; or you can stop by any of the local restaurants to catch some soccer. We are now in the midst of the Copa America and the start of EuroCup. This neighbourhood is not shy about their love of soccer.

The community engagement is high in this ‘hood. I very much encourage you to support the local businesses; we are ‘spoiled’ with the amount of cool shops and restaurants in this side of town. Also  be sure to explore this part of the city more often; there is lots to discover.

So ditch the car, grab your bike or best pair of walking shoes — or if you need to, take transit — to the West side. This gem of a neighbourhood will not disappoint you.