Happy 175th, Trawna!

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 Happy Birthday, Hogtown!

Well, the festivities apparently continue for the rest of 2009, but March 6th was the official day that Toronto marked its 175th, so happy belated birthday, Hogtown! I had decided to give the camel a miss at Nathan Phillips, and am glad that I did – not that I don’t love  seeing a dromedary once in a while, it’s just I had only gone a block or two when I heard some distinctive music on the breeze. (But why a camel I kept wondering – couldn’t city officials find a moose?!) Anyways, tossing a quick spelling into a google search just now, I lucked out: Trawna, slang for Muddy York, is the exact spelling featured in Urban Dictionary.

When travelling outside the country, I often forget myself when explaining where I’m from, and out of habit or sheer laziness will say Trawna and inevitably have to repeat myself with forced diction: Toron-toe, which is then met with nods of understanding, even curiosity and interest.  When travelling within the province, however, or especially across the the country, the reaction is usually a distinctive yet polite form of Canadian sympathy! I will often emphasize this slangy vernacular as a way of deliberately introducing good-humoured self-deprication into the conversation.  A taxi driver in Winnipeg, for example, will delight in hearing me admit that I’m from ‘big, bad Traw-na’…makes a good ice-breaker while driving across town, say, in -40 C weather, discussing shared urban interests and concerns.

One urban treasure to celebrate here in Toronto is the great wealth and diversity of  street musicians, and you definitely know Spring is in the air when you hear bagpipes from a distance in the downtown core. Some readers might remember Curly, a gifted local piper. You can read about him here. Re-introducing myself last Friday, I asked Curly if there was a piece that he thought might be good to play on the occasion of Toronto’s 175th. Turns out it was a bit of a dumb question! 

Next time you’re near Queen & Uni, make a point of stopping by to enjoy some great music…and no forgit ta’ pay tha piper!!